The Huisduinen lighthouse has been in the news a lot lately. Due to poor maintenance, the light beacon is in bad shape and demolition is imminent. But the tower is closed in the hearts of the residents and that regularly leads to beautiful creative expressions. For example, many musicians have been inspired by light.
If you do a little search on the internet, you will come across various songs by local artists about the Lange Jaap lighthouse. The most recent one is from musician Jan Helder, who received a request from Huisduiner Belang, who campaigns for the tower: “I wrote a song for Huisduinen about five years ago. When all the hassle with the tower started, they asked whether I wanted to make a song,” he says behind the mixing desk in his own studio, at home in one of the bedrooms.
Homesickness
Nico Walter from Julianadorp has to use analog sound means. On the record player is the single “Lange Jaap”, which his father wrote 40 years ago. “My father was a truck driver and he was always terribly homesick. When he was out of town, he didn’t like it. When he saw De Lange Jaap again, he was home again.”
“It is the symbol of Den Helder. My grandfather and grandmother had a café near the lighthouse. I myself walked for years as a postman at Huisduinen,” says Jan Helder. “My brothers-in-law are fishermen. So the Lange Jaap is in the blood. I think that is the case with everyone in Den Helder.”
singles
Nico Walter, who sang the song himself 40 years ago, can remember that the record was doing quite well at the time. “People liked it. We had 1,000 printed at the time. And there are now fifteen left. So who wants… for a good price,” he says with a laugh. In recent weeks he has been working on a new version with fellow musicians. “I sang everything again. Also the second voice. That was as high as a girl’s.”
Jan Helder wrote the text for his ‘ Onze Lange Jaap ‘ to the melody of a song by Toon Hermans. “I wanted the verses to be serious. It’s about the importance and preservation of the lighthouse. But, quite a few other songs were written, which were a bit gloomy. The chorus is cheerful. If the Lange Jaap is restored, then I think this is the song we’re going to celebrate with.”
Look below at the songs of Jan Helder and Nico Walter and what else can be found on the internet.