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.
Gouden Bergen
Paul de Leeuw Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Niemand kon begrijpen hoe ik het kon verdragen
Maar ik dacht ik ben niet al zovelen
Er komt een dag dat ik je niet meer hoef te delen
Je zei ik hoor bij jou en ik dacht dat je het meende
Ze konden niet begrijpen dat ik je nog steeds leende
Maar ik dacht de dag komt dichterbij
Je laat haar gaan en je bent helemaal van mij
Jij beloofde gouden bergen
En je zou me alles geven
Ik wilde jou zo graag geloven
Maar je bleef altijd maar even
Je beloofde gouden bergen
En je zou me alles geven
Ik wilde jou zo graag geloven
Maar het bleef slechts bij beloven
Ik stond in de schaduw van je leven
Ik kon de hele wereld aan vanaf de dag dat ik je zag
Ze konden niet begrijpen waar het precies aan lag
Maar ik dacht ik ben de zin van jouw bestaan
Eens komt de dag dat je bij haar weg zult gaan
Achteraf zie ik nu ook wat anderen al zagen
Niemand kon begrijpen hoe ik het kon verdragen
Maar ik dacht ik ben niet als zovelen
Er komt een dag dat ik je niet meer hoef te delen
Jij beloofde gouden bergen
En je zou me alles geven
Ik wilde jou zo graag geloven
Maar je bleef altijd maar even
Je beloofde gouden bergen
En je zou me alles geven
Ik wilde jou zo graag geloven
Maar het bleef slechts bij beloven
Ik was de schaduw van je leven
Pas na jaren werd het mij te velen
Het rekening houden met
Je zei zo vaak ik hou van jou
Maar veel vaker heb je mij aan de kant gezet
Je zou altijd van me blijven houden
Maar je huwelijk mocht niet stuk
En ik zat in de wachtkamer van het geluk
Jij beloofde gouden bergen
En je zou me alles geven
Ik wilde jou zo graag geloven
Maar je bleef altijd maar even
Je beloof
In the lyrics of Paul de Leeuw's song "Gouden Bergen," the singer reflects on a tumultuous and unfulfilling relationship filled with broken promises and unrequited love. The singer expresses a sense of hindsight, recognizing now what others had seen all along - a situation where they were being used or taken advantage of by their partner. Despite the doubts and confusion from others, the singer believed in the sincerity of their partner's words and actions, hoping for a future where they wouldn't have to share their loved one with another. The repeated phrase "Je zei ik hoor bij jou en ik dacht dat je het meende" highlights the disappointments and broken trust experienced in the relationship.
The promise of "gouden bergen" (golden mountains) symbolizes the grand gestures and declarations of love and commitment made by the partner, who claimed to offer everything to the singer. However, these promises remained unfulfilled, leaving the singer feeling deceived and disappointed as their partner never stayed for long. Despite the desire to believe in the love being offered, the reality was that it never materialized beyond words, leading to a sense of being stuck in the shadows of the partner's life, always waiting for their attention and affection.
The singer's unwavering belief in the significance of their connection with the partner is evident as they express a deep emotional investment in the relationship, convinced that they were the purpose of their partner's existence. This conviction fueled a hope that one day the partner would leave their current relationship to be with the singer exclusively. However, as time passed, the reality became clearer, highlighting the sacrifices and compromises the singer had made while waiting for a love that seemed unattainable.
As the lyrics progress, the singer reflects on the toll the relationship has taken on them over the years, realizing that they had been neglected and used for emotional support while their partner remained committed to another person. The pain of being placed in the "wachtkamer van het geluk" (waiting room of happiness) becomes palpable as the singer acknowledges the false promises and enduring heartache caused by the unbalanced and unfulfilling relationship. The repetition of the promise of "gouden bergen" serves as a poignant reminder of the broken dreams and unmet expectations that shaped the singer's experience, ultimately leading to a profound sense of disillusionment and disappointment.
Line by Line Meaning
Achteraf zie ik nu ook wat anderen al zagen
In hindsight, I now see what others already saw
Niemand kon begrijpen hoe ik het kon verdragen
No one could understand how I could endure it
Maar ik dacht ik ben niet al zovelen
But I thought I am not like so many others
Er komt een dag dat ik je niet meer hoef te delen
There will come a day when I no longer have to share you
Je zei ik hoor bij jou en ik dacht dat je het meende
You said I belong to you and I thought you meant it
Ze konden niet begrijpen dat ik je nog steeds leende
They could not understand that I still lent you
Maar ik dacht de dag komt dichterbij
But I thought the day is getting closer
Je laat haar gaan en je bent helemaal van mij
You let her go and you are completely mine
Jij beloofde gouden bergen
You promised golden mountains
En je zou me alles geven
And you would give me everything
Ik wilde jou zo graag geloven
I wanted so much to believe you
Maar je bleef altijd maar even
But you always stayed only briefly
Ik stond in de schaduw van je leven
I stood in the shadow of your life
Pas na jaren werd het mij te velen
Only after years it became too much for me
Het rekening houden met
Taking into account
Je zei zo vaak ik hou van jou
You said so often I love you
Maar veel vaker heb je mij aan de kant gezet
But much more often you have sidelined me
Je zou altijd van me blijven houden
You would always keep loving me
Maar je huwelijk mocht niet stuk
But your marriage could not break
En ik zat in de wachtkamer van het geluk
And I sat in the waiting room of happiness
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind