Band members are Sabien Bosselaar, Dafne Holtland and Margriet Planting.
The Dutch Zazí (note the accent on the letter i) must not be confused with zazi from Canada. Please make sure your plays are scrobbled correctly.
Biographical information for the Dutch Zazí:
You call it a fairy tale but we’d call it a necessary fate that these three musicians crossed paths one evening in Paris, singing the French drinking song Tourdion on the steps of the Sacré-Coeur. In true romantic spirit, this chance magic didn’t reunite all three ladies again for a couple years, but we know what happens when musical connections spark: luscious fireworks explode into fresh sounds- the kind that make you realize how crucial the existence of those very combinations are to the infinite world of music.
Soon, gigs for 50 year old birthday parties became performances for Queen Beatrix, weekly open mic nights became live soundtracks to German and Dutch fashion shows, a repertoire of one French cover became a catalogue of German, Dutch, French, English and Spanish- and a blooming musical collective transformed into what we now know as “Zazí.”
Graciously gliding over the crispy yellow leaves, Zazí toys with genres like the sun toys with our autumn cool, playing varieties and fusions of Chanson folk, jazz, acoustic, balkin and what else sounds nice when classification boundaries are broken so. Cellos and maracas, pianos and accordions, mandolins and ukuleles are all arranged in layers and exciting crescendos to create their signature sound- all sweetly tied together with no-question-about-it handsome vocal harmonies. Zazí holds true to a vow for creative flexibility and adaptation; performances range from festival stages to echoing music halls as well as intimate corner cafes throughout Europe, England, America and Canada. A refreshingly humorous and talent-soaked show is what results; do not miss the unconventional performance that Zazí has in store for you
Lente
Zazí Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Laat het sneeuwen dat het wit
En laad opnieuw de kolenkit
Nu de liefde me zo tegenzit
Verschrompel knoppen die ik haat
Dooi trek terug tot een klein wak
En zaaier, zaaier, zaai het zaad
Haal het vee weer uit de wei
En keer dan achterwaarts bewegend
Drogend daar het opwaarts regent
Naar je warme boerderij
Help Noorderwind keer terug van Zuid
Rommel weer aan deur en ruit
En laat de mensen van de kook
Weer overgaan op oliestook
Dan komt mijn liefst' in wintertij
Als tranen stijgen naar mijn ogen
Waar ze één voor één verdrogen
Weer ruglings terug bij mij, bij mij
Laat het vriezen dat het kraakt
Laat het sneeuwen dat het wit
En laad opnieuw de kolenkit
Nu de liefde me zo tegenzit
The song “Lente” by Zazi is a beautiful and melancholic take on the winter season, and its lyrics express a longing for the return of spring and warmth. The first verse begins with the cold and icy weather, which is described through the phrase “dat het kraakt” (crackling) and the wish for snow to cover everything in white. The mention of the “kolenkit” (coal bucket) highlights the importance of warmth in the winter, especially when feeling the chill of loneliness due to a love that is not reciprocated.
The second verse continues with the theme of nature in hibernation, represented by the “verschrompel knoppen” (withered buds) and the “dooi” (melt). However, the lyricist imagines a farmer returning to the fields to plant new seeds, marking the beginning of a new cycle of growth and rejuvenation. The verse also refers to the return of cattle to the barn and the sound of rain on the roof, emphasizing the comforting feeling of being safe and warm inside during a storm.
The final verse brings together the themes of weather, warmth, and love, as the singer wishes for the return of her lover during the winter season. The image of tears drying on the face suggests a period of sadness and suffering that will be alleviated by the lover’s return, and the repeated line “bij mij, bij mij” (with me, with me) highlights the desire for closeness and companionship during this time of year. The song thus offers a bittersweet and poignant perspective on the beauty and challenges of winter, and the hope that spring will once again bring new life and love.
Line by Line Meaning
In the freezing cold
During the coldest of times
Let it snow and whiten the world
May it snow until everything is covered in white
And fill up the coal bucket once again
Refill the coal bucket as it's needed for warmth
Now that love is going against me
As love is not going as planned
Wilted buds that I despise
The buds I dislike are withering away
Thawing back to a small hole
Melting and reducing back to a small opening
And sower, sower, sow the seed
And the planter, plant the seed once again
Back to another full sack
Until another full harvest is grown
Bring the cattle back inside
Retrieve the animals from the pastures and back to shelter
And return backwards
Move in reverse
Drying where it's upwardly raining
Allowing the upward rain to dry from their coats
To your warm farmhouse
And back to the safety and warmth of home
Help the North Wind return from the South
Need assistance bringing the northern winds back
Clatter on our doors and windows once again
Noise and sound comes again to our windows and doors
And let the people turn back to oil heating
People move from using natural sources of warmth to oil again
Then my beloved comes in winter time
When my beloved comes in the coldest of seasons
As tears rise up to my eyes
My eyes begin to fill with tears
Where they dry up one by one
And then eventually they dry up
Back beside me, beside me
And back together again by my side
Let it freeze that it cracks
May the cold cause everything to crack
Let it snow that it's white
May it snow until everything is covered in white
And fill up the coal bucket once again
Refill the coal bucket as it's needed for warmth
Now that love is going against me
As love is not going as planned
Writer(s): Dafne Holtland
Contributed by Callie A. Suggest a correction in the comments below.