For the inauguration of King Willem-Alexander on April 30, 2013, the National Inauguration Committee decided that there should be a King’s Song, in addition to King’s Games and the collection of dreams, as inspiration for the King. The plan was that the whole of the Netherlands will sing the King’s Song on the day of Willem-Alexander’s inauguration. The King’s Song will not come without a fight. It became the subject of a riot, social media exploded with comments, the composer withdrew his composition and later it was performed: a lot of fuss about a King’s song that was finally released.
There you are
- King’s song for the King
- John Ewbank and the Inauguration Day song
- Singing in Rotterdam for the Koningsvaart in Amsterdam
- Petition against the King’s Song
- Appreciation for the King’s Song
- King’s song on YouTube
King’s song for the King
All Dutch people have been asked to send texts and sentences that are incorporated into the official King’s Song. The texts of the Dutch inspired the professional copywriters. A group wrote to the final text that was specially created for the new King for April 30, 2013:
- Jack Poels;
- John Ewbank;
- Alan Clark;
- Guus Meeuwis;
- Daphne Deckers.
Part of the song is a rap. The rap section was written by:
- Kraantje Pappie;
- Gers Pardoelen;
- Ali b;
- Long French.
The composer of the song is John Ewbank. The King’s Song is performed by the Metropole Orchestra and Carel Kraayenhof.
This is the text of the King’s Song:
John Ewbank and the Inauguration Day song
Source: Koningslied
KING’S SONG
There you are
You’ve seen this moment so many times in your dreams And there it is The day you knew would come is finally here Are you ready? Can you ever really be?
There you are Every person has a task in this life Everything has been done to prepare you and
There it is You promise that you will give everything Every step you took that led to here And look around you We walk with you
Through the rain and the wind Will I will stand by your side I will protect you from everything that comes I will watch when you sleep I will
protect you from the storm Keep you safe as long as I live
A battle, two lives We stand for each other, unbreakable A flag, two lions Together in the sun and the rainSide by side, chest outProud as a peacock, this is our soundAnd no matter how small we areOur
deeds are greatDo not fallFor you, my childFor my dad, for my maWalk for you through the wind and rainAnd will stand behind you I carry a banner with your name Believe in you as long as we exist I will build a dike with my bare hands
And keep the water away from you
Let me know what you dream What your heart longs for I will not rest until it becomes true isAnd if you ever lose your wayI will be your beacon in the nightI will show you the harbor in the darknessI
will fight like a lion
Until you lack nothingKeep yourself safe as long as I liveWillem
‘s WThree fingers in the air, come come on, come onThe W of Willem is the W of usThe whole of Orange stands side by sideThe W of water that we do not yield toWe drain it dry and we build dikesThe
W of welcome in our midst.To whichever God you may prayThe W of WillemThe W of waking up, eating stewMillions of coaches who know betterThe W of always wanting to winWhatever it is that we are embarking onThe W of we are one with each other
With shoulders next to each otherAnd so today we shout through
the rain and the windI will stand next to youI protect you against everything that comes I will watch while you sleep I will keep you safe from the storm Keep you safe as long as I live
Let me know what you dream
What your heart longs for I will not rest until it becomes true And if you ever lose your way I am you beacon in the night Show you the harbor in the darkness
I will fight like a lion
Until you lack nothing Stay safe as long as I live
Singing in Rotterdam for the Koningsvaart in Amsterdam
The song will be presented and the accompanying clip shown on April 19, 2013. The clip features well-known Dutch artists singing along and rapping. The song is sung just before King Willem-Alexander starts the Koningsvaart with his family on April 30, 2013 in Amsterdam. The whole of the Netherlands and the Caribbean can sing along. Just before the Koningsvaart in Amsterdam, the song is started in Rotterdam by Paul de Leeuw. A concert will take place in the port city in Ahoy, where Marco Borsato, Trijntje Oosterhuis and Rob de Nijs will also sing along. The whole of the Netherlands can sing along on April 30, 2013 at 7:30 PM via television or screens in squares. The royal couple will follow the concert in Amsterdam from a large screen and a video connection.
Petition against the King’s Song
, criticism erupted on social media . Not everyone thinks it’s a nice song. A petition is even being drawn up against the King’s Song. In just over one day, more than 38,000 people signed the petition. It is writer and columnist Sylvia Witteman who took the initiative for the petition that is on www.petitie24.com. The petition is called: ,No to the king’s song., By signing the petition you endorse the following: ,I say NO to eating stew with three fingers in the air. In protest against the weak-minded ‘Koningslied’, I hereby resign as a Dutch subject.,
Complain on Facebook
Complaining is also top notch on Twitter and Facebook . The Facebook page ,Sorry for the King’s Song, is ,liked, by tens of thousands of people in one day . Reviewers sharpen their pencils and write scathing comments. In the NRC the song is called ,the cookie-cutter version of a hymn, .
Appreciation for the King’s Song
The King’s Song also receives support. Many find the fuss and negativity exaggerated. Twitterer Lars Koster puts it this way: ,Half a nation listens to the doggerel of Bløf, Nick & Simon and Jan Smit, among others, and is now complaining about #koningslied #hypocriet,.
Twitterer Frank puts the criticism in the right perspective : ,Boston is still shaking, banks are under fire every day, but half of the Netherlands panics about #Koningslied. Wonderful, I know my country again.,
King’s song on YouTube
After a video of the King’s Song appeared on YouTube, it disappeared from the YouTube channel for about 20 minutes halfway through the day on the first day of publication. It was flagged as spam too many times and therefore removed according to YouTube policy. The video was published again later that day.
iTunes
On the day of launch, the song became the most downloaded song in the Dutch iTunes store. Radio 2 had the scoop of the official King’s Song on Friday, April 19, 2013, and after that it could be downloaded to anyone for 99 cents.
That same day, #koningslied became a trending topic on Twitter. A total of 51 artists contributed to the King’s Song by singing it. It was sung on the day of the inauguration.
read more
- King – King’s song for Willem-Alexander and Màxima
- King and Queen take an introductory tour
- The very first King’s Games and its sequel
- King – National Committee Inauguration and coronation celebration
- Arbor Day – King’s tree and King’s lime for the King