1. Fr… Read Full Bio ↴Two musicians from The Netherlands are known as Frank Boeijen:
1. Frank Boeijen is a Dutch singer/songwriter, who was the front man of popular (and eponymous) pop group De Frank Boeijen Groep from 1980 until 1991, the year he went solo. As leader of De Frank Boeijen Groep, Boeijen was one of the pioneers of Nederpop; along with the likes of Doe Maar en Het Goede Doel. After the peak of Nederpop passed, Boeijen broke new ground by touring theatres with his band and bringing pop music to new auditoriums and audiences. As a solo artist, he has kept to this theatre based approach of his music and maintained a productive pace.
Frank Boeijen was born in Nijmegen, The Netherlands on November 27, 1957, as the last in a family of ten children. His father was a typesetter in a factory. His older brothers were into American pop music; in the Boeijen household, Bob Dylan and Neil Young were often to be found on the record player (years later, Boeijen would write a song about this, appropriately titled Robbert Zimmerman). Young Frank learned to play the guitar. After finishing high school, Boeijen started a musical collaboration with guitarist Wout Pennings. Boeijen en Pennings released an album together in 1977. The songs of the album were re-recorded and the album was re-released a year later, with Rob de Nijs acting as producer. It was appropriately titled Boeijen en Pennings. To fulfil live engagements, drummer Henk Wanders en bass player Nels Busch joined the duo.
Pennings left the band in 1979 and was replaced with guitar player Wil Theunissen. The name was changed into the Frank Boeijen Groep. The b-side of their fist single, a song entitled Verjaardagsfeest was picked on up by radio disc jockey Frits Spits, who played the record a lot during his evening show. The group released their debut album, simply entitled Frank Boeijen Groep, album later that year. On the base of the airplay of Verjaardagsfeest, the album reached the Tipparade.
Nederpop, pop music with Dutch vocals, was becoming a mainstream success in the early eighties, and the Frank Boeijen Groep hitched a wagon to that train, when their single Linda, reached the Top Forty. Zwart Wit, another single, written after a racial murder had taken place in Amsterdam, became a number one hit. 1982's Twee and 1983's 1001 Hotel became big sellers.
In 1984, the Frank Boeijen Groep was awarded the Zilveren Harp by Conamus. In that same year, album Kontakt was released. Lead guitarist Wil Theunissen quit the group later that year and replaced with Maarten Peters, who himself was replaced two years later by Ger Hoeijmakers. In 1985, the group released Foto Van Een Mooie Dag. Single Kronenburg Park -- named after Kronenburger Park a park in Nijmegen, Boeijen's place of birth and residence -- became a huge success. Follow up, In Nature, released in 1986, didn't do as well, but still sold respectively.
Towards the end of the eighties, Boeijen's music fell somewhere in between het levenslied of André Hazes, the chansons of Ramses Shaffy and the pop of Doe Maar. According to Frank Boeijen and his manager Paul Schouwenaars the group had outgrown clubs and tents. With the release of album Welkom In Utopia in 1987, the group decided to tour Dutch theatres. The Welkom In Utopia tour started in the Stadsschouwburg in Amsterdam in September of the same year. Two more albums were released: studio album Een Zomer Aan Het Eind Van De Twintigste Eeuw (1989) and live album Hier Komt De Storm. During these years, Frank Boeijen dated Sky Channel presenter Amanda Redington. The two would marry in 1990. The album Dans In Slow Motion, released in 1988, was written for her. In juni 1994 scheidden ze weer van elkaar.
In the spring of 1991, Boeijen announced the ending of his group. In November of that year, he released his first solo album Wilde Bloemen. The musicians on the album were drummer Norman Bonink, guitar player Peter van Benthem and bass player Michel van Schie. Van Schie was replaced by touring bass player René te Voortwis, and pianist Ton Snijders was also recorded. Wilde Bloemen featured several duets with other well known Dutch musicians, among them were: Twee Gezichten, a song written and recorded with Henk Hofstede of The Nits); and Het IJs, written and recorded with Henny Vrienten of Doe Maar).
In the summer of 1993, Boeijen recorded Jazz in Barcelona; an album concerned with the break up between him and Amanda Redington. The subsequent theatre tour was a big success, with sold out shows every evening. Traces of Boeijen's break up were also to be found on next album De Ontmoeting (1994 - an even more spare and intimate affair than Jazz In Barcelona. De Ontmoeting also featured a single, Twee Mannen Zo Stil, with music and lyrics by Boeijen and Stef Bos. Although the single failed to mount the charts, over the years it became a Nederpop classic, often played at funerals. In the same year, Boeijen produced an album for Liesbeth List, the female voice of Ramses Shaffy's recordings. In 1995, another live album, Stormvogels, hit the shelves.
Boeijen returned with two new albums in 1997: a greatest hits compilation, Het Beste En Het Mooiste and an album of new material, Vaderland. The year before, Boeijen had travelled extensively through Asia, and a lot of the songs, although concerning Boeijen and The Netherlands, were written from a distant perspective. In 1999, De Ballade van de Dromedaris, recorded in Peter Gabriel's Real World Studio's appeared, followed by live album Door De Jaren Heen, containing several duets with Ramses Shaffy, Liesbeth List and Stef Bos. Both albums were big sellers. In 2001, Heden, was released. Drummer Norman Bonink left the group to join BLØF. He seat was filled by Oscar Kraal. Helder contained a collaboration between Boeijen and BLØF front man Paskal Jakobsen, single Geen Gevaar. The song was released in the summer of 2002. In the same year, Boeijen won an Edison award as best singer.
