De Leeuw gained national fame in the late eighties and early nineties with television shows for the public broadcasting company VARA. Though satire was only a part of these shows and much of its humour was essentially harmless he came into publicity with satire about Dutch show business personalities who were often ridiculed.
Besides, many obscure musical acts were featured in his shows, many of which managed to gain national fame after they had been in De Leeuw's programme (e.g. Twarres and AIDS suffering singer Rene Klijn). VARA has since continued his shows apart from a few interruptions, often with considerable success.
In the early nineties, Paul de Leeuw also had some shows celebrating the new year. In the 1993-1994 show he ridiculed the new commercial television channel RTL 5 by announcing another new channel, "RTL 6" (RTL six, beter dan niks (at least better than nothing)). This led to a trial by the RTL company, who demanded that De Leeuw withdraw his joke.
He and his partner, Stephan Nuger, have adopted two children: son Kas (adopted in October 2001) and son Tobey (adopted in December 2002).
Paul de Leeuw has had many hit singles in The Netherlands. He is most famous for: Vlieg met me mee (#2), Ik wil niet dat je liegt / Waarheen, waarvoor (#1), and 'k Heb je lief (#3). Since the beginning of his television and singing career he released albums and singles, always becoming a big success.
In 2006, he recorded the song "Mijn Houten Hart" (My Wooden Heart) with Raffaela, which was later released as a single and peaked at #18 in the Dutch Singles Top 100, becoming one of his smallest hits.
Eurovision Song Contest 2006 incident
De Leeuw is, despite being famous for a long time in the Netherlands, best-known internationally for presenting the results of the Dutch televote in the Eurovision Song Contest 2006. De Leeuw was supposed to present the televote by simply thanking the presenters, performers and fans, before giving the result but instead the openly gay De Leeuw gave his mobile number to the male presenter Sakis Rouvas live on-air, and made other comments which somewhat lengthened the Dutch results.
De Leeuw also made a reference to gay culture when he remarked that Rouvas and his female co-presenter Maria Menounos reminded him of Will & Grace. As the results were live and required for the contest to continue, De Leeuw could not be cut off until he finished giving the voting results.
De Leeuw's actions resulted in negative comments from the commentators, with the BBC's Terry Wogan calling the act "pathetic" and asking "Who selected this eejit?" during the United Kingdom coverage of the contest. Other commentators, like the Portuguese Eladio Climaco, didn't translate properly the gay remarks and said he was saying that they really look like Greeks. Parts of the dialogue were also shown on the German comedy show TV total.
The dialogue between De Leeuw and Rouvas
Rouvas: Hello Netherlands! Paul...
De Leeuw: Hello Greece, kalisperma everybody! [note that sperma means sperm in many languages, at least both in Dutch and Greek]
Rouvas: Kalispera Paul. [kalispera means 'Good evening', which was supposed to be said]
De Leeuw: You look like Will... [stops, likely due to the cheering of the crowd behind him] You look like Will & Grace, you two. So here are the votes, the Dutch votes. Let's come. [In an extremely high tempo] One, Ukreene (sic), two, Russia, Germany, three, Ireland, four, Greece, five, Lithuania, six, Finland, seven points! [resumes normal tempo]] Now the eight points. Are you ready Chaci, tzatziki, cichaci?
Rouvas: Yes, haha.
De Leeuw: Are you ready? Eight points... I like your blouse... The eight points are for Bosnia-Hoshegovina (sic). Yeah.
Rouvas: Bosnie-Herzegovine, huit points.
De Leeuw: Yes, I say. And the ten points, Zhacki, Zhicka, Chucka, are from (sic) Armenia!
Rouvas: Armenie, dix points.
De Leeuw: Ok, and Chacki, do you have my mobile number now or after twelve points?
Rouvas: Give it to me now. I bet it's 69 69 69. [In Greece, mobile numbers always begin with 69, but the rest of the 69's are a sexual innuendo, since Rouvas did not seem to like Paul's lines.]
De Leeuw: Ok, 00... [interrupted by Rouvas' remark] no no no no no... I'm not the French guy! [Probably refers that Rouvas was once interviewed for a French magazine, in which the interviewer assumed that Rouvas was gay and directed his questions accordingly.] Its 00 31 6 24 74 44 32 10 dial 1. Twelve points goes to, I'm very proud to say, Turkey! Twelve points.
Rouvas: Turquie, douze points.
