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)
Dominó
Clouseau Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Maar 't lijkt een ver verleden
Ze heette Domino
Of ze noemde zich zo
En zij had in haar ogen
Het blauw van regenbogen
Ze hield niet van Clouseau
Wel van Mozart en zo
Was ik allang verloren
Het was echt goed raak
Ik heb een vreemde smaak
Ze is niet lang gebleven
Heeft geen address gegeven
Ze heette Domino
Domino of zo
Ze hield van verre landen
Van godverlaten stranden
Van wachten op Godot
Zij had cultuur en zo
Er was iets in haar haren
't Is moeilijk te verklaren
Het leek wel maneschijn
't Moet mijn verbeelding zijn
Dan zei ze: "ik vergeet je
Ze lachtte zelfs een beetje
Je komt er wel doorheen
Jij red het wel alleen"
't Was hard om te verduren
Maar ik ging door heter vuren
Ze heette Domino
Domino of zo
En zij had in haar ogen
Het blauw van regenbogen
Ze hield niet van Clouseau
Wel van Mozart en zo
Er was iets in haar haren
't Is moeilijk te verklaren
Leek wel maneschijn
't Moet mijn verbeelding zijn
Ze zeggen dat ik taai ben
Dat ik een echte haai ben
Het lijkt alleen maar zo
Vraag maar aan Domino
Ik heb in heel m'n leven
Om niemand veel gegeven
Maar wel om Domino
Domino of zo
Ik heb in heel m'n leven
Om niemand veel gegeven
Maar wel om Domino
Domino of zo
The song "Domino" by Clouseau tells the story of a fleeting romance with a woman named Domino or so she called herself. Although it was not too long ago, the memory now feels like a distant past. The singer describes her as having the blue of rainbows in her eyes and a love for far off places and intellectual pursuits like Mozart. Despite their mutual attraction, she did not care for Clouseau's music. Their relationship happened quickly, and by morning, it was clear that she had already moved on, leaving no address or contact information behind. The singer becomes obsessed with this brief connection and describes how hard it was to let go, but he eventually moves on.
The repeated refrain of "Domino of zo" adds to the ambiguity of the story. The singer is not even sure if this was her real name or just what she called herself. He also remembers her in bits and pieces. Her hair appeared to reflect moonlight, but he can't be certain. She said she would forget him and even laughed a little, indicating her detachment from their fling. This song captures the feeling of longing for someone who has left a significant impact on our lives, but we cannot seem to find them again. The song's poetic simplicity and the repetition of the choruses evoke a sense of melancholy that will never fade.
Line by Line Meaning
'T is niet zolang geleden
It wasn't too long ago.
Maar 't lijkt een ver verleden
But it seems like a long time ago.
Ze heette Domino
She was called Domino.
Of ze noemde zich zo
Or she called herself that.
En zij had in haar ogen
And in her eyes,
Het blauw van regenbogen
The blue of rainbows.
Ze hield niet van Clouseau
She didn't like Clouseau.
Wel van Mozart en zo
But she liked Mozart and such.
En bij het ochtendgloren
And at dawn,
Was ik allang verloren
I was already lost.
Het was echt goed raak
It was really bad.
Ik heb een vreemde smaak
I have a strange taste.
Ze is niet lang gebleven
She didn't stay long.
Heeft geen address gegeven
Didn't give an address.
Ze hield van verre landen
She liked distant lands.
Van godverlaten stranden
Deserted beaches.
Van wachten op Godot
Waiting for Godot.
Zij had cultuur en zo
She had culture and such.
Er was iets in haar haren
There was something in her hair.
't Is moeilijk te verklaren
It's hard to explain.
Het leek wel maneschijn
It looked like moonshine.
't Moet mijn verbeelding zijn
It must be my imagination.
Dan zei ze: "ik vergeet je
Then she said: "I forget you,
Ze lachte zelfs een beetje
She even laughed a little.
Je komt er wel doorheen
You'll get through it.
Jij redt het wel alleen"
You'll make it on your own."
't Was hard om te verduren
It was hard to endure.
Maar ik ging door heter vuren
But I went through hotter fires.
Ze zeggen dat ik taai ben
They say I'm tough.
Dat ik een echte haai ben
That I'm a real shark.
Het lijkt alleen maar zo
It only seems that way.
Vraag maar aan Domino
Just ask Domino.
Ik heb in heel m'n leven
I have, in my whole life,
Om niemand veel gegeven
Cared about no one much.
Maar wel om Domino
But I cared about Domino.
Domino of zo
Domino or whatever.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: GENE SIMMONS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Bexy82
Geweldig mooi nummer van Clouseau! Ook één van mijn "all-time favorites"! :-)
Caiyon Siwabessy
Geweldige song
marc van vliet
klinken nog steeds mooi na al die jaren fijn om af en toe weer eens te luisteren 👍👍👍👍mark
Stefan Paul
nog steeds één van de mooiste Vlaamse songs ooit vind ik...
SuzieQ
die plaatjes bij de zin En zij had in haar ogen zijn echt zoo verschikkelijk mooi, en past er echt zo goed bij!!! goed gekozen!!!
Victor DM
Prachtig nummer gewoon echt kippenvel moment 😇🥰🥰
SharDarksoul
Als metalhead zeg ik; mooi nummer. :)
Jetty Roedema
Heel erg mooi gemaakt! Compliment!
Michael
Koen, wat leek je stem zo fragiel, krakend, vol emotie. Waar is die naartoe? Zit dat nog in jou, laat er die alsjeblieft terug uit. Die recente poppy, happy stem en ditto nummers lijken me niet oprecht en gewoon commercieel. Kom terug en geef ons weer nummers om mee te voelen ipv mee te dansen, zo zijn er al genoeg.
Erika Petiet
Die stem was wel terug bij een live concert afgelopen zomer!