After playing in many hobby groups together, long-time friends Vander linden and De Coster decided to start De Mens. Vander linden, a journalist for the acclaimed Belgian magazine Humo, left his job to pursue a career as a full-time musician. In 1992 the band released its first radio single, "Dit is mijn huis" ("This Is My House"), followed by the full album De Mens. Later came other successful singles "Jeroen Brouwers (schrijft een boek)" ("Jeroen Brouwers Writes a Book") and "Irene". De Mens became a popular Belgian rock band.
The band's second album, called Ik wil meer (I Want More), contains the singles "Nederland" ("The Netherlands"), "Zij zit daar en ik zit hier" ("She Sits There and I Sit Here"), and "Lachen en mooi zijn" ("Smiling and Being Pretty"). Meanwhile, Vander linden developed a reputation as writer. Thanks to his success in the Studio Brussel radio programme Collage, he has frequently been asked to be a columnist and spoken-word performer.
In winter of 1995, Vander linden did a small tour titled Solo bij u thuis. A mini-CD, Patti Blues, followed. During that same winter, the band recorded a new album titled Wil je beroemd zijn? (Do You Want to Be Famous?) at the ICP studios in Brussels.
De Mens did a partly acoustic theatre tour in October/November 1997. A compilation CD followed, containing the radio singles "Ik wil een vrouw zijn" ("I Want to Be a Woman"), "Val niet in liefde" ("Don't Fall in Love"), and some brand-new songs.
The band signed up with the Play It Again Sam record company and released the album "Sex Verandert Alles" ("Sex Changes Everything"). It was recorded partly in the ICP studios and partly at home. The singles "Einde van de eeuw" ("The End of the Century") and "Sex verandert alles" scored well in the alternative charts. A club tour followed. Meanwhile, Vander linden became a regular panel member in the television quiz show Nonkel pop on a channel of the Belgian public broadcaster VRT. He also played himself in the movie Film 1 by Willem Wallyn.
Irene
De Mens Lyrics
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De ziel was donkerblauw
Ik had druiven gekocht
Er zat een vlek op m'n mouw
Maar jij was niet bereikbaar voor commentaar
Irene
Niemand heeft ooit zo mooi neen tegen mij gezegd
Niemand heeft ooit zo mooi neen tegen mij gezegd
Met m'n valse tulpen stond ik voor je deur
Je zei: liegen is lelijk maar het geeft je wel kleur
En ik had weer eens veel te hard geprobeerd
Met m'n glimlach uit de supermarkt
M'n kartonnen excuses
M'n kunsthart
Alsjeblief zeg
Mag het iets minder zijn
Irene
niemand heeft ooit zo mooi neen tegen mij gezegd
Irene, Irene
niemand heeft ooit zo mooi neen tegen mij gezegd
En als je thuiskomt, denk dan heel even aan mij
En als je weggaat, denk dan heel even aan mij
Vanuit de diepte bekeken leek je mooier dan ooit
De wind was gaan liggen
De ijskast ontdooid
Maar jij was niet bereikbaar voor commentaar
Irene
niemand heeft ooit zo mooi neen tegen mij gezegd
Irene, Irene
niemand heeft ooit zo mooi neen tegen mij gezegd
gezegd ... Irene
The lyrics of De Mens's song "Irene" use vivid imagery to describe a moment of rejection and hurt. The singer is surrounded by darkness, both externally and internally described as "darker brown" and "darker blue." He tries to impress a woman named Irene, bringing her fake tulips, smiling too hard, and apologizing too much. But she sees through his facade and tells him that lying is ugly, even though it adds color to his life. Despite his efforts to win her over, she ultimately says no to him in the most beautiful way, leaving him with a lingering hope that she might still think of him when she's gone.
The song portrays a common experience: the feeling of being rejected by someone we desperately want to impress. However, De Mens adds complexity to this experience by exploring the way we use falsehoods and fake gestures to try to win someone over. Irene sees through these things and values honesty, even if it means rejecting the singer. Ultimately, "Irene" is a song about the power of being honest and true to oneself, even if it means facing rejection.
Line by Line Meaning
De dag was donkerbruin
The day was gloomy
De ziel was donkerblauw
The soul was melancholic
Ik had druiven gekocht
I had bought grapes
Er zat een vlek op m'n mouw
There was a spot on my sleeve
Maar jij was niet bereikbaar voor commentaar
But you were not reachable for comments
Irene
Niemand heeft ooit zo mooi neen tegen mij gezegd
Irene, Irene
Niemand heeft ooit zo mooi neen tegen mij gezegd
Irene, no one has ever said no to me so beautifully as you have
Irene, Irene, no one has ever said no to me so beautifully as you have
Met m'n valse tulpen stond ik voor je deur
Je zei: liegen is lelijk maar het geeft je wel kleur
En ik had weer eens veel te hard geprobeerd
Met m'n glimlach uit de supermarkt
M'n kartonnen excuses
M'n kunsthart
Alsjeblief zeg
Mag het iets minder zijn
With my fake tulips, I stood in front of your door
You said: lying is ugly but it gives you color
And once again, I tried too hard
With my supermarket smile
My cardboard excuses
My artificial heart
Come on, can't it be a little less?
En als je thuiskomt, denk dan heel even aan mij
En als je weggaat, denk dan heel even aan mij
And when you come home, think of me for a moment
And when you leave, think of me for a moment
Vanuit de diepte bekeken leek je mooier dan ooit
De wind was gaan liggen
De ijskast ontdooid
Maar jij was niet bereikbaar voor commentaar
From the depths, you seemed more beautiful than ever
The wind had died down
The fridge had defrosted
But you were not reachable for comments
Contributed by Colton K. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Kris Opgenhaffen
on Angst
Mooi...