Ilse DeLange is a Dutch country and pop singer. She first rose to prominenc… Read Full Bio ↴Ilse DeLange is a Dutch country and pop singer. She first rose to prominence in 1998 following the release of her debut album World of Hurt. The album was recorded in Nashville, the capital of country music. It became a runaway success in the Netherlands, where it peaked at Number 1 for six weeks and was eventually certified quintuple-platinum. It ranks as one of the highest-selling albums of all time. Following the album’s release, its lead single “I’m Not So Tough” became DeLange her first Top 40-hit. In 1999, she received a TMF Award and an Edison Award for her musical success.

In 1999, DeLange released live-album Dear John, an album full of covers by John Hiatt, after a very successful performance at the "Marlboro Flashbacks". The album went platinum in the Netherlands, for selling more than 80,000 copies.

In 2000, DeLange released her sophomore album Livin’ On Love. Although there was a good amount of promotion for the album, it could not compete with the success of its predecessor. It peaked at #5 on the Dutch Album Top 100. Its lead single “Livin’ On Love” became a minor Top 40-entry. Meanwhile, Warner Music attempted to promote this release as her "breakthrough" release in the United States. Although World Of Hurt was planned to be released in the States, the record labels in America thought the album was too old-fashioned for the 2000s. It was eventually shelved.

In 2003, DeLange released her third album Clean Up. It became another success for the Dutch singer, peaking at Number 1 on the Dutch Album Top 100 for five weeks. Its single “Shine” with Rosemary's Sons became a surprise Top 40-hit. Despite the success, the first single “No Reason To Be Shy” was a commercial failure and the record company decided not to release any further singles.

Later that same year, DeLange released her first compilation album Here I Am (1998-2003). She also collaborated with Kane on “Before You Let Me Go”, which was recorded live in Rotterdam. It peaked at #4 on the Dutch official Top 40, earning DeLange her first ever Top 10-hit. At the beginning of 2004, the Dutch section of record company Warner Music was disbanded and DeLange lost her contract.

She then signed with Universal Music. In 2006, she released her fourth album The Great Escape. Its lead single of the same name became an unexpectedly big hit, charting for more than five months on the Dutch official Top 40. The album peaked at Number 1 on the Dutch Album Top 100 and was certified double-platinum within its first month. Its follow-up singles “The Lonely One” and “I Love You” both entered the Top 40 as well.

In 2008, DeLange released her fifth album Incredible. Its lead single became a breakout success, peaking at #6 on the Dutch official Top 40. It also won the Schaal van Rigter prize. The follow-up single “Miracle” became an even bigger hit, topping the Dutch official Top 40 and earning DeLange her first Number 1-single. The album was also a commercial success, becoming her fourth Number 1-album and being certified quintuple-platinum.

In 2010, DeLange released her first EP titled Next To Me. Its lead single of the same name became another Top 10-hit. In 2011 she started working on a new album, which was later shelved after her father’s death.

In 2012, DeLange released her seventh album Eye of the Hurricane. The single “Hurricane” became the album’s breakout single. This new album was promoted with a concert in the 'GelreDome' stadium. It earned DeLange another Number 1-album on the Dutch Album Top 100.

In 2013, DeLange replaced Nick & Simon as a coach on The Voice of Holland. She returned to The Voice of Holland as a coach for its fifth season in August 2014. On 15 January 2015, it was announced that DeLange would be replaced as a coach for the sixth season of The Voice of Holland by Miss Montreal lead singer Sanne Hans.

DeLange represented the Netherlands, with singer Waylon as The Common Linnets, during the Eurovision Song Contest 2014 in Copenhagen, Denmark. With the song “Calm After The Storm”, the band finished in second place behind the winner Conchita Wurst from Austria, the Netherlands’ best result in more than a decade. The song became a hit single across Europe, reaching the Top 10 in Belgium, Germany, Switzerland, Austria, Spain, Denmark and the United Kingdom. The band’s eponymous album also became very successful, 50.000 copies within a week in The Netherlands alone.

On 7 December 2017 it was revealed that DeLange would have a recurring role in the final season of the ABC/CMT musical-drama series Nashville.

In 2018 created DeLange her own record label, Spark Records, as part of Firefly/Universal Music. She also released her new eponymous album. The album debuted and peaked at #3 on the Dutch Album Top 100. It failed to produce a significant hit single.

DeLange was part of the Dutch delegation for the Eurovision Song Contest 2019 as an artistic consultant and mentor to the Dutch representative Duncan Laurence, whom she coached during the fifth season of The Voice of Holland. Laurence went on to win the contest with his song "Arcade".

