Lyrics
Ze lag te
slapen, 'k vroeg haar gisteravond,
(She was
sleeping, when I asked her yesterday evening)
Wacht op mij
Wacht op mij
(To wait for
me)
Misschien ben ik vanavond, vroeger vrij
Misschien ben ik vanavond, vroeger vrij
(Tonight I
might be home early)
Ze knikte wel van ja, maar zij kent mij
Ze knikte wel van ja, maar zij kent mij
(She did
nod, but she knows)
Nu sta ik voor je, ik ben weer blijven hangen in de kroeg
Nu sta ik voor je, ik ben weer blijven hangen in de kroeg
(Now I stand
here before you, I've stayed up in the bar again)
Zo'n nacht ze weet t, heb ik nooit genoeg,
Zo'n nacht ze weet t, heb ik nooit genoeg,
(She knows
I'll never get enough of a night like this)
Hoe was het,
Hoe was het,
(How was it)
Dat was alles wat ze vroeg (wat ze vroeg)
Dat was alles wat ze vroeg (wat ze vroeg)
(That was all she asked)
Want zij
gelooft in mij, zij ziet toekomst in ons allebei
(Because she
believes in me, she sees a future in the both of us),
Zij vraagt nooit maak je voor mij eens vrij,
Zij vraagt nooit maak je voor mij eens vrij,
(She never
asks free yourself for me)
Want ze weet, dit gaat voorbij,
Want ze weet, dit gaat voorbij,
(Because she
knows, this will end)
Ik schrijf mijn eigen lied tot dat iemand mij ontdekt en ziet,
Ik schrijf mijn eigen lied tot dat iemand mij ontdekt en ziet,
(I write my
own song until someone finds me and sees)
Dat een ieder van mijn songs geniet, ze vertrouwd op mij
Dat een ieder van mijn songs geniet, ze vertrouwd op mij
(That everyone enjoys my songs, she trusts in me)
Ze gelooft in mij
Ze gelooft in mij
(She
believes in me)
Ik zou
wachten,
(I'd wait)
Tot dat de
tijd dat ieder mij herkent
(For the
times when everyone recognizes me),
En dat je trots kan zijn op je eigen vent,
En dat je trots kan zijn op je eigen vent,
(And that
you can be proud of your own guy)
Op straat zullen ze zeggen die Hazes is bekend
Op straat zullen ze zeggen die Hazes is bekend
(On the
streets they'll say that Hazes guy is famous),
Zolang we dromen, van geluk
Zolang we dromen, van geluk
(As long as
we dreem about happiness)
Dat ergens op ons wacht,
Dat ergens op ons wacht,
(Waitiing
for us somewhere)
Dan vergeet je snel weer deze nacht
Dan vergeet je snel weer deze nacht
(You'll
forget this night soon then)
Zij vertrouwd op mij, dat is mijn kracht, oh mijn kracht
Zij vertrouwd op mij, dat is mijn kracht, oh mijn kracht
(She trusts
in me, that is my strength, og my strength)
Want zij gelooft in mij, zij ziet toekomst in ons allebei
Want zij gelooft in mij, zij ziet toekomst in ons allebei
(Because she
believes in me, she sees a future in the both of us),
Zij vraagt nooit maak je voor mij eens vrij,
Zij vraagt nooit maak je voor mij eens vrij,
(She never
asks free yourself for me)
Want ze weet, dit gaat voorbij,
Want ze weet, dit gaat voorbij,
(Because she
knows, this will end)
Ik schrijf mijn eigen lied tot dat iemand mij ontdekt en ziet,
Ik schrijf mijn eigen lied tot dat iemand mij ontdekt en ziet,
(I write my
own song until someone finds me and sees)
Dat een ieder van mijn songs geniet, ze vertrouwd op mij
Dat een ieder van mijn songs geniet, ze vertrouwd op mij
(That everyone enjoys my songs, she trusts in me)
Ze gelooft in mij
Ze gelooft in mij
(She
believes in me)
Just last year here in The Netherlands an Andre Hazes biopic was released. I would have probably never watched it if it wasn't for this post. Surprisingly it was quite good, and made me respect Hazes a bit more.
The Movie: Blood, Sweat and Tears (Bloed, Zweet en Tranen) (Diederick Koopal, 2015)
Amsterdam is my favorite city in the Netherlands, especially because it's the most international city in the Netherlands. Its citizens too often complain that the city is being overrun by tourists and that its losing its authenticity. Yet the tourists and foreigners are what makes Amsterdam special. Sure there are old-fashioned streets, hidden bars, and historical buildings, but you can find these in other Dutch cities as well. On the other hand, there is no other Dutch city where you'll find such an international atmosphere where all kinds of diverse backgrounds blend together. That's not necessarily inauthentic by the way. Amsterdam may not be anymore an authentic Dutch city, but it is most certainly an authentic modern global metropolis, characterized by its multiculturalism. I hope, and think, that in the future more and more cities in the Netherlands, and the rest of the world will look like it. I think that's an unambiguously fantastic development and I think that the idea that there is a national identity/culture that should be defended should be squashed as soon as possible. So yeah, I guess I won't become Wilders' friend anytime soon.
