Krezip began as a four-piece outfit in 1997, in Tilburg, The Netherlands, consisting of Jacqueline Govaert on vocals, Anne Govaert and Annelies Kuijsters on guitar and Joost van Haaren on bass. Though these four formed the core of the band, they found it difficult to get a fitting permanent drummer. During one of their early shows, Thijs Romeijn was in the audience, and was so impressed by the band's energy that he approached them after the show to commend them. During the conversation, it turned out that Romeijn was a drummer himself, and he quickly became the band's permanent drummer.
Throughout 1998, Krezip, armed with two demo tapes, played many festivals throughout the country, such as Festival Mundial, Noorderslag, and Lowlands. Studies and age became a sticking point to accept big offers in the music world. In 1999, they released an independent EP, titled Run Around.
Nothing Less (2000 - 2001)
Reportedly, the band soon received numerous offers from record companies. In 2000, they signed with Warner Music and recorded their debut album, "Nothing Less", with producer Oscar Holleman. Their first single, "Won't Cry", did little to advance their career. The band gained more exposure after a show at Dutch festival Pinkpop, with the ballad "I Would Stay" being received exceptionally well. Accordingly, the song was released as their second single, featuring a video compiled from footage of the Pinkpop show. "I Would Stay" became a #1 hit in Belgium and #2 in the Netherlands. It was the #1 song of 2000 in Belgium.
"Nothing Less" debuted at #1 in both the Netherlands and Belgium, going 3x platinum in the Netherlands (210,000 copies sold with a total of 250,000 albums sold[2]). Despite this, the two other singles from the album, "All Unsaid" and "Everything And More", failed to chart. Among others, Krezip received a 2001 Edison Award (the Dutch equivalent of the Grammy Awards).
The band toured continuously on the album, though towards the end of the tour, problems began to arise. Jacqueline Govaert began to lose her voice, while Annelies Kuijsters experienced severe pains in her hand that stopped her from playing shows without painkillers. After the tour, Govaert needed an operation on her vocal cords, while Kuijsters was diagnosed as simply not being "made" to play guitar. The band decided to go with an unorthodox solution for this problem, and moved her to a keyboard position instead. The empty guitar position was filled by Thomas Holthuis.
Days Like This (2002 - 2003)
Despite a delay due to writer's block, the band released Days Like This, the follow-up to Nothing Less, in 2002. The album was certified gold (35,000 copies) later that year, and though the album was not as successful as its predecessor, the album had several successful singles; "You Can Say" (#18), "Promise" (#16), and "Mine". Despite this success, Jacqueline Govaert has expressed disdain for some of the songs, implying that the album was too serious for Krezip, and critisizing her own singing.
A club tour supported the album through The Netherlands, including unplugged performances in theaters. A performance for The Box program Pure was recorded live and brought out on DVD and CD called "That'll Be Unplugged". The band liked the unplugged shows at first, but over time, decided to keep with rock music. Krezip also spent time promoting the album in Germany. They did two tours through the country and they were the supporting act for Bon Jovi in the Netherlands. They also were the supporting act for Sheryl Crow during her tour through Germany and France.
In 2003, guitarist Thomas Holthuis decided to leave the band to live with his girlfriend in Berlin, citing musical differences. He was replaced by JanPeter Hoekstra.
Release from record label and What Are You Waiting For?
While the band wrote new songs, Warner Music forced Warner Music Benelux to drop all of their national artists, including Krezip. The band independently released "All I'm Asking For", available on their website for 99 cents.
After their departure at Warner, Krezip received many offers from other record labels. After careful deliberation, they chose to sign with Sony BMG. In a speech during the 2004 TMF Awards, Krezip thanked their old label for everything that they had done. The band flew to Los Angeles to collaborate with American producer couple Wizardz of Oz, writing most of their new album there. Drummer Thijs Romeijn became demotivated and found himself unable to play the new songs due to not practising. Eventually, the band decided not to move on with Thijs. The new drummer was Bram van den Berg, who was originally only hired to play on the album, but decided to stay.
