What type of music is popular in Belgium?
difficult question ... popular music will be different in different groups of people. ask young people and you'll get a lot of different answers, ask older people and you'll get even more different answers. in flanders - the dutchspeaking northern part of belgium - we have 5 public radio stations: 1 which only plays classical music (check http://www.klara.be/cm/klara), one which plays some pop and a lot of flemish artist (http://www.radio2.be/), one that plays mainly pop (http://www.donna.be/node), one that plays more "alternative music" (http://www.stubru.be/) en one that focusses on information (http://www.radio1.be/). then there are lot of local and commercial stations, which mainly play pop music same situation in the frenchspeaking south, but obviously you'll get much more french music. in brussels, there's a great (north-)african population, so you get radio stations that play northern or black african music. some local popular artists (in different genres) are arno, deus, axelle red, novastar, helmut lotti, laura lynn (not the country singer) , milow, hooverphonic, clouseau, zornik, will tura, K3. but the best we ever got was jacques brel
Popular Dutch songs/artists?
I like music by quite a few groups that do no longer exist, although some make reunion CDs, among them are Het Goede Doel and DoeMaar. At this time there is a new lot of Dutch artists: Jan Smit, Nick en Simon and many more I do not know by name. And already working a long time, (not my personal favorite): Marco Borsato. Also working for a long time: Guus Meeuwis and from Belgium Clouseau And in dialect, Normaal, de Kast and Hessel. If you just want to listen to a Dutch language channel, to find if you like the music, this website has several: http://www.nederland.fm/ 100% nl, should be all Dutch made (but not really 100%) and most in Dutch, I think this is a nice one to listen to, but I am not sure they announce the songs. There is one with a big slash Hollands on it, (I think its name is Gigant.) Radio NL. Radio Noordzee Nationaal. I am sure that the Belgium site has several too, but I do not recognize those by name: http://www.belgie.fm/ The site I name in sourch seems to have links to many Dutch artists and groups, some singing in Dutch, others in English and maybe a few in other languages to. (PS, a lot of the names I gave may be oldies, but as you do not know them yet, they will be new to you. It is mostly 80's till now.)
Is the Walloon language still spoken in Belgium?
Walloon is actually a dialect related to French - Less and less popular now with the young generation - Younger people in Wallonia use French - although a "Walloon accent" exists - I can recognize the accent of a Walloon who is from "the country" - Actually, Walloon was derived from Latin used in the Middle Ages - Then there are different "regional" Walloon languages - And quite different words are used - Supposedly, Liège area boasts the pure literary Walloon - Played in theatres or use in some literature and old songs - I recall Namur area also has a dialect used on stage - My father, and parents were from the Liège area - Relatives spoke French but used Walloon for profanities - I was brought up in Brussels, French language only at home - I did not understand Walloon, except some words or expressions - The tendency in French area young people is to speak "very French" - Imitating the French "Parisian accent" or language manners - When I go back to Belgium, I hear words which are typically French - Definitely it is due to television and radio across the border - Walloons watch French news on TV as much as the Belgian news - French was since long the "upper class language" of Belgium... Even in the Flemish areas - Walloon will probably disappear completely - As much as Flemish dialects also be replaced by "Belgian Dutch" - I am 70 years old, lived 30 years in USA, now 20 years in Argentina - However I visit Belgium 2 or 3 times every year - My wife, a native of Buenos Aires adores Belgium... Bruges especially - I can still speak the Brussels dialect and can do that accent - A mix of French and Flemish actually quite funny dialect if you understand - This is the "Anthem of the Walloons" - Too bad, it is used at times for political purposes - Song in Liège Walloon dialect - translation in French and English - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s0G6-U9ZR...
What is the best song from Belgium that most people outside the country have probably never heard (please include a link)?
