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.
Tegen Alle Verwachtingen In
Paul de Leeuw Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Had ik je nodig toen
Tegen alle verwachtingen in
Kwam jij bij mij
Jij was een vriend voor een dag
Voor maar een uur op die avond
Maar dat vuur blijft mij altijd bij
Tegen alle verwachtingen in
Tegen alle verwachtingen in
Werd ik verliefd
Iets diep in mij voelt zich klein
Iets diep in mij geeft zich over
Bij jou, bij jou alleen
Kun jij mijn liefde zijn
Maar jij ziet het in mijn ogen niet
Jij speelt een spel
Nooit zie jij wat jij los laat in mij
Blijf je, hoe lang
Het maakt mij bang
Ik wil te veel, te snel
Tegen alle verwachtingen in
Hou ik mij vast aan jou
Al verbaas ik mijzelf nog het meest
Ik blijf altijd
Ik kon het altijd alleen
Voor onze eerste ontmoeting
Maar bij die eerste begroeting
Keek ik je aan en viel
Jij, tegen alle verwachtingen in
Raak jij mij ziel
The lyrics of Paul de Leeuw's "Tegen alle verwachtingen in" describe a surprising love that emerges between two people who didn't expect it. The singer acknowledges that they needed the other person, even though they didn't anticipate it. The person in question is someone who was only a friend for a brief time on a single evening, but the intensity and passion of their shared experience stayed with the singer. Despite feeling scared and unsure about the other person's feelings, the singer reveals their love and vulnerability to them. However, the other person does not reciprocate with the same clarity, which makes the singer afraid of being hurt. Regardless, the singer cannot help but remain committed to this unexpected love.
Line by Line Meaning
Tegen alle verwachtingen in
Against all expectations
Had ik je nodig toen
I needed you then
Kwam jij bij mij
You came to me
Jij was een vriend voor een dag
You were a friend for a day
Voor maar een uur op die avond
For only an hour that evening
Maar dat vuur blijft mij altijd bij
But that fire always stays with me
Tegen alle verwachtingen in
Against all expectations
Liet ik het masker los
I dropped the mask
Werd ik verliefd
I fell in love
Iets diep in mij voelt zich klein
Something deep inside me feels small
Iets diep in mij geeft zich over
Something deep inside me surrenders
Bij jou, bij jou alleen
With you, with you alone
Kun jij mijn liefde zijn
You can be my love
Maar jij ziet het in mijn ogen niet
But you don't see it in my eyes
Jij speelt een spel
You're playing a game
Nooit zie jij wat jij los laat in mij
You never see what you release in me
Blijf je, hoe lang
Will you stay, how long
Het maakt mij bang
It scares me
Ik wil te veel, te snel
I want too much, too fast
Tegen alle verwachtingen in
Against all expectations
Hou ik mij vast aan jou
I hold on to you
Al verbaas ik mijzelf nog het meest
Even though I am most surprised myself
Ik blijf altijd
I always stay
Ik kon het altijd alleen
I could always do it alone
Voor onze eerste ontmoeting
Before our first meeting
Maar bij die eerste begroeting
But at that first greeting
Keek ik je aan en viel
I looked at you and fell
Jij, tegen alle verwachtingen in
You, against all expectations
Raak jij mij ziel
Touch my soul
Contributed by Tyler K. Suggest a correction in the comments below.