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
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
'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
The song "Rockin the Trolls" by Dutch band BZN tells the story of a wise Scottish sailor who warns of the impending danger of trolls. The singer portrays the sailor as a quirky character who tells tales in a peculiar way, with a lowered voice and rolling eyes, accompanied by the smell of booze and beer. The sailor warns the children to be careful because the trolls will soon be coming. The trolls in this context are depicted as powerful entities with magical bells and crystal balls, who rule the night and are a threat to the community.
The sailor tells the community to draw their swords and raise them high because the time is now right to fight the trolls. Despite his warning, the sailor disappears into the night, leaving the community waiting and unsure of what to do. However, they eventually hear the sound of the sailor "rockin' the trolls tonight," implying that he is fighting them and winning.
The song uses the concept of trolls as a metaphor for obstacles and challenges that come in life. It encourages listeners to be vigilant and to have the courage to fight against difficult circumstances. The upbeat melody of the song complements the lyrics and creates an optimistic and energetic atmosphere.
Line by Line Meaning
It was a Scottish sailorman, who sure was right as rain
The song begins with the introduction of a Scottish sailor who is known for his ability to predict the future.
He'd like to tell you stories in a most peculiar way
The sailor was known for his unusual manner of storytelling.
With lowered voice and rolling eyes, the smell of booze
And beer
As he spoke, the sailor would lower his voice and create an eerie atmosphere with his rolling eyes and the smell of alcohol.
'Beware my kids' he said, 'because the trolls will soon
Be here'
The sailor warned the listeners of the impending danger of trolls that were going to arrive soon.
'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'
He describes the trolls as rulers of the night with magical powers and encourages the listeners to raise their swords to protect themselves.
And then he'd say: 'Think of me nice' and to me
Surprise
The Scottish sailor, he moved into the night
The sailor bids goodbye to the listeners, asking them to remember him fondly and then disappears into the darkness.
And while we all were waiting, cheeria cheera
The sailor was taken, 'till the day was breaking
He's rockin' the trolls tonight
The song then repeats the chorus emphasizing that the sailor is off fighting the trolls.
'They seemed to come from everywhere, in search of
Everyone
You're going to be the prisoner and you're not the only
One'
The sailor describes the trolls as appearing out of nowhere and imposing themselves upon people, making them prisoners.
'I've seen it with my very eyes', the sailor said
Before
'Maybe a hundred thousand trolls or maybe even more'
The sailor shares his first-hand experience of seeing the trolls and estimates their numbers to be possibly as many as a hundred thousand.
Contributed by Austin R. 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