‘Suzanne, I’m crazy about you.’ Forty years ago, at the end of 1983, the whole of the Netherlands sang along to this breakthrough hit by VOF De Kunst. The song will be played in Het Bolwerk in Sneek on Saturday, September 16.
Because Suzanne across the border as Susanna went through life, and the Tilburg band as The Art Company, record company CBS eventually recorded around five million copies sold. Count your winnings. And the cash register rang again thanks to cover versions by, among others, Ricky Martin and Paul Shaffer, the sidekick of Late Night -host David Letterman.
Of A cup of coffee VOF De Kunst reached the charts again in 1987, after which the people of Brabant found a new gap in the market in the early 1990s: pop music for children. A ‘one-off’ tribute to Annie MG Schmidt got out of hand and led to a series of very successful children’s CDs and about eight hundred accompanying performances.
Singer became photographer
No wonder that singer Nol Havens wanted something different afterwards; for the past fifteen years he has worked as a photographer and spent time with Just give me everything his most personal (solo) album. He had been through a lot and had a lot to talk about, including the loss of his wife, his parents, his sister and his best friend.
But… old love doesn’t rust. So Havens still appears every now and then with his old friends from VOF De Kunst on the music stages in the Netherlands and Belgium. This fall there will be a modest club tour to celebrate the band’s 40th anniversary. An evening of unadulterated Dutch pop is promised, with of course all the hits, newer work and – who knows – Fatty Dap as an encore.
VOF De Kunst, September 16 from 9 p.m. in Het Bolwerk, Sneek. Tickets: from 16.00 euros.