Music Around the World: Belgium

Today, we're traveling to the northwest European kingdom of Belgium on our Musical World Tour. Internationally famed for its beer, chocolate, waffles, and being the official home of both the EU and NATO, this beautiful country also has a lot to offer in terms of music. Here's our brief info dump to start things off:

-Capital City: Brussels

-Official Languages: Dutch, French, & German

-Government: Federal parliamentary constitutional monarchy, currently under the leadership of King Philippe and Prime Minister Alexander De Croo

-The country seceded and from the Netherlands in October 1830 and was recognized as an independent nation in April 1939

-Land Area: 11,787 square miles (136th largest in the world, and 0.71% of its area is water)

-Population: 11,584,008 as of 2022 (82nd most populous in the world)

-Religion: 54% Roman Catholic, 31% no religious affiliation, 7% Islamic, 6% other Christian denomination, 2% other religious affiliation

-Drive on the left side of the road

Belgium has a rich, varied musical culture, spanning genres such as African, blues, chanson, classical, electronic, folk, hip hop, jazz, pop, and rock. Artists both native and immigrant have made lasting marks on the Belgian music scene, creating something very unique. This was a very cool week of musical exploration, and I don't know about you, but I'm ready to dive right in!

Eyes Wide Open by Gotye (written by W. De Backer)

Wouter "Wally" De Backer, better known by his stage name (and childhood nickname) Gotye, is a Belgian musician, singer, and songwriter. Born in 1980 in Bruges (about 63 miles northwest of Brussels) before immigrating to Australia at the age of 2, Gotye is one of the more widely known Belgian musicians on this side of the Atlantic thanks to his insanely popular 2011 hit Somebody That I Used To Know. Proficient on vocals, drums, percussion, keyboard, guitar, ondioline (a type of electric keyboard), his music spans the genres of indie rock, alt rock, indie pop, and trip hop. He received a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Melbourne, has won three Grammy Awards (2013 Record of the Year, Best Pop Duo/Group Performance, and Best Alternative Music Album), and has released 3 studio albums in his twenty-two year career. Eyes Wide Open is from his 2011 album Making Mirrors, and while it didn't grab my attention nearly as much as STIUTK did, it's still a pretty good song and I think he has some really nice vocals on it.

So this is the end of the story/Everything we had, everything we did/Is buried in dust, and this dust is all that’s left of us/And only a few ever worried/While the signs were clear, they had no idea/You just get use to living in fear/Or give up when you can’t even picture your future/We walk the plank with our eyes wide open/We walk the plank with our eyes wide open, we/Walk the plank with our eyes wide open, we/Yeah, we walk the plank with our eyes wide open, we/Walk the plank with our eyes wide open, we

Ne me quitte pas by Jacques Brel (written by J. Brel)

Jacques Brel, also known as "The Great Jaques," was a Belgian singer and actor. Born in 1929 in Schaerbeek (a municipality of Brussels), he is widely regarded as a master of the modern chanson, which is a lyrically driven song written and performed in the French language, as well as a fixture of French pop music. A talented vocalist, Brel released 14 studio albums throughout his twenty-three year career prior to his death in 1978. Ne me quitte pas (which translates to Do Not Leave Me in English) was featured on Brel's 1959 album La Valse à Mille Temps (The Thousand Time Waltz). This song is a beautiful example of the chanson genre, with lots of emotion poured into every note. A rough English translation of the original French lyrics is below.

Do not leave me, you must forget/Everything can be forgotten that already fled/Forget time, misunderstandings/And lost time to know how/Forget these hours, sometimes killing/A shots why the heart of happiness/Do not leave me, do not leave me/Do not leave me, do not leave me

Voyage Voyage by Kate Ryan (written by D. Dubois, J. Rival)

Katrien Verbeeck, known better by her stage name Kate Ryan, is a Belgian singer and songwriter. Born in 1980 in Tessenderlo (1 mile southeast of Brussels), she represented Belgium in the 2008 Eurovision Song Contest and placed 12th. She is a great example of the more electronic side of the Belgian music scene, spanning genres such as dance pop, Eurodance, house, and vocal trance in her twenty-two year career. Proficient on vocals, guitar, and piano, she has released 5 studio albums. Voyage Voyage (which translates to Travel, Travel in English) was featured on Ryan's 2007 album Free. Ryan's vocals are pretty good, but this song honestly felt like a generic dance song to me, which probably stems from dance and house not being my favorite genres to listen to. It was a fun enough song, though, and for those of you that this is your cup of tea I recommend you give it a try. A rough English translation of the original French lyrics is below.

