 In 1977, he renamed them "De Havenzangers", and their first single, "Aan het strand stil en verlaten," was an immediate hit.Their debut album (with the same title) sold hundreds of thousands of copies.During the 1970s and 1980s, the group scored a succession of hits, including "Trouw niet voor je veertig bent" and "Rome, we komen" (a soccer song written on the occasion of the 1990 FIFA World Cup).