Zij Gelooft in Mij
Surely one of Hazes' best-known hits is Zij gelooft in mij (She believes in me). It came out in 1981 and is a cover of the song She Believes in Me by Kenny Rogers from 1978 (the real original, by the way, was by Steve Gibb). Apart from the chorus, Hazes' lyrics are actually completely different. He wrote them himself, probably for his then wife Ellen. The song became ridiculously popular in the Netherlands and was subsequently covered countless times by other Dutch artists, such as Do and Jah6.
https://open.spotify.com/track/5ggOAMsJCAYDHnyoqJ0xAD?si=135b814a7e234af1
Ik Leef Mijn Eigen Leven
Another real Hazes belter, from 1993. It is a cover of Riccardo Cocciante, a French-Italian singer. The song Se stiamo insieme is Italian and roughly translates as: If we stay together. Cocciante had released the song two years earlier. This song too became hugely popular in the Netherlands and was re-recorded by several artists, including his son André Hazes Jr.
What many people do not know is that, even before Hazes, a well-known Dutch artist had already made a song to this melody. None other than Danny De Munk released 'Ze Zei Niet Eén Keer Ik Hou Van Jou' in 1991, also inspired by that same 'Se stiamo insieme'.
https://open.spotify.com/track/3V2TMVsl5LlDvEVff9hw31?si=82515917b68c4135
Geef Mij Je Angst
The last song we discuss is Geef Mij Je Angst (Give me your fear) from 1984. This song was originally in German and had been released two years earlier by the Austrian singer Udo Jürgens. Hazes' song is almost entirely a loose translation of the original. The song was sung by Guus Meeuwis at the farewell ceremony in the ArenA shortly after Hazes' death, which gave both Hazes' version and that of Meeuwis an unprecedented boost.
https://open.spotify.com/track/1S3hGJv0Sg5DUx6AAooKZ9?si=28180cee096a4b73
Curious for more?
Keen to discover more music? Then head to the website whosampled.com and discover more covers by many artists.
