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.
Keep Your Head Up
BZN Lyrics
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(D. Plat/J. Veerman/J. Keizer/J. Tuijp)
When Cupid's arrows lose their way towards your heart
And you feel mad they've let you down
When wheels of fortune seem to always pass you by
Your heart's the loser every time
The darkest hour is right before the dawn
Keep your head up, don't feel blue
Soon the sun will shine on you
And one day you will forget your rainy days
Keep your head up, give a smile
No more sorrow for a while
Leave your sad days behind, blowing in the wind
Life it ain't easy, it's a long and winding road
You struggle with your heavy load
But remember my friend, keep right on till the end
The darkest hour is right before the dawn
Keep your head up, don't feel blue
Soon the sun will shine on you
And one day you will forget your rainy days
Keep your head up, give a smile
No more sorrow for a while
Leave your sad days behind, blowing in the wind
Life's like climbing a mountain high, so high that you have doubts
The distant peak is hiding behind the clouds
Keep your head up, don't feel blue
Soon the sun will shine on you
And one day you will forget your rainy days
Keep your head up, give a smile
No more sorrow for a while
Leave your sad days behind, blowing in the wind
Leave your sad days behind, blowing in the wind
BZN's song 'Keep Your Head Up' is a song about perseverance and hope. The song starts by addressing those moments when love and luck seem to evade us, and we feel down and out. The lyrics encourage us to keep pushing forward despite the setbacks because the darkest hour is right before the dawn. The chorus urges us to 'keep our head up' and look forward to a brighter future, reminding us that the sun will shine again, and the sad days will be behind us soon.
The song draws on the metaphor of climbing a mountain to describe the struggles of life. It acknowledges that the journey is tough, filled with doubt and uncertainty. However, it encourages us not to give up and to keep going until we reach our desired destination. The song offers a message of hope and reminds us that we have the strength within us to overcome any obstacle and find our way out of the rain.
Line by Line Meaning
Keep your head up
Remain optimistic and positive
When Cupid's arrows lose their way towards your heart
When love seems to evade you
And you feel mad they've let you down
And you feel disappointed by love's failure
When wheels of fortune seem to always pass you by
When luck seems to avoid you
Your heart's the loser every time
You suffer emotional damage every time
And remember my friend, keep right on till the end
Persist until the conclusion, don't give up
The darkest hour is right before the dawn
The worst part of an ordeal often precedes success
Soon the sun will shine on you
Future successes and positive experiences are coming your way
And one day you will forget your rainy days
You will move beyond hardships and challenges
Keep your head up, give a smile
Stay positive and happy
No more sorrow for a while
Don't let sadness affect you for a time
Leave your sad days behind, blowing in the wind
Move beyond your unhappy experiences
Life it ain't easy, it's a long and winding road
Life is not simple, it's a complicated and difficult journey
You struggle with your heavy load
You carry the burden of life's difficulties
Life's like climbing a mountain high, so high that you have doubts
Life can be challenging, forcing you to question your abilities
The distant peak is hiding behind the clouds
The ultimate goal seems unclear or difficult to reach
Leave your sad days behind, blowing in the wind
Move beyond your unhappy experiences
Contributed by Brayden H. Suggest a correction in the comments below.