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.
Nabucco
BZN Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Va, ti posa sui clivi, sui colli
Ove olezzano tepide e molli
L'aure doci, del suolo natal!
Del giordano le rive saluta
Di sionne le torri atterrate
Oh, mia patria si belle perduta
Oh, membranza si cara e fatal!
Perche muta dal salince pendi?
Le memorie nel petto raccendi
Ci favella del tempo che fu!
O simile di solima ai fati
Traggi un suono di crudo lamento
O t'ispiri il signore un concento
Che ne infonda al partire virtu!
Che ne infonda al partire virtu!
Che ne infonda al partire virtu!
Al patire virtu!
The lyrics of BZN's song Nabucco are haunting and full of emotion. The song is based on the opera Nabucco by Giuseppe Verdi and tells the story of Jewish slaves in Babylon who long to return to their homeland. The opening lines "Va, pensiero, sull'ali dorate" ("Fly, thought, on golden wings") introduce the theme of longing, urging the singer to let his thoughts fly away on the wind and return to the beloved and familiar terrain of his childhood. The verses then go on to describe the familiar sights and smells of his homeland, invoking a sense of nostalgia and loss.
The second half of the song reveals the true depth of the singer's pain, as he mourns the destruction of his city and the loss of his people. The lines "Oh, mia patria si belle perduta" ("Oh, my beautiful lost homeland") and "Oh, membranza si cara e fatal!" ("Oh, beloved and fatal memory!") express a sense of mourning and despair that is both personal and political. The song ultimately calls upon the divine to grant the singer the strength to endure his sorrow and the power to overcome it, as he sets off on his journey into the unknown future.
Overall, BZN's Nabucco is a powerful meditation on loss, longing, and resilience, drawing on the rich musical and cultural heritage of Italy to create a deeply moving and evocative work of art.
Line by Line Meaning
Va, pensiero, sull'ali dorate
Go, thought, on golden wings
Va, ti posa sui clivi, sui colli
Settle on hills and cliffs
Ove olezzano tepide e molli
Where the warm and soft breezes smell
L'aure doci, del suolo natal!
The sweet airs of our homeland!
Del giordano le rive saluta
Salute the banks of the Jordan
Di sionne le torri atterrate
The ruined towers of Zion
Oh, mia patria si belle perduta
Oh, my beautiful lost country
Oh, membranza si cara e fatal!
Oh, memory so dear and fatal!
Arpa d'or dei fatidici vati
Golden harp of the fateful prophets
Perche muta dal salince pendi?
Why hang silent from the willows?
Le memorie nel petto raccendi
Kindle memories in our hearts
Ci favella del tempo che fu!
Speak to us of times gone by!
O simile di solima ai fati
Like the fate of Jerusalem
Traggi un suono di crudo lamento
Draw a sound of cruel mourning
O t'ispiri il signore un concento
Or the Lord inspires a harmony
Che ne infonda al partire virtu!
That infuses us with virtue as we depart!
Che ne infonda al partire virtu!
That infuses us with virtue as we depart!
Che ne infonda al partire virtu!
That infuses us with virtue as we depart!
Al patire virtu!
In virtuous suffering!
Contributed by Kaelyn C. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Barry Henderson
There are not enough adjectives available to describe this magnificent piece of music
John O'Brien
Their voices with Nabucco are superb!
Raluca Daniela
Este un cantec deosebit si prea frumos pentru acesta planeta! Este divin...
Mike Olson
Great sound! BZN truly had some of the best concerts. The whole world love them yet in the US people haven't even heard of the group.
Aurelia Moca
A super melody and fantastic voices ! Thank You,BZN !❤🌹🌹🌹
Maria Silva
Muito lindo!!
Anna Sentkowska
Piękne wykonanie,serdecznie pozdrawiam
Anna z Belgii
kierowca1956
w takcie tej muzyki pozdrawiam , Wiesiek z Polski
Stefans63 Stefan
Przepiekna piesn, ja dysponuje w wykonaniu chor niewolnikow przesliczna i te wzruszajace slowa. Wnide Panie na prog Twych oltarzy, glos podniose z padolu tej ziemi,niech Twe serce litoscia nas darzy, Ty nasz Ojciec, my dzieci Twe, my wierny lud...i tak dalej dysponuje polskim tekstem.przecudowny utwor, lacze pozdrowienia...
Jadwiga Machała
@krystyna palczynska Dołączam się do słów uznania.