This one. The lyrics are in Dutch, so you’d have to google them and use google translate, but the song itself is very beautiful:I’m also fond the jazzy arrangement of this one:This one is from the same period:I selected these ones because they stem from the “kleinkunst” era (“little art”): they often used inspirational lyrics, and they were composed by people who consciously did not want to make commercial music. I didn’t select Jacques Brel, because he’s well known anyway, and also because i wanted to highlight some Flemish songs (Flanders=Dutch speaking part of Belgium). There are many songs that were better known and became commercial successes, but they use commercial recipes and there’s little originality or personal expression in them.If you really want a more uptempo one, maybe you’ll like this one:When it comes to classical music, i’m quite sure this will be the most popular one: Panis Angelicus, by Cesar Franck. It’s kind of a tear-jerker so it’s often performed at funerals, weddings etc.And finally, one from Louis Neefs. He died in an accident on Christmas day 1980, but he remains popular in Flanders. This is one of the first songs about ecology (leave us a flower, forget how much a million is, the world has to last forever):Enjoy, and don’t forget, Beethoven had Flemish DNA too :-)
Traveling in Belgium?
Hi, I've added a link and go there, go all the way down to the bottom of the page where you can see toerisme Wallonie and click any of those links. You can choose English in the links. I think the best thing to do is go to the Arden's, there are some bird farms. Good luck with it and have fun.
What are some popular songs with nonsensical lyrics?
Some novelty songs only use non-existing words:1960 The Cousins - Kili Watch (YouTube): party anthem by a Belgian band.1968 Piero Umiliani - Mah-Na-Mah-Na (YouTube): later used in The Muppet Show.1972 Adriano Celentano - Prisencolinensinainciusol (YouTube): Italian parody on the American English in rock & roll hits.Sometimes it's just the refrain. For artists who sing in Hebrew or Spanish that makes it easier to score an international hit.1978 Izhar Cohen & the Alphabeta - A-Ba-Ni-Bi (YouTube): winner of the Eurovision Song Contest.2002 Las Ketchup - The Ketchup Song (Aserejé) (YouTube): theories about a satanist message in the lyrics were denied by the singers. Other songs use existing words, but it's hard to find a logical meaning in them. Slippery People by Talking Heads might as well have been called Slippery Lyrics. The Reflex by Duran Duran doesn't seem to make sense either: "The reflex is a lonely child who's waiting by the park." What does that mean?
What were your impressions of visiting Belgium?
I love Belgium. I have been several times and going again in October. I've stayed in Ostend, Leuven and Bruges. I've visited Brussels and Antwerp. Bruges is one of my favourite places. A truly beautiful city, with cobbled streets, waterways and stunning architecture. The Belgians are fantastic, warm and friendly they are total Anglophiles. The food is good - Belgian fries (an idea stolen by the French, great steaks and of course chocolate! However, for me it's about the beer. The sheer number of different beers available in any bar is overwhelming. I have never had a Belgian beer I disliked - they also have a proper pub culture too just like the Brits except you never see a drunk Belgian!
Which is the most famous bar and club in Belgium?
There are many answers. The most unbelievable bar I have ever seen was “het velootje” in Ghent. I heard it is recently closed now because of hygiene. There were bikes and all kind of other stuff standing and hanging just everywhereAnother similar one (was ?) is “café de reisduif”, there was even a song about it. The most beautiful town in Belgium is Bruges (far better than Ghent and Brussels), there is the oldest café in the country : the name is : “de Vlissinghe”, started in 1515. In terms of beers : “Dulle Griet” in Ghent and “Brugsch beertje” in Bruges : hundreds of kinds, you can even ask for advice, at least in Bruges (300 different kinds).It all depends on what you call “famous”
Belgium vs. Bulgaria: Who is going to win Eurovision Song Contest 2017?
Neither.I like Belgium’s entry, but it’s a song for radio, not for Eurovision. Plus I heard the live performance wasn’t very impressive.I had to actually listen Bulgaria’s entry again to even remember it. It’s too forgettable and it has the same problem: it’s for radio, not for Eurovision stage. I can’t imagine this having a very flashy live performance which would impress either.