Which song do you want to play at your own goodbye anyway?
“Somersault van Zero 7 in Sia.”
Why this particular number?
“This song has been with me since my college days when I listened to it every night before I went to sleep. The whole album by the way, and this song was my favorite. In the good times and the bad, this was my record. I had the time of my life in the capital, but like many young people I was also searching. Every night I lay down on the bed, played this record, lit one more cigarette and then all worries fell away. That was my own ritual back then.
It was mainly the melody, only later did I really listen to the lyrics. Somersault is a sweet little love song, to a man and to the little things in life. You’re the prince to my ballerina, You’ll feed all the people’s parking meters, You encourage the eating of ice cream she sings, sweet and small, and at the same time the essence of life. We’re here to love each other.”
And what does it say about your life?
“You feel like home,” she sings, and that feeling of home was a bit of a struggle for me at the time. I moved from Salland to Amsterdam quite young and didn’t know anyone there. Study, work, finances: I had to invent everything. Who am I and what do I want? All those questions you encounter in that phase of life. I have moved within the city seventeen times. I often lived in illegal houses, because at that time it was just as difficult to find a house in the capital as now. It wasn’t until my late twenties that I found a house where I could live legally, but that was short-lived. My relationship collapsed, I was back on the street, my job stopped and a few years later I was raped. Yes, I say it but just the way it is. Between my thirties and forties I had a really tough time and had to fight not to go under. I had all kinds of help with that and during that time Zero 7 and Sia were also there for me a bit You talk to loners, you ask ‘how was your week’ she sings, and that’s how I recognized it . Contact is in the little things. In my late thirties I thought: yes, I’ll be back.
I am now completely at home in my house and in my relationship. I’m lucky enough to have met someone wonderful, but I didn’t get it as a gift. You also have to be open to it. Before, I was too busy with myself, with surviving and had nothing to give. Now it is. I’ve been feeling really good in my skin for a while now and that’s also in this song. For the first time I really feel safe and completely at home in my relationship. Finally there is that security.”
Where do you prefer to listen to music?
“In the car, you can sing along. I used to sing in bands and aspired to a singing career, but that has all been nipped in the bud. Nice rock like Anouk and The Gathering. It always sounds good in the car. Hard guitar music I think Delicious anyway, I’m really a Foo Fighters fan. At full volume and then dancing, yes, that’s it for me.”
How many lists do you have on Spotify?
“A lot and that goes from left to right. I follow a lot of artists that I like and I have ‘the big Debby list’, in which I put everything I need to keep. I always listen to that list while running. Other than that I am love Spotify’s radio function, because it brings you back to new songs. I think that’s a pity about getting older: you get stuck in the music you already know. You really have to do your best to know what’s on is now being made and that radio function is perfect for that.”
Wat is je guilty pleasure?
“Julio Iglesias. I can listen to Quiero ten times in a row. I don’t understand a damn thing, but he means it and you can feel it. I prefer to have Julio perform at my funeral, I would love that.”
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What song should be played at your funeral? And what does that say about your life? If you would like to participate in this section, please email your story to [email protected]
