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.
Gelukkigst
Paul de Leeuw Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Want ik vlinder de boel aan mekaar
Maar ik weet dat mijn fouten me hebben
Gebracht waar ik ben
Het was een doolhof tot 't moment dat ik
Je voor 't eerst zag staan
Ik heb je blindelings herkend
Dat 'k nu echt
Nu echt, heel echt
't gelukkigst ben
Als ik veertig jaar eerder, dan jij was geboren.
In een huis in de buurt waar jij woont.
Misschien kwam je dan soms op je
Skeelers voorbij, en wat dan?
Als ik in een mensenzee ben is 't jouw blik
Die ik dadelijk herken
En weet ik
Dat 'k nu echt
Nu echt, heel echt
't gelukkigst ben
Je bent het mooist, wat er ooit nog, voor
Me weggelegd zal zijn
Ik weet van een man die stokoud is geworden
Toen hij stil overleed in zijn slaap
En zijn vrouw ging hem na een dag of drie,
Vier achterna.
Als het kan, als het mag wil ik dat ook
Zo graag met jou
Samen oud,
Want ik weet
Dat 'k nu echt
Nu echt, heel echt
't gelukkigst ben
The lyrics of the song Gelukkigst by Paul de Leeuw describe the singer's realization of how his mistakes and flaws have led him to where he is in life, and how meeting the person he loves has made him the happiest he has ever been. He acknowledges that he may often make mistakes but seeing this person gives him a sense of recognition and comfort that he's never felt before. The singer also reflects on how his life could have been different if he was born at a different time or in a different location and if he had never met this person, he would have missed out on this true happiness.
The lyrics also touch on the idea of growing old with someone you love, and how it's a desire that is shared by many. The singer mentions a story about an elderly man who passed away peacefully in his sleep and was followed by his wife just a few days later. The singer then expresses his wish to die with his loved one by his side too.
Overall, the song is a heartfelt expression of love and gratitude towards the person who has become the source of the singer's happiness. It's a reminder that sometimes our mistakes can lead us to something much greater and how important it is to cherish the people who bring us joy and happiness.
Line by Line Meaning
Ik besef dat 'k er vaak heel erg naast zit,
I acknowledge that I am often wrong,
Want ik vlinder de boel aan mekaar
As I flit around trying to keep things together,
Maar ik weet dat mijn fouten me hebben
But I know that my mistakes have helped me
Gebracht waar ik ben
Get to where I am today
Het was een doolhof tot 't moment dat ik
It was a maze until the moment that I
Je voor 't eerst zag staan
Saw you standing there for the first time
Ik heb je blindelings herkend
I recognized you blindly
En weet dus
And so I know
Dat 'k nu echt
That I am now truly
Nu echt, heel echt
Truly, completely
't gelukkigst ben
The happiest I have ever been
Als ik veertig jaar eerder, dan jij was geboren.
If I were born forty years before you
In een huis in de buurt waar jij woont.
In a house in the neighborhood where you live
Misschien kwam je dan soms op je
Maybe you would have occasionally come by on your
Skeelers voorbij, en wat dan?
Rollerblades, and so what?
Als ik in een mensenzee ben is 't jouw blik
When I'm in a sea of people, it's your gaze
Die ik dadelijk herken
That I immediately recognize
En weet ik
And I know
Dat 'k nu echt
That I am now truly
Nu echt, heel echt
Truly, completely
't gelukkigst ben
The happiest I have ever been
Je bent het mooist, wat er ooit nog, voor
You are the most beautiful thing that will ever
Me weggelegd zal zijn
Be reserved for me
Ik weet van een man die stokoud is geworden
I know of a man who grew very old
Toen hij stil overleed in zijn slaap
When he died peacefully in his sleep
En zijn vrouw ging hem na een dag of drie,
And his wife followed him after three or four days
Vier achterna.
The same way.
Als het kan, als het mag wil ik dat ook
If possible, if permitted, I too want
Zo graag met jou
So much with you
Samen oud,
Grow old together,
Want ik weet
Because I know
Dat 'k nu echt
That I am now truly
Nu echt, heel echt
Truly, completely
't gelukkigst ben
The happiest I have ever been
Contributed by Charlie E. Suggest a correction in the comments below.