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.
Overal
De Mens Lyrics
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Overal, overal zie ik je staan
En het kan me echt niets schelen
Dat een ander van me houdt
Want hij zal je gauw vergeten
Overal, overal zie ik jouw naam
Overal, overal zie ik je staan
En je hoeft me niet te zeggen
Want hij wil alweer vertrekken
Overal, overal zie ik jouw naam
Overal, overal zie ik je staan
Overal is er iets
Overal
Altijd hetzelfde lied
Meisje mooi met natte haren
Geef me geld ik zal het sparen
Overal, overal zie ik jouw naam
Overal, overal zie ik je staan
En op zoek naar een conclusie
Kom ik weer bij jou terecht
Want we maakten niet veel ruzie
Overal, overal zie ik jouw naam
Overal, overal zie ik je staan
En altijd is er iets
Overal
Altijd hetzelfde lied
Meisje mooi ik wil je haten
Nooit meer tegen spiegels praten
Overal, overal zie ik jouw naam
Overal, overal zie ik je staan
Wet iedereen hoe goed je leeft
Maar wist je al
Dat jij ook eenzaam achterbleef
Ik moet je dringend spreken
Voor een ander het je zegt
Ik kan je niet vergeten
Overal
En altijd is er iets
Overal
Altijd hetzelfde lied
The song "Overal" by the Belgian band De Mens paints a picture of a love that is all-consuming, ever-present and unshakeable. The lyrics describe how the persona constantly sees the name and image of their love interest everywhere they go, regardless of the fact that someone else is supposedly in love with them. The persona is willing to speak up and tell their love interest how they feel before someone else does. Despite the implication of jealousy and obsession, there is also a hint of nostalgia and longing for the relationship that once was. The line "want we maakten niet veel ruzie" (because we didn't fight much) implies that the separation was not due to an acute conflict or anything tangible, but perhaps due to circumstances beyond control.
The second verse introduces the lyrical theme of money and self-deprecation. The persona begs for money and asserts that they will save it, emphasizing their lack of prospects or financial means. The simultaneous presence of this thread and the unrequited love theme suggests that the persona feels inferior or unworthy of their love interest on multiple levels. The chorus repeats the theme of constantly seeing and thinking about the love interest, and the line "Ik kan je niet vergeten" (I can't forget you) is arguably the song's emotional climax.
Line by Line Meaning
Overal, overal zie ik jouw naam
No matter where I look, I see your name and it reminds me of you
Overal, overal zie ik je staan
Everywhere I go, I see you standing there, in my thoughts and memories
En het kan me echt niets schelen
I don't care that someone else loves me, as I will always have feelings for you
Dat een ander van me houdt
That someone else loves me and wants to be with me
Want hij zal je gauw vergeten
He will soon forget about you, as you are always in my mind
En je hoeft me niet te zeggen
You don't need to tell me how he kisses you, as it hurts too much to hear about it
Hoe zijn mond de jouwe raakt
How his mouth touches yours, as it reminds me of what we used to have
Want hij wil alweer vertrekken
He wants to leave already, and I don't blame him for not being able to give you what you need
Overal is er iets
Everywhere I look, there is something that reminds me of you
Alleen maar flarden in mijn hoofd
Just fragments of memories and thoughts of you
Altijd hetzelfde lied
It's always the same song, the same feeling of longing for you
Meisje mooi met natte haren
You, the beautiful girl with wet hair, is always on my mind
Geef me geld ik zal het sparen
I'll do anything to save enough money to be with you again
En op zoek naar een conclusie
Always searching for a conclusion, an answer to why we had to part ways
Kom ik weer bij jou terecht
And I always end up back with you, as nothing can ever replace what we had
Want we maakten niet veel ruzie
We didn't fight much, but we couldn't make it work despite our love for each other
Meisje mooi ik wil je haten
I want to hate you for leaving me, but I can't stop loving you
Nooit meer tegen spiegels praten
I can no longer talk to myself in the mirror, as I see only you reflected back
Wet iedereen hoe goed je leeft
Everyone knows how well you are doing without me
Maar wist je al
But do you know
Dat jij ook eenzaam achterbleef
That you too are lonely without me by your side
Ik moet je dringend spreken
I need to urgently speak with you, to see if there's still a chance for us
Voor een ander het je zegt
Before someone else tells you how they feel about me, and it's too late for us
Ik kan je niet vergeten
I can't forget you, no matter how hard I try
En altijd is er iets
And there's always something that reminds me of you, no matter where I go
Altijd hetzelfde lied
It's always the same song, the same feeling of longing for you
Contributed by Bailey H. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Rodrigo Franco
Edson Prado sempre top
wilson santos Santos
Sou fã
NABBA Austria
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