Before he started his solo career, he was in indie rock band The Junes, and he was in the band of the popular Dutch singer Ilse deLange.
Signed to the 8Ball record label, Bertolf released his first album For Life in early 2009, followed the next year by Snakes And Ladders. 2012 saw the release of the epnymous Bertolf album. 2015's First & Then was his final album for 8Ball.
Between 2014 and 2018 a large chunk of Bertolf's time was devoted to touring as a member of the tribute band, Her Majesty. Named after the closing track of The Beatles' Abbey Road album, they especially gained prominence when they started performing the music of Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young (and other artists from their scene), to rave reviews in the Dutch press.
In the mean time, Bertolf signed with Excelsior Recordings, where his fifth and sixth solo albums were issued: the somewhat gloomy Big Shadows of Small Things (2019) and the very sunny, colorful, upbeat and particularly well-received Happy in Hindsight (2021).
Not Bringing Me Down
Bertolf Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Now you're out of sight
That first time I could hardly see no light
But gone are the nights I couldn't sleep
I couldn't close my eyes
Gone are the days I could hardly keep from crying
Yeah I'm alright
Oh, I'm alright
It's not bringing me down
No more
Thought I could never get over you
It'd take a lot of time
Thought I could never love someone new
But why?
Well, what a surprise cause I
I'm alright
Yeah I'm alright
Oh, I'm alright
It's not bringing me down
No more
Yeah I'm alright
Oh, I'm alright
Yeah I'm alright
It's not bringing me down
No more
It's not bringing me down
No more
Well, it hurt so much
But it doesn't hurt no more
When I'm looking for love
It doesn't lead me
To your door
I tried to forget you so hard
Can't remember what it's for
Cause I'm alright
Yeah I'm alright
Oh, I'm alright
It's not bringing me down
No more
It's not bringing me down
No more
In Bertolf's song "Not Bringing Me Down," the singer is reflecting on a past relationship that ended. The first verse speaks to the feeling of completeness he experienced when he was in the relationship, which is contrasted with the emptiness he feels after the breakup, when the person is "out of sight." The line "That first time I could hardly see no light" suggests that he was initially blindsided by the breakup and struggled to find hope.
However, as the song progresses, the singer reveals that he has moved on and is no longer weighed down by the pain of the past. He sings "Gone are the nights I couldn't sleep / I couldn't close my eyes / Gone are the days I could hardly keep from crying." He asserts that he is "alright" and that the breakup is "not bringing me down no more." He also expresses surprise that he was able to love someone new.
The chorus is repeated several times throughout the song, reinforcing the singer's newfound sense of strength and independence. He is no longer held back by his past love, and he is confidently moving forward.
Line by Line Meaning
With your hand I was complete
With your presence in my life, I felt whole and complete
Now you're out of sight
Now that you're no longer in my life, I cannot see you anymore
That first time I could hardly see no light
At the beginning, I was unable to see any light in my life or find hope and joy without you
But gone are the nights I couldn't sleep
I no longer have restless nights or trouble sleeping due to missing you
I couldn't close my eyes
I was not able to fall asleep or find peace while thinking of you
Gone are the days I could hardly keep from crying
I no longer feel overwhelmed with sadness or cry consistently over losing you
Cause I'm alright
I am doing well and feeling good
It's not bringing me down
Losing you did not have a negative impact on my life anymore
Thought I could never get over you
I believed that I could never move on from losing you
It'd take a lot of time
I assumed that it would take a long time to heal and recover from losing you
Thought I could never love someone new
I believed that I would never be able to love another person after losing you
But why?
However, I am surprised and questioning why I felt that way
Well, what a surprise cause I
To my surprise, I have been able to move on and find love again
Well, it hurt so much
Losing you was incredibly painful and difficult for me
But it doesn't hurt no more
However, I have been able to heal and move forward, and the pain is no longer present
When I'm looking for love
Now that I am looking for love again
It doesn't lead me
My search for love does not bring me back to thoughts of you or missing you
To your door
To a place where I am reminded of you or our past together
I tried to forget you so hard
I made a great effort to forget about you and move forward
Can't remember what it's for
However, I am not sure why I tried so hard to forget you or why it was so important to me
Contributed by Jack J. Suggest a correction in the comments below.