She was born as Jacoba Adriana Hollestelle in Den Haag, The Netherlands in 1937. She made her solo debut in the KRO radio show Springplank, where she sang French chansons. After her show at the Belgian Festival of Knokke of 1961, she was given a record deal. In 1964 she got her own television show.
In 1965 she entered the Eurovision Song Festival for the Netherlands. With the song 't Is genoeg she ended at the 11th place. A year later she had her first hit Ik ben gelukkig zonder jou. In 1974 she switched to a different record company and had two big hits with Roosje m'n roosje and Sjakie van de hoek.
In 1976 she won an Edison award and a Golden Harp for the album Zo wil ik leven.
In 1979 she was elected 'Woman of the year' and in 1993 she went gold for her album 14 Grootste Hits Van Conny Vandenbos.
During the 90s she was the hostess of various radio shows.
Conny Vandenbis died on sunday 7 april 2002, only 2 weeks after hearing she had lung cancer.
Dag Liefste
Conny Vandenbos Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
De tuin wordt steeds groener, maar ach, wat doet 't er toe
'k Begreep uit je briefje: Voorlopig kom jij niet meer thuis
Dus blijf ik alleen met 't kind en mezelf en 't huis
Dag liefste, ik wou dat ik zei wat ik wou
Maar wat ik zeggen wil doet me zo'n pijn
Ik hoop dat je blij bent met wat je ook doet
De nachten zijn koud, maar 't is niet jouw fout
Als je echt niet meer weet hoe 't moet
Ik ben anders dan jij, dus voel jij je maar vrij
Ik begrijp dat het jou niets meer doet
Refr.:
Ik zing iedere dag, ik zing en ik lach
Ik leef op muziek en ik dans
En zo geef ik althans de stilte geen kans
Ik zing iedere dag, ik zing maar, want ach
We blijven toch mensen met hoop en verwachting, helaas
O, ik voel me zo dwaas, maar hoe is 't met jou
Waarom kom je niet gauw
Dag liefste, ik groet je en ook je vriendin, ik begrijp haar wel
En ik hoop dat ik haar ooit ontmoet in 't heetst van de hel
De zon heeft de maan, ieder liedje een naam
Maar ik had nooit iets anders dan jou
En ik hoop dat je weet dat ik jou nooit vergeet
Want dat is toch precies wat je wou
Refr.
Ik zing iedere dag, ik zing maar want ach
We blijven toch mensen met hoop en verwachting, helaas
O, ik voel me zo dwaas, maar hoe is 't met jou
Waarom kom je niet gauw
Tekst en muziek: Janis Ian/H.P. den Boer
The lyrics to Conny Vandenbos's "Dag Liefste" express a woman's longing for her partner who is no longer there. In the opening lines, she asks how he is doing, hoping he is well, while also mentioning that the garden is growing but it doesn't really matter now that he is gone. She then refers to a letter she received from him, stating that he won't be coming home for a while, leaving her alone with their child and the house.
The second verse touches on the woman's inner feelings and the pain she is experiencing. She reveals that she wishes she could say what she really wants to, but it hurts too much. She hopes that her partner is satisfied with whatever he is doing and whoever he is with, even though the nights are cold and she is still struggling to understand why he left. She acknowledges that they are different and that he is free to live his life as he pleases, and that she understands that he is no longer affected by their relationship, while she still is.
However, the song ends on a hopeful note. The woman sings that she will continue to sing and dance every day, even though she feels foolish, because despite everything, people are still full of hope and expectation. She hopes that her partner will come back, and she will never forget him.
Line by Line Meaning
Dag liefste, hoe gaat 't, ik hoop echt heel goed
I'm checking in on how you're doing, and I truly hope things are going well for you.
De tuin wordt steeds groener, maar ach, wat doet 't er toe
The garden keeps growing, but in the grand scheme of things, it doesn't really matter.
'k Begreep uit je briefje: Voorlopig kom jij niet meer thuis
I got the message from your letter: you won't be coming home for a while.
Dus blijf ik alleen met 't kind en mezelf en 't huis
So, I'll be alone with our child, myself, and our home.
Dag liefste, ik wou dat ik zei wat ik wou
Sweetheart, I wish I could express my true thoughts and feelings to you.
Maar wat ik zeggen wil doet me zo'n pijn
However, what I need to say causes me so much pain.
Ik hoop dat je blij bent met wat je ook doet
I hope you're content with whatever you're doing.
En wie ook dat meisje mag zijn
And whoever that girl might be.
De nachten zijn koud, maar 't is niet jouw fout
The nights are cold, but it's not your fault.
Als je echt niet meer weet hoe 't moet
If you truly don't know what to do.
Ik ben anders dan jij, dus voel jij je maar vrij
I'm different from you, so feel free to be yourself.
Ik begrijp dat het jou niets meer doet
I understand that you don't care anymore.
Refr.:
Chorus:
Ik zing iedere dag, ik zing en ik lach
I sing every day, I sing and I laugh.
Ik leef op muziek en ik dans
I live through music and dancing.
En zo geef ik althans de stilte geen kans
And at least this way, I don't allow for silence.
Ik zing iedere dag, ik zing maar, want ach
I sing every day, I sing just because.
We blijven toch mensen met hoop en verwachting, helaas
After all, we're just humans with hopes and expectations, sadly.
O, ik voel me zo dwaas, maar hoe is 't met jou
Oh, I feel so foolish, but how are you doing?
Waarom kom je niet gauw
Why don't you come back soon?
Dag liefste, ik groet je en ook je vriendin, ik begrijp haar wel
Goodbye my love, I greet you and your girlfriend, I understand her.
En ik hoop dat ik haar ooit ontmoet in 't heetst van de hel
And I hope to meet her someday in the midst of chaos.
De zon heeft de maan, ieder liedje een naam
The sun has the moon, every song has a name.
Maar ik had nooit iets anders dan jou
But I've never wanted anything else but you.
En ik hoop dat je weet dat ik jou nooit vergeet
And I hope you know that I'll never forget you.
Want dat is toch precies wat je wou
Because, deep down, that's exactly what you wanted.
Refr.
Chorus:
Ik zing iedere dag, ik zing maar want ach
I sing every day, I sing just because.
We blijven toch mensen met hoop en verwachting, helaas
After all, we're just humans with hopes and expectations, sadly.
O, ik voel me zo dwaas, maar hoe is 't met jou
Oh, I feel so foolish, but how are you doing?
Waarom kom je niet gauw
Why don't you come back soon?
Tekst en muziek: Janis Ian/H.P. den Boer
Lyrics and music: Janis Ian/H.P. den Boer
Contributed by Sebastian K. Suggest a correction in the comments below.