Many people believe this to be Jacques Brel's greatest song. It was recorded live in 1964 during a typically emotional Brel performance. In 1970, David Bowie recorded an English version that was released as the B-side of "Sorrow" in 1973. The song, which loses nothing in translation, is not about the city of Amsterdam but about the port, in particular about sailors on shore leave drinking and whoring, and the women who sell them their bodies for "a few dirty coins."
"Amsterdam" has also been recorded in Polish, and has been covered by many artists.
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