Above the old volcanoes/Slip your wings under the carpet of the wind/Travel, travel/Forever/From clouds to swamps/From wind from Spain to rain from Ecuador/Travel, travel/Fly to the heights/Above the capitals/Fatal ideas/Look at the ocean/Travel, travel/Beyond night and day/Travel, in the incredible space of love/Travel, travel/On the sacred water of an Indian river/Travel and never come back

Adagio by Lara Fabian (written by D. Pickell, L. Fabian, R. Allison, T. Albinoni)

Lara Crokaert, known better by her stage name Lara Fabian, is a Belgian singer and songwriter. Born in 1970 in Etterbeek (a municipality of Brussels), she is known as one of the best selling Belgian musical artists of all time. She spent ten years studying at the Royal Conservatory of Brussels, has won 17 awards to date, and has released 15 studio albums in her thirty-seven year career spanning the genres of French pop, pop rock, acoustic, and dance pop. Adagio (which music students will know translates to Slowly in Italian) was featured on Fabian's 1999 self-titled album. This song gave me hardcore 90s Celine Dion vibes, which is funny because Fabian holds dual citizenship with Belgian and Canada, but I really, really liked it and was very impressed with her vocals. If you're into that super intense mid to late 90s pop rock power ballad sound, definitely give this one a go.

I don’t know where to find you/I don’t know how to reach you/I hear your voice in the wind/I feel you under my skin/Within my heart and my soul/I wait for you/Adagio/All of these nights without you/All of my dreams surround you/I see and I touch your face/I fall into your embrace/When the time is right I know/You’ll be in my arms/Adagio/I close my eyes and I find a way/No need for me to pray/I’ve walked so far/I’ve fought so hard/Nothing more to explain/I know all that remains/Is a piano that plays

Ayo Technology by Milow (written by C. Jackson, F. Hills, J. Timberlake, N. Hills, T. Mosley)

Jonathan Vandenbroeck, known better by his stage name Milow, is a Belgian singer and songwriter. Born in 1981 in Borgerhout (about 32 miles north of Brussels), he is a vocalist and guitarist known for his forays into acoustic and pop music. He has so far released 9 studio albums throughout his eighteen year career. Ayo Technology is his acoustic cover of a 50 Cent song featured his 2009 self-titled album. This is Milow's most well-known song, and honestly it was one of my favorites of the week along with Adagio and La vie en rose. I'm a sucker for a cover that switches genres, and I liked his vocals and the stripped down acoustic feel he gave to this song to help make it his own.

She work it, girl, she work the pole/She break it down, she take it low/She's fine as hell, she's about the dough/Doin' her thing right on the floor/And money, money she's makin’/Look at the way she's shakin’/Make you wanna touch her, wanna taste her/Have you lustin' for her/Goin' crazy, face it/She's so much more than you're used to/Knows just how to move, seduce you/She gon' do the right thing, touch the right spot/Dance in your lap 'til you're ready to pop/She's always ready, when you want it she want it/Like a nympho, the info/Show you where to meet her/On the late night 'til daylight/The club jumpin' if you want a good time/She gon' give you what you want/Baby, it's a new age/You're like my new craze/Let's get together, maybe we can start a new phase/This smoke's got the club all hazy/Spotlights don't do you justice, baby/Why don't you come over here/You got me sayin’/Ayo, I'm tired of using technology/Why don't you sit down on top of me/Ayo, I'm tired of using technology/I need you right in front of me

Ça Plane Pour Moi by Plastic Bertrand (written by L. Deprijck, Y. Lacomblez)

Roger Jouret, known better by his stage name Plastic Bertrand, is a Belgian musician, songwriter, producer, editor, and television presenter. Born in 1954 in Brussels, he studied at the Royal Conservatory of Music there before launching into his career in punk and new wave music. A vocalist and a drummer, Jouret has released 10 studio albums throughout his forty-six year career. Ça Plane Pour Moi (That Plane For Me in English) was released as a single in 1977 and was also featured on the soundtrack for the 2010 film 127 Hours (starring James Franco and Kate Mara). This song was a lot for me, but it's definitely high energy and can be a lot of fun at times. A rough English translation of the original French lyrics is below.

Wham, bang/My cat, Splash, lodging on my bed ate/Her tongue drinking too much of my whiskey/As for me, little sleep/Emptied, broken/I had to sleep in the gutter/Where I have a flash/In four colors/Go hop, one morning/A sweetheart came to my house/Cellophane doll/Chinese hair/A plaster/A hangover/Drank my beer out of a big rubber cup/Like an Indian in his igloo/That plane for me/That plane for me/That plane for me, me, me, me, me/That plane for me/That plane for me

Injected with a Poison by Praga Khan (written by N. van Lierop, O. Adams, M. Engelen)

Maurice Engelen, known better by his stage name Praga Khan, is a Belgian musician, singer, songwriter, and producer. Born in 1959 in Herselt (about 33 miles northeast of Brussels), he is known as a leading pioneer of the Belgian new beat, acid house, and techno scene. Proficient on vocals and synthesizer, he has released 10 studio albums spanning the genres of hardcore techno, new beat, Belgian techno, acid house, trance, and industrial dance as well as co-composing the soundtrack for Motal Kombat throughout his forty-three year career. Injected with a Poison was originally featured on Khan's 1996 album Conquers Your Love and is his most well-known solo work. My husband is a fan of some techno artists, so I've been exposed to acts like The Crystal Method that gave me similar vibes to this song, but to be completely honest this song was just not for me. Give it a listen to make your own educated opinion, but yeah this song was another one that was a lot for me.

