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)
Heaven
Clouseau Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Is the place where I would be
But no one
Can escape reality
I should have known but you were on my mind
It's raining
On a cold and weary day
Are you with me in a way
I wish you knew you've been on my mind
You can't deny what is real
But it's true
In my heart I know what I feel
That heaven
Is the place for us to be
But no one
Can escape reality
But you should know you're always on my mind
You can't deny what is real
But it's true
In my heart I know what I feel
That heaven is the place for you
Heaven is the place for me
Heaven is the place for you and me
Heaven
In heaven
, we find solace and peace away from the trials and troubles of the world. The singer yearns for this heavenly place where they can be free from the constraints of reality, but they are aware that no one can truly escape from the real world. Despite the harsh circumstances, the singer is still troubled by thoughts of their loved one who is always on their mind. Even though they can't be together in a physical sense, the singer feels a true connection that transcends physical reality. They acknowledge that what they feel in their heart is true, even though they can't escape the reality of the world.
The imagery of the cold, rainy weather helps to reinforce the feeling of isolation and loneliness that the singer is experiencing. However, the fact that they are hiding suggests that they are not ready to confront their feelings yet. The repetition of the chorus reinforces the idea that heaven is the ultimate dream for the singer, a place where they can be with their loved one.
Overall, the song speaks to the universal human desire to find peace and happiness, even in the face of harsh reality. It acknowledges the limitations of the world but also suggests that there is a higher place where we can find comfort and solace.
Line by Line Meaning
Heaven
The ultimate destination of the singer
Is the place where I would be
The singer aspires to be in heaven
But no one
No one is exempt from facing reality
Can escape reality
One has to face the consequences of their choices or actions
I should have known but you were on my mind
The artist acknowledges that they couldn't think clearly because of their love interest
It's raining
The singer sets the mood of the song as melancholic
On a cold and weary day
The singer gives details of the gloomy weather
I'm hiding
The artist is feeling vulnerable and protecting themselves from further hurt
Are you with me in a way
The artist wants reassurance that they are not alone
I wish you knew you've been on my mind
The artist admits to their love interest about constantly thinking of them
You can't deny what is real
The singer emphasizes the importance of not ignoring the truth
But it's true
The artist affirms their strong feelings towards their love interest
In my heart I know what I feel
The singer trusts their emotions and feelings
That heaven is the place for us to be
The singer believes that being with their love interest is like heaven
But you should know you're always on my mind
The singer reminds their love interest of how important they are to them
Heaven is the place for you
The artist wants their love interest to also belong in heaven
Heaven is the place for me
The artist affirms their own belief in their ultimate destination
Heaven is the place for you and me
The singer dreams of a future with their love interest in heaven
Heaven
The song ends with a repetition of the ultimate destination
Contributed by Isaiah O. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Jean
Prachtig nummer, zowel de Nederlandstalige versie als de Engelse.