On May 9, 2005 Krezip released "What Are You Waiting For?". The album debuted at #1 in the Dutch Album Top 100 and stayed in the chart for 27 weeks. Three singles were released with "Out Of My Bed" as the first. It peaked at #9, making it Krezip's second top 10 hit since "I Would Stay" (2000). Two other singles, "Don't Crush Me" (#22) and the ballad "I Apologize" (#30), failed to make it into the top 20.
In early 2005 Krezip traveled to Ethiopia at the request of charity foundation Novib for an education campaign. The journey was recorded and shown on the Dutch version of MTV. The band also went on tour through Benelux, selling out 15 big venues.
The song "Same Mistake" was used in the Dutch movie Schnitzel Paradise (Het Schnitzelparadijs), which became a huge hit in the Netherlands. The band later noted that, ironically, Same Mistake is the only Krezip song that has never been played live.
In 2006, Jacqueline joined several artists in the Netherlands to record the anthem for the 2006 TMF Awards. The song was performed live during the award show. The single became available for download to support the foundation Dance 4 Life. The song peaked at #4 on downloads alone.
Plug It In (2006 - 2007)
In 2007, the band teamed up with Felix Rodriguez and Jesper Anderberg of The Sounds to record a new album. The band deliberately chose a drastically different sound, with disco influences and more electronica. The album was recorded in two weeks. On May 11, 2007 Krezip released "Plug It In". On February 6, 2007 a Dutch radio station (3FM) played a rough version of the first single, "Plug It In & Turn Me On". The song officially debuted in April 2007 at the #39 spot on the Dutch Top 40. To promote the new album, Krezip has done a promotional tour through the Netherlands.
Ten-year anniversary and break-up (2007 - 2009)
On August 17, 2007 Jacqueline announced on Giel Beelen's radio show that Krezip will give a special concert on December 29, 2007 in the HMH to celebrate their tenth anniversary. A documentary was also filmed, showcasing the band's entire career up until that point with narration by the band members. The band also recorded a cover of "Everybody's Gotta Learn Sometime" by The Korgis. The song was featured in the film "Alles is liefde." Later that year, the band re-released Plug It In with the track, a new song and a number of live tracks from the HMH concert.
The band continued to tour, eventually announcing that a Best Of-compilation would be released in November 2008. It was implied that the band thought this a good point to release a retrospective. On October 2, however, the band announced in Giel Beelen's radio show that they had decided to break up. On the band's Hyves account, they elaborated that now, at their peak, was a good time for them to quit and go their own ways.
Lead singer Jaqueline Govaert has hinted she might be pursuing a solo career in the future.
Come back (2019)
On January 29, 2019, Krezip announced two live shows: Pinkpop and a gig in the Ziggo Dome on October 26, 2019. They also released a new song Lost Without You. The night of their first Ziggo Dome show, the released a new album, "Sweet High". They have several shows planned in full formation for 2020.
Don't Crush Me
Krezip Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
She says she cares (has no fealing at all)
She told herself to hold on tight when the green was there
All I know is, all I feel
But I'm afraid to feel it
Don't crush me
Been trying to turn the end around
But I can see it coming
Don't rush me
Don't break me
Make me forget
She hears his voice (but she doesn't really listen)
It's all just noice (feeling the air)
She has to tell him but she's waiting waiting waiting
But all I know, is all I feel
But I'm afraid to feel it
Don't crush me
Don't break me
Been trying to turn the end around
But I can see it coming
Don't rush me
Don't break me
Make me forget
It's all around me
It's all around me
It's all around me
But I won't see it
It's all around me
It's all around me
Make me forget
Don't crush me
Don't break me
Been trying to turn the end around
But I can see it coming
Don't rush me
Don't break me
Make me forget
Don't crush me
Don't break me
Been trying to turn the end around
But I can see it coming
Don't rush me
Don't break me
Make me forget
Make me forget
Make me forget
The lyrics of Krezip's song "Don't Crush Me" tell the story of a relationship that has lost its emotional connection. The first verse opens with the image of the man stroking his partner's hair, but it doesn't make a difference because she has no feelings for him anymore. She is trying to hold on to their relationship, waiting for something to change, but deep down she knows it is over.
