Annemarie! Annemarie!
There is hardly a Dutch grownup who would not know which song this line represents: the 1980 hit Even aan mijn moeder vragen. However… hit is a huge word for a song that reached no further than number 14 in the Dutch Top 40.
The formation Bloem (which means Flower) is the product of a union of two other Dutch groups, Teenager and Bloom in 1980. The group starts off with English songs, but when lead singer Joost Timp (son of TV personality Mies Bouwman) translates some to Dutch, producer Wil Hoebee immediately takes them into the Hilversum radio studio’s to record an album.
The album Vooral Jong Blijven (To Stay Young Above All) is taken in two days. It results in Even Aan Mijn Moeder Vragen, roughly translated as Just Let Me Ask My Mom. Although only 45,000 copies are sold and as noted above the single’s hit ceiling is number 14, it is still an evergreen in the Netherlands. Part of that achievement lays in the catchy tune, but most of the honour goes to the humorous text.
Bloem would not record one other hit song afterwards. The lyrics are copyrighted but here is my translation in English:
Blond hair, blue eyes
Crept from a fairy tale book
She came and stood before my window, saying
“A five guilder ticket please
for tonight’s movie"
I asked: "Why don’t you go with me?"
And this is what she said:
”Just let me ask my mom” (Even aan mijn moeder vragen)
I swear she did say that
She did not even laugh
“Just let me ask my mom”
That’s completely out of date, girl
I can advise you as well
And she looked at me
It was accomplished right away
From then on
Everything for a kiss
Something like that you barely come across
A miss like that deserves all praise
I thought it had extinguished
But I have a date for tomorrow
She also has to be home before midnight
But I don’t care
Annemarie, Annemarie
She only drinks lemonade
That I may go and get for her
She thinks cigarettes are filthy
And she is not pleased with pop music
I hold all doors for her
I even walk her doggie
Annemarie, Annemarie
“Just let…” (repeat and fade out)