2. Frank Boeijen is also the name of the keyboardist for the Dutch group The Gathering.
Helpende Hand In Dromen
Frank Boeijen Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Als ze slaapt naast mij,
Als ze slaapt naast mij.
De helpende hand in dromen, hoop ik voor haar te zijn.
Dat oude lied van verlangen, dat heb je vast vaker gehoord. Maar het blijft maar doorgaan, terwijl we langzaam ten onder gaan. We staan er bij en kijken er naar.
Ik zie mij leven voor me als ze slaapt naast mij, als ze slaapt naast mij.
De helpende hand in dromen,
hoop ik voor haar te zijn.
En ja je hebt gelijk, de keuze is aan ons.
kwade geest van de vrijheid.
Er is niemand die zorgt voor ons.
De barbaren aan de macht, en ook dat gaat weer voorbij. En voorlopig blijf ik hier en ik weet zeker, niet iedereen is de weg kwijt.
Ik zie mijn leven voor me
als ze slaapt naast mij,
als ze slaapt naast mij.
De helpende hand in dromen
hoop ik voor haar te zijn,
hoop ik voor haar te zijn.
Droom wel de waarheid!
Laat me de helpende hand zijn.
Als een lied weerloos van waarde, zo zacht slaapt ze naast mij.
Ik zie mijn leven voor me.
In een droomloze nacht.
The song "Helpende Hand In Dromen" by Frank Boeijen talks about the artist's longing to be the comforting presence in the dreams of the person he loves. He envisions his life with her, especially as she sleeps beside him. The lyrics convey a sense of hope that he can be a source of comfort for her in her dreams, as well as a yearning for what could have been under different circumstances.
The song's opening lines "Ik zie mijn leven voor me" (I see my life before me) creates a sensation of revisiting the past, perhaps through memories or a sense of longing. The phrase "Als ze slaapt naast mij" (As she sleeps next to me) highlights the importance of the person he loves, who is the central figure in his dreams. The chorus repetition of "De helpende hand in dromen hoop ik voor haar te zijn" (I hope to be the helping hand in her dreams"), express the expectation of being there for her. The last line, "In een droomloze nacht" (In a dreamless night), contrasts with the rest of the song, creating a sense of finality and contrast.
Overall, "Helpende Hand In Dromen" is a poignant and moving song that speaks to the desire to be a positive force for those we care about, even if we cannot always do so in waking life.
Line by Line Meaning
Ik zie mijn leven voor me.
The singer envisions his future with his partner.
Als ze slaapt naast mij,
Als ze slaapt naast mij.
He imagines this future with his partner sleeping next to him.
De helpende hand in dromen, hoop ik voor haar te zijn.
He hopes to be a supportive and helpful partner in her dreams.
Dat oude lied van verlangen, dat heb je vast vaker gehoord. Maar het blijft maar doorgaan, terwijl we langzaam ten onder gaan. We staan er bij en kijken er naar.
The old song of longing is familiar, but continues to play even as society deteriorates. He feels powerless to stop it.
In beslag genomen door de aller-daagsheid. Wat zouden onze ouders hiervan hebben gedacht, ik mis hun wijze raad in de wanhoop van de droom in de nacht.
Ik zie mij leven voor me als ze slaapt naast mij, als ze slaapt naast mij.
The mundane aspects of life take over, and he wishes he had his parents' guidance during difficult times. He still envisions his future with his partner by his side.
De helpende hand in dromen,
hoop ik voor haar te zijn.
He repeats his hope to be a supportive partner even in her dreams.
En ja je hebt gelijk, de keuze is aan ons.
kwade geest van de vrijheid.
Er is niemand die zorgt voor ons.
De barbaren aan de macht, en ook dat gaat weer voorbij. En voorlopig blijf ik hier en ik weet zeker, niet iedereen is de weg kwijt.
He acknowledges that they have the power to make choices, but the current state of society is chaotic with no one to protect them. He remains hopeful that the current state will pass and not everyone is lost.
Ik zie mijn leven voor me
als ze slaapt naast mij,
als ze slaapt naast mij.
He reiterates his previous vision of his future with his partner.
De helpende hand in dromen
hoop ik voor haar te zijn,
hoop ik voor haar te zijn.
He again expresses his hope to support and help his partner even in her dreams.
Droom wel de waarheid!
Laat me de helpende hand zijn.
He urges his partner to dream of the truth and offers to be a source of support for her.
Als een lied weerloos van waarde, zo zacht slaapt ze naast mij.
He describes his partner sleeping next to him as vulnerable, like a valuable song with no defense.
Ik zie mijn leven voor me.
In een droomloze nacht.
He envisions his future without dreams, perhaps meaning he hopes for peaceful rest for him and his partner.
Contributed by Gabriel K. Suggest a correction in the comments below.