Biography
Peeters studied Germanic philology and drama in Antwerp. There, he met Jan Leyers and Hugo Matthysen, with whom he worked later. In 1972, Peeters, still a teenager, played the title role in teen drama Bart Banninks. He went on to present some comedy and music shows aimed at teenagers. In 1978, Bart Peeters, Hugo Matthysen, Jan Leyers and Marc Kruithof played in a coverband called Beri Beri, but as a musician, Bart Peeters gained his fame with The Radios. This band (with Ronny Mosuse, Robert Mosuse, Dany Lademacher, Alain Van Zeveren and Marc Bonne) had an international hit with 'She Goes Nana' in 1991.
Television career
After gaining fame his television career took off, starting out with a main role in the now legendary series Dag Sinterklaas in which he visited Sinterklaas (played by Jan Decleir) in his castle. After that, he presented some of the most popular television shows in Flanders, such as De Droomfabriek and De Leukste Eeuw. Het Peulengaleis, a television spin-off from Het Leugenpaleis, a radio comedy show he presented together with Hugo Matthysen, gained a large cult following. He became the most popular television personality in Flanders, being selected to present large one-off shows such as the celebration show for 50 years of television in Flanders or the tsunami relief telethon and presenting some television shows in The Netherlands.
Music was always present in his television career: he presented the Flemish selection show for the Eurovision Song Contest several times, had his own talent show (De Grote Prijs Bart Peeters) and presented several music shows (Lalala Live, Nonkel Pop,). During this time, he was also the drummer for The Clement Peerens Explosition, a parody rock band that started in his radio show Het Leugenpaleis.
Solo career
After touring as Bart Peeters zonder circus (Bart Peeters without circus) and making a solo album based on the tour called Het Plaatje van Bart Peeters (The Record of Bart Peeters) in 2004, he decided to spend more time on music again, starting a proper solo career. In 2006 he made Slimmer dan de Zanger (More Clever Than the Singer) and in 2008 he released his third album, De Hemel in het Klad (Draft of Heaven), which went straight to number one in the Flemish charts. A fourth album titled De Ideale Man (The Ideal Man), said to be the third of a trilogy together with Slimmer dan de Zanger and De Hemel in het Klad, was released in October 2010. That same year, he won a Music Industry Award in Flanders for best Dutch-language artist, after which he released a compilation album called Het Beste en Tot Nog Eens (All the best and see you later) and took a break from recording music. In 2014, he made his comeback with Op de Groei (To Grow Into).
Personal life
Bart Peeters is married and has two daughters and a son. He lives in Hove near Antwerp.
Poolijs
Bart Peeters Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Je wat graag in zijn branding had gehad
En alle liberalen hun blikken laten dwalen
Omdat je plots de kamer binnentrad
Nu elke kinesist uit Koningshooikt
Zich met de glimlach naar jouw wensen plooit
En alle Canadezen met u willen chinezen
Zou ik het dan niet kunnen zijn vanavond
Zou ik het dan niet kunnen zijn vannacht
Iemand mag het zijn
Iemand mag het zijn
En daarom had ik aan mezelf gedacht
Nu elke gitarist uit Overpelt
Je zijn diepste zielenroeselen vertelt
En alle kannibalen hun blikken laten dwalen
En het poolijs met de glimlach voor je smelt
Zou ik het dan niet kunnen zijn vanavond
Zou ik het dan niet kunnen zijn vannacht
Iemand mag het zijn
Iemand mag het zijn
En persoonlijk had ik aan mezelf gedacht
Ik zal bij een tatoëeur in Deurne-Zuid
Je naam laten graveren in mijn huid
En bij een piercing-king in klein Hongkong
Je initialen laten piercen in mijn tong
Zou ik het dan niet kunnen zijn vanavond
Zou ik het dan niet kunnen zijn vannacht
Iemand mag het zijn
Iemand mag het zijn
Kom in mijn armen
Zou ik het dan niet kunnen zijn vanavond
Zou ik het dan niet kunnen zijn vannacht
Iemand mag het zijn
Iemand mag het zijn
En daarom had ik aan mezelf gedacht
En daarom had ik aan mezelf gedacht
The song "Poolijs" by Bart Peeters talks about the desire to be the one that someone else desires. The song starts off by describing how every lifeguard in a beach town wants to rescue this person from the waves and every liberal politician can't help but look their way when they enter a room. Even physiotherapists bend over backward to fulfill their every need and Canadians want to befriend them and melt the polar ice caps for them. This person is the object of everyone's desires, and the singer wonders if they could be that person for just one night.
The chorus repeats the line, "Wouldn't I be able to be that person tonight?" And then the singer offers to get a tattoo with their name and even pierce their initials into their tongue, just to be desired by them. The song ends with the singer reminding themselves that they had thought of this desire first and that they, too, want to be that person for this object of everyone's affection.
The lyrics seem to be about the universal desire to be desired. The singer wonders what it would be like to be the person that everyone is vying for the attention of. There’s a sense of longing for this feeling of being in demand and being desired. However, the song is also introspective as the singer reminds themselves that they are already thinking about this feeling and desire it for themselves.
Line by Line Meaning
Nu elke redder in Oostende-bad
Now every lifeguard in Oostende-bad
Je wat graag in zijn branding had gehad
Would have liked to have you in their waves
En alle liberalen hun blikken laten dwalen
And all liberals letting their eyes wander
Omdat je plots de kamer binnentrad
Because you suddenly entered the room
Nu elke kinesist uit Koningshooikt
Now every physiotherapist from Koningshooikt
Zich met de glimlach naar jouw wensen plooit
Folds to your desires with a smile
En alle Canadezen met u willen chinezen
And all Canadians want to have Chinese with you
En het poolijs met plezier voor je ontdooit
And joyfully thaws the polar ice for you
Zou ik het dan niet kunnen zijn vanavond
Could I not be it tonight
Zou ik het dan niet kunnen zijn vannacht
Could I not be it tonight
Iemand mag het zijn
Anyone can be it
Iemand mag het zijn
Anyone can be it
En daarom had ik aan mezelf gedacht
And that's why I thought of myself
Nu elke gitarist uit Overpelt
Now every guitarist from Overpelt
Je zijn diepste zielenroeselen vertelt
Tells you his deepest soulful thoughts
En alle kannibalen hun blikken laten dwalen
And all cannibals let their eyes wander
En het poolijs met de glimlach voor je smelt
And the polar ice melts for you with a smile
En persoonlijk had ik aan mezelf gedacht
And personally, I had thought of myself
Ik zal bij een tatoëeur in Deurne-Zuid
I will go to a tattoo artist in Deurne-Zuid
Je naam laten graveren in mijn huid
To engrave your name in my skin
En bij een piercing-king in klein Hongkong
And at a piercing-king in little Hong Kong
Je initialen laten piercen in mijn tong
To have your initials pierced in my tongue
Kom in mijn armen
Come into my arms
En daarom had ik aan mezelf gedacht
And that's why I thought of myself
Contributed by Benjamin R. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Olivia De Schrijver
Waarom ik van deze man hou.... ? Zijn teksten zijn geniaal!
Suzanne Wernsen
Jarenlang was ik hier naar op zoek. Vrolijk en ontroerend.
Seppe Watelle
Iemand mag het zijn(2x) en persoonlijk had ik aan mezelf gadacht. Prachtige zinnen❤️❤️
Seppe Watelle
Prachtig lied
berenfestival
zalig nummer
Pheadra Lansk
Robert🙏