Sorry, this is categorified (sic) as ‘off’, but believe me, it’s way, way, off…
Still, it’s my best shot at getting the Nobel Peace Prize. Here’s my proposal : in whatever country you live, search for an unemployed band (cant be that hard), convince them to write 20something oneliners about their childhood memories (assuming they’re 30somethings or worse (or even better for that matter)), we will provide the easy-listening music (hear below). If they are into a specific dialect, let them go all way (will only add to the hype).
The remaining step to stardom : download the song to YouTube, sit back and see the world change around you…
(btw. the clip shouldn’t be a problem either, we propose the format : a 20a30 years old suburban living room in the main frame (in which the band will perform their song), on top : two smaller frames giving ample hints to decode the dialect-lyrics (see below).
Before we go any further, I think it’s best if you click the play button below in order to get at least an idea (in Belgium : an all time record of weeks number one in the charts…). You will not understand a word (and you better stop when the song stops, about half of the videoclip-time) but if you don’t, you won’t understand a word of what comes next
Right, now you know at least a bit of the Fixkes’ craze in Flandres(belgium). It’s a simple and therefore ingenious idea : sing about the childhood-memories of 35-50something people (okay, probably they aimed at a 30-40yrs. public, but I’m just trying dramatically to squeeze myself in…), but do it encrypted (that is, in dialect, or rather, let the public decrypt your phrases), fun assured…
For weeks now they play this song around 18hrs when we are having dinner, and each and every time, ThePartner and me try to decode another line of the lyrics, and do this so vehemently that PD2 feels uncertain whether we’ll be all there the next morning…
I’d better admit, sometimes I was plain wrong. When they sing “er was nog gene gsm gene vtm en niemand die a hannibal of murdock wilde zen ” (translated into something like: ‘there was still no GSM nor VTM(commercial TV), and no-one wanted to be Hannibal or Murdock’)
i was thinking : they are talking about commercial TV, so they must be talking about Murdoch (NOT Murdock…). I’m just too old to know about the bloody A-team (I’m more of a Starsky&Hutch or Dempsey&Makepeace person).
ThePartner, laughing and rolling all over the carpet…
Today was a better day (for me). We were decoding the lines
“showen in de boksauto’s
outrun in plaats van onze commodore”
(translated into something like “to show off in our boxing cars, outrun instead of our commodore”.)
ThePartner believes that “Outrun” and “Commodore” are names for places where you could drive ‘boxing-cars’ (or whathever they’re called in proper AngloAmerican, driving cars on a fair)… but for me it was plain clear that Commodore meant THE Commodore64-console!
A heated debate followed until we thought something like ‘wouldn’t they have a clip on YouTube by now?’ and sure enough the clip proved me right…). But now that I’ve seen the clip, I dread the forthcoming decoding of “en buurman wa doet u nu
veur ons allereerste tetjes”
(translated as “Neighbour what are you doing now? Our very first tits”)
The pervert I am, I know perfectly well what they are singing about (alas, the video-clip doesnt provide proof. probably due to exaggerated rights for a section of the Flodders movie (parental-warning-signs-flashing-all-over-the-screen). I’m not sure whether I will enter a fight on this one or just feign ignorance…
Btw. the title of the track is “Kvraagetaan” which is a perfect Flemish sentence to anyone of my generation, (or younger by at most 20 yrs.)
When we were at primary school the whole bizness of relationships was pretty easy either something was ‘on’ or it was ‘off’.
So, if you’d fancied a girl (or conversely) all needed was the question ‘I ask it on’ (Kvraagetaan).
When my daugthers were the same age, romance had dropped quite a bit.
They had to ask something like “Wilde gij op mij zijn?” which translates into “Do you want to be ontop of me?” which leaves much less to the imagination…
Still, looking around in my circle of acquaintances, I feel that most of them really enjoy a popular song, full of old-time-memories, to start a heated debate with their loved ones. If only all nations would follow Flandres-path in this, the world would be a lot more fun and peaceful. Thank you!
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