Johannes Hendricus Maria "Jan" Smit (born December 31, 1985) is a Dutch pop… Read Full Bio ↴Johannes Hendricus Maria "Jan" Smit (born December 31, 1985) is a Dutch pop music and schlager singer. He scored his first number one position in the Dutch charts with Ik zing dit lied voor jou alleen (I sing this song only for you) in 1997. Being 12 years of age back then, he was known as Jantje Smit.

Smit was discovered by Dutch middle of the road band BZN, who used his vocals in a duet called Mama. He has released several albums in Dutch and German since.

Jan dedicated the song Ik zing dit lied voor jou alleen (means: I Sing this song just for you) to his grandmother. In 1997, Smit toured South Africa with popular Afrikaans singer Nádine. In 2000, Smit won the Grand Prix der Volksmusik singing Ich zeig dir die Berge with Oswald Sattler for South Tyrol. In 2001 Smit won the Exportprijs for his success in Germany, France and Italy. In Germany he became one of the best selling Dutch artists ever, with German-language albums specifically aimed at the German market.

After three big hits in the late 90's, Jan's popularity began to wane gradually. His albums Jan Smit 2000 #32 (2000), Zing en Lach (Sing and Laugh) #33 (2001), Zonder Jou (Without You) #40 and Op Eigen Benen (On My Own Feet) #45 sold fewer copies than his first two albums from his child star era.

However, Jan was still very popular in Germany, where he spent most of his time touring. 2005 marked his comeback in his home country, when regional television host Willie Oosterhuis picked up a Jan Smit song recorded in 2003, 'Als de nacht verdwijnt' ('When the night is over'). Willie heavily plugged the song on his show, resulting in a medium sized hit.

During the same period Dutch broadcaster TROS wanted to produce a real life soap about Jan, with the focus on his life as a teenage star in Germany and The Netherlands, and on his private life in the picturesque seaside village of Volendam. The reality soap became a TV hit and an accompanying album, 'Vrienden voor het leven' ('Homies for life') brought Jan back at the top of the charts for the first time in a few years. It was written for his cousin Niek Smit(s), who lives in Maastricht.

In 2006 Smit had several big selling hit singles, such as 'Laura' (about a friend who died of cancer), 'Als de morgen is gekomen' ('When the morning has come') and 'Cupido' (Cupid). Jan usually includes special tracks on his CD singles, such as live recordings, previously unreleased tracks and CD-ROM-content, which makes his singles more interesting for his hardcore fanbase. In 2007 he topped the single charts again with "Op Weg Naar Geluk" (On The Road To Happiness) and with "Dan Volg Je Haar Benen" ('And then you check out her legs'), and the album charts also with the album "Op Weg Naar Geluk" (the album sold 160.000 copies in its first four days after being released, more than double platinum).

In 2006 he also recorded "Kerst voor Iedereen" (Christmas for Everyone) which was a Christmas-duet with Dutch tv-host Bridget Maasland as a part of Dutch tv-show Katja vs Bridget. He later on recorded this song with his younger sister Monique Smit, who recently also started a singing career

In 2007 he planned to tour the Netherlands again with the "Jan Smit Komt Naar Je Toe"-tour (Jan Smit Comes To You) but due to problems with his vocal cords this tour had to be postponed. For at least 6 months Jan Smit has to rest his voice.

'Dan volg je haar benen' was Jan's fifth Number One single in The Netherlands, making him one of the most successful soloists in Dutch chart history. Only George Michael and Dutch singer Marco Borsato had more Number Ones.

Het kleine meisje
Jan Smit Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Ze zat met tranen in haar ogen,
Een kleine meid een jaar of 10
Het allertreurigste meisje,
Dat had men hier nog nooit gezien.
Ik ging naar haar toe en wilde weten
Waarom ze huilde daar op straat.
Ze zei dat niemand op de wereld
Ooit met haar lacht of met haar praat.

Refrein:

Het kleine meisje in deze grote vreemde stad.
Ze vroeg of ik met haar wou spelen
Omdat ze nooit een vriendje had.
Het kleine meisje zoveel verdriet dat lieve stuk
Heeft alleen eenzaamheid gevonden
En zoekt nog altijd naar geluk

Ik nam haar met me mee naar huis toe
We speelden tot de avond stond
Ze was gelukkig dat ze bij mij
Een beetje thuisgevoel hervond
En 's avonds toch in slaap gevallen
En 's morgens vroeg ook weer ontwaakt
Op me spiegel stond geschreven jij hebt me heel erg blij gemaakt.

Refrein

Het kleine meisje in deze grote vreemde stad.
Ze vroeg of ik met haar wou spelen
Omdat ze nooit een vriendje had.
Het kleine meisje zoveel verdriet dat lieve stuk
Heeft alleen eenzaamheid gevonden
En zoekt nog altijd naar geluk

Het kleine meisje in deze grote vreemde stad.
Ze vroeg of ik met haar wou spelen
Omdat ze nooit een vriendje had.
Het kleine meisje zoveel verdriet dat lieve stuk
Heeft alleen eenzaamheid gevonden
En zoekt nog altijd naar geluk

Heeft alleen eenzaamheid gevonden
En zoekt nog altijd naar geluk

Overall Meaning

Jan Smit's song "Het kleine meisje" tells the story of a lonely and sad 10-year-old girl who nobody in the world ever laughs or talks with. The singer of the song meets her on the street, sees her crying, and decides to approach her to ask why she is so upset. The girl explains that she has no friends and that nobody ever pays attention to her, so the singer offers to play with her and take her home. The little girl is happy to have found someone to spend time with and even writes a thank you note on the singer's mirror.

The song is a poignant commentary on the loneliness and isolation that some people, even children, experience in big cities. It highlights the importance of empathy and kindness towards others, no matter how different they may seem. The lyrics also convey the idea that happiness and fulfillment can be found in the simple act of spending time with someone and showing them that they are not alone in the world.

Line by Line Meaning

Ze zat met tranen in haar ogen,
A small girl of around 10 with weeping eyes, the saddest girl ever seen here.

Een kleine meid een jaar of 10
A small girl of around 10

Het allertreurigste meisje,
The saddest girl ever seen here

Dat had men hier nog nooit gezien.
No one had ever seen such a sad girl here before.

Ik ging naar haar toe en wilde weten
I approached her and wanted to know

Waarom ze huilde daar op straat.
Why she was crying on the street.

Ze zei dat niemand op de wereld
She said that no one in the world

Ooit met haar lacht of met haar praat.
Ever laughs or talks with her.

Refrein:
Chorus:

Het kleine meisje in deze grote vreemde stad.
The small girl in this big strange city.

Ze vroeg of ik met haar wou spelen
She asked if I wanted to play with her

Omdat ze nooit een vriendje had.
Because she never had a friend.

Het kleine meisje zoveel verdriet dat lieve stuk
The small girl has so much sorrow, poor thing.

Heeft alleen eenzaamheid gevonden
She has only found loneliness

En zoekt nog altijd naar geluk
And is still searching for happiness

Ik nam haar met me mee naar huis toe
I took her with me to my home

We speelden tot de avond stond
We played until the evening came

Ze was gelukkig dat ze bij mij
She was happy to be with me

Een beetje thuisgevoel hervond
She found a little bit of a sense of home

En 's avonds toch in slaap gevallen
And fell asleep that evening

En 's morgens vroeg ook weer ontwaakt
And woke up early in the morning

Op me spiegel stond geschreven jij hebt me heel erg blij gemaakt.
On my mirror was written that I had made her very happy.