"15 miljoen mensen" (lit. '15 Million People') is a song by Dutch duo Fluitsma & Van Tijn released in 1996. The lyrics for the song were written by Frank Pels. It was originally intended for a commercial for Postbank N.V.. The brief version of the song for the commercial became very popular which led to a longer recording. The phrase "15 miljoen mensen" was later included in the dictionary by van Dale in 2018.[1] The song was covered several times, most notably in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, by Dutch singer Davina Michelle and rapper Snelle with modified lyrics and a modified title, "17 miljoen mensen".
On the chart issue dated 3 February 1996, the song debuted at number 27 on the Dutch Top 40.[2] It managed to peak at number one on the Dutch Top 40 chart for the chart issue dated 17 February 1996 where it stayed for two consecutive weeks.[3] It spent a total of 17 weeks on the chart, last being seen at a position of 28 on 27 April 1996.[4] On the Single Top 100, it debuted at number 34 on the chart issue of 3 February 1996, only to move to the top of the chart in its third week, on 17 February 1996.[5][6] It spent an additional week on top of the chart.[7]
Davina Michelle and Snelle cover
| "17 miljoen mensen" |
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| Language | Dutch |
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| Released | 20 March 2020 |
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| Genre | Pop |
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| Length | 1:47 |
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| Label | Universal |
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| Songwriters |
- Eric van Tijn
- Jochem Fluitsma
- Frank Pels
- Lars Bos
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"Venus"
(2020) |
"17 miljoen mensen"
(2020) |
"Verliezen met jullie"
(2020) |
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"Beat Me"
(2020) |
"17 miljoen mensen"
(2020) |
"My Own World"
(2020) |
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On 20 March 2020, a new version of the song, titled "17 miljoen mensen" was released by Dutch singer Davina Michelle and rapper Snelle. As their version was released during the COVID-19 pandemic, it featured lyrics written by Snelle which were adapted to it. The song came out during one of a four-streak concert by Michelle given at the empty Rotterdam Ahoy to comply with the rules.[12]
Their updated version of the song was very commercially successful in the Netherlands. It debuted at number 24 on the Dutch Top 40 for the week of 28 March 2020.[13] The following week it moved to its peak position of number one, where it stayed four consecutive weeks.[14] With a duration of only 1 minute and 47 seconds, it became the shortest song ever to top the charts.[15][16] It spent a total of twelve weeks on the chart, with its last position being number 40 on 13 June.[17] On the Single Top 100, it peaked at a position of number one in its first week of charting, for the issue dated 28 March 2020.[18] It spent the following four weeks on the top of the charts, before moving to a position of number two in its fifth week. It was last seen on the chart at a position of number 96 on the issue dated 1 August 2020.[19] It also peaked at number 10 on the Belgian Ultratip charts.[20]
Other cover versions
In 2006, Dutch singer Guus Meeuwis covered "15 miljoen mensen" as a B-side to his single "Ik wil dat ons land juicht".[23] On 16 May 2018, he covered the song live at the RTL Late Night show.[24] In February 2024, Dutch DJ and producer Edwin Evers made a new cover of the song, titled "18 miljoen mensen" and presented it on the third episode of his radio show Evers & Co on Radio 538.[25]