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)
Een huis vol liefde
Clouseau Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Voor ik bij haar ga wonen, en jullie verlaat
Als het mislukt dan is dat zeker niet aan jou gelegen
Maar het loopt goed, alleen ontbreekt me nog je zegen
Zij gaat nu voor, ik ga nu maar
Ik hou echt van haar
't Leven gaat door, ik ga nu maar
Moeder leen me wat van je eeuwig geduld
Je hebt me heel veel over het leven onthuld
Als het mislukt dan is dat zeker niet aan jou gelegen
Maar het loopt goed, alleen ontbreekt me nog je zegen
Zij gaat nu voor...
Er is geen weg terug meer, ik moet voort
Om uit te zoeken of ze echt bij me hoort
Er bestaat geen weg terug, ik moet voort
Ik toon de wereld dat ze echt bij me hoort
Hoor haar lieve stem, ze roept me weer
Voel haar jonge rimpels, ze lacht, ze straalt en ik leer
Hoe jullie er samen ooit toe zijn gekomen
Om nog altijd in een huis vol liefde te wonen
Zij gaat nu voor...
Want ik geloof zowaar
Geen weg terug meer
Geen weg terug meer, ik moet voort
EEN HUIS VOL LIEFDE
The song "Een huis vol liefde" by Clouseau is about a young man who is seeking his parents' approval before leaving their home to start a new life with his partner. He asks his father for wise advice and his mother for her patience, as he tries to establish his own home. The young man is aware that his parents have taught him a lot about life, and he wants to show that he has learned and grown from their guidance. He feels confident that he has found the right person to share his life with, but he also wants his parents to give him their blessing before he embarks on this new journey.
The first verse of the song is a conversation between the young man and his father. He is seeking his father's guidance and approval before leaving their home. He acknowledges that if anything goes wrong, it won't be his father's fault, but he still needs his father's blessing before he goes. In the second verse, the young man turns to his mother and asks for her patience. He is aware that she has taught him a lot about life, and he wants her to know that she has prepared him well for this new chapter of his life. At the same time, he needs her blessing before he can leave.
As the song progresses, the young man becomes more confident in his decision to leave his parents' home and start a new life with his partner. He believes that he has found the right person to share his life with, and he is willing to take risks to make it work. He knows that there is no going back, but he is willing to forge ahead to show the world that he has found true love.
Line by Line Meaning
Vader heb je nog wat wijze raad
Before I move in with her and leave you behind, do you have any wise advice for me?
Voor ik bij haar ga wonen, en jullie verlaat
Before I move in with her and leave you behind
Als het mislukt dan is dat zeker niet aan jou gelegen
If things do not work out, it will not be your fault.
Maar het loopt goed, alleen ontbreekt me nog je zegen
Things are going well, but I still need your blessing.
Zij gaat nu voor, ik ga nu maar
She comes first, so I will leave now.
Ik hou echt van haar
I truly love her.
't Leven gaat door, ik ga nu maar
Life goes on, so I will leave now.
Want ik geloof in haar
Because I believe in her.
Moeder leen me wat van je eeuwig geduld
Mom, please lend me some of your eternal patience.
Je hebt me heel veel over het leven onthuld
You have taught me a lot about life.
Er is geen weg terug meer, ik moet voort
There is no turning back now, I must continue forward.
Om uit te zoeken of ze echt bij me hoort
To find out if she really belongs with me.
Ik toon de wereld dat ze echt bij me hoort
I will show the world that she truly belongs with me.
Hoor haar lieve stem, ze roept me weer
I hear her sweet voice calling me again.
Voel haar jonge rimpels, ze lacht, ze straalt en ik leer
I feel her youthful wrinkles, she smiles, she glows and I learn.
Hoe jullie er samen ooit toe zijn gekomen
How you both came to live in a house full of love.
Om nog altijd in een huis vol liefde te wonen
To still live in a house full of love.
Want ik geloof zowaar
Because I truly believe.
Geen weg terug meer
No turning back now.
EEN HUIS VOL LIEFDE
A HOUSE FULL OF LOVE.
Contributed by Jordan H. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
MC *
Nobelprijs voor de vrede ❤💚💪💋😍👸🧚♀️🦸♂️🌸
Sonja Bastiaensen
prachtig liedje <3
Jean
Een huis vol liefde.... iedereen verdient dit....
Jean
@Bexy82 GOED GEDAAN !!!
Bexy82
Ik ben gisterennacht nog bezig geweest met de ontbrekende songteksten onder de liedjes te zetten. Nog 4 of 5 songs aangevuld. 😉