Clouseau (a Belgian band) started as a group of friends back in 1984. Only … Read Full Bio ↴Clouseau (a Belgian band) started as a group of friends back in 1984. Only Karel Theys, the bass-player, had some previous experience in a band with The Employees. 1987 sees them coming out of the garage for the first time : they play Marktrock in Leuven en get a record deal for their first single "Brandweer".

In '88 they have a small hit with "Alleen met Jou" (Only with you) and win the Baccara-trophy in the squad of Raymond Van Het Groenewoud.

In 1989 they participated in the preselection to determine the Belgian delegate to the Eurovision Song Festival. Clouseau finishes second (behind Ingeborg), but now has a foot in the door. The breakthrough comes immediately with the single "Anne" and an album "Hoezo ?" (How so?). Screaming teenagers all over the place and smashed record sales in Belgium are the consequence. The Netherlands follow, when "Daar Gaat Ze" (There she goes) becomes a big hit. The 2nd album "Of zo" (Or so) also proves to be very successful.

1990 is a year which can only be described as the year of "Clouseau-mania". Everything the boys touch turns to gold.

Manager Hans Kusters : "They really appeal to the teens. Simple songs, but also lyrics in the form of "She comes, she goes or she is". No fuss about apartheid or the nuclear missiles. Clean, cute, sometimes rocking, sometimes slowing, always charming melodies with innocent and easily recognizable love- and dance stories."

In 1991, the Benelux is getting too small for the group so they (or at least the record company) decide to try to storm the European market.

This time they are appointed to participating for Belgium in the Eurovisionsongcontest (where the finish very low with "Geef het op", despite the very high hopes Flanders was posing in them). They record a CD in English called "Close Encounters" (mainly consisting of adaptations of their own Dutch songs) of which they sell 200.000 copies in the slipstream of Roxette's European tour of 1992.

The 2nd English-language album "In every small town", however, is a complete commercial failure. Frontman Koen Wauters starts a career as a television presenter and race-pilot (Paris-Dakar), kicks a few old friends out of the band and refocuses on the Dutch market with the CD "Oker" (Ochre) in 1995.

On the album "Adrenaline", only the two Wauters' Brothers remain. The album shows a more adult Clouseau. They have successfully survived the hype and are starting to produce decent material again, without the necessity to "score" or match the sales figures of the 1989-1990 craze.

What about the band members that were left behind :
- Bob Savenberg has ventured to a successful solo career (e.g. the duet with Dutch singer Stef Bos in "Breek de stilte" and his solo CD "Vuur en Vlam"). He also presented "Ultratop" (the Belgian hitparade on VRT) and has a small company that builds websites. In 2001, he did the show "Popstars" for VT4.
- Tjenne Berghmans has played in about every other Belgian group (e.g. The Scabs, Betty Goes Green ...) since he left Clouseau.
- Karel Theys, formerly of the Employees, was at the base of another Kloot Per W project, de Lama's in 1993-94.

In 1997, they release a compilation album "Clouseau 1987-1997" and have a celebration on their 10 years of existence. Koen Wauters (although hard to recognize amidst all the publicity for Belgacom) finishes another Dakar at the beginning of 1997. He also continues his television career (Familieraad, Koen & The Gang, Wedden dat ...), and fights off a female stalker in his bathroom. In 1999, he marries Carolijn Lillipally (who was a VJ for MTV-Europe).

In 1999 Clouseau conquers Flanders for the umpteenth time, on this occasion with the new CD "In Stereo". In a production with a lot of violins by Jean Blaute (see RvhG, Kate's Kennel ..) and with songs that were written by people such as Frank van der Linden (of De Mens), Jan Leyers (of My Velma & Soulsister), Mark Vanhie (The Bet, Sarah) and others, and pulled by singles such as "Heb ik ooit gezegd" (a Van Morisson-cover) and "Altijd meer en meer" the group even makes it back again as a headliner at Marktrock (where it all had started). This leads them to a new live-album, simply called "Live", released in 2000.

In 2001 they opened with an album with nothing but slow songs for the Dutch market - entitled "Ballades" - but in recording their next album they deliberately stepped away from this trend in ever slower songs. En Dans - wrapped in a funny cover hand-drawn by Marcel Vanthilt, who also sings on one song - was released in November 2001, and contained much more uptempo songs, taking them back to the starting days of the band. Most striking track was certainly the title song "En Dans", Clouseau in an festive disco-outfit. However the first single that was taken from the album was a ballad "Ik Geef Me Over" (I surrender) with a video that caused some controversy due to the smoking habit of Koen. Through the usual visits to radio stations and a break-in into the BigBrother house, the CD certainly didn't miss it's start, as it deserved platinum for 30,000 copies in the presales, and entered the album-charts at n°1. On the live-front it remained fairly quiet, working towards two gigantic gigs in the Sportpaleis in Antwerp in the month of December.

