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)
Close Encounters
Clouseau Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You know it happens to the best of us
Goodbye now
And don't forget about the rest of us
I'm staying
You never know if they can use me here
I'm praying
I won't be looking when you disappear
For close encounters of another kind
And it won't help me if I shout
But I'm getting pretty close this time
You're on my mind
Don't worry
I should have told you to beware of me
Don't hurry
Come back to see whatever's left of me
I've cried some
But I suppose I'm getting colder now
You've died some
But even you are getting older now
And everybody's looking out
For close encounters of another kind
And it won't help me if I shout
But I'm getting pretty close this time
You're on my mind, all of the time
Don't cry now
Don't cry now
The song Close Encounters by Clouseau reflects the emotions of a person who is reluctantly bidding farewell to their loved one. The opening lines of the song, "Don't cry now, you know it happens to the best of us, goodbye now, and don't forget about the rest of us," suggest that the person leaving is aware that parting is inevitable, and is trying to console the other person by saying that everyone goes through this at some point.
The singer expresses their desire to stay behind and be of use, saying "I'm staying, you never know if they can use me here, I'm praying, I won't be looking when you disappear." They are torn between wanting to hold on to the relationship, and understanding that they cannot stop their loved one from leaving.
The chorus of the song talks about "close encounters of another kind," which could refer to the different ways people perceive separation from their loved ones. The singer is trying to get as close as possible to their loved one before they part ways, but they don't know if that will help them. The song ends with a repetition of the first lines, urging the other person not to cry.
Overall, the song is a poignant portrayal of the complex emotions that come with parting from someone you love deeply.
Line by Line Meaning
Don't cry now
Please, don't cry. This situation happens to everyone, and it's nothing to be ashamed of. Let's face it together.
You know it happens to the best of us
Even the most successful people go through tough times, so don't beat yourself up over it.
Goodbye now
It's time to say goodbye, but please don't forget about us.
And don't forget about the rest of us
Please remember the memories we shared with you, and know that you are missed.
I'm staying
I'm not leaving this place, I'll stay here for a while.
You never know if they can use me here
There might be something that I can contribute and be helpful to this place.
I'm praying
I'm hoping that when you leave, it won't hurt as much because I won't see it happen.
I won't be looking when you disappear
I can't bear to see you go, so I'll turn away when it happens.
And everybody's looking out
Everyone is searching for something.
For close encounters of another kind
People are looking for meaningful connections and experiences.
And it won't help me if I shout
Yelling won't make my pain go away.
But I'm getting pretty close this time
I am nearing a breaking point and getting very emotional.
You're on my mind
You are always in my thoughts.
Don't worry
Please don't stress about me or what happened between us.
I should have told you to beware of me
I admit that I didn't mention my flaws and how they could affect us.
Don't hurry
Take your time to come back and see me, there's no need to rush.
Come back to see whatever's left of me
I'm trying my best to keep it together and keep going.
I've cried some
I've been emotional and had some tough times.
But I suppose I'm getting colder now
I am becoming more emotionally distant and detached.
You've died some
You have also been through some tough times and hardships.
But even you are getting older now
We are all getting older and life is changing for us.
And everybody's looking out
Everyone is still searching for something.
For close encounters of another kind
People are still looking for meaningful connections and experiences.
And it won't help me if I shout
Yelling won't solve my problems.
But I'm getting pretty close this time
I am nearing my breaking point and getting very upset.
You're on my mind, all of the time
I think about you constantly.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind