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.
Once Upon A Christmas
BZN Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Mary, being great with her child
Had no place to lie down
So Joseph found a stable, in which Mary had her child
Once upon a Christmas, was the birth of Jesus Christ
Once upon a Christmas, in a manger far away
A King was born, His palace was a manger filled with hay
Once upon a Christmas, far away in Bethlehem
And all the world rejoiced because the King was born at last
A saviour had been promised
Now it had come to pass
And the joyfull news that He was born
Spread quickly, far and wide
Once upon a Christmas, was the birth of Jesus Christ
Once upon a Christmas, from the far east wise-men came
With gold and myrrh and frank-in-cense
To praise the new born King
Shepherds left their flocks and came to see and worship Him
Once upon a Christmas, far away in Bethlehem
And all the world rejoiced because the King was born at last
A saviour had been promised
Now it had come to pass
And the joyfull news that He was born
Spread quickly, far and wide
Once upon a Christmas, was the birth of Jesus Christ
All the world rejoiced because the King was born at last
A saviour had been promised
Now it had come to pass
And the joyfull news that He was born
Spread quickly, far and wide
Once upon a Christmas, was the birth of Jesus Christ
All the world rejoiced because the King was born at last
A saviour had been promised
Now it had come to pass
And the joyfull news that He was born
Spread quickly, far and wide
Once upon a Christmas, was the birth of Jesus Christ
Once upon a Christmas, far away in Bethlehem
The lyrics to BZN's "Once Upon A Christmas" are a retelling of the birth of Jesus Christ as recorded in the Bible. The song begins by describing Mary and Joseph's search for a place to stay while Mary is pregnant with Jesus. They ultimately end up in a stable where Mary gives birth to Jesus. The second verse describes the scene in the manger where Jesus is born. Despite being a king, he is born in humble surroundings with only a manger of hay for a bed. The chorus repeats the line "Once Upon A Christmas, far away in Bethlehem" to emphasize the setting and context of the story.
The third verse introduces the wise men who traveled from the east to bring gifts to the newborn king. The shepherds are also mentioned as coming to see and worship Jesus. The chorus is repeated once more to emphasize the impact of Jesus' birth on the world. The final verse and chorus repeat the same themes, and the song ends with a reflection on the joy and importance of the event.
Overall, "Once Upon A Christmas" is a straightforward retelling of the Nativity story. By focusing on the key events and characters, BZN conveys the wonder and significance of Jesus' birth. The song's simple melody and singable chorus help to make it a beloved classic that is often played during the holiday season.
Line by Line Meaning
Once upon a Christmas, far away in Bethlehem
At a certain time in history, distant from our current reality, in a town called Bethlehem,
Mary, being great with her child
Mary was pregnant and her belly was swollen, giving evidence of her impending delivery,
Had no place to lie down
Mary and Joseph could not find a suitable location to rest for the night,
So Joseph found a stable, in which Mary had her child
Joseph discovered a stable -- which was not glamorous but would suffice -- to serve as a temporary birthing suite for Mary,
Once upon a Christmas, was the birth of Jesus Christ
And it was during this time in a distant town that Jesus Christ, the son of God, was born,
Once upon a Christmas, in a manger far away
In a far away stable and crude dwelling,
A King was born, His palace was a manger filled with hay
A King, of royalty and authority, albeit born in poverty and humility, with a trough filled with hay as His throne,
His royal robe was swaddling close, a halo was His crown
Jesus Christ, who even as an infant was adorned with a makeshift outfit of royal swaddling and a unique purity that represented a crown,
And all the world rejoiced because the King was born at last
The birth of Jesus Christ brought an unparalleled sense of universal euphoria and joy,
A saviour had been promised
A redeemer and deliverer had been prophesied, anticipated, and continuously awaited by many,
Now it had come to pass
And now, the promise had been fulfilled, the awaited moment had come to reality,
And the joyfull news that He was born
And the good news of the birth of Jesus Christ,
Spread quickly, far and wide
Was disseminated with incredible speed and reached every corner of the world,
Once upon a Christmas, from the far east wise-men came
Also, during this time, three wise men traveled from the East with gifts to pay homage to the newborn king,
With gold and myrrh and frank-in-cense
In their entourage, they brought precious gifts of gold, myrrh, and frankincense that were befitting a king,
To praise the new born King
Their goal was to honor and adore the new King who had just been born,
Shepherds left their flocks and came to see and worship Him
In addition, local shepherds took a break from their normal duties and also came to see and pay reverence to the newly born King,
Contributed by Asher M. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Dan Filip
Speechless. The most beautiful carols by BZN.
DROUIN48
Tellement beau. Les voix sont magnifiques.
Harma Postma
Mooi in elkaar gezet!! En ik vindt dit zelf ook een erg mooi lied!! Alleen zoooooooooooooo jammer dat BZN niet meer bij elkaar is.. Ik mis ze best wel als groep!!! Maar het muziek blijft eeuwig bestaan!! En dat is toch wel geweldig mooi!! Kan er altijd naar luisteren. :-)
Franciscus Niesink
Beautifully meaningful...
gyorgy rung
KEDVES KAROLINA! CSODÁS KÉPEK,GYÖNYÖRŰ DAL KÖSZÖNÖM.BÉKÉS,BOLDOG KARÁCSONYT KÍVÁNOK SZERETETTEL!PUSZI GYÖRGY.
Ivan Dimitrov
The Best Christmas song I know!!!
́`
klasse song
Roland Knijpstra
persoonljk vind ik deze versie beter dan die van Dolly Parton & kenny Rogers....met alle respect !!
Frans Bakker
Beetje late reactie , maar de zangprestatie van Carola is werkelijk adembenemend , als je dat 1 x gehoord hebt , vergeet je dat nooit meer .
desert eagle
beter kan het niet worden