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10 Belgian songs you should know

09:48 06/05/2018

While music has never been more quickly or easily shared across all corners of the globe, every country still has its own pop cultural reference points – the songs every person, young or old, seems to know every word to. A knowledge of these songs can make the difference between a tourist and true resident.

So as Belgium gears up to kick ass at the Eurovision Song Contest this week, we present the 10 Belgian songs you really ought to know.

1 J'aime la vie - Sandra Kim

Despite having taken part in the Eurovision final 59 times – more than any other country except Germany, France and the UK – Belgium has won just once. In 1986, little 13-year-old Sandra Kim’s “J'aime la vie” won over Europe with its – as the title suggests – happy-pappy take on simple pleasures. It was an especially sweet win for Belgium – which came in dead last the year before. Every Eurovision, Flemish 40-somethings will be happy to bend your ear about how they had to learn the song in French class.

2 Ne me quitte pas – Jacques Brel

No list of famous Belgian songs could be complete without Brussels native Jacques Brel, perhaps the most internationally recognised musical name the country has ever produced. “Ne me quitte pas” (Don’t Leave Me) has been one of the most frequently covered songs of the 20th century, with versions of this tearjerker sung in dozens of languages by artists throughout the world.

3 Daar gaat ze – Clouseau

In big hair and oversized leather trench coats, pop duo Clouseau skyrocketed to the top of the charts in 1990 with this sugar-sweet love song (which means "there she goes"). It is still in regular rotation on the radio, and nearly any Dutch-speaking person you meet – in Belgium or the Netherlands – will be able to sing its lines.

4 Suds & Soda – dEUS

The screech of a violin will send a generation of Belgians tumbling into the same nostalgic reverie that those first rough chords of "Smells Like Teen Spirit" do to an American. Starting with the 1994 debut album Worst Case Scenario on which the song is recorded, rock band dEUS have built a massive cult following. While the line-up has changed over the years, the band still pull in fans for sold-out shows.

5 Tombe la neige – Adamo

When it came out in 1963 this dramatic ballad ("The Snow Falls") was one of several international hits by Italian-Belgian singer and songwriter Salvatore Adamo. Adamo himself recorded the song in several languages other than its original French, including Japanese, Turkish and Persian.

6 Ik hou van u – Noordkaap

Released the same year as "Suds & Soda", this poppier, eminently more singable 1990s number (the title means "I love you") solidified the already popular Noordkaap's place in Dutch-language music history. Written for the film Manneken Pis, it was the break-away hit from the soundtrack of the same name. And it has – lo and behold – broken the language barrier by being translated into French and re-recorded in both languages for the country's 175th birthday celebrations, where it was played simultaneously to dancing crowds gathered in 12 different cities. Unité!

7 Mad About You – Hooverphonic

With a nostalgic-laden string orchestra, a hypnotic trip-hop beat and the piercing pipes of original singer Geike Arnaert "Mad About You" has been eclectic rock, pop and electronic group Hooverphonic’s biggest hit to date. And with 23 years and 10 albums under their belt, that's saying a lot.

8 O la la la (c'est magnifique) – TC Matic

"O la la la (c’est magnifique)" is a veritable auditory time capsule of 1980s eurorock. The song was one of the earliest hits of TC Matic, fronted through the first half of the 1980s by the lengedary Arno.

9 Thinking About You All The Time – Zita Swoon

This is one of those songs that you know but then say: "I had no idea this was Belgian!" Despite frontman Stef Kamil Carlens originally being a member of dEUS, the indie rock band Zita Swoon has a very different look and sound. More a collective of musicians than a band, since the early '90s they have collaborated with dozens of international artists to produce varied, multidisciplinary and experimental musical spectacles.

10 In de Rue des Bouchers – Johan Verminnen

Sung in the Brussels dialect that mingles French and Dutch, the upbeat In de Rue des Bouchers in many ways could not be more Brussels. Much of singer Johan Verminnen’s work has been bringing the French chanson tradition into the Dutch language, with poignant ballads often depicting some famous corner of Brussels or other Belgian cities.

Written by Katy Desmond, Lisa Bradshaw