Levenslied, Spanish Harlem

It's definitely an Oranje dag, the day. Levenslied is the featured genre. Wikipedia defines it as "a sentimental Dutch-language subgenre of popular music ... related to the chanson though for a lower-class audience, like the schlager". I suppose that captures it, to some extent. But it doesn't grasp the near-impossibility of distinctly separating it from schlager, cabaret or folk genres. For example, most Levenslied collections and singers, that I've heard, include plenty of 'poppy' renditions of traditional songs in their sets. And most anglophone ears would probably associate many tunes with the kind of Germanic oompah pop that now goes under the label of schlager. Obviously, it's Dutch Monday and there are tenuous linguistic and historic links to the featured song “Spanish Harlem”. 1969 brings the usual mix of mainstream and northern soul.

Levenslied

1969

Spanish Harlem

Dutch

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