Wouter Hamel, whose first two albums, ‘Hamel’ and ‘Nobody’s Tune’ captured hearts in his native Netherlands and spread like wildfire throughout Europe, Japan, and Korea, is back with his new record, ‘Lohengrin’, after a long and winding road full of surprises; not all of them pleasant.
‘This year has been one full of adventure.’
Being confronted with the painful breakup of a 9-year relationship is hard enough. However, when this happens in the same week as the sudden departure of one of your trusted band members, then it just might become too much. For Wouter, however, these challenges were faced head on, and he’s emerged stronger and more determined than ever. Hamel even embraced the opportunity of producing his own album for the very first time, so yet another break up, that with his longtime producer, Benny Sings, was also in the cards.
‘For me it was a huge period of starting over. I had lost my partner. I had lost my pianist. I had to be my own producer. I knew that I had to dig deep and start again, on lots of levels.’
The ideas started flowing during the promotion of the second album ‘Nobody’s Tune’, when Hamel decided to take some time to write in Paris.
‘I wanted to escape the rat race for a while.’ The writing process continued in the summer of 2010. ‘I needed to be in a place by myself. I decided to work in my parent’s place, they have a lovely converted barn and that’s where I did the second part of the writing for the album. In the barn I could work through the night, something I didn’t do in Paris – there’s too much to do there at night...’.
The inspiration behind many of the songs is Wouter’s desire to be honest and to write directly about all of the changes he was going through ‘When Pieter, my pianist, left, it was a big shock, but I respect his decision. I was very happy to find a new pianist, Thierry Castel, an instrumental songwriter, who made some amazing contributions to several of the songs on the new album.' This new collaboration was of course enhanced by the amazing growth and development of all his band members (Rory Ronde, Sven Happel, Jasper van Hulten, and Gijs Anders van Straalen). Taking a tight band and adding a new collaborator has created a new dimension in Hamel’s music – his cleverly crafted lyrics are now housed in sometimes bombastic, occasionally pompous arrangements, which reveal themselves even more with every listen.
Wouter was able to take more risks on this album, thinking outside the box; often nowhere near the box. He had complete and utter freedom to really follow his gut, and make an album without concessions. Experimenting with different sounds and techniques, and having no formal training as a producer, he followed his ears and his heart and is very proud of the results.
And the title? It might sound a bit obscure to some, but to Hamel, it’s quite significant. ‘I had this old demo, there was an E chord, and I just started singing ‘take me there oh Lohengrin’ – at the time, I was thinking of a street in the Hague. I looked up what it meant and Lohengrin is actually the son of Parcival, and a knight of the Holy Grail. And the myth goes that Lohengrin comes to Elsa in Antwerp and the only condition for them to be together is that she is not allowed to ever ask of his origin or what happened to him before. In my song, I was singing ‘don’t blink your eyes, I’ll disappear’; I kind of personified Lohengrin into someone who could sweep you away if anything goes wrong. I love the link there. It’s all about a new beginning- putting the past behind, shedding old skin and starting a new. That’s what Lohengrin means to me.'
Hamel had to dig deep, on his own, to create Lohengrin. And he’s struck gold. His vulnerability has turned into his strength, and he has dropped an album full of surprises, without compromise.
Hamel facts:
2005 Winner Dutch Jazz Vocalist Competition
2007 released 'Hamel' in the Netherlands
2007 an internet hype arises when Hamel invites several YouTube users to record their own version of Don’t Ask. The music video that resulted from these endeavors was chosen as Editor’s Pick by YouTube and given a prominent spot on the international front page of the website.
2007 De Eerste Prijs Award (the Netherlands) (prestigious award for mostly theatre productions)
2007 Originele Rembrandt Award for 'Hamel' (award for unique Dutch music product)
2008 Essent Award 2007 at Noorderslag festival (one of Hollands most important pop talent awards)
2008 Zilveren Harp Award (Dutch prestigious award for most promising musicians)
2008 released 'Hamel' in Japan, plus first Japanese tour
2008 Platinum award 'Hamel' in the Netherlands
2009 released 'Nobody's Tune' in the Netherlands
2009 International record deal with Decca Records London (Universal international)
2010 Platinum award 'Nobody's Tune' in the Netherlands
2010 released 'Nobody's Tune in United Kingdom, Belgium, Germany, France, Spain, Japan, South-Korea, among others.
