Two musicians from The Netherlands are known as Frank Boeijen:

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.

Stilstaand Water
Frank Boeijen Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

En ik weet soms niet
Wat ik doe
Maar ik weet wel
Waar het door komt

Het komt door ons
Mijn liefste
Stilstaand water

Wij zijn als stilstaand water

Geen toegang
Tot de rivier
Geen toegang
Tot de zee

En ik wacht op jou
Ik mis jou
Het is al zo lang

Vervreemd ben jij van mij
Vervreemd ben ik van jou

Geen toegang
Tot de rivier
Geen toegang
Tot de zee

Heimwee
Heimwee naar jou
Verlangen
Verlangen naar jou

En natuurlijk zullen er straks
Avonden zijn dat het ons spijt

En ik sluit mijn ogen
Voor het naderend onheil
En ik sluit jou in mij armen

De vrijheid van een gevangene
Vrij rond te lopen in zijn cel

geen toegang
geen toegang

heimwee
verlangen

Overall Meaning

In Frank Boeijen's song "Stilstaand Water" (translated to "Stagnant Water"), the singer acknowledges that sometimes they don't know what they're doing, but they know why. The reason for their confusion and frustration is due to their stagnant relationship. The singer compares themselves and their partner to stagnant water, unable to access the river or the sea. The singer longs for their partner, feeling estranged and disconnected from one another. They express their desire to be reunited with their loved one, longing for them and their connection to flow like a river.

One interesting fact about "Stilstaand Water" is that it was released in 1985, and quickly became a hit in the Netherlands. The song was written by Boeijen himself, and was included on his album entitled "Het Beste van." Boeijen is known for his poetic lyrics and emotional performances. Another interesting fact is that "Stilstaand Water" was covered by another Dutch artist, Marco Borsato, in 2002. The cover version was titled "Als Alle Lichten Zijn Gedoofd" and was a commercial success in the Netherlands.

Additionally, the lyrics of "Stilstaand Water" have been interpreted as a metaphor for loneliness and alienation. The stagnant water is a symbol for the singer's stagnant emotional state, unable to connect with the outside world. The desire to access the river and the sea represents a longing for freedom and the ability to move forward. Interestingly, Boeijen has stated in interviews that the song was inspired by his own experiences with depression and feeling stuck in a rut.

Another notable fact about "Stilstaand Water" is that it has been covered by several other artists in the Netherlands, including Winnie Sorgdrager and De Kast. The song has also been used in a number of Dutch films and television programs. Overall, "Stilstaand Water" remains one of Frank Boeijen's most beloved and haunting compositions, a testament to his enduring impact on Dutch music.

Chords: Unknown

Line by Line Meaning

En ik weet soms niet
I am not always sure

Wat ik doe
about what I am doing

Maar ik weet wel
But I do know

Waar het door komt
what causes it

Het komt door ons
It is because of us

Mijn liefste
My dearest

Stilstaand water
Still water

Wij zijn als stilstaand water
We are like still water

Geen toegang
No access

Tot de rivier
To the river