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)
Als Er Ooit Iets Fout Zou Gaan
Clouseau Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
dan wist ik wat te doen
Als zij me in de kou liet staan
dan kwam ik naar je toe
ze heeft me hart en ziel gegeven
maar ik voel veel meer voor jou
ik kan haar zomaar niet verlaten
als er ooit iets fout zou gaan
dan staat mijn koffer klaar
als zij me in de kou liet staan
dan treur ik niet om haar
dan zou ik huilen van bevrijding
want je bent bij mij voorgoed
dan zou ik schuilen in je armen
slapen in je warme gloed
dan ren ik naar je toe
dan ren ik naar je toe
dan ren ik naar je toe
dan ren ik naar je toe
er valt nog zoveel te beginnen
mag ik je beminnen voor altijd?
ze heeft me hart en ziel gegeven
maar zij is al lang mijn liefde kwijt
Als er ooit iets fout zou gaan
dan maak ik het niet goed
als zij me in de kou liet staan
verlaat ik haar voorgoed
ik laat me drijven naar je eiland
twijfel niet aan wat je doet
de hemel komt nu heel dichtbij want
zo heb ik me nooit gevoeld
nu ren ik naar je toe
woo-o-o-o-o-
nu ren ik naar je toe
Woo-o-o-o-o-
ALs er ooit iets fout zou gaan
als er ooit iets fout zou gaan
als er ooit iets fout zou gaan
dan weet ik waar naartoe...
The lyrics of Clouseau's song "Als Er Ooit Iets Fout Zou Gaan," which translates to "If Something Ever Goes Wrong," is about a person who is in love with someone else despite being in a committed relationship with someone else. The first stanza talks about if something were to go wrong with his current relationship, he knows what to do, which is to go to the person he truly loves. The second stanza talks about how his current partner has given him her heart and soul, but he feels much more for the other person. However, he cannot leave his current partner just like that because she is still his wife.
The chorus talks about how his bags would be packed and ready in case something goes wrong, and he would not mourn for his current partner. Instead, he would cry tears of relief as he embraces his true love, finding solace in their arms. The bridge talks about how there's so much left to begin with his true love, and how he wants to love them forever. But he also acknowledges that his current partner has lost his love, and there is no way to fix that. The song ends with the repeated chorus of him running towards his true love.
One interesting fact about this song is that it was released in 1995 and became one of the biggest hits for Clouseau in Belgium, the Netherlands, and Germany. Another interesting fact is that despite the melancholic lyrics, the song has an upbeat tempo and a catchy melody that makes it a popular sing-along song. The song was also covered by Belgian singer Lara Fabian in 1999, which helped to introduce the song to a wider audience.
Another interesting fact is that the lead singer of the band, Koen Wauters, wrote the song about his real-life relationship with his wife, Valerie De Booser. At the time, Wauters was still married to his first wife, but he knew that he had strong feelings for De Booser, who he would later marry in 2004. The song became a huge hit, and many people speculated that the lyrics were about his real-life affair, which he later confirmed.
The song has become a staple in Clouseau's repertoire and is still played frequently on the radio and at their concerts. The band has even recorded a live version of the song, which was released on their live album, "En Dans," in 1996. Additionally, the song has been covered by several other artists over the years, including Dutch singer Marco Borsato.
The chords for this song are not known at this time.
Line by Line Meaning
als er ooit iets fout zou gaan
If something ever goes wrong
dan wist ik wat te doen
I would know what to do
Als zij me in de kou liet staan
If she left me out in the cold
dan kwam ik naar je toe
I would come to you
ze heeft me hart en ziel gegeven
She has given me her heart and soul
maar ik voel veel meer voor jou
But I feel so much more for you
ik kan haar zomaar niet verlaten
I can't just leave her behind
want ze blijft nog steeds mijn vrouw
Because she's still my wife
dan staat mijn koffer klaar
Then my suitcase is ready
dan treur ik niet om haar
Then I won't mourn for her
dan zou ik huilen van bevrijding
Then I would cry tears of liberation
want je bent bij mij voorgoed
Because you're with me forever
dan zou ik schuilen in je armen
Then I would take refuge in your arms
slapen in je warme gloed
Sleeping in your warm glow
dan ren ik naar je toe
Then I would run to you
er valt nog zoveel te beginnen
There's still so much to start
mag ik je beminnen voor altijd?
May I love you forever?
maar zij is al lang mijn liefde kwijt
But she lost my love a long time ago
dan maak ik het niet goed
Then I won't make it right
verlaat ik haar voorgoed
I'll leave her for good
ik laat me drijven naar je eiland
I'll let myself drift to your island
twijfel niet aan wat je doet
Don't doubt what you're doing
de hemel komt nu heel dichtbij want
Heaven is now very near because
zo heb ik me nooit gevoeld
I've never felt like this before
nu ren ik naar je toe
Now I'm running to you
als er ooit iets fout zou gaan
If something ever goes wrong
dan weet ik waar naartoe...
Then I know where to go...
Contributed by Bentley D. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Wim Ivens
Ben geen Clouseau fan, integendeel, maar dit is niets meer of minder dan een fantastische song. Clouseau -> chapeau.
Nashuata
geweldig liedje !!! i love it !!
Lies N
ik schrok me rot toen ik wist dat dit de stem van Koen was, prachtig!!
Laura Pauwels
Ik bn echt megaaa grote fan clouseau en dit liedje vind ik gewoon super!!
Ken Marcs
Weer bevestiging , Wauters is een groot zanger ! Spijtig dat de hoge stem heel hel nummer blijft aanhouden, verliest kracht en geheimzinnigheid na een poos. Je verwacht lager vuurwerk vanaf het eerste refrein. spijtig. Wel bijzonder mooi en sterke song. Chapeau !
hilde vanmoerkerke
prachtig liedje en heel mooi gezongen, eens iets anders, de tekst laat zoveel open voor iederéén
BBKevn
geen zotte clouseau fan maar echt respect voor Koens prestatie bij dit mooi nummer...
Soren
Ik vindt dit lied toch wel speciaal, de tekst is diep en toch zo simpel. Dit zou wel eens later een openingsdans voor mij kunnen worden.
david van der smissen
dit is een liedje.....................waar ik heel veel steun aan had, maanden lang....vechten, vechten...elke dag opnieuw....het sterkste liedje van hen dat ik ooit hoorde, zeker nu.....
Evy Schacht
Wow! toen mijn moeder zei dat Clouseau dit liedje zong kon ik dat echt nie gelove xD