2010 international tour bringing Hamel through: Belgium, UK, Germany, Japan, South-Korea, Spain and France.
2011 released 'Lohengrin' in the Netherlands.
Demise
Wouter Hamel Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I know where my place is
I've seen it all before.
It was glooming in the shadows
Behind the golden door.
I know where my place is
That I come so close to see it,
My demise, my demise
I keep on pressing on and on
I keep on trying till I'm gone, oh
I keep on pressing on and on
Cause I've come so close to see it
My demise, oh my demise
I know where my place is
But I didn't realize,
That I come so close to see it,
To see my demise, my demise
I keep on pressing on and on
I keep on trying till I'm gone, oh
I keep on pressing on and on
Cause I've come so close to see it
Yes I've come so close to be it
My demise, oh my demise
I keep pressing on
Keep on trying till, till I'm gone, oh
6x
Wouter Hamel’s song “Demise” is about acknowledging one’s place in life, but realizing that it may lead to one’s ultimate downfall. Hamel introduces the song with an upbeat melody accompanied by the phrase “Oh Yeah, Oh Oh”, which sets a positive and optimistic tone. He then immediately switches to a more serious tone with the opening line “I know where my place is,” suggesting that he is aware of his role in his own life.
The following line, “I've seen it all before,” gives the impression that Hamel has been through this before and feels confident in his understanding of his position. However, the line “It was glooming in the shadows Behind the golden door” contradicts this confidence by implying that his position is one of darkness and secrecy, a place that is perhaps not entirely desirable.
Hamel goes on to state that although he knows where his place is, he didn’t realize how close he was to seeing his own demise. This line suggests that while he is aware of his role in life, he may not have recognized the potential consequences of his actions. Despite this realization, he continues to press on and try until he’s gone, indicating that he’s prepared to face his fate regardless of the outcome.
Overall, “Demise” is a song about recognizing one’s place in life but also understanding the potential consequences of one’s actions. It’s about accepting one’s position, whether it be positive or negative, and taking responsibility for one’s own destiny.
Line by Line Meaning
I know where my place is
I have a clear understanding of my role and purpose in this world.
I've seen it all before.
I have experienced everything that my place in this world entails.
It was glooming in the shadows
My place in this world is not glamorous and often exists in the background.
Behind the golden door.
My place in this world is often present behind the scenes or in the shadows of more glamorous people or things.
But I didn't realize, that I come so close to see it, my demise, my demise
I was not aware of how close I was to a major downfall or failure.
I keep on pressing on and on, I keep on trying till I'm gone, oh
Despite the risks, I continue to work hard and strive for success until I can no longer continue.
Cause I've come so close to see it, my demise, oh my demise
I am acutely aware of my proximity to failure, and it has become a motivator for me to continue working hard.
Yes I've come so close to be it, my demise, oh my demise
I have been dangerously close to experiencing failure and loss, but am still working towards success.
I keep pressing on, keep on trying till, till I'm gone, oh
I refuse to give up or stop pursuing my goals, even if it leads to my own physical or emotional exhaustion.
Contributed by Aiden Y. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@wouterhamel
It's Jasper - our main man on drums. This tour was our first tour with Mark van Kersbergen, actually it was his first time ever in Asia!
@anonyyyyyyyyyyyymous
Hi I'm south korean. few weeks ago, I saw you in jazz festival. your dance so cute lol song without saying amazing!! I love you and song
@will77ism
ik ben 76 jaar,heb vele talenten mee gemaakt Wouter´s talent hoord bij de top kijk uit naar zijn volgende concert.
@401sum
I feel summer breeze in this video~~ makes me relexing and humming :D
@MikeysGayToday
I can't stop listening!!!!!!! I LOVE YOU WOUTER HAMEL!!!!
@thapelomotlogeloa
Love this song! One of my favourites right now.
@MikeysGayToday
THE GREATEST SONG EVER!!!!
@maudiacamalin1342
Beautiful! I love you guys so much! Girls In The City was soooo great by the way!
@fashioncatdftba
This is such a great song!
@rikku236
like a wonderful road movie! I like!