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.
Where the Church-Bells Still Ring
BZN Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
ooh-hoo-hoo hoo hoo
ooh hoo hoo hoo-hoo hoo hoo hoo
My countryside, you gave me everything you had
The sweet perfume of roses and the smell of baking bread
The black-tailed swallow on the wing and the village school so old
Your summer days were blazing hot and your winters icy cold
refrain:
Where the church-bells still ring
And the nightingales sing
Where we spent our youth so long ago
Where we played in the park
And we kissed in the dark
I will always stay here where I belong
Where the church-bells still ring
And the nightingales sing
I will always be here even dead and gone
How I recall, our childhood passed away
Messin' around the backyard
Hide and seek we used to play
My pockets full of jellybeans
That felt like bars of gold
Your summer days were blazing hot
And your winters icy cold
refrain
Where the church-bells still ring
And the nightingales sing
I will always be here even dead and gone
Where the church-bells still ring
And the nightingales sing
Where we spent our youth so long ago
Where we played in the park
Where we kissed in the dark
I will always stay here where I belong
Where the church-bells still ring
And the nightingales sing
I will always be here even dead and gone
The lyrics of BZN's song "Where the Church-Bells Still Ring" paint a vivid picture of a nostalgic longing for a specific place - the singer's countryside hometown. The song begins with a melodic, nearly ethereal repetition of "ooh hoo hoo" before launching into the first verse, in which the singer remembers the gifts of the countryside he was raised in. He recalls the sweet scent of roses and baking bread, the beauty of a black-tailed swallow in flight, and the old village school he attended. The intense heat of summer and cold of winter provide the bookends for his memories.
The chorus, deeply emotional and powerful in its unabashed sentimentality, has the singer describing a place where church bells still ring and nightingales sing. It's a place of childhood memories - where he played in the park, kissed someone in a dark corner. He wants to stay there forever, even beyond death. The second verse further deepens the singer's longing, with recollections of childhood games and pockets full of jellybeans that "felt like bars of gold."
Overall, "Where the Church-Bells Still Ring" is a song that deals with themes of memory, nostalgia and a deep connection to a specific place - in this case, the singer's childhood home. The song is masterful in its ability to evoke a sense of longing and intense emotion.
Line by Line Meaning
My countryside, you gave me everything you had
The singer reminisces about their childhood in the countryside and thanks it for all the memories and experiences it provided.
The sweet perfume of roses and the smell of baking bread
The singer remembers the pleasurable scents of everyday life in the countryside.
The black-tailed swallow on the wing and the village school so old
The singer recalls the beauty of wildlife and the history of their community.
Your summer days were blazing hot and your winters icy cold
The singer reflects on the extreme temperatures of the countryside throughout the year.
Where the church-bells still ring, And the nightingales sing
The refrain describes the singer's desire to return to the peaceful and natural environment of their childhood, where the sounds of church bells and nightingales could be heard.
Where we spent our youth so long ago
The singer remembers the time they spent in the countryside as a child.
Where we played in the park, And we kissed in the dark
The singer fondly recalls their innocent childhood experiences of playing in the park and experiencing their first romantic moments.
I will always stay here where I belong
The singer expresses their emotional attachment to the countryside and their intention to always return to it.
How I recall, our childhood passed away
The singer reflects on how quickly their childhood passed by.
Messin' around the backyard, Hide and seek we used to play
The singer remembers the simple childhood games they played in the backyard.
My pockets full of jellybeans, That felt like bars of gold
The singer fondly remembers the excitement they felt as a child when they had a full pocket of jellybeans, as if it were a valuable treasure.
I will always be here even dead and gone
The singer expresses their deep attachment to the countryside, claiming they will always be a part of it even after their death.
Contributed by Cole K. Suggest a correction in the comments below.