King's Song outcry

[Jazzy]

Tens of thousands of people in the Netherlands have objected to an official King's Song marking the 30 April investiture of Willem-Alexander.

The song, composed by Dutch-British producer John Ewbank and performed by 51 Dutch artists, was released on Friday morning.

By Saturday, an online petition entitled No to the King's Song had attracted 37,000 signatures.

Many objected to the lyrics as well as the mix of rap with traditional music.

Crown Prince Willem-Alexander, 45, and his Argentine-born wife Princess Maxima will become king and queen when his mother, Queen Beatrix, abdicates on 30 April aged 75.

In an interview broadcast on Thursday, he promised to be a "traditional king" but declared he would not be a "protocol fetishist".

The five-minute song - Koningslied in Dutch - is due to be performed in the presence of the new king and queen on the day of Willem-Alexander's swearing-in at 19:30 (17:30 GMT).

The performance, via video-link from the Ahoy sports arena in Rotterdam, is to feature some of the Netherlands' best-known stars including Marco Borsato and Trijntje Oosterhuis.

Full article

For our Netherlands members: Have you heard this song and if so, what did you think?

 

[Evil Eye]

*listens to it.*
Ehh, it's a bit strange to be honest.
Have you listened to it? It seems like the tempo changes from line to line. It just doesn't seem quite right to me.
As for the actual lyrics... How to put this... They sound almost religious about it all.