{"id":101789,"date":"2019-08-20T12:53:01","date_gmt":"2019-08-20T10:53:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.erasmusmagazine.nl\/en\/?p=101789"},"modified":"2025-12-19T11:24:24","modified_gmt":"2025-12-19T10:24:24","slug":"rotterdam-still-the-allermooiste-rotstad-the-most-beautiful-rot-city","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.erasmusmagazine.nl\/en\/2019\/08\/20\/rotterdam-still-the-allermooiste-rotstad-the-most-beautiful-rot-city\/","title":{"rendered":"Everything you need to know about The Rotterdam Song, your new anthem"},"content":{"rendered":"

A couple of days before Eurekaweek, on the terrace of Locus Publicus, Stijn Honders (24) and Tom-Bosse Bout (20), both members of the Hermes House Band, talk about the band, Eurekaweek and the song about our \u2018most beautiful \u2018rot\u2019 city\u2019: Het Rotterdamlied [The Rotterdam Song].<\/p>\n

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Frontman Stijn Honders during a Hermes House Band show<\/span><\/p>

\n\t\n\n<\/svg>\n<\/span>\n\tImage by:<\/span>\n\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tHermes House Band<\/span>\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>

\u00a0<\/p>\n

Laat me je de stad tonen, waarvan ik ben gaan houden [Let me show you the city, the city that I\u2019ve learned to love]<\/em><\/p>\n

Zwier mee over het Weena met z\u2019n hoge flatgebouwen [Come on down the Weena with its high apartment blocks]<\/em><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cIn Amsterdam, people obviously react to the song very differently than here.\u201d Stijn, the band\u2019s singer for three years, laughs: \u201cWhich is natural! There they start to heckle us when we sing about our city, but when we play at home, it\u2019s always a great party.\u201d Tom-Bosse, keyboard player, agrees: \u201cEveryone always sings along very loudly.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Hermes House Band, house band of the Rotterdams Studenten Corps fraternity (RSC-RVSV), was founded in the 1980s and has had several number 1 hits, including their cover of Gloria Gaynor\u2019s I Will Survive<\/em>. Besides the student band, there is also an international band, which only performs abroad.<\/p>\n

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Stijn (left) and Tom-Bosse<\/span><\/p>

\n\t\n\n<\/svg>\n<\/span>\n\tImage by:<\/span>\n\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tLana van der Meer<\/a>\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>

Dedication<\/h2>

The Rotterdam song is probably older than the average student singing along to it. Maartje Duin and Amir Swaab wrote it in 1998 for a musical (Zaken doen<\/em> by the Rotterdamsche Muziek- en Toneelvereniging [Rotterdam Music and Theatre Club]). RSC members rewrote it several years later, and the song is now a permanent feature during the opening of Eurekaweek.<\/p>\n

The ten members of the student band are preferably always members of RSC-RVSV. When the first-years are enrolling, a list is drawn up of students who play an instrument, so that they be asked later if they would like to join the band. You can only play in the band if you are a student.<\/p>\n\n\t

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\n\t\t\u2018You might not think it, but playing in Ahoy is actually always very intimate\u2019\n\t<\/blockquote>\n\n\t<\/figure>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n

Stijn: \u201cIt\u2019s a real commitment, because we rehearse every Tuesday, and everyone is always present. Before the rehearsal, we have a meal together. And then you\u2019ve got all the shows.\u201d Tom-Bosse has been in the band for nearly two years: \u201cIt\u2019s pretty intense, but following the rigorous audition and all the information, you have a good idea of what you\u2019re getting into. Actually, members never drop out, and everyone plays with the band for as long as possible.\u201d This year, they have nearly seventy shows booked, so it\u2019s quite demanding. \u201cBut it\u2019s a brilliant experience. Take this weekend, for example: we\u2019re performing at a party in Tuscany,\u201d says Stijn. They earn virtually nothing from it, but accommodation and transport are arranged. \u201cWe\u2019re not in this to get rich.\u201d<\/p>\n

For new students, Eurekaweek is often the first time that they hear the Rotterdam song. Stijn: \u201cOn Monday, the two of us are playing in Ahoy, which is amazing.\u201d Accompanied by Tom-Bosse, Stijn sings the Rotterdam song. \u201cYou might not think it, but playing in Ahoy is actually always very intimate.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Members of the Hermes House Band showing off their dance moves<\/span><\/p>

\n\t\n\n<\/svg>\n<\/span>\n\tImage by:<\/span>\n\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tLana van der Meer<\/a>\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>

Market Hall and Cube Houses<\/h2>

\u00a0<\/p>\n

Schei toch uit over die moffen, hou toch op over die bommen [Shut up about the Krauts, shut up about the bombs]<\/em><\/p>\n

Rotterdam, stad zonder hart, mijn hart ligt er wel, verdomme [Rotterdam, city without a heart, but my heart\u2019s there, damn it] <\/em><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

The song is now older than most of the students and perhaps a bit dated? \u201cNo, I don\u2019t agree,\u201d says Tom-Bosse. \u201cIt\u2019s still relevant, actually. There are obviously some districts that have been revamped.\u201d Stijn: \u201cThe Witte de Withstraat used to be nothing special, but now it could definitely be used in the lyrics. Just like Katendrecht and Central Station.\u201d De Blaak is op een marktdag vol handen uit de mouwen en wordt omringd door Rotterdams merkwaardigste gebouwen<\/em> [On market day, the Blaak is a hub of activity, surrounded by Rotterdam\u2019s most interesting buildings<\/em>] is still the same today. \u201cPeople come from all over the world to see the Cube Houses,\u201d says Stijn.<\/p>\n

There is some debate about the nickname for the Erasmus Bridge, the Zwaan (Swan): \u201cTo be honest, we\u2019ve never heard any of our peers call it that, but I\u2019ve heard elderly people use that name,\u201d says Tom-Bosse. According to the boys, despite all the improvements, Rotterdam stad zonder franje, zonder goud, zonder champagne [Rotterdam city without frills, with no gold, no champagne]<\/em> is still true. \u201cWe obviously love Rotterdam, but if you compare it with other cities, it\u2019s still pretty basic here, and the same applies to the mentality of people in Rotterdam. Just act normal.\u201d<\/p>\n

Personally, the bit about Kralingen appeals most to Tom-Bosse and Stijn. Tom-Bosse: \u201cMany of our members obviously live in the area, and it\u2019s where the university is. It\u2019s an important part of our lives.\u201d Stijn: \u201cWhen we play in Rotterdam or at the fraternity, we always get the audience to sing the bit about Kralingen. Always gives us goose bumps.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

Al die havens en fabrieken en die stinklucht uit Pernis [All those ports and factories and that bad smell from Pernis]<\/em><\/p>\n

Maken Rotterdam de allermooiste rotstad die er is<\/em>\u00a0[Make Rotterdam the most beautiful \u2018Rot\u2019 city in the world<\/em>]<\/p>\n

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