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.
My Heart Is Crying
BZN Lyrics
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On a cold and lonely night.
I was searching for a girl named Maria
Her eyes were exciting
Like diamonds of blue,
Her ruby-red lips like a rose in the dew.
So I went to every bar,
And though it might hurt,
I sang me these words.
My heart is crying
Crying for you.
I want you near to be mine
Let me take you in my arms
While you kiss me with your charms
Till the morning light
Has opened up your eyes.
My heart is crying
Crying for you.
I want you near to be mine
Let me take you in my arms
While you kiss me with your charms
Until the break of day
All dreams must fade away.
Well I knocked about the city
My mind set on you
And I couldn't reveal
I was aching
My fingers where clenching
Yeah, your golden ring.
Then I heard the words
That we once used to sing
So I went into that bar
There you were just playing guitar
My heart skipped a beat
Then we sang again.
My heart is crying
Crying for you.
I want you near to be mine
Let me take you in my arms
While you kiss me with your charms
Till the morning light
Has opened up your eyes.
My heart is crying
Crying for you.
I want you near to be mine
Let me take you in my arms
While you kiss me with your charms
Until the break of day
All dreams must fade away.
The lyrics of BZN’s song My Heart Is Crying tells a story of a man who is searching for a girl named Maria on a cold and lonely night. He describes her eyes as being exciting like diamonds of blue and her ruby-red lips like a rose in the dew. He goes on to say that he went to every bar, drinking beer and playing guitar, in search of Maria. Even though it hurts, he sings about his heart crying for Maria and wanting her to be near to him, to take her in his arms, and be with her until the morning light.
As he continues searching, his mind is set on her, and he couldn't reveal that he was aching. He hears the words that they once used to sing, and he goes into a bar where he finds Maria playing guitar. His heart skips a beat when he sees her, and they sing together again. The song ends with him singing again, saying that his heart is crying for her and wanting to be with her until the break of day, even if it means that all dreams must fade away.
The song's lyrics express a deep longing for love and companionship, and the melody creates a haunting quality that matches the lyrics' emotion. The story of a man searching for a woman who he believes is the love of his life is universal and resonates with many listeners. It’s an excellent example of a ballad with a powerful yet tender tone and message.
Line by Line Meaning
Well I was walking through the alleys
On a cold and lonely night.
On a night that was both cold and lonely, I was walking through the alleys in search of a girl named Maria.
I was searching for a girl named Maria
Her eyes were exciting
Like diamonds of blue,
Her ruby-red lips like a rose in the dew.
In particular, I was looking for Maria whose eyes sparkled like blue diamonds and whose lips were as red as a dew-covered rose.
So I went to every bar,
To drink a beer and play guitar.
And though it might hurt,
I sang me these words.
To pass the time, I went into every bar, drank some beer, and played guitar. Though it may have pained me, I also sang these words.
My heart is crying
Crying for you.
I want you near to be mine
Let me take you in my arms
While you kiss me with your charms
Till the morning light
Has opened up your eyes.
My heart is aching for Maria, and I want her to be mine. I long for her to be in my arms and to revel in her charms until the morning light opens her eyes.
My heart is crying
Crying for you.
I want you near to be mine
Let me take you in my arms
While you kiss me with your charms
Until the break of day
All dreams must fade away.
My heart continues to ache for Maria, and I still want her to be near me. I yearn to hold her and feel her charms until the breaking of dawn when all dreams must fade away.
Well I knocked about the city
My mind set on you
And I couldn't reveal
I was aching
My fingers where clenching
Yeah, your golden ring.
As I roamed about the city, I couldn't shake thoughts of Maria from my mind. I kept my aching heart to myself, and my fingers clenched in frustration, including around her golden ring that I held onto.
Then I heard the words
That we once used to sing
So I went into that bar
There you were just playing guitar
My heart skipped a beat
Then we sang again.
At last, I heard a familiar song that Maria and I used to sing together. Overjoyed, I rushed into the nearest bar to find her there playing guitar. My heart leaped with excitement, and we sang together once again.
Contributed by Dominic M. Suggest a correction in the comments below.