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.
Verjaardagsfeest
Frank Boeijen Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
En iedereen vraagt zich af
Waar de rest zou zijn
Zijn ze wel uitgenodigd
Of vond je dat niet nodig
Anders bel je ze even
Misschien dat ze nog komen
Er zijn nou zo'n vijf man
Op dit Amerikaans feest
Dus neem het ervan
Een krat bier, een zakje pinda's
En drie flessen Coca-Cola
Al die verhalen over die en die
En zij heeft wat en hij
Heeft niets
Oh, ik kan niet meer praten
Mijn tong zit vastgeplakt
Ik moet naar buiten,
Ik ben het zo zat
Oh, ik wil nooit meer
Naar een verjaardagsfeest
Omdat ze vervelend zijn,
Vervelend zijn
Ik ben er minstens naar
Duizend geweest
Ik wil nooit meer
Ik ga nooit meer
Naar een verjaardagsfeest
Stilletjes stelletjes voor de
Open haard
Dit is romantisch
Dit is goud waard
Het lijkt wel een rustkuur
Een minuut duurt een uur
Staren, starend in dat vuur
Je schrikt wakker, plotseling
Ontdek je dat er iemand
Vandoor is met jouw vriendin
Je hoort ze boven lachen
Door het bed heengezakt
Ik moet naar buiten, ik ben het
Hier zat
Oh, ik wil nooit meer
Naar een verjaardagsfeest
Omdat ze vervelend zijn,
Vervelend zijn
Ik ben er minstens naar
Duizend geweest
Ik wil nooit meer
Ik ga nooit meer
Naar een verjaardagsfeest
Zeg me dat het hier leuk is
Zeg me dat ik plezier heb
Doe alsof het hier leuk is
Dit is de laatste keer,
Ik ga nooit meer
Ik wil nooit meer...
The song "Verjaardagsfeest" by Frank Boeijen describes a typical birthday party that starts off well, but as the party progresses, it becomes boring and monotonous. The lyrics are centered on the feelings of the singer who is attending the party. He finds the party dull and way too familiar, noticing that there are only a few people present at the party. The singer wonders why there aren't more people present, and if they were not invited. He even considers calling them to check if they might still come to the party. Eventually, the singer falls asleep, and upon waking up, he finds out that someone has taken away his girlfriend.
The song reflects a deeper feeling of dissatisfaction and disillusionment with life experiences that seem to repeat themselves over and over again. The characterization of the singer speaks to a larger theme of questioning the meaning and significance of our life experiences, particularly those that appear to be a monotony of interactions and events.
The song's lyrics highlight the banality of the birthday party experience, which most people can relate to. The song's chorus, which repeats the phrase "ik wil nooit meer naar een verjaardagsfeest" (I never want to go to a birthday party again), underscores the song's theme of everyday experiences that are unfulfilling and lack any meaningful impact.
Line by Line Meaning
Het is hier zo gezellig, zo fijn
The atmosphere is enjoyable and pleasant
En iedereen vraagt zich af
Everyone is curious and wondering
Waar de rest zou zijn
Where the remaining guests could be
Zijn ze wel uitgenodigd
Were they invited?
Of vond je dat niet nodig
Or did you not think it was necessary?
Anders bel je ze even
Otherwise, why don't you call them?
Misschien dat ze nog komen
Maybe they will still come
Er zijn nou zo'n vijf man
There are about five people
Op dit Amerikaans feest
At this American-style party
Dus neem het ervan
So enjoy it
Een krat bier, een zakje pinda's
A crate of beer and a bag of peanuts
En drie flessen Coca-Cola
And three bottles of Coca-Cola
Al die verhalen over die en die
All those stories about this and that person
En zij heeft wat en hij
And she has this and he has that
Heeft niets
Has nothing
Oh, ik kan niet meer praten
Oh, I can't talk anymore
Mijn tong zit vastgeplakt
My tongue is glued to the roof of my mouth
Ik moet naar buiten,
I need to go outside
Ik ben het zo zat
I've had enough of it
Oh, ik wil nooit meer
Oh, I never want to
Naar een verjaardagsfeest
Go to a birthday party again
Omdat ze vervelend zijn,
Because they are annoying
Vervelend zijn
Are irritating
Ik ben er minstens naar
I've been to at least
Duizend geweest
A thousand of them
Stilletjes stelletjes voor de
Quietly couples in front of the
Open haard
Fireplace
Dit is romantisch
This is romantic
Dit is goud waard
This is priceless
Het lijkt wel een rustkuur
It feels like a relaxing retreat
Een minuut duurt een uur
A minute feels like an hour
Staren, starend in dat vuur
Gazing, staring into the fire
Je schrikt wakker, plotseling
You wake up suddenly, startled
Ontdek je dat er iemand
You discover that someone
Vandoor is met jouw vriendin
Has run away with your girlfriend
Je hoort ze boven lachen
You hear them laughing upstairs
Door het bed heengezakt
Broken the bed
Ik moet naar buiten, ik ben het
I need to go outside, I've had enough of
Hier zat
This place
Zeg me dat het hier leuk is
Tell me that it's fun here
Zeg me dat ik plezier heb
Tell me that I'm having a good time
Doe alsof het hier leuk is
Pretend that it's fun here
Dit is de laatste keer,
This is the last time
Ik ga nooit meer
I'll never go
Naar een verjaardagsfeest
To a birthday party
Ik wil nooit meer...
I never want to again...
Contributed by Addison S. Suggest a correction in the comments below.