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.
Jazz In Barcelona
Frank boeijen Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
In deze vreemde stad
Men praat anders hier
Er klinkt jazz
Uit een kelderbar
En in de kathedraal
Waar het stil was
Voor een bloedende man
Die hing daar
En later op het strand
Van Barcelona
Ben ik door de knieën gegaan
En heb met zout in mijn ogen
En dronken van geluk
De liefde heilig verklaard
En ja zo'n eindeloze nacht
Waarin je praat en lacht
En misschien nog wel veel meer
En ja zo'n zomeravond
Waarop alles samenkomt
En het leven licht
En de moeite waard lijkt
En ja van die zeldzame momenten
Waarop je soms maanden wacht
En die deel uitmaken van de oneindigheid
En het denken en het peinzen stopt
En geluk van hier tot in de eeuwigheid
En toen liepen we in de storm
Langs dat oude kasteel
En alles leek even onbetekenend
Als elke regendruppel die op straat viel
Maar je wist hoeveel ik om je gaf
En hoe ver en hoe diep het zou gaan
En toen viel je in slaap
Als een reiziger op zijn eindbestemming
Maar niet zonder te vertellen
Dat je dat niet wilde
En dat je zo anders was
Niets blijft meer heel
Als van binnen alles breekt
Als ik afscheid neem
Van jouw armen
The song "Jazz in Barcelona" by Frank Boeijen tells the story of a couple's journey in this foreign city. The first few lines describe the strange feeling of being in a new city where people speak differently, and the sound of jazz coming from a basement bar. The next verse takes place in the cathedral where the couple shares a kiss, while a wounded man hangs from the ceiling. The third verse talks about the couple's romantic evening on the beach when the singer confesses his love, despite the presence of salty tears in his eyes. Then the song moves to a seemingly random scene where the couple walks in the stormy weather by an old castle, where everything seems insignificant. The final verse is a painful farewell where the singer realizes that nothing remains whole when everything breaks inside, and he has to leave the comfort of the love of his arms.
The song "Jazz in Barcelona" uses vivid and metaphorical language to capture the essence of a romantic journey through the city of Barcelona. The lyrics focus on the precious moments that make life worth living, such as the beauty of jazz music, the breathtaking scenery of the beach, and the passion of true love. The song also stresses the transience of life when the blissful moments come to an end and the inevitable goodbye that casts a dark shadow over the romance.
Line by Line Meaning
Ze draait zich om
She turns around
In deze vreemde stad
In this strange city
Men praat anders hier
People talk differently here
Er klinkt jazz
Jazz plays
Uit een kelderbar
From a basement bar
En in de kathedraal
And in the cathedral
Waar het stil was
Where it was quiet
Gaf ze me een kus
She gave me a kiss
Voor een bloedende man
For a bleeding man
Die hing daar
Who was hanging there
En later op het strand
And later on the beach
Van Barcelona
Of Barcelona
Ben ik door de knieën gegaan
I got down on my knees
En heb met zout in mijn ogen
And with salt in my eyes
En dronken van geluk
And drunk with happiness
De liefde heilig verklaard
Declared love sacred
En ja zo'n eindeloze nacht
And yes, such an endless night
Waarin je praat en lacht
Where you talk and laugh
En misschien nog wel veel meer
And maybe even much more
En ja zo'n zomeravond
And yes, such a summer evening
Waarop alles samenkomt
Where everything comes together
En het leven licht
And life is light
En de moeite waard lijkt
And seems worth it
En ja van die zeldzame momenten
And yes, those rare moments
Waarop je soms maanden wacht
That you sometimes have to wait months for
En die deel uitmaken van de oneindigheid
And that are part of infinity
En het denken en het peinzen stopt
And the thinking and pondering stops
En geluk van hier tot in de eeuwigheid
And happiness from here to eternity
En toen liepen we in de storm
And then we walked in the storm
Langs dat oude kasteel
Along that old castle
En alles leek even onbetekenend
And everything seemed insignificant
Als elke regendruppel die op straat viel
Like every raindrop that fell on the street
Maar je wist hoeveel ik om je gaf
But you knew how much I cared for you
En hoe ver en hoe diep het zou gaan
And how far and how deep it would go
En toen viel je in slaap
And then you fell asleep
Als een reiziger op zijn eindbestemming
Like a traveler at their final destination
Maar niet zonder te vertellen
But not without telling
Dat je dat niet wilde
That you didn't want that
En dat je zo anders was
And that you were so different
Niets blijft meer heel
Nothing stays intact
Als van binnen alles breekt
When everything inside breaks
Als ik afscheid neem
When I say goodbye
Van jouw armen
From your arms
Contributed by Adam V. Suggest a correction in the comments below.