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.
Singing in the Rain
BZN Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
They say he was born to be a looser
Nobody knew his name
And when he wakes up he may sing
Or play songs on his violin
He stood in the alleys dark and narrow
Then I will play something mellow
The crazy lazy fellow
He's the man, such a man, waiting for the rain to come
People call him little Valentino
On a fence, waiting for a chance to let you dance
'Cause he's just a lucky fellow
He's the man, such a man, waiting for the rain to come
People call him little Valentino
On a fence, waiting for a chance to let you dance
'Cause he's just a lucky fellow
Then he was singing in the rain
Da da da ja hopta da da da
And though it's raining
Heels going click clack all around
He's like a friend who'll never let you down
The one and only here in town
He catches the cap with all the money
And waves them all goodnight
And off he goes through the alley
To buy some drinks and candy
He's the man, such a man, waiting for the rain to come
People call him little Valentino
On a fence, waiting for a chance to let you dance
'Cause he's just a lucky fellow
Then he was singing in the rain
Da da da ja hopta da da da
And though it's raining
Heels going click clack all around
He's like a friend who'll never let you down
The one and only here in town
Then he was singing in the rain
Da da da ja hopta da da da
And though it's raining
Heels going click clack all around
He's like a friend who'll never let you down
The one and only here in town
The lyrics to BZN's "Singing In The Rain" tells the story of a man who was born to be a loser and no one knew his name. He would often sing and play his violin when he woke up in the morning, but he would stand in dark and narrow alleys begging for a dime. Despite his situation, he was a lucky fellow because he always managed to find the good in life, waiting for the rain to come so that he could sing and play in it. People called him Little Valentino and he was always waiting for a chance to let people dance, perched on a fence.
Though he was always down and out, Little Valentino never let anyone down. He was know in town as the one and only, and was always there to catch the cap with all the money he had earned from his singing and playing. He would wave to those who waved him goodbye and disappear into the alleys to buy some drinks and candy. In the end, he was just like a friend who'll never let you down, the one and only here in town.
Overall, the lyrics to "Singing In The Rain" are a testament to the resilience of human spirit, and how even in the darkest of situations, we can find the good and make the best of what we have.
Line by Line Meaning
They say he was born to be a looser
Rumors are that he was destined to fail in life
Nobody knew his name
He was a stranger to everyone
And when he wakes up he may sing
He had a passion for music and would often sing
Or play songs on his violin
He was also skilled at playing the violin
He stood in the alleys dark and narrow
He would often be found in secluded areas
He begged: "Give me a dime"
He would ask for small amounts of money
Then I will play something mellow
In exchange, he would play soothing music
The crazy lazy fellow
Despite his lack of ambition, he was good-natured
He's the man, such a man, waiting for the rain to come
He is a patient man, anticipating the arrival of the rain
People call him little Valentino
He's known as a charming and romantic person
On a fence, waiting for a chance to let you dance
He enjoys giving others the opportunity to enjoy themselves
'Cause he's just a lucky fellow
His carefree attitude has led to good fortune
Then he was singing in the rain
He enjoys singing, despite adverse weather conditions
Da da da ja hopta da da da
These are nonsensical syllables meant to add to the happy atmosphere
And though it's raining
Despite the poor weather, he's in good spirits
Heels going click clack all around
Other people walking near him adds to the musical beat
He's like a friend who'll never let you down
He is a reliable and trustworthy person
The one and only here in town
He's a unique presence in the community
He catches the cap with all the money
He successfully collects all the donated funds
And waves them all goodnight
He thanks everyone for their generosity
And off he goes through the alley
He heads home through his familiar route
To buy some drinks and candy
He spends his earnings on small pleasures
Contributed by Gavin E. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Alexander de Vries
Wat een nostalgie, mooie clip!!!
Herbert Schober
toll! Danke :)
james s kennedy
Just love Annie