I have always seen Amsterdam hero Andre Hazes as the antithesis of these ideas, and as a symbol of small-minded Dutch nationalism. I think his success is in no small part attributable to the same forces that led to the Brexit-referendum, and the rise of Trump and other nationalistic movements. His songs partly work because they evoke past times when life wasn't so complicated (life is hard in many Hazes' songs, but the problems are very directly stated and immediately recognizable), and the singer was an approachable guy from the bar next door you could make politically incorrect jokes and drink beer with. It's not a coincidence that one of the first scenes in Bloed, Zweet en Tranen, is of a 1950's kid stealing a pack of cigars at the market, and getting away with it, but not before getting a stern lecture from a gruff salesman. Moreover Hazes' music is distinctly Dutch. He is basically the king of the Levenslied-subgenre, levenslied meaning song of life. The Levensilied was invented in 1908 by two Dutch folk artists who were looking for a Dutch alternative to the French chanson. The genre lost popularity in the 1980's but was kept alive by Hazes. Thus there is I think a nationalistic aspect to Hazes' popularity. It's not a coincidence that in 2005 Hazes' widow Rachel was chosen as Dutch person of the year in a newspaper poll, after right wing blog GeenStijl urged its voters to vote for either Rachel Hazes, Geert Wilders or model Silvie Meis.
Now, I am aware that I am making a rather classist argument full of stereotypes, that's also deeply unfair to Hazes and his fans. As far as I know he did not have any ultra-nationalistic ideas, and his songs are beloved by many immigrants (which is interesting in itself. When immigrants, especially of Moroccan descent, are prized for how well they have integrated into Dutch society, you often read that they are fans of Hazes) and lefty liberals. Also in the previous post I was writing about how there should be working class artists whose art discusses working class themes. Hazes definitely was such an artist, and his songs were/are genuinely meaningful to a lot of people.
What makes Bloed, Zweet en Tranen so good is that it is completely aware of all these issues surrounding Hazes, and that it interrogates them. It understands full well that Hazes (Martijn Fischer) is a genuine underdog and that he was often viewed through an elitist lens, and that this is something folk music in general suffers from. There is a wonderful scene where Hazes is at the doctor, and the doctor makes it a point to show that he doesn't know anything about Hazes' life. He even makes it seem as if he has no idea who his patient is. But the class issue is most obvious in the rather beautifully realized friendship between Hazes and his producer Tim Griek (Fedja van Huet). It's a rather moving subplot of two opposite people who try to understand and adjust to each other, not simply because they have to work together, but because they genuinely care for each other. The film shows the stereotypes both men harbor about each other, where these stereotypes come from, and how Hazes and Griek work through them. It never takes sides in doing so, and never condescends in doing so. It's both honest about Griek's pretentiousness and Hazes' boorishness, and never excuses either. The contrast between them is immediately clear; When the bespectacled, orderly groomed Griek enters Hazes' bar it's immediately clear this is a foreign world to him. He is there to sign Hazes for his label, but he'd rather be rejected by Hazes. That feeling is mutual; Hazes calls him the professor. Director Koopal also contrasts their working spaces. Hazes' is the bar where there is constant chaos and people. Griek's is a slick, modern, 'elitist' office.
The film also makes good use of a fractured narrative connecting three different time periods show us Hazes. We see him as a child of poor family and abusive father in the 1950's, as an artist at the start of his career in the 1980's, and as a cultural icon at the end of his career (and life) in 2004. The film does not tell these stories chronologically, but constantly moves around to make connections between different events in Hazes' life. In doing so it shows what a tragic figure he was. It's clear that the trauma's of his childhood affected him up until the end of his life, making it hard for him to be as good a husband and father as he'd like to be. More interestingly, it becomes clear how misunderstood he sometimes was by his own fans, and how much trouble he had finding a self-identity.
Hazes' dream was to be a soul singer. As a child he was snuggled into 'Het Concertgebouw', probably the most prestigious concert hall in The Netherlands, to hear Muddy Waters perform (and yeah the film makes it a point to show the diversity of the audience during the Waters' concert, while Hazes' performances are almost exclusively attended by white Dutch people. This stands out even more as Waters' concert was in the 1950's when the Netherlands was much less diverse than in the 1980's and 2000's when we see Hazes' concerts). The film presents this as one of the pivotal events of Hazes' life. Waters is his inspiration and he can't stop talking abut having seen him live. Thus it's not surprising that the highlight of his career comes when he gets to perform in Het Concertgebouw himself. When he sees his father in the audience, who had denounced a long time ago, he performs a song that's very much about his hatred towards his father. It becomes a battle of wills, and the best scene of the film by far. Hazes sings aggressively, anguish, willing his father to leave; his father strains himself, he does not want to lose and keeps sitting, only to eventually give in. At the same time we are constantly aware of the audience who seems completely unaware of the emotionalize of the song. They sing along happily, waving their hands around in the sky in unison, behaving as if it is a celebration of happy, joyous times. These kinds of things happen to Hazes throughout the film; the audience completely missing Hazes' despair visible in his behavior or his lyrics and just having an utterly good time regardless.The film constantly shows that there is a bit of a discord between the content of Hazes' songs and their reception.
And at the end of his life there is also a discord between Hazes' own life and his songs. His songs of life discuss the hardships of life in the city, and are very specific and personal. Yet as the film shows, by 2004 Hazes was a generic rich icon. He lived in an enormous, but utterly unremarkable house in Woerden. Woerden itself is also visually represented here as a rather anonymous city without any special characteristics. It could be anywhere in the Netherlands.
