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.
The Horizon
BZN Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
off the South African coast,
the sailing ship The Horizon,
with 60 crewmen on board,
ran into difficulties and eventually sank.
So far, only 5 survivors have been rescued
by a passing vessel
and the other crewmen are feared lost.
"In the dark,
the captain suddenly observed breakers ahead.
He managed to shout
that the helm should be turned hard over,
but it was already too late.
With a great noise, The Horizon struck a reef.
The enormous shock caused the main topmast
to topple over,
the rudder slipped out of its braces
and the tiller broke off.
From one moment to the next,
the ship was making a lot of water.
The Horizon stayed afloat,
but with water still pouring in,
for the bow of the ship was completely split open."
Prayers and mourning, in shades of blue
All were drowning, an awful view
So deceived by a sea of doom
To hear them crying, here in the gloom
(Haul on the main sheet
Leave the coast behind
Bound to round the horn
On favourite winds, they sailed along)
"At the stern, a boat was lowered quite carelessly.
It was seriously damaged.
The captain had the injured brought on board
and ordered some members of the crew
to take positions in the other lifeboats.
At half past twelve at night,
the stricken ship capsized.
Some of the crewmen who jumped overboard
managed to reach one of the boats.
An attempt to pick up more
was of no avail in the darkness.
This morning, neither the ship
nor the remaining crew could be seen."
Prayers and mourning, in shades of blue
All were drowning, an awful view
So deceived by a sea of doom
To hear them crying, here in the gloom
Prayers and mourning, in shades of blue
All were drowning, an awful view
So deceived by a sea of doom
To hear them crying, here in the gloom
The lyrics to BZN's song "The Horizon" tell the story of a tragic event that occurred off the cost of South Africa, where the sailing ship The Horizon encountered difficulties and eventually sank with 60 crewmen on board. The song describes the experience of the crew members as they struggle to survive in the dark, cold ocean after their ship goes down. The lyrics highlight the helplessness and despair felt by those on board as they come to realize the magnitude of the disaster.
The verses of the song offer a detailed account of the events leading up to the tragic sinking of The Horizon. The captain observes breakers ahead but it is already too late to turn the helm. The ship strikes a reef, causing the mast and rudder to break, and water to pour into the ship. The crew tries to escape in damaged lifeboats while the ship remains afloat but eventually capsizes, leaving many of the crew to drown. The chorus of the song speaks to the sadness of the event, with the repeated line "Prayers and mourning, in shades of blue, all were drowning, an awful view. So deceived by a sea of doom to hear them crying, here in the gloom."
Overall, the song is a haunting tribute to the sailors who were lost in the sinking of The Horizon. The lyrics create a vivid image of the horror and tragedy that befell them and the sadness felt by those who remember their story.
Line by Line Meaning
Last night, about 100 kilometers off the South African coast, the sailing ship The Horizon, with 60 crewmen on board, ran into difficulties and eventually sank.
The Horizon ship encountered problems and sank, causing the crew of 60 to be in danger in the waters about 100km away from the South African coast.
So far, only 5 survivors have been rescued by a passing vessel and the other crewmen are feared lost.
Only a few crew members were rescued, making it uncertain whether the others survived in the tragic event.
In the dark, the captain suddenly observed breakers ahead. He managed to shout that the helm should be turned hard over, but it was already too late. With a great noise, The Horizon struck a reef.
The captain noticed a dangerous area but it was too late to maneuver the ship, causing it to collide with a reef and make a loud noise.
The enormous shock caused the main topmast to topple over, the rudder slipped out of its braces and the tiller broke off.
The ship's collision caused several damages including the main topmast collapsing, tiller breaking off and rudder slipping out of its braces.
From one moment to the next, the ship was making a lot of water. The Horizon stayed afloat, but with water still pouring in, for the bow of the ship was completely split open.
Water started entering the ship right after the collision, making it difficult to stay afloat since it was split open at the bow.
At the stern, a boat was lowered quite carelessly. It was seriously damaged. The captain had the injured brought on board and ordered some members of the crew to take positions in the other lifeboats.
The crew tried to use a boat at the stern but it was damaged, causing injuries to some members. The captain ordered some crew members to occupy the other lifeboats.
At half past twelve at night, the stricken ship capsized. Some of the crewmen who jumped overboard managed to reach one of the boats. An attempt to pick up more was of no avail in the darkness.
The ship overturned at 12:30am, and some crew members who were thrown off-board were able to reach one of the lifeboats. However, it was difficult to save more since it was already dark.
This morning, neither the ship nor the remaining crew could be seen.
After the tragedy, there was no visible sign of the ship nor the remaining crew members.
Prayers and mourning, in shades of blue. All were drowning, an awful view. So deceived by a sea of doom. To hear them crying, here in the gloom.
Everyone was sad, grieving and mournful for the lives lost in the tragedy. The sea was to be blamed, and it was a terrible sight to see people drowning and crying in a setting of sadness and gloom.
Haul on the main sheet. Leave the coast behind. Bound to round the horn. On favourite winds, they sailed along.
This line is not related to the rest of the song and talks about sailing away from the coast to round the horn while enjoying their favourite winds.
Contributed by Alexandra C. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
DerThaipan
ich kann diese Gruppe den ganzen tag hören.Einfach fantastisch!!!
Texasstyle
ich auch
Brun Albert
Moi aussi, ich auch ...
Dottie Norton
Beautiful melody and words. So sad the situation. Jan Keizer and Carola Smit wonderful job.
Ingrid61601
Mooi in elkaar gezet. De BZN herinneringen en muziek zal zeker blijven bestaan.
machi1955
J'ADORE BZN!MERCI DE TOUT COEUR!
Sueli Ferrarezi
Maravilhoso
Jerzy Kasprzykowski
Dla mnie jak dotychczas BZ N to najlepszy zespół
Judyta Zarychta
Dla mnie też jest The best od prawie 20 tu lat nie znalazłam drugiego takiego zakochałam się od pierwszego usłyszenia
Brianna08051919
Just amazing: Even some everyday disaster on the radio news can be an inspiration for another feelgood pop song. I love the melody, but I´m not sure about these lyrics; there might be situations when they don´t fit.