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)
Eeuwigheid
Clouseau Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Blus mijn verlangen
Heel mijn lichaam is van jou
Fluister zachtjes in m′n oren
Bij jou ben ik verloren
Als bij geen enkele andere vrouw
Ik weet nu dat ik oog in oog lig met de ware
Daarom dat ik het waag
Blijf jij voor de eeuwigheid
Bij mij en ben je bereid
Samen door het leven te gaan?
In goeie of in slechte tijd
Zo'n vrouw wil ik niet meer kwijt
′K Wil jouw naam naast de mijne zien staan
Zalig, je handen door m'n haren
Je hoeft niet te bedaren
Heel mijn wezen schreeuwt om jou
Kus me ik voel me weer bezwijken
Met niets te vergelijken
Ik blijf je lippen altijd trouw
Ik voel een warmte diep in mij
Want sinds je bij me bent
Kan ik de wereld aan
Een leven lang
Blijf jij voor de eeuwigheid
Bij mij en ben je bereid
Samen door het leven te gaan?
In goeie of in slechte tijd
Zo'n vrouw wil ik niet meer kwijt
′K Wil jouw naam naast de mijne zien staan
Samen tot de dood ons scheidt
Jij hebt mijn ziel bevrijd
Wil jij voor altaar gaan staan?
The lyrics to Clouseau's song "Eeuwigheid" speaks of a deep and passionate love. The singer desires his lover to caress him and quench his yearning for her. He feels that his entire being belongs to her and he is completely lost in her love, more than any other woman he has ever been with. He knows that he has found his soulmate and courageously asks her to stay with him for eternity, to go through life together no matter the struggles they may face. He wants to see their names side by side, and to receive her faithful lips in every kiss. The singer feels a warmth within him, a new strength and purpose since she has come into his life, expressing how he can face the world with her by his side. He wants to be with her forever, even until death does them apart, and asks if she would marry him.
This beautiful love song portrays a deep and intense love, where the singer feels he has found his true companion in life, and no other woman can ever compare. It is a declaration of his unwavering commitment and trust in their love, asking her to be his partner for life. Overall, it's a romantic and emotional expression of a love that is rare and enduring.
Line by Line Meaning
Streel me, kus me op de wangen
Touch me softly, kiss me on the cheeks
Blus mijn verlangen
Extinguish my desire
Heel mijn lichaam is van jou
My whole body belongs to you
Fluister zachtjes in m’n oren
Whisper softly in my ears
Bij jou ben ik verloren
I am lost with you
Als bij geen enkele andere vrouw
Like with no other woman
Ik weet nu dat ik oog in oog lig met de ware
I now know that I am face to face with the true one
Daarom dat ik het waag
That's why I dare
Daarom dat ik je vraag:
That's why I ask you:
Blijf jij voor de eeuwigheid
Will you stay for eternity?
Bij mij en ben je bereid
With me and are you willing
Samen door het leven te gaan?
To go through life together?
In goeie of in slechte tijd
In good times or bad times
Zo’n vrouw wil ik niet meer kwijt
I don't want to lose a woman like that again
′K Wil jouw naam naast de mijne zien staan
I want to see your name next to mine
Zalig, je handen door m’n haren
Blissful, your hands in my hair
Je hoeft niet te bedaren
You don't have to calm down
Heel mijn wezen schreeuwt om jou
My whole being screams for you
Kus me ik voel me weer bezwijken
Kiss me, I feel myself collapsing again
Met niets te vergelijken
Compared to nothing else
Ik blijf je lippen altijd trouw
I will always be faithful to your lips
Ik voel een warmte diep in mij
I feel a warmth deep within me
Want sinds je bij me bent
Because since you've been with me
Kan ik de wereld aan
I can handle the world
Een leven lang
For a lifetime
Samen tot de dood ons scheidt
Together until death do us part
Jij hebt mijn ziel bevrijd
You have liberated my soul
Wil jij voor altaar gaan staan?
Will you stand before the altar?
Writer(s): Jan Leyers, Koen Wauters, Evert Verhees
Contributed by Evan D. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Katelijn Isselee
Van jullie muziek kan en zal ik blijven houden 😍😍