Lyrics and English translation below
Released 14 February 2023
Written, composed, arranged and produced by Amelia Ray
Language Consultant: Laura Weynants
Vocals: Amelia Ray
Guitar: Gustavo Eiriz
Accordion: Roman Gottwald
Mixed and mastered by Brandon Bankes
Portrait: Richard Hanssens
Cover design: Abhi Toshniwal
What does an American singer-songwriter living in Finland owe famed Belgian actor Jan Decleir? Apparently, an appreciation for the Dutch language. In 2006, San Francisco Bay Area native Amelia Ray spent three months on holiday studying Dutch at the University of Amsterdam. She was struggling to learn the language until she discovered the film Karakter in the university’s media library. In short order, Ray unearthed newfound motivation to study through a love of Decleir’s acting.
In the Oscar-winning 1997 film Karakter, Decleir stars as the cold-blooded bailiff Dreverhaven. The role earned him Joseph Plateau and Paris Film Festival best actor awards.
“I was struck by his ability to command entire scenes without uttering a word and his gift for portraying an overwhelming feeling of vulnerability,” Ray, who studied film at Howard University, says. “His films helped sustain my interest in learning Dutch, and I vowed to write a song letter to him one day.”
For years, Ray walked around with the melody to the beginning of that letter, “Beste meneer Decleir, vol van karakter” in her head. But the song never seemed to progress from there. Then, in 2020, she happened upon a portrait of Decleir on Instagram by Belgian artist Richard Hanssens. Ray thought the portrait would make a great single cover for the song she hadn’t yet written, and saved the post to her favourites.
It would take another two years before inspiration would strike. Or rather, before Ray would force herself to sit down and finish the song.
“I spent most of last year trying to fund for Europe for Ukraine – a project to gather musicians from 50 European countries to record an original song in support of Ukraine,” Ray, who has lived in Finland since 2019, states. “I ran into several roadblocks and got pretty depressed. In an effort to distract myself, I decided to focus on some projects that had been sitting on the shelf.”
“Beste meneer Decleir” was one of them.
Of course, the song – which traces Ray’s journey learning the language with Decleir’s help – had to be written in Dutch. A polyglot with a degree in French who worked for years as a translator and interpreter in Spain, Ray had written 2014’s “Ana no potable” – a comedic, scathing critique of the then mayor of Madrid, Ana Botella – in Spanish. But Ray had never before written in Dutch. With the help of Google Translate, online dictionaries and thesauruses, and countless hours spent studying songwriters like Boudewijn de Groot, Willem Vermandere and Herman van Veen, she pieced together a very rough draft. Ray’s friend Laura Weynants, of Ekeren, helped her correct it. “I relented to most of her suggestions to improve comprehension, and she, in turn, yielded to some of my artistic demands, resulting in a bit of Dutchish or Englutch, if you prefer,” Ray jokes. The song references some of Decleir’s films, including the aforementioned Karakter and De Zaak Alzheimer.
Weynants also gave Ray pronunciation lessons, and while an attentive student, Ray says most of her training went out of the window once she was in front of the microphone. “Some lines are sung with a Dutch accent, some with a Flemish accent, and there’s even a bit of French in there. But mostly it’s an American just doing her best to convey heartfelt appreciation in a second language.”
With the lyrics and music completed, all that was left was the issue of the cover art.
In November 2022, Ray contacted Hanssens to ask permission to use his portrait of Jan Decleir. Hanssens was excited about the idea but couldn’t legally grant permission without approval from the photographer of the image upon which the portrait was based. And the only copy of the photograph Hanssens had was uncredited. Thus began an adventurous two-month search involving Jan Decleir’s management, several photographers who had taken similar photos, and a British crime novelist. Eventually, with the help of Het Nieuwsblad’s editorial team, the elusive photographer, Belgium’s Wim Daneels, was located. Daneels gladly blessed the project.
