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)
De nacht duurt nog lang
Clouseau Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Ik was 18 en ging danig te keer.
Nu ben ik ouder, bijna een meneer.
Maar t' zot in mijn kop dat verlies ik nooit meer.
Want al wie van dansen en feesten houdt, gaat alsmaar door.
woohoo, want de nacht duurt nog lang,
is het 2 uur of 5 uur t' heeft geen belang
La lalalala laaaa
Na weer zo'n feest, lag ik dood ziek in bed.
De dokter zei jongen je betaalt nu de pret,
rust zal je helpen, t'is goed voor de pijn,
maar dokter geef mij maar een dans medicijn
Geef me muziek en een feest dan kom ik er wel door
woohoo, want de nacht duurt nog lang,
is het 2 uur of 5 uur t' heeft geen belang
wooh, de nacht is nog jong,
La lalalala laaaa
Hooo, heb je zin in plezier, laat je gaan want vanacht is het volle maan.
Hooo, ja dan gaan we op zwier, laat je gaan, wel komaan blijf niet staan.
Laat je gaan, laat je gaan, blijf niet staan, laat je gaaaan
woohooo, want de nacht duurt nog lang,
is het 2 uur of 5 uur t' heeft geen belang
wooh, de nacht is nog jong,
La lalalala laaaa
woohooo, want de nacht duurt nog lang,
is het 2 uur of 5 uur t' heeft geen belang
wooh, de nacht is nog jong,
La lalalala laaaa
The lyrics to Clouseau's song De nacht duurt nog lang (The night is still young) describe a person reminiscing about their past party experiences and how they still have the desire to dance and have fun like they did when they were younger. The person expresses their love for dancing and partying, stating that anyone who loves it will keep going. The song emphasizes the idea that age is just a number and that people should live in the moment and enjoy themselves, regardless of the time of night.
In the second verse, the person recalls being sick after another party and being advised by a doctor to rest. However, they prefer to take a "dance medication" instead, emphasizing their love for music and celebration. The chorus repeatedly emphasizes that the night is still young and that the time doesn't matter, encouraging the listener to let go of their inhibitions and join in the fun.
The lyrics are simple but relatable, evoking a sense of nostalgia for past party experiences and a desire to relive the carefree and joyful moments. The song's upbeat tempo and catchy chorus make it a popular dance song, particularly in Belgium where Clouseau is a well-known band.
Line by Line Meaning
k' Droom wel eens meer van een feest van weleer.
I often dream of past parties.
Ik was 18 en ging danig te keer.
When I was 18, I enjoyed myself fully.
Nu ben ik ouder, bijna een meneer.
Now I am older, almost a gentleman.
Maar t' zot in mijn kop dat verlies ik nooit meer.
But I will never lose the obsession for dancing and parties.
Want al wie van dansen en feesten houdt, gaat alsmaar door.
Those who love dancing and parties never stop.
woohoo, want de nacht duurt nog lang,
Yay, the night is still young,
is het 2 uur of 5 uur t' heeft geen belang
Whether it’s 2 am or 5 am, it doesn't matter.
wooh, de nacht is nog jong,
Yay, the night is still young,
La lalalala laaaa
Na weer zo'n feest, lag ik dood ziek in bed.
After another party, I was very sick in bed.
De dokter zei jongen je betaalt nu de pret,
The doctor said, 'You are paying for your fun now, young man.'
rust zal je helpen, t'is goed voor de pijn,
Rest will help you, it's good for the pain.
maar dokter geef mij maar een dans medicijn
But doctor, give me a 'dance medicine'.
Geef me muziek en een feest dan kom ik er wel door
Give me music and a party, and I'll feel better.
Hooo, heb je zin in plezier, laat je gaan want vanacht is het volle maan.
Hey, do you want to have fun? Let loose because tonight there is a full moon.
Hooo, ja dan gaan we op zwier, laat je gaan, wel komaan blijf niet staan.
Hey, let's go wild and have fun. Come on, don't just stand there.
Laat je gaan, laat je gaan, blijf niet staan, laat je gaaaan
Let loose, let loose, don't just stand there, let looseee.
woohooo, want de nacht duurt nog lang,
Yay, the night is still young,
is het 2 uur of 5 uur t' heeft geen belang
Whether it’s 2 am or 5 am, it doesn't matter.
wooh, de nacht is nog jong,
Yay, the night is still young,
La lalalala laaaa
woohooo, want de nacht duurt nog lang,
Yay, the night is still young,
is het 2 uur of 5 uur t' heeft geen belang
Whether it’s 2 am or 5 am, it doesn't matter.
wooh, de nacht is nog jong,
Yay, the night is still young,
La lalalala laaaa
Contributed by Chase E. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Katelijn Isselee
Hopelijk mogen we dat binnenkort weer doen