We live in the Netherlands, in the north to be exact (Westerwolde). Back in the early 80s, there was a famous local singer named Ede Staal. His songs were about the beauty of the northern countryside. Peaceful flourishing meadows, but also the darkness when a storm's approaching over the fields. The small villages with their beautiful windmills and steeples (one of them is specifically named in these lyrics).

Cynically enough Ede's songs became well-known in the rest of the Netherlands, only after he died...

We did a cover version of what we think was his most atmospheric and romantic song: Hogeland (The Highland). After we recorded this we visited Ede's widow. She told us many of Ede's songs were covered by various artists (some well-known Dutch artists as well). She liked our version and kindly gave permission to publish it on YouTube (and use it for local gigs).

We visited all the places Ede describes in Hogeland, and Anne-Marie made video recordings. So what you are seeing in the video is exactly what the song is about:





Style is ALBERTI.STY (Alberti Classical Piano)
PianoCustom Synth is Synth/Plugin Loaded
Style MIDI Instruments are : Acoustic Piano (1), Acoustic Piano (1),
RealTracks in song: ~2051:Guitar, Acoustic, Fingerpicking CountryBrent Ev 085
RealTracks in song: 1757:Accordion, Rhythm Pop8ths Ev 085

For your convenience we've added an English translation:

It's the sky behind Uithuizen
It's that steeple of Spijk
It's the road from Leens to Klooster
Through the Westpolder along the dike

It's the windmills, the canals
It's the churches and the mansions
It's the land where, as a child
I had no sense of pains or worries

It's the windmills, it's the mansions...

It's a dovecote, a village street
It's an old bakery
It's the big farming towns
Warffum, Usquert and Zijldijk

It's the wheat, it's the oats,
It's the rapeseeds in bloom
It's the horizon at Ranum
When another storm brews

This is my land, my Highland...

It's May, a beautiful evening
A cow lows softly in the land
I'm with my very first girlfriend
I can feel the tingling of her hand

Those wild plans I may have had
Did not yet come to live
Until the night of 't Hogeland
Put a dark blanket over us

This is my land, my Highland

We are Rob Meulman and Anne-Marie Bovenkamp from The Netherlands.

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC1gsdNLE7_Gy8qavoOplQow/videos
http://rnam.net/