The "Prinsenvlag" displaying an orange strip instead of red at the top which the phrase refers to.
The song has its origins in the late 19th century, when Emma of Waldeck and Pyrmont became regent of the Netherlands between 1890 and 1898.[1] The song soon grew in popularity especially during World War II, the song was frequently sung as a sign of resistance. "Oranje boven" refers to the Prince's tricolour of William the Silent which originated between 1588 and 1630 as a symbol used by the watergeuzen (lit.'Sea Beggars') and later by those whose allegiance was with the dutch during the Eighty Years' War against Spain.[2][3] The tricolour became a symbol of freedom and dutch nationalism even after the orange was replaced by red with the Statenvlag[3] and many people still fly an orange pennon above the national flag on public holidays,[4] although the "prinsenvlag" in the modern day is seen as controversial in the modern day due to its use by the ,now defunct, far-right organisation "National Socialist Movement in the Netherlands" or "NSB"[5] which led to it becoming a symbol of the Dutch far-right.[6] Nevertheless, the song still sees moderate popularity and is often sung on Koningsdag (lit.'King's Day') and Prinsjesdag (lit.'Little Prince's Day'), as well as during royal visits, and sporting events.
After the abdication of Queen Beatrix and the inauguration of King Willem-Alexander on 30 April 2013, for the first time in over 120 years a king sat on the dutch throne. The lyrics of the song were not appropriate for a male monarch, which led to a decline in its usage. Some alternatives to adapt to the male monarch have been suggested and implemented to some extent, such as "leve het koningspaar (lit.'long live the royal couple')" to the original tune or, with the addition of a few notes, "leve de koning en de koningin (lit.'long live the king and queen')".[7]
Lyrics
Original text
English translation
Oranje boven,
Oranje boven,
Leve de koningin!
Leve de koningin!
Orange above,
Orange above,
Long live the queen!
Long live the queen!
Melody of "Oranje Boven" and "we zijn er bijna"
Contrafact
Oranje boven is a contrafact of the children's song "We zijn er bijna" which "Oranje Boven" borrows its lyrical structure and melody."We zijn er bijna"s lyrics are shown below:
Dutch actor, singer, writer and producer, Jon van Eerd released a comedy titled "Oranje boven".[8]
Dutch comedian and celebrity André van Duin released a single called "Oranje boven" in February 2013 under his own management.[9] He used the original lyrics as the refrain although replacing the phrase "Leve de koningin" with "Leve de koning en Máxima" in connection to the abdication of Queen Beatrix.[10] The song was a commercial failure.
Sophie Straat released a song for her album "Smartlap is Nied doot" released on the 3rd March 2023 called "Oranje boven"[11] it's critical of the dutch monarchy and especially the funding they get and calls for the dutch people to renounce the monarchy.[12]
In the 1977 film A Bridge Too Far the song is sung by the people of Eindhoven celebrating the liberation by allied troops in 1944.[13]
