Onderweg

"Onderweg"
Single by Abel
from the album De stilte voorbij
LanguageDutch
Released14 January 2000
GenreNederpop[1]
Length3:10
LabelPIAS
SongwriterJoris Rasenberg
ProducerRob van Donselaar
Abel singles chronology
"3 dagen zon"
(1999) 		"Onderweg"
(2000) 		"Neem me mee"
(2000)

"Onderweg" (transl. "On the Road") is a song by the Dutch band Abel. It was released on 14 January 2000 as the second single from their debut album De stilte voorbij. It was written by the band's singer Joris Rasenberg.

The song was number one for six weeks on the Dutch Top 40 beginning in February 2000. It also reached number two in the Flanders region of Belgium. The song was a unique hit for featuring Rasenberg's southern Dutch accent, including his usage of the soft G.[2] It was named the fourth-biggest hit of 2000 in the Netherlands.[3] The band did not repeat the same success after the song, and are considered a one-hit wonder.[4]

In 2018, the song was interpolated by rappers Frenna and Lil' Kleine on the song "Verleden tijd", which also spent six weeks at number one in the Netherlands.

Background

Abel, a band from the city Breda, began in 1996 by doing cover songs in cafes.[5] They released their debut single "3 dagen zon" (lit. '3 Days of Sun') in 1999. On 8 January 2000, Abel performed at the Noorderslag festival in Groningen, which focused on emerging Dutch music talent. Shortly afterwards, the band released "Onderweg" as a single.[6] The band almost did not include the song on the album. "It was just one of the songs we had written for us, but we didn't necessarily think it was the best song and the demo was already quite long," singer and songwriter Joris Rasenberg told Business Insider.[5]

"Onderweg" is a breakup song. The verses describe how the protagonist of the song travels a certain route, from home to a bus and then to a train. In the chorus, the narrator thinks back to the good times with his lover, but eventually comes to the conclusion that they did not fit together.[3]

The single sold over 250,000 copies in the Benelux region.[7] The band was not able to sustain success, and would lose several members. In 2004, Rasenberg began a career as a music teacher at a secondary school.[8]

Music video

The music video starred Dutch actress Birgit Schuurman.[5] It was filmed in the Amstelveenseweg metro station.[9]

Legacy

"Onderweg" is seen as a Nederpop classic.[10] Lyrics from the song are written on the western pillars of the Breda bus station. Since 2001, the song has appeared on the country's Top 2000 greatest songs of all time poll, reaching its highest spot of 198 in 2018.[11]

In 2011, Anouk released an English-language cover of the song, titled "What Have You Done", as a single for her seventh studio album To Get Her Together. It reached No. 14 on the Dutch Top 40.[12]

In 2014, Guus Meeuwis covered "Onderweg" on his album Hollandse Meesters. It was a collaboration with the New Cool Collective Big Band.[13]

In 2018, rappers Frenna and Lil' Kleine heavily interpolated "Onderweg" on their song "Verleden tijd", which like the original also reached No. 1 on the Dutch Top 40 for six weeks.[14]

Charts

References

  1. ^ https://www.npo3fm.nl/nieuws/3fm-nieuws/ef2edff0-3488-4c22-9cdb-22b2ef0d0c83/lil-kleine-verbreekt-alle-spotify-records-met-hiphop-versie-van-onderweg
  2. ^ "Band Abel uit Breda is dit najaar weer heel veel 'onderweg'". Omroep Brabant: het laatste nieuws uit Brabant, sport en informatie uit jouw regio. (in Dutch). 5 April 2024. Retrieved 10 January 2026.
  3. ^ a b "Neurie 't of heurie 't niet?!". www.rijnmond.nl (in Dutch). 7 November 2012. Retrieved 10 January 2026.
  4. ^ "Abel: Het verhaal achter 'Onderweg'". NPO Radio 5 (in Dutch). Retrieved 10 January 2026.
  5. ^ a b c "Abels nummer-1 hit Onderweg belandt bijna in de prullenbak". NPO Radio 2 (in Dutch). Retrieved 10 January 2026.
  6. ^ "Onderweg - Abel". NPO Radio 5 (in Dutch). Retrieved 10 January 2026.
  7. ^ Ester, Rob (4 May 2011). "Onderweg - Een Wijze Les". Eerste Hulp bij Plaatopnamen. Retrieved 10 January 2026.
  8. ^ "Abel maakt 24 jaar na hit 'Onderweg' comeback met nieuwe muziek". www.linda.nl (in Dutch). Retrieved 10 January 2026.
  9. ^ "Abel: een klassieke eendagsvlieg". Panorama (in Dutch). 5 January 2018. Retrieved 10 January 2026.
  10. ^ "Abel na dertien jaar afwezigheid opnieuw onderweg". NPO Radio 2 (in Dutch). Retrieved 10 January 2026.
  11. ^ "Onderweg van Abel uit 2000 in Top 2000". Top 2000 (in Dutch). 14 December 2025. Retrieved 10 January 2026.
  12. ^ "Zanger Abel blij met cover Anouk". NU.nl. Retrieved 10 January 2026.
  13. ^ Hakvoort, Marcel (27 October 2014). "Guus Meeuwis & New Cool Collective Big Band – Hollandse Meesters". .: Maxazine :. (in Dutch). Retrieved 10 January 2026.
  14. ^ "Top 40: Frenna en Lil Kleine naar nummer 1". 21 September 2018.
  15. ^ "Abel – Onderweg" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50. Retrieved January 7, 2022.
  16. ^ "Nederlandse Top 40 – Abel" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40. Retrieved January 7, 2022.
  17. ^ "Abel – Onderweg" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved January 7, 2022.
  18. ^ "Jaaroverzichten 2019" (in Dutch). Ultratop. Retrieved 14 August 2020.
  19. ^ "Top 100–Jaaroverzicht van 2000". Dutch Top 40. Retrieved 12 December 2022.
  20. ^ "Jaaroverzichten – Single 2019" (in Dutch). MegaCharts. Retrieved 23 June 2022.
  21. ^ "Decennium Charts – Singles 2000–2009" (in Dutch). MegaCharts. Retrieved 3 May 2022.
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