The chorus then begs not to be crushed or broken, as the singer has been trying to turn the end around. She is afraid of the feelings that she has and doesn't want to face the reality of their relationship. She pleads with her partner not to rush her into acknowledging the end of their relationship, but instead to help her forget and move on.
The second verse amplifies the emotional distance between the singer and her partner. She hears his voice, but it is just noise to her, and she is only feeling the air. She knows that she needs to tell him that things are over, but she is still waiting for something to change before she does.
The song concludes with the assurance that everything is "all around" her, but she refuses to see it. She is still asking her partner not to crush or break her, but to help her forget the pain and move on.
Overall, "Don't Crush Me" is a poignant and emotionally charged song about the fear of facing the end of a relationship and the struggle to let go of someone you once loved.
Line by Line Meaning
He strokes her hair (but it doesn't really matter)
He may show affection, but it does not make a difference since there is no emotional connection.
She says she cares (has no fealing at all)
She claims to care, but she has no real emotion towards the situation.
She told herself to hold on tight when the green was there
She encouraged herself to grasp opportunities when they arise.
All I know is, all I feel
The artist understands and experiences their emotions deeply.
But I'm afraid to feel it
Despite understanding their emotions, the artist is scared to confront them.
Don't crush me
The singer is pleading for others to not harm or damage them emotionally.
Don't break me
The singer is begging for others to not cause them to fall apart or shatter emotionally.
Been trying to turn the end around
The artist has been attempting to change the course of what they foresee as a negative or undesirable outcome.
But I can see it coming
Despite their efforts, the artist is aware and anticipates an unfavorable conclusion.
Don't rush me
The artist is requesting others to give them the time they need to process their emotions and thoughts.
Make me forget
The singer wishes to escape or erase their current emotions or situation.
It's all just noise (feeling the air)
The artist is unable to understand or interpret the messages or emotions being conveyed by others, as the message seems to be fuzzy or unclear.
She has to tell him but she's waiting waiting waiting
She needs to express something to him, but she is hesitant and delaying the conversation.
It's all around me
The situation or emotions are all-encompassing and inescapable for the singer.
But I won't see it
Despite being engulfed in their emotions, the singer refuses to acknowledge or confront the situation fully.
Make me forget
The artist is hoping that someone or something can help them escape or erase their current emotions or situation.
Lyrics © Red Brick Music Publishing, BMG Rights Management, Downtown Music Publishing
Written by: GARY CLARK, JACQUELINE GOVAERT
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@MushroomNr1
Krezip liet de wereld zien dat artiesten uit Nederland toch goede muziek kunnen maken!:')
@diehurebabylon7520
One of their greatest songs.
@lifeisstr4nge
One of the best bands of all time, period. The best female singer of all time.
@rTzHD
I listen 24/7 to this song.
@galvarez5701
Krezip where'd you go. come back with more music.
@vampwing1
she has such goddam nice voice krezip rocks !!! thanx for this song and vid opload
@Isabel6194
20 december 2008 was ik bij het optreden van Krezip in Paradiso. ik was 14, eindelijk mocht ik naar een concert van mijn favoriete band.. de kaartjes waren al ver voordat ze bekend maakten te gaan stoppen binnen.
27 juni 2009 was ik er bij, in de HMH. fantastisch concert, en wat heb ik staan huilen..
15 december zal ik Jacqueline voor het eerst sinds 7 jaar weer zien. ik ben benieuwd, maar zoals "mijn" geliefde Krezip wordt t nooit meer denk ik..
@asasin1122
Why am I discovering awesome bands just after they split up :/ When I heard Krezip for the first time, i thought: thats not bad, thats not bad at all. and now i am listening to then everyday, and love most of their songs most than any others. too bad i will never see then live :/
@fredk3710
They are back together and released a brand new song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gi7sScwp_yg
@fredk3710
In the meantime lead singer Jacqueline released some great songs on her own as well, like this song: https://youtu.be/spn10JH_Z8c?t=9s