Blote Jongens In Het Park
Paul de Leeuw Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Of ze liggen in het gras
Hangend aan de waterkant
Ze staan soms met zijn vieren
Of soms liggen ze alleen
Altijd als ik er een zie lopen
Dan denk ik, waar gaat die heen
Dan staan ze weer te lachen
Soms hebben ze zichzelf
Ook in de zonnebrand gezet
Blote jongens in het park, weet niet waar ik kijken moet
Blote jongens in het park, weet niet waar ik kijken moet
Blote jongens in het park, weet niet waar ik kijken moet
Grote blote jongens in het park
Er zijn weer blote jongens in het park
Korte broeken en wat niet meer
Er zijn weer blote jongens in het park
Met een frisbee in de weer
Er zijn weer blote jongens in het park
Stoer en geil, kwijl zo blij
Kijk nou naar die blote jongens in het park
Alleen die blote jongens kijken niet naar mij
Soms liggen ze te dromen
Met zo'n grasje in hun mond
Ik kan dan uren kijken
Naar zo'n welgevormde kont
En net alsik wil rennen uit het park
Naar de snackbar om de hoek
Gil ik zomaar naar zo'n blote jongen
Je bent de jongen zie ik zoek
Er zijn weer blote jongens in het park
En waarom ben ik zo dik
Waarom ben ik geen blote jongen in het park
Wat is er mis met ik
Waarom ben ik een dikke jongen in het park
Met een hoge dosis vet
Waarom ben ik zo wie zo hier in het park
En sta ik niet boven op een flat
Als de regen dan weer nadert
En de winter en de herfst
Dan denk ik fijn, fijn, fijn, fijn
Truien aan en stampot op
Want na regen komt voor dikke jongens in het park
Ook weer zonneschijn
The lyrics of Paul De Leeuw's "Blote jongens in het park" describe the singer's observations of naked boys in the park. He notes that they walk around nonchalantly or lounge in the grass or by the water's edge, sometimes in groups of four or by themselves. He watches them laugh, play trumpet, and even rub sunscreen on themselves. The sight of them overwhelms him, and he doesn't know where to look. He notes that the boys seem so carefree and happy, and wonders why he, as a chubby boy, can't be like them. The closeness of the boys, their nudity, and their happiness make him envious and wistful.
This song seems to be about longing and unrequited desire. The singer is captivated by the naked boys in the park, but he can't join them - for one thing because he is older and fatter than they are, and for another thing, because they are not interested in him. He contrasts their carefree, sunny lives with his own, which is colder and lonelier. He imagines himself speaking to one of the boys and telling him that he is the one he has been searching for, but this is clearly a fantasy. The song expresses a theme of wanting to be young and free again, even if only for a moment.
Line by Line Meaning
Ze lopen nonchalant
They walk without a care in the world
Of ze liggen in het gras
Or they lie down in the grass
Hangend aan de waterkant
Hanging out by the waterfront
Ze staan soms met zijn vieren
Sometimes they stand around in a group of four
Of soms liggen ze alleen
Or sometimes they lie down by themselves
Altijd als ik er een zie lopen
Whenever I see one of them walking
Dan denk ik, waar gaat die heen
I wonder, where is he going?
Dan staan ze weer te lachen
Then they start laughing again
Of ze spelen de trompet
Or they play the trumpet
Soms hebben ze zichzelf
Sometimes they put on
Ook in de zonnebrand gezet
Some sunscreen
Blote jongens in het park, weet niet waar ik kijken moet
Naked boys in the park, I don't know where to look
Grote blote jongens in het park
Big naked boys in the park
Er zijn weer blote jongens in het park
There are naked boys in the park again
Korte broeken en wat niet meer
Shorts and other clothing
Met een frisbee in de weer
Playing with a frisbee
Stoer en geil, kwijl zo blij
Bold and horny, drooling with joy
Kijk nou naar die blote jongens in het park
Look at those naked boys in the park
Alleen die blote jongens kijken niet naar mij
But those naked boys don't look at me
Soms liggen ze te dromen
Sometimes they lie there daydreaming
Met zo'n grasje in hun mond
With a blade of grass in their mouth
Ik kan dan uren kijken
I can watch them for hours
Naar zo'n welgevormde kont
At such well-shaped butts
En net alsik wil rennen uit het park
And just when I want to run out of the park
Naar de snackbar om de hoek
To the snack bar on the corner
Gil ik zomaar naar zo'n blote jongen
I suddenly shout to one of those naked boys
Je bent de jongen zie ik zoek
You're the boy I've been looking for
En waarom ben ik zo dik
And why am I so fat
Waarom ben ik geen blote jongen in het park
Why am I not a naked boy in the park
Wat is er mis met ik
What is wrong with me
Waarom ben ik een dikke jongen in het park
Why am I a fat boy in the park
Met een hoge dosis vet
With a high dosage of fat
Waarom ben ik zo wie zo hier in het park
Why am I even here in the park
En sta ik niet boven op een flat
Why am I not up on a rooftop
Als de regen dan weer nadert
When the rain approaches again
En de winter en de herfst
And the winter and the fall
Dan denk ik fijn, fijn, fijn, fijn
Then I think, fine, fine, fine, fine
Truien aan en stampot op
Put on sweaters and eat some mashed potatoes
Want na regen komt voor dikke jongens in het park
Because after the rain, sunshine also comes for fat boys in the park
Ook weer zonneschijn
Also sunshine
Writer(s): HENK CHRISTIAAN HENDRIK TEMMING, PAUL H LEEUW DE
Contributed by Makayla C. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@akaptein2624
Ik vind dat deze liedje nog steeds in deze tijd moet gedraaid worden
@rudolfmusic4403
Mooi lied Paul de leeuw