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.
Rockin' the Trolls
BZN Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
He'd like to tell you stories in a most peculiar way
With lowered voice and rolling eyes, the smell of booze and beer
'Beware my kids' he said, 'because the trolls will soon be here'
'With crystal balls and magic bells, they're rulers of the night
So draw your swords and raise it high, 'cause now the time is right'
And then he'd say: 'Think of me nice' and to me surprise
And while we all were waiting, cheeria cheera
The sailor was taken, 'till the day was breaking
He's rockin' the trolls tonight
And while we all were waiting, cheeria cheera
The sailor was taken, 'till the day was breaking
He's rockin' the trolls tonight
'They seemed to come from everywhere, in search of everyone
You're going to be the prisoner and you're not the only one'
'I've seen it with my very eyes', the sailor said before
'Maybe a hundred thousand trolls or maybe even more'
With crystal balls and magic bells, they're rulers of the night
So draw your swords and raise it high, 'cause now the time is right
And then he'd say: 'Think of me nice' and to me surprise
The Scottish sailor, he moved into the night
And while we all were waiting, cheeria, cheera
The sailor was taken, 'till the day was breaking
He's rockin' the trolls tonight
And while we all were waiting, cheeria, cheera
The sailor was taken, 'till the day was breaking
He's rockin' the trolls tonight
With crystal balls and magic bells, they're rulers of the night
So draw your swords and raise it high, 'cause now the time is right
And then he'd say: 'Think of me nice' and to me surprise
The Scottish sailor, he moved into the night
And while we all were waiting, cheeria, cheera
The sailor was taken, 'till the day was breaking
He's rockin' the trolls tonight
And while we all were waiting, cheeria, cheera
The sailor was taken, 'till the day was breaking
He's rockin' the trolls tonight
BZN's "Rockin' the Trolls" features a Scottish sailor who loves to tell stories in a most peculiar way, complete with lowered voice and rolling eyes, and smelling of booze and beer. He warns of the coming of the trolls, with their crystal balls and magic bells, who are rulers of the night and in search of prisoners. He advises everyone to draw their swords and raise it high, as the time is right. He then bids farewell and moves into the night, leaving everyone waiting and wondering.
The lyrics of "Rockin' the Trolls" depict the sailor's tale and build the suspense of the approaching trolls. The rhythm and melody of the song further emphasize the mysterious and eerie feel of the tale being told. The repetition of the chorus, "And while we all were waiting, cheeria, cheera, the sailor was taken 'til the day was breaking. He's rockin' the trolls tonight," reinforces the idea of the sailors' fate, leaving the listener unsettled and curious.
Line by Line Meaning
It was a Scottish sailorman, who sure was right as rain
A Scottish sailor was telling stories with complete confidence.
He'd like to tell you stories in a most peculiar way
The sailor had a unique way of storytelling.
With lowered voice and rolling eyes, the smell of booze and beer
The sailor set the mood for his stories with a quiet voice and intense look, and the scent of alcohol filled the air.
'Beware my kids' he said, 'because the trolls will soon be here'
The sailor warned of an impending danger - trolls.
'They seemed to come from everywhere, in search of everyone
According to the sailor, the trolls were searching for people, and they were everywhere.
You're going to be the prisoner and you're not the only one'
The trolls would take people prisoner, and there were several victims.
'I've seen it with my very eyes', the sailor said before
The sailor had witnessed the trolls' actions personally and was convinced of their existence.
'Maybe a hundred thousand trolls or maybe even more'
The sailor estimated that there were more than 100,000 trolls.
'With crystal balls and magic bells, they're rulers of the night
The trolls were powerful, with abilities such as clairvoyance and magical control.
So draw your swords and raise it high, 'cause now the time is right'
The sailor encouraged others to prepare for battle against the trolls.
And then he'd say: 'Think of me nice' and to me surprise
The sailor would say goodbye, and his parting words was a request to be remembered fondly.
The Scottish sailor, he moved into the night
The sailor left into the dark, continuing his journey.
And while we all were waiting, cheeria cheera
Others were waiting, as the sailor had gone.
The sailor was taken, 'till the day was breaking
The sailor had disappeared, and the search would continue until morning.
He's rockin' the trolls tonight
The sailor was facing the trolls and fighting them.
Contributed by Camden D. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Dorothea Pietsch
Thank you Annie and Jan for one more beautiful song that will still rock the trolls and generations in 50 years...
Nigel Francis
I saw this band 30 times and still think they were the greatest band in the world. Just as good live as on record...wish they were still around.
valentino5375
Ik was pas 5 en mijn moeder was helemaal wezeloos van BZN, damn werd er gek van gewoon. Elke dag weer die lp's van BZN. Nu 33 jaar later hoor je deze muziek weer en denk je bij jezelf, gos heerlijke muziek zeg... Laar ik nog eens een nummertje opzoeken van BZN.
rjm
valentino5375 echt he....van placebo en editors in ruk door naar BZN...bringing back the memories.
tik tak
Born in 1999 and love jamming to this song 😏
Fritz H.
I love this song!
Gasoline85
Currently learning this song on guitar.
TheRealTricky
Dit lied is het eerste lied van BZN in mijn persoonlijke geheugen. Dit lied is dus voor mij het meest nostalgisch. Leuk te zien hoe de clip niet veel voorstelt maar gewoon leuk is om naar te kijken omdat ze gewoon plezier hebben in muziek maken. Dat mis ik vandaag de dag echt in videoclips.
Toen ik een paar mensen op de top van de kantelen zag staan moest ik wel wel even denken aan "I fart in your general direction, your mother was a hamster and your father smelt of elderberries". Ik weet ook niet waarom dat was.
La Rochelle
TheRealTricky 😂😂😂😂
Friedrich613
Selten so eine klare Stimme gehört.Danke Annie