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 We Dood Zijn
Clouseau Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
een gevoel van spijt
maar je rekent op het feit dat alles
slijt met de tijd
we negeren het graag
maar het komt steeds terug
dus dan blijf je makkelijk zwijgen
tot het laatste zucht
is het te laat om iets te doen
je kan niet meer boos zijn
er is geen straks, en ook geen toen
Als we dood zijn
word alles wat we voelde koud
dus laat ons groot zijn
zeg sorry, ik was fout
En we kwetste vaak
iemand die van ons houdt
maar we zijn veel te trots om toe te geven
eerlijk ik zat fout
eigenlijk wil je het wel
toch weet je niet hoe
maar geloof me, de manier waarop
doet er niet toe
Want als we dood zijn
is het te laat om iets te doen
je kan niet meer boos zijn
er is geen straks, en ook geen toen
Als we dood zijn
word alles wat we voelde koud
dus laat ons groot zijn
zeg sorry, ik was fout
we zijn zo bezig met onszelf
dat we vergeten wat echt telt
word het niet tijd dat ik je bel
Want als we dood zijn
is het te laat om iets te doen
je kan niet meer boos zijn
er is geen straks, en ook geen toen
Als we dood zijn
word alles wat we voelde koud
dus laat ons groot zijn
zeg sorry, ik was fout
made by Dorien van Veen
The song "Als We Dood Zijn" by Clouseau is a powerful reminder to live life with no regrets. The lyrics reflect on the idea that as humans, we often neglect to acknowledge our mistakes and missteps, causing hurt and pain to those we love. The song urges listeners to make amends and to not wait until it's too late. The chorus in particular, emphasizes the finality and coldness of death and the importance of being humble, apologetic, and honest in the present moment.
The song opens with the line "Het bekruipt ons vaak, een gevoel van spijt" which translates to, "We often feel a sense of regret." This sets the tone for the song and highlights the theme of missed opportunities and lost chances. The lyrics suggest that we choose to ignore these feelings of regret and let them fester, but ultimately, it's important to face these emotions head-on. The line "dus dan blijf je makkelijk zwijgen tot het laatste zucht" means that oftentimes, we don't address our regrets until our final moments, which is too late to make things right.
The second verse acknowledges the hurt that we can cause to our loved ones and the difficulty in admitting fault. The line "maar we zijn veel te trots om toe te geven, eerlijk ik zat fout" means that we are often too stubborn and proud to admit when we are wrong. However, the song urges us to let go of pride, humbly apologize, and make amends while we still have the opportunity.
Overall, "Als We Dood Zijn" is a poignant song with a meaningful message that encourages us to live with no regrets, to take responsibility for our actions, and to make amends while we still have the chance.
Line by Line Meaning
Het bekruipt ons vaak
een gevoel van spijt
We often feel regret
maar je rekent op het feit dat alles
slijt met de tijd
But we think that everything fades with time
we negeren het graag
maar het komt steeds terug
We try to ignore it, but it keeps coming back
dus dan blijf je makkelijk zwijgen
tot het laatste zucht
So we stay silent until the bitter end
Maar als we dood zijn
is het te laat om iets te doen
je kan niet meer boos zijn
er is geen straks, en ook geen toen
But when we're dead, it's too late to do anything, we can't be angry anymore, there's no future and no past
Als we dood zijn
word alles wat we voelde koud
dus laat ons groot zijn
zeg sorry, ik was fout
When we're dead, all our emotions will turn cold, so let's be the bigger person and apologize
En we kwetste vaak
iemand die van ons houdt
maar we zijn veel te trots om toe te geven
eerlijk ik zat fout
We often hurt someone who loves us, but we're too proud to admit we were wrong
eigenlijk wil je het wel
toch weet je niet hoe
maar geloof me, de manier waarop
doet er niet toe
We do want to apologize, but we don't know how. The way we do it doesn't matter as long as we're sincere
we zijn zo bezig met onszelf
dat we vergeten wat echt telt
word het niet tijd dat ik je bel
We're so self-absorbed that we forget what really matters. Isn't it time I called you?
Contributed by Brayden F. Suggest a correction in the comments below.