In the early Seventies, the band switched to hard rock and had its first successes, including a brace of Top 40 hits. After original singer Veerman left and drummer Keizer took his place behind the microphone, the band made a musical U-turn and opted for commercial radio pop, adding female co-vocalist Annie Schilder and laying the foundation for their status as the most popular Dutch band ever (in terms of hit singles and albums). BZN has had over 50 hits in the Dutch hit parade to date.
BZN's claim to fame started with the song "Mon Amour" (1976), which held the #1 hit parade ranking for over 5 weeks. Outside of the Netherlands the band has had some success as well, amongst which several hits in South Africa (such as "Yeppa" in 1990) and minor successes with their French-language songs in Canada.
Through the years there have been many lineup changes, the most important of which have been the departure of Schilder in 1984 (replaced by Carola Smit) and in 1988 of the brothers Cees and Thomas Tol (keyboards), who until then had been responsible for most of the music and lyrics. The band remained nevertheless successful, making their last major change in strategy when they decided to write in Dutch instead of English as of 2003.
BZN are also responsible for the initial success of singer Jan Smit (singer), who was discovered by BZN at the age of 10 and went on to have pop and schlager successes in The Netherlands, Germany and Belgium.
On February 15 2006, BZN announced they would do one final tour and then call it quits. This goodbye tour is scheduled to last until June 2007.
In The Year 1519
BZN Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
(J. Veerman/J. Keizer/J. Tuijp)
In the year 1519, the Conquistadores under General Cortez discovered a famous Indian civilization, near a place that is now called Mexico City. Thousands of Aztec and Mayan Indians were massacred and their culture was completely destroyed.
The book of life was filled up with black pages
And darkness ruled over the day
Just to be free, they fought for victory
Without fright and without fear
(all the Aztec Mayans, all for one, one for all)
Indians died, died for liberty
(they will fight for freedom, and nothing could stop them)
They were killed by Spanish soldiers,
(oohoohoohooh)
For their land;
'were doomed against the guns, of señor Cortez
Their sun was bled, the rivers coloured red
With all the blood from all the slaughter
With no more grace and no more dignity
They lost their pride and lived in slavery
The book of life was filled up with black pages
And darkness ruled over the day
Spirits cried, willing to die,
(from the Aztec Mayans, they will go there together)
Just to be free, they fought for victory
(they will fight for freedom, and nothing could stop them)
Without fright and without fear
(all the Aztec Mayans, all for one, one for all)
Indians died, died for liberty
(they will fight for freedom, and nothing could stop them)
They were killed by Spanish soldiers,
(oohoohoohooh)
For their land;
'were doomed against the guns, of señor Cortez
They were killed by Spanish soldiers,
(oohoohoohooh)
For their land;
'were doomed against the guns, of señor Cortez
BZN's song "In the Year 1519" sheds light on the ruthless and tragic history of the indigenous peoples of Mexico City. The lyrics speak about the arrival of General Cortez and his army of Conquistadors in 1519, who discovered a flourishing civilization of the Aztec and Mayan Indians. What followed was a brutal massacre of thousands of native people and the destruction of their culture.
The opening lines of the song suggest that the incident was so significant that it filled up the book of life with black pages, a metaphor for a record of darkness and despair. The spirits of the Aztec and Mayan people were broken, and they were willing to die for their freedom. The line "without fright and without fear" represents their bravery and determination to fight back against their oppressors, even though they were outnumbered and outgunned.
The second half of the song highlights the atrocities of war, where their sun was bled, rivers were colored red with blood, and their pride and dignity were lost. The fight for their land and freedom was doomed against the guns of señor Cortez, who had all the power of the Spanish Empire behind him. The song concludes by repeating the line "they were killed by Spanish soldiers for their land," emphasizing the tragedy of a lost civilization and culture.
Overall, "In the Year 1519" is a powerful and insightful song that reminds us of the harsh realities of colonialism and the cost of conquering and colonization.
Line by Line Meaning
In the year 1519
During 1519, the Conquistadores found a famous Indian civilization and destroyed it, massacring thousands of Aztec and Mayan Indians.
The book of life was filled up with black pages
The history of the Aztec and Mayan Indians was full of pain and suffering caused by the Spanish soldiers.
And darkness ruled over the day
The Spanish soldiers brought fear and devastation, taking away the light and hope of the Indian civilization.
Spirits cried, willing to die,
The Aztec Mayans were tormented and felt like they had nothing left to live for, just wanting to be free from the Spanish oppression.
Just to be free, they fought for victory
The Aztec Mayans fought bravely, striving for freedom from the Spanish soldiers and their rule.
Without fright and without fear
The Aztec Mayans fought bravely without fear, knowing that this was their chance to be free once again.
Indians died, died for liberty
The Aztec Mayans fought so hard for their freedom, giving their lives in the process, but their deaths were not in vain.
They were killed by Spanish soldiers,
The Spanish soldiers showed no mercy, killing the Aztec Mayans without second thought.
(oohoohoohooh)
For their land;
The Spanish soldiers took away the land of the Aztec Mayans that they had lived on in peace for generations.
'were doomed against the guns, of señor Cortez
The Aztec Mayans had no chance against the powerful weapons of the Spanish soldiers, led by their leader, Senor Cortez.
Their sun was bled, the rivers coloured red
The Aztec Mayans saw the sun, that they used to worship as a god, become dark and the rivers were turned red with their blood.
With all the blood from all the slaughter
The Spanish soldiers caused a lot of bloodshed during the massacre of the Aztec and Mayan Indians.
With no more grace and no more dignity
After the Spanish soldiers overtook the Aztec and Mayan Indians, they were left with no pride, dignity, or grace.
They lost their pride and lived in slavery
The Aztec and Mayan Indians were forced into slavery, stripped of their pride and freedom.
Contributed by Brody G. Suggest a correction in the comments below.