Strijdlustig

André Hazes was both a cult figure and a very successful mainstream pop artist. He earned both reputations by being the most successful baby boom generation interpreter of "het levenslied" — the Dutch equivalent of American country songs or the French chanson. "Het levenslied" (the life song) evokes the lives of ordinary people in simple and recognizable terms, often with a melodramatic touch. Hazes rose to fame in the 1970s, with hit songs like "Eenzame Kerst" and "De Vlieger." He secured...