The band released their latest CD Vonken & Vuur ("Sparks & Fire") in March 2007.

Band members (original line-up) :
- Koen Wauters (vocals)
- Kris Wauters (keyboard and guitar)
- Bob Savenberg (drums and backing vocals)
- Karel Theys (bass)
- Tjenne Berghmans (guitar).

Albums :
- Hoezo(Hans Kusters Music - 1989)
- Of Zo (Hans Kuster Music - 1990)
- Close Encounters (EMI - 1991)
- Doorgaan (tot je niet meer op je benen kan staan) (EMI- 1992)
- In Every Small Town (EMI - 1993)
- Oker (EMI - 1995)
- Adrenaline (EMI - 1996)
- In Stereo (EMI - 1999)
- En Dans (EMI - 2001)
- Live in het Sportpaleis DVD ("Live at the Sport Palace, Antwerp") (2003)
- Vanbinnen (2004)
- Clouseau in 't lang DVD ("Live at the Sport Palace, Antwerp") (2006)
- Vonken en Vuur (2007)
- Zij aan Zij (2009)
Compilations :
- Clouseau Live (Hans Kusters Music - 1991)
- Clouseau 1987-1997 (EMI, 1997)
- Live (EMI, 2000)
- Ballades (EMI, 2001)

1 miljoen vlinders
Clouseau Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Ik heb vannacht de liefde gevonden
En ik beken
Ik wist niets af van haar bestaan
Ik heb vannacht de liefde gedronken
En ik word dronken, o zo dronken,
Ik word dronken
Stomdronken
Van haar

Mijn hart stond open en zij ging naar binnen
Iets wat sinds eeuwen niet meer was gebeurd
Overmand door zoveel emotie
Vervuld van hartstocht, verlost van twijfels
Vond ik mijn rust ver weg van de sleur
Refrein:
Liefde is 1 miljoen vlinders
In je buik of in je hoofd
Liefde is 1 miljoen vlinders
En ze blijven of ze gaan dude
Is er iemand die me kan helpen
Is er iemand die me begrijpt
Ze wil mijn lichaam volledig bedwelmen
Mijn hele zijn, mijn hebben en houden
Heel mijn wezen schreeuwt het uit
Refrein
Maar dit keer zijn ze hier gebleven
Voor eeuwig en altijd
Eeuwig en altijd
Ik wil de wereld laten weten
Ze hoort bij mij

Hoort alleen bij mij
Ik heb vannacht de liefde gevonden

Overall Meaning

In Clouseau's song "1 miljoen vlinders", the singer describes finding love unexpectedly and being overwhelmed by intense emotions. They compare the feeling of love to a million butterflies in their stomach or head, and express a desire to share this love with the world.

The first stanza describes the singer's discovery of love. They confess to being unaware of its existence until they found it. They drink in the feeling of love and become inebriated by it, losing themselves in the experience. The second stanza explains how deeply the singer has been affected by love. They were vulnerable and open, and love entered and consumed them, freeing them from doubts and giving them much-needed respite from routine.

The chorus emphasizes the all-encompassing and unpredictable nature of love, comparing it to a million butterflies that can either stay or leave. The singer pleads for someone to understand their plight, as they have been taken over by love and want to share it with the world. The final stanza highlights the eternal nature of the singer's love and their desire to let everyone know that this love is theirs and theirs alone.

Overall, "1 miljoen vlinders" is a song that passionately describes the overwhelming nature of falling in love and the desire to spread that love to the world.

Line by Line Meaning

Ik heb vannacht de liefde gevonden
Last night, I discovered love unexpectedly.

En ik beken
And I admit it.

Ik wist niets af van haar bestaan
I had no idea that love existed in this way.

Ik heb vannacht de liefde gedronken
I have consumed love like a drink.

En ik word dronken, o zo dronken,
And I become intoxicated, so very drunk.

Ik word dronken
I become drunk.

Stomdronken
Completely drunk.

Van haar
From love itself.

Mijn hart stond open en zij ging naar binnen
My heart was open and love came in.

Iets wat sinds eeuwen niet meer was gebeurd
Something that hadn't happened in centuries.

Overmand door zoveel emotie
Overwhelmed by so much emotion.