A long string of albums and singles followed. Rot became a cult phenomenon and was praised by many, but he was never overly successful commercially and became particularly well-known for cultivating his own lack of success.
2000 saw another major switch in Rot's career, as he discovered his talent as a translator of well-known songs into Dutch, including classical pieces. This became his new art form. Rot released another string of albums. He also wrote music for theatre and musical.
On 31 July 2021 Rot announced that he suffered from colon cancer: "I won't get better anymore." Doctors told him he had less than a year to live. He continued to perform, write and record for another eight months and, ten days prior to his passing, released his final studio album, I.p.v. Kaarten (2022).
Jan Rot passed away on 22 April 2022, at his home in Rotterdam.
Valerie
Jan Rot Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And I look across the water
And I think of all the things, what you're doing
And in my head I make a picture
: CHORUS:
Cos since I've come on home,
Well my body's been a mess
And the way you like to dress
Won't you come on over
Stop making a fool out of me
Why won't you come on over Valerie?
Did you have to go to jail,
Put your house up on for sale, did you get a good lawyer?
I hope you didn't catch a tan,
I hope you'll find the right man who'll fix it for ya
And are you shoppin' anywhere,
Changed the colour of you hair, are you busy?
And did you have to pay the fine
You were dodging all the time, are you still dizzy?
Cos since I've come on home,
Well my body's been a mess
And I've missed your ginger hair
And the way you like to dress
Won't you come on over
Stop making a fool out of me
Why won't you come on over Valerie?
Well sometimes I go out by myself
And I look across the water
And I think of all the things, what you're doing
And in my head I make a picture
Cos since I've come on home,
Well my body's been a mess
And I've missed your ginger hair
And the way you like to dress
Won't you come on over
Stop making a fool out of me
Why won't you come on over Valerie?
The song "Valerie" by Jan Rot is a wistful and reflective piece sung from the perspective of someone who has recently returned home after spending some time away. The singer muses about Valerie, who is likely an old friend or perhaps a former romantic interest, and wonders what has become of her since they last saw each other. The lyrics are filled with longing and regret as the singer laments the fact that their reunion has not yet happened.
The opening lines of the song set the scene for the singer's melancholy mood: "sometimes I go out by myself / and I look across the water / and I think of all the things, what you're doing / and in my head I make a picture." It is clear that the singer has been thinking about Valerie quite a bit since returning home, and the image of her is very vivid in their mind.
The chorus repeatedly emphasizes the singer's feelings of unrest and yearning: "cos since I've come on home, well my body's been a mess / and I've missed your ginger hair and the way you like to dress / won't you come on over, stop making a fool out of me / why won't you come on over Valerie?" The singer feels incomplete without the missing piece that Valerie represented in their life, and they need her to be whole again.
Line by Line Meaning
Well sometimes I go out by myself
Sometimes I go out alone
And I look across the water
And I stare across the water
And I think of all the things, what you're doing
And I wonder what you're doing
And in my head I make a picture
And I imagine a picture in my mind
Cos since I've come on home,
Because since I've returned home,
Well my body's been a mess
My body feels like a mess
And I've missed your ginger hair
And I've missed your red hair
And the way you like to dress
And the way you dress
Won't you come on over
Can't you come over
Stop making a fool out of me
Stop embarrassing me
Why won't you come on over Valerie?
Why can't you come over, Valerie?
Did you have to go to jail,
Did you have to go to prison,
Put your house up on for sale, did you get a good lawyer?
Sell your house, did you find a good lawyer?
I hope you didn't catch a tan,
I hope you didn't get a tan,
I hope you'll find the right man who'll fix it for ya
I hope you find the right guy to fix it for you
And are you shoppin' anywhere,
Are you shopping anywhere,
Changed the colour of you hair, are you busy?
Changed your hair color, are you busy?
And did you have to pay the fine
And did you have to pay the fee
You were dodging all the time, are you still dizzy?
You were avoiding it all the time, are you still confused?
Well sometimes I go out by myself
Sometimes I go out alone
And I look across the water
And I stare across the water
And I think of all the things, what you're doing
And I wonder what you're doing
And in my head I make a picture
And I imagine a picture in my mind
Cos since I've come on home,
Because since I've returned home,
Well my body's been a mess
My body feels like a mess
And I've missed your ginger hair
And I've missed your red hair
And the way you like to dress
And the way you dress
Won't you come on over
Can't you come over
Stop making a fool out of me
Stop embarrassing me
Why won't you come on over Valerie?
Why can't you come over, Valerie?
Contributed by London S. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Jan Rot
wat een fijne beeldkwaliteit! Dank! Ik had 'm alleen op een verkleurde VHS
Zyzzthetics
Heerlijk nummer. Begrijp het einde niet helemaal. Is ze dood? Hoe?