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.
Just Take My Hand
BZN Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
When we were young and happy
Castles in the air, between the ruins of our land
It's been a long, long time ago
Those happy days together
Walking hand in hand, between the ruins of our land
I will wait for you 'cause I need you near
And I will sing in the morning a song to your heart
'Till day is dawning, then we enjoy our company
Just take my hand, and I will lead you
Back to the days when we were young
My pearly friend, just take my hand
Together we will reach the end
So little girl, don't be afraid
'Cause I will never leave you
No more lonely days, a joyfull time in many ways
Try to find a way that will lead you here
I will wait for you 'cause I need you near
And I will sing in the morning a song into your heart
'Till day is dawning, then we enjoy our company
Just take my hand, and I will lead you
Back to the days when we were young
My pearly friend, just take my hand
Together we will reach the end
Just take my hand, and I will lead you
Back to the days when we were young
My pearly friend, just take my hand
Together we will reach the end.
The lyrics to BZN’s song “Just Take My Hand” express a longing for days gone by when the singer and their “pearly friend” were young and happy together. The first two lines of the song suggest that there are memories that are hard to forget, possibly referring to a time of war or some other difficult period in their lives. The next line of the song mentions “castles in the air” which could mean that they had big dreams for the future, but these dreams were built in the midst of the ruins of their land, suggesting that the reality of their situation was grim.
The song then transitions to a declaration of commitment from the singer to their friend. They express a desire to be reunited and promise to wait for them, singing a song into their heart until they are together again. The chorus repeats the phrase “Just take my hand” as a symbol of support and reassurance, offering to take their friend back to the happy times when they were young and carefree.
Overall, the song is a nostalgic and emotional tribute to a deep friendship that has endured through difficult times. Its message of hope and support is a reminder of the importance of human connection and the power of friendship.
Line by Line Meaning
So many days, we can't forget
There have been so many days that we cannot forget
When we were young and happy
Those were the days when we were young and happy
Castles in the air, between the ruins of our land
Even though our land was in ruins, we still had dreams and aspirations
It's been a long, long time ago
It has been a very long time ago since those days
Those happy days together
Those days were the happiest we spent together
Walking hand in hand, between the ruins of our land
We used to walk together, holding hands, even among the ruins
Try to find a way that will lead you here
Try to find a way back to me
I will wait for you 'cause I need you near
I will wait for you because I cannot bear to be without you
And I will sing in the morning a song to your heart
In the morning, I will sing a song to your heart
Till day is dawning, then we enjoy our company
Until the day dawns, we will enjoy each other's company
Just take my hand, and I will lead you
I am offering my hand to you, and I will guide you
Back to the days when we were young
Back to the days of our youth
My pearly friend, just take my hand
My dear friend, please take my hand
Together we will reach the end
Together, we will reach the end of our journey
So little girl, don't be afraid
Don't be afraid, my dear
'Cause I will never leave you
I promise I will never leave you
No more lonely days, a joyful time in many ways
There will be no more lonely days, but instead, many joyful times together
Contributed by William Y. Suggest a correction in the comments below.