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 Old Calahan
BZN Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I was playing that old time blues
The blues of old Calahan
Well, he was born in Kentucky, far away
He would be soon the famest man
Kentucky ever knew
Everybody now!
I took my guitar and my old country fiddle
Played me a song of the old Calahan
He once was a star in the days of the union
We all know him as the old Calahan (Come on now!)
Well, he was poor with no penny to his name
There was sorrow and there was pain
But no-one was to blame
He went to town, just a guitar in his hands
He made fortune and he got fame
At last he made the grade
Everybody now!
I took my guitar and my old country fiddle
Played me a song of the old Calahan
He once was a star in the days of the union
We all know him as the old Calahan (Play the solo now, hihooo!)
Last night when I felt so lonely and so blue
I was playing that old time blues
The blues of old Calahan
So I can tell you wherever, my best friends
When you're lonely, when you're blue
Just play it like I do
And everybody once more!
I took my guitar and my old country fiddle
Played me a song of the old Calahan
He once was a star in the days of the union
We all know him as the old Calahan
Ooohooo!
Yeahooo!
We all know him as the old Calahan
Come on everybody, sing it once more, yeah come on!
I took my guitar and my old country fiddle
Played me a song of the old Calahan
He once was a star in the days of the union
We all know him as the old Calahan
The lyrics of BZN’s song “The Old Calahan” speak of loneliness and the healing power of music. The singer of the song, possibly the lyricist, sings about feeling sad and alone and turning to the blues of the old-time Calahan. Calahan is described as a famous singer from Kentucky known throughout the union. The lyrics go on to say that despite being poor and having nothing, Calahan made it as a singer and became famous. The singer of the song encourages others to play the songs of Calahan when they feel lonely or blue.
The lyrics of this song convey a message of hope through music. It tells the story of a man who had nothing, yet through his music, he was able to transform his life and become famous. The singer reminds listeners of the power of music to heal, evoke emotions, and overcome difficult times.
Line by Line Meaning
Last night when I felt so lonely and so blue
The singer was feeling sad and alone the night before
I was playing that old time blues
They comforted themselves by playing old blues music
The blues of old Calahan
Specifically, they were playing a blues song about a man named Calahan
Well, he was born in Kentucky, far away
Calahan was born in Kentucky, which was far from where the artist is currently located
He would be soon the famest man
Calahan would soon become very famous
Kentucky ever knew
Among the residents of Kentucky, Calahan would be the most famous
Everybody now!
The singer has an enthusiastic audience who are encouraged to participate
I took my guitar and my old country fiddle
The artist grabbed their musical instruments
Played me a song of the old Calahan
They played a song about Calahan, likely one they had written themselves
He once was a star in the days of the union
Calahan had a successful career during the time of the union (possibly referring to the American Civil War)
We all know him as the old Calahan (Come on now!)
The singer's audience is familiar with Calahan and eager to join in
Well, he was poor with no penny to his name
Calahan was once very poor and had no money
There was sorrow and there was pain
During his difficult times, Calahan experienced emotional pain and hardship
But no-one was to blame
The singer suggests that nobody was responsible for Calahan's hardships, it was just bad luck
He went to town, just a guitar in his hands
Despite his difficult start, Calahan made his way to the city with only a guitar
He made fortune and he got fame
In the city, Calahan became wealthy and famous
At last he made the grade
Finally, Calahan achieved his goal of success through hard work and determination
Play the solo now, hihooo!
The singer requests a solo musical performance from one of their audience members
So I can tell you wherever, my best friends
The singer shares some advice with their close friends
When you're lonely, when you're blue
If they feel sad and alone
Just play it like I do
They should play music to comfort themselves
And everybody once more!
The audience is invited to participate again
Ooohooo!
The singer makes a joyful sound
Yeahooo!
The artist makes another happy noise
Come on everybody, sing it once more, yeah come on!
The singer encourages their audience to sing the Calahan song once more together
Contributed by Lucas J. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@steviestrange1960
This is MEGA. I love listening to all BZN music. It makes me feel Happy. I am constantly playing it. It is imprinted in my head, it does have that effect. Well done BZN. X
@larslagerwerf6834
My new favourite songs
@eloisaferreira1453
perefeito.
ouvindo aqui do Brasil 2020
@user-et7tw5cx2u
voor altijd fan!!🥲
@ShockeWulf190
love it!!
@heinzbocherer4733
Feeling pur like a dream
@konstantinpenchev7648
Много приятно !
@guidoverheyden1102
kon ik die tijd maar weer zetten mis BZN zo hart die stem van Jan en Anny en ook Carola
@lucdewaele3838
Een van mijn favoriete groepen ( nà ABBA en tina turner ) samen met The Cats
@elap231155
przypomina mi się młodość , te najpiękniejsze chwile życia, wesołe, beztroskie