Injected with a poison/Injected with a poison/Injected with a poison/There’s a rainbow inside my mind/There’s a rainbow inside my mind/There’s a rainbow inside my mind/There’s a rainbow inside my mind/Injected with a poison/We don’t need that anymore

This World by Selah Sue (written by J. Saerens, L. Favre, P. Beaux, S. Putseys)

Sanne Putseys, known better by her stage name Selah Sue, is a Belgian musician. Born in 1989 in Leefdaal (about 13 miles east of Brussels), she is known for her work in genres like soul, reggae, pop, and R&B. A guitarist and a vocalist, she has released 3 studio albums in her fourteen year career. This World was originally featured on Sue's 2012 self-titled album and is one of her most well-known songs. I for some reason got it in my head that this song would be a softer, more folksy indie type song, and I have no idea why because it definitely was not either of those things. Sue has a nice voice, and while I did enjoy this song it felt a little long to me.

I fear real danger/This world ain’t simple/But I’m strong, I know how to get out/And I’ll find my way ‘cause/‘Cause it’s love, real simple/And that’s how it works/So won’t you just give it up ‘cause you don’t understand/Big it up, but you don’t understand/And it’s really nice, but you don’t understand/So big it up, ‘cause you don’t understand/‘Cause you don’t understand, baby/I feel it’s falling down, I know I’ll catch it/You crazy world, crazy world, yeah/I feel real passionate/You feel the sun comes down/I’ll make it shine, yeah/You crazy world, crazy world, yeah

Alors on danse by Stromae (written by P. van Haver)

Paul van Haver, known better by his stage name Stromae, is a Belgian singer, rapper, producer, and songwriter. Born in 1985 in Etterbeek, he is best known for his work in genres like hip hop, house, electronic, electropop, synth pop, new beat, and Eurodance. He has so far won 57 awards and released 3 studio albums in his twenty-three year career. Alors on danse (Then We Dance in English) was released as a single in 2010 and was Stromae's breakout hit, as well as still being one of his best known songs. Again, this week exposed me to a lot of electronic-heavy songs, and while this one is for sure a bop I just found it ok and actually prefer another of his big hits, Papaoutai, over this one. A rough English translation of the original French lyrics is below.

Who says studies says work/Who says taf tells you money/Who says money says expenses/Who says credit says debt/Who says debt says you bailiff/And he tells you sitting in the shit/Who says love, says kids/Always says and says divorce/Who says close says you mourn/'Cause problems don't come alone/Who says crisis tells you world/Said famine, said third world/Who says fatigue, says alarm clock/Still deaf from the night before/So we go out to forget all the problems/Then we dance/Then we dance/Then we dance/Then we dance/Then we dance/Then we dance/Then we dance/Then we dance/Then we dance

La Brabançonne by Tapiola Choir, Kari Ala-Pöllänen, & Karelia Brass (written by A. Dechet, C. Rodenbach, C. Rogier, F. van Campenhout)

La Brabançonne (The Brabantian in English), has been the national anthem of Belgium since 1860. Composed in 1830 by French actor & revolutionary Alexandre Dechet and Belgian opera singer & composer François van Campenhout, the lyrics were updated once upon adoption in 1860 and again in 1921, which are the lyrics currently in use today. Recognized in French, Dutch, and German, an English translation of the current French lyrics is below.

Noble Belgium, O dear mother/To you our hearts, to you our arms/To you our blood, O Fatherland/We all swear, you shall live/You shall always live great and beautiful/And your invincible unity/Shall have as an immortal motto/The King, the Law, Liberty

La vie en rose by Toots Thielemans (written by L. Guglielmi, E. Piaf)

Jean-Baptist Isidor, Baron Thielemans, better known by his stage name Toots Thielemans, was a Belgian musician, composer, and band leader. Born in 1922 in Brussels, he was a well known and respected jazz musician who played chromatic harmonica, guitar, and accordion. In addition to releasing a whopping 78 studio albums, Thielamans received many awards throughout his sixty-five year career, including but not limited to being named a Jazz Master by the National Endowment of the Arts in 2009 (the highest honor the United States offers a jazz musician), a Grammy Award for Best Engineered Album, Non-Classical in 1997, and the title of Baron Thielemans by the Royal Order of Belgium before his death in 2016. His cover of the jazz classic La vie en rose (Life in Pink in English) was featured on his 1998 album Chez Toots and is an absolutely beautiful rendition of an already beautiful song. A rough English translation of the original French lyrics is below.

Eyes that bring mine down/A laugh that gets lost on his mouth/Here's the portrait without editing/Of the man to whom I belong/When he takes me in his arms/That he speaks to me softly/I see life in pink/He tells me love words/Everyday words/And it does something to me/He has entered in my heart/A slice of happiness/That I know the reason/It's him for me, me for him in life/He told me, swore, for life/And as soon as I see him/So I feel Inside me/My heart beating

I hope you enjoyed our musical journey today and found some wonderful new music to enjoy. Happy listening, and see ya'll next week!