Entertainment
What was the original Van Der Valk theme tune and who performed it?-Caroline Westbrook-Entertainment – Metro
It’s a pretty iconic theme.
Van Der Valk has a pretty familiar theme tune (Picture: Rex Shutterstock)
Series two of the ITV reboot of Dutch detective drama Van Der Valk is just around the corner.
Marc Warren will return as Piet Van Der Valk in the Amsterdam-set crime drama alongside Maimie McCoy as Lucienne, Luke Allen Gale as Brad de Vries, Elliot Barnes-Worrell as Job Cloovers, Darrell D’Silva as pathologist Hendrik Davie, and Emma Fielding as Julia Dahlman.
However, viewers watching the first series realised one very important element from the original Van Der Valk was missing.
The show’s very famous theme tune was notably absent from the 2020s version of the 1970s series, which saw Barry Foster take on the iconic role of Van Der Valk.
Instead, viewers got a new theme tune, with only hints of the original – leaving many of them fuming, as the classic track remains very well remembered after all these years.
So, just what was the original theme song, and who was it by?
What was the original Van Der Valk theme and who performed it?
The original Van Der Valk theme was called Eye Level.
It was originally performed by the Simon Park Orchestra, who landed themselves a pretty big hit with the track, as it went all the way to number one in 1973.
Eye Level was based on a German/Dutch nursery rhyme, which was also inspired by Mozart’s The Marriage Of Figaro, and was adapted by Dutch composer Jan Stoeckart.
The track was originally released in 1972 – the year that Van Der Valk made his TV debut – but only spent two weeks in the charts, before soaring to number one when it was re-issued the following year.
It stayed at the top of the charts for four weeks, selling over a million copies and being certified platinum in the process – also becoming one of the 12 biggest selling singles of the 1970s.
Barry Foster starred as the original Van Der Valk (Picture: Fremantle Media / REX / Shutterstock)
The track has also been used in adverts both here and in the US.
It was featured in all five of the previous series of Van Der Valk, which ran on and off from 1972 to 1991.
The show originally aired in 1972, 1973, and 1977, before returning 14 years later for two more seasons in 1991 and 1992.
When is Van Der Valk on?
Series two of Van Der Valk begins tonight (Sunday, August 7) on ITV at 8pm.
If you’re busy or need to catch up on series one, you can also watch on ITV Hub and Britbox.
MORE : Van Der Valk viewers fume as they spot major error with accents: ‘Where are the Dutch actors?’
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