Musically, Ray took inspiration from Barbara’s 1970 chanson lament “Madame” – which is sung to the sender of a letter – and Wannes van de Welde’s “Voor De Deur Van De Taverne”. “I wanted it to feel solemnly respectful but also a bit playful. The arrangement had to be elegant and harken to kleinkunst,” Ray explains, referring to the early 1960s Flemish and Dutch singer-songwriter genre. The song features Roman Gottwald on accordion and Gustavo Eiriz on guitar.
“I hope the song will bring Mr. Decleir a fraction of the joy he has provided me over the years,” Ray states.
Though Ray never took another Dutch course, through watching (mostly Decleir’s) films over the years, she still possesses pretty fair listening and reading comprehension. Though she admits, “I may never perfect the ‘ggg’ sound.”
“Beste meneer Decleir” releases 14 February – Jan Decleir’s 77th birthday – on all steaming platforms.
“Beste meneer Decleir”
Beste meneer Decleir, vol van karakter
Die oprecht inspiratie op mijn ziel toezingt
Een liefde voor woorden en stilte u me brengt
Waar licht en leven weer, is meneer Decleir
De zoektocht roepte mij, het vliegtuig stapte ik in
Naar het oosten verhuisde, nieuwe taal te verwerven
Gemakkelijk moet het zijn, veel op Engels het lijkt
Een grappig mysterie binnenkort blijkt
De bepaling van uitspraak, zo genadeloos
Als een koppige directeur van een jongens tehuis
Het verschil tussen ‘de’ en ‘het’, ‘wezen' en ‘ben’
Liet me zo verdwaald als een bedelkind
Toen in de mediatheek u verscheen
Mijn gevoel van verslagenheid verdween meteen
Beste meneer Decleir, vol van karakter
Die oprecht inspiratie op mijn ziel toezingt
Een liefde voor woorden en stilte u me brengt
Waar licht en leven weer, is meneer Decleir
Gauw kon ik kabeljauw, Jenever gekocht
Met het zelfvertrouwen van een boer die ten huwelijk vraagt
Ik kan voor een koor prediken over onrecht, en
De toeristen in de rivier smijten
Door de schurken en helden die u vertolkt
Een nieuwe kant van mezelf duidelijk wordt
De jaren verstreken en dreven de weg
Uw kunst ontroert nog altijd de tranen in mij
Wanneer ik vrees dat mijn kennis verschaalt en verdort
Heb ik menig sprookje dat door u verteld wordt
Beste meneer Decleir, vol van karakter
Die oprecht inspiratie op mijn ziel toezingt
Een liefde voor woorden en stilte u me brengt
Waar licht en leven weer, is meneer Decleir
© 2022 Amelia C. Ray
“Dear Mr. Decleir”
Dear Mr. Decleir, full of character
Who sings sincere inspiration to my soul
Who, in me, a love of words and of silence unfolds
Where there is light and life again, there is Mr. Decleir
The quest called to me, I stepped on the plane
Moved to the east, in a new language to train
I thought it would be easy, it’s so like English
Soon I would discover this thinking foolish
The cruel and merciless pronunciation rules
Were as stubborn as a director of a boys’ reform school
Trying to tell which “the” to use and which “be” to be
Left me feeling as lost as Orphan Annie
When, on the screen you appeared
My feelings of defeat immediately disappeared
Dear Mr. Decleir, full of character
Who sings sincere inspiration to my soul
Who, in me, a love of words and of silence unfolds
Where there is light and life again, there is Mr. Decleir
Soon I was ordering sandwiches and shots
With the confidence of a suitor, hot-to-trot
I could preach to the choir and make them think
Or toss unwanted tourists into the drink
Through the villains and heroes you brought to life
A new side of myself came to light
The years passed and I bid the quest goodbye
Your art still brings a tear to my eye
Should I feel my knowledge begin to wither and wane
I can go back and watch all your films again
Dear Mr. Decleir, full of character
Who sings sincere inspiration to my soul
Who, in me, a love of words and of silence unfolds
Where there is light and life again, there is Mr. Decleir
© 2022 Amelia C. Ray