In September 2019 DeLange released the roots-album Gravel & Dust. Recorded in Nashville, this album was made with producer T Bone Burnett. It debuted at #2 on the Dutch Album Top 100. Quickly thereafter, DeLange released her new album Changes. The album debuted and peaked at #4 on the Dutch Album Top 100 and became a surprise hit in German-speaking countries. It peaked at #14 on the German Top Album Charts and a Top 10-album in Switzerland. The success inspired DeLange to tour through Germany in 2023.

DeLange participated in the seventh season of Sing Meinen Song - Das Tauschkonzert. The episode where DeLange was the central guest, suddenly increased the sales of DeLanges old albums and singles.

Old Tears
Ilse DeLange Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Walking that line, saying I'm fine
Thought I kicked you off my mind long ago
Though you tore me apart when you broke my heart
I never, ever, ever let it show
I can't keep this storm inside me anymore
I can't stop this rain that's got to pour

I'm crying old tears

The dam is breaking after all these years
And you know what, I don't care
I don't care who sees me cry
I've been so strong
But there's no way that I can move on
No, this pain will never disappear

Until I cry these old tears
Just the littlest thing
The sound of your name
I start to feel this ache inside my soul
I try to lock it all in, push it all down
It's just so hard to keep it in control
I could fill the ocean baby, I'm so blue

The only way that I'll get over losing you
Is crying old tears

Overall Meaning

Ilse DeLange's song "Old Tears" is about the pain of heartbreak and the difficulty of moving on from someone you loved deeply. The lyrics describe the internal battle of trying to hide your emotions, but ultimately realizing that you need to release your pent-up feelings to truly heal. The singer admits that despite their efforts to appear strong and move on, they still feel the pain of their lost love and cannot ignore it any longer.

The opening line, "Walking that line, saying I'm fine," sets the tone for the song, as the singer tries to maintain a facade of strength and positivity. The chorus, "I'm crying old tears, the dam is breaking after all these years," represents the emotional release that the singer has been holding back for so long. They finally acknowledge their pain and allow themselves to cry and feel the sadness of their lost love.

The song highlights the fact that moving on from heartbreak is not always easy and can take time. Sometimes, you need to allow yourself to feel the pain and let it out before you can truly heal and move forward. "Old Tears" is a poignant reminder of the power of vulnerability and the importance of acknowledging and embracing our feelings.

Line by Line Meaning

Walking that line, saying I'm fine
I'm trying my best to act normal and appear happy, but I'm struggling internally.

Thought I kicked you off my mind long ago
I believed that I had moved on from you and forgotten about you.

Though you tore me apart when you broke my heart
Your actions caused me immense emotional pain and left me feeling broken.

I never, ever, ever let it show
I've tried my hardest to hide my emotions and not let others see how much you hurt me.

I can't keep this storm inside me anymore
I can no longer suppress my emotions and keep them bottled up inside.

I can't stop this rain that's got to pour
I can't prevent myself from expressing my pain and crying.

I'm crying old tears
I'm shedding tears over the same heartbreak I experienced in the past.

The dam is breaking after all these years
After holding back my emotions for so long, I can no longer stop myself from crying.

And you know what, I don't care
I'm no longer concerned with hiding my emotions or concealing my pain.

I don't care who sees me cry
I'm not worried about others witnessing my vulnerability or seeing me in a weakened state.

I've been so strong
I've tried my best to remain resilient and not let my emotions overcome me.

But there's no way that I can move on
I'm not able to simply forget about you and move on from our past relationship.

No, this pain will never disappear
The emotional pain I feel as a result of our breakup will never completely fade away.

Until I cry these old tears
The only way for me to eventually heal and move on is to allow myself to cry and express my emotions.

Just the littlest thing
Even the slightest reminder of you can trigger the emotions and pain that I'm trying to suppress.

The sound of your name
Even hearing your name can bring back memories and pain associated with our past.

I start to feel this ache inside my soul
My emotional pain is deep-rooted and affects me on a fundamental level.

I try to lock it all in, push it all down
I attempt to hold back my emotions and prevent myself from expressing my pain.

It's just so hard to keep it in control
It's difficult to suppress my emotions and keep them in check.

I could fill the ocean baby, I'm so blue
My sadness and emotional pain are overwhelming and could fill an entire ocean.

The only way that I'll get over losing you
In order for me to move on from our past, I need to confront and express my emotions.

Is crying old tears
The only way for me to heal and eventually move on is to allow myself to express the same emotions and pain that I experienced in the past.

Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, CONCORD MUSIC PUBLISHING LLC, Spirit Music Group, KAREN SCHAUBEN PUBLISHING ADMINISTRATION
Written by: BETH NIELSEN CHAPMAN, ALLAN DENNIS RICH, DOUGLAS LEWIS MILLETT

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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