Tom: I was driving through the Netherlands last week, Tim, and stumbled upon a couple of radio stations that play only Dutch-language music. Sometimes oldies and covers; sometimes just party music.
Tim: Makes sense.
Tom: What I learned is this: there are still parts of Europe where actual FM radio stations will play actual schlager music. Or DJ Otzi. These stations are going to be my happy-work music now.
And of the several songs that I asked my phone to remember (seriously, this got actual airplay in 2017), this one stands out.
Tim: I…I can see why that would have stood out. I mean, the Wesley Klein one is good, but this, oh, this is something else.
Tom: There’s so much going on there. The underprepared hotel corridor fever-dream. The marching band and cheerleaders. His own gold disc. Then there’s the lyrics (which are far more philosophical than you might think).
Tim: Well any song that kicks off talking about evil cats gets a thumbs up from me.
Tom: All it’s missing is a key change (yes, I was surprised there wasn’t one, too.). Once again: this got airplay. On an actual radio station. In 2017.
Tim: Despite a lot of things, it’s good to know that there are parts of the world that are still beautiful.
Tom: The context made this seem much better than it actually is, of course: I had the radio turned up loud, with the windows down, driving my car along a levee in the Netherlands. Even this ridiculous cover, which in hindsight is mostly a disaster, made me grin. I would never have asked for a Dutch rap bit, but in the moment it was perfect.