Friday, 19 February 2010

Zwart wit - Frank Boeijen Groep

The end of Kerwin Duinmeijer's life was not a pretty one: the boy from the Netherlands Antilles was stabbed by a skinhead in Amsterdam, and when he managed to get to a taxi, the driver didn't want to transport him to a hospital because he didn't want any blood on his backseat. It was a death that shocked the Netherlands back in 1983, and it inspired Frank Boeijen to write 'Zwart wit' ('Black and white'), with the immortal line: 'Wie wil er bloed op de achterbank van de werkelijkheid' ('Who wants blood on the backseat of reality').

The song, bizarrely, gave the Frank Boeijen Groep their first top 10 hit. Upon its release in January 1984, it reached number 4 in the Dutch Top 40. Even now, it is recognised as one of the cornerstones of Dutch pop from the Eighties.

My collection: 7" single no. 225
Found: LP Top 100, Den Haag, 1984
Cost: 5,5 guilders
Tracks: 'Zwart wit' / 'Kamer voor twee'

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