Benny began his singing career at the end of World War II when he started performing regularly at a café in Sint-Niklaas. By the early 1950s, he had regular spots on radio, and released his first album, Mijn haart spreekt tot u (My Heart Speaks to You). In 1957, he had his first hit single with "Cindy, Oh Cindy", which reached #2 on the Belgian chart.
In 1959, Benny was chosen, with the song "Hou toch van mij" ("Do Love Me"), as the Belgian representative in the fourth Eurovision Song Contest which took place on 11 March in Cannes, France. "Hou toch van mij" received votes from five of the other 10 participating countries and finished in sixth place.
In 1961, Benny was again selected to represent Belgium, with the song "September, gouden roos" ("September, Golden Rose"), in the sixth Eurovision, which again was held in Cannes, on 18 March. Although the contest had now expanded to 16 participants, "September, gouden roos" only managed to pick up one point from Luxembourg, consigning Benny to a joint last-place finish with Austria's Jimmy Makulis.
Benny had two further hit singles in 1963, "Waar en wanneer" (#3) and "Alleen door jou" (#5). He became a musical theatre performer and played in many long-running shows in Belgium and Germany.
In 2001, Benny suffered a stroke and fell into financial difficulties. A benefit concert on his behalf took place in Antwerp in April 2003, featuring the music of Richard Rodgers performed by well-known Flemish artists. In 2006, Benny celebrated his 80th birthday and claimed he was back to full health.
Parel Van Tahiti
Bob Benny Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Voor de rozen bloeien gaan, ben ik terug.
Parel van Tahiti, ook mijn hart doet pijn
Spoedig zullen wij voorgoed bij elkander zijn.
Ze was jong, ze was mooi
En ik heb haar mond gekust.
Voor het eerst werd ik mij
In de droom die ik droom,
Heel alleen ied're nacht.
Vraag is steeds dat
Zij trouw op mij wacht.
Parel van Tahiti, droog je tranen vlug
Voor de rozen bloeien gaan, ben ik terug.
Parel van Tahiti, ook mijn hart doet pijn
Spoedig zullen wij voorgoed bij elkander zijn.
Zij was jong, en ik heb altijd
Weer aan jou gedacht.
Aan je haar, lang en wild,
Blauw en zwart, zoals de nacht
Aan je mond innig rood
Als de bloem in je haar,
Jij bent jong, wees niet bang,
Luister maar ...
Parel van Tahiti, droog je tranen vlug
Voor de rozen bloeien gaan, ben ik terug.
Parel van Tahiti, ook mijn hart doet pijn
Spoedig zullen wij voorgoed bij elkander zijn.
(C) Tekst: Jan Remo / Van Aleda
Muziek: Werner Müller
The song "Parel Van Tahiti" is a beautiful and heart-wrenching love song. The lyrics begin by addressing the "Pearl of Tahiti" and urging her to dry her tears quickly, as the roses are about to bloom, and he will soon be back. He tells her his heart also aches and that they will soon be together forever. The song paints a picture of a couple who have been separated, perhaps by distance or other circumstances.
The singer then reminisces about the woman he left behind. He describes her as young and beautiful and remembers his first kiss with her, realizing then the great happiness she brought him. He dreams of her every night and wonders if she will be faithful to him while he's away.
Through the rest of the song, he encourages her to be strong and assures her that he will return to her soon. He recalls her beauty and how he has thought of her often during their time apart.
Overall, "Parel Van Tahiti" is a touching love song full of longing, hope, and promises of a future together.
Line by Line Meaning
Parel van Tahiti, droog je tranen vlug
Addressing a person from Tahiti, pleading them to stop crying
Voor de rozen bloeien gaan, ben ik terug.
Promise of returning before the roses start to bloom
Parel van Tahiti, ook mijn hart doet pijn
Acknowledging that the singer is equally in pain as the addressed person
Spoedig zullen wij voorgoed bij elkander zijn.
Assurance of being together forever soon
Ze was jong, ze was mooi
Description of a young beautiful woman
En ik heb haar mond gekust.
The singer kissed her lips
Voor het eerst werd ik mij
The first time the singer realized
Van een groot geluk bewust.
He felt a great happiness
In de droom die ik droom,
The singer describes a recurring dream
Heel alleen ied're nacht.
The dream occurs every night when he is alone
Vraag is steeds dat
His question is still
Zij trouw op mij wacht.
Whether she waits for him to return or not
Zij was jong, en ik heb altijd
Description of the same beautiful young woman
Weer aan jou gedacht.
The singer has been thinking of her again
Aan je haar, lang en wild,
Description of her long and wild hair
Blauw en zwart, zoals de nacht
Her hair is a mix of blue and black, reminiscent of the night sky
Aan je mond innig rood
Her lips are a deep red color
Als de bloem in je haar,
Similar to the flower in her hair
Jij bent jong, wees niet bang,
Encouraging the young woman not to be afraid
Luister maar ...
Asking her to listen to him
Contributed by Jayce E. Suggest a correction in the comments below.