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)
Heel Alleen
Clouseau Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Met handen en stem en onze ogen
Al die beloften lijken nu een sleur
En zijn met een paar woorden vervlogen
Ik zie 't zus, jij ziet 't zo
We kunnen niet kiezen
We zullen elkaar en dus allebei verliezen
Ik sta heel alleen
Ik sta heel alleen
Ik sta heel alleen
Je was er voor mij maar ik ging heen
Ik sta heel alleen
Ik sta heel alleen
Ik sta heel alleen
Je was er voor mij maar ik ging heen
Loze woorden uit een grote mond
Woorden die blijven, hoop doet leven
En hoop dat is wat ik bij jou vond
Hou me stevig vast, al was 't maar even
Jij ziet 't zo, ik zie 't zus
We kunnen niet kiezen
Dus we zullen elkaar, en, ja, allebei verliezen
Ik sta heel alleen
Ik sta heel alleen
Ik sta heel alleen
Je was er voor mij maar ik ging heen
Ik sta heel alleen
Ik sta heel alleen
Ik sta heel alleen
Je was er voor mij maar ik ging heen
Maar jij ziet 't zus en ik zie 't zo
En we kunnen niet kiezen
Dus we zullen elkaar, ja, allebei verliezen
Ik sta heel alleen
Ik sta heel alleen
Ik sta heel alleen
Je was er voor mij maar ik ging heen
Ik sta heel alleen
Ik sta heel alleen
Ik sta heel alleen
Je was er voor mij maar ik ging heen
Ik sta heel alleen
Ik sta heel alleen
Ik sta heel alleen
Je was er voor mij maar ik ging heen
Ik sta heel alleen
The lyrics to Clouseau's song "Heel Alleen" speak of a couple who has been arguing, and their relationship seems to have become a routine of empty promises. Despite their efforts to communicate, they both feel trapped, unable to make a decision. They both see the situation differently, which only adds to the confusion. As a result, they end up losing each other, and the singer confesses to feeling alone despite the other person's presence in their life.
The song's lyrics are emotional, relatable, and poignant, as they capture the pain of lost love and the regret of not making the right choices. The verses use contrasting imagery to emphasize how the couple's connection has deteriorated, and how it has become difficult to find solutions. The chorus repeats the line "I stand alone" to underscore how lonely the singer feels despite being in a relationship.
The song's message is clear: we need to choose our battles in relationships and be mindful of the promises we make. The regret of losing someone we love is a difficult experience, and this song speaks of the emotional turmoil felt when a relationship ends. The lyrics are simple but powerful, and the singer's melancholic delivery is sure to connect with anyone who has ever experienced heartbreak.
Line by Line Meaning
We hebben weer eens naar elkaar geschreeuwd
We had another argument
Met handen en stem en onze ogen
We used physical and verbal expressions to convey our emotions
Al die beloften lijken nu een sleur
All the promises we made to each other now feel like a routine
En zijn met een paar woorden vervlogen
And they vanished with just a few words
Ik zie 't zus, jij ziet 't zo
I see it one way, you see it another
We kunnen niet kiezen
We cannot choose
We zullen elkaar en dus allebei verliezen
We will lose each other and therefore both of us will lose
Loze woorden uit een grote mond
Empty words from a big mouth
Woorden die blijven, hoop doet leven
Words that linger, giving us hope
En hoop dat is wat ik bij jou vond
And hope is what I found in you
Hou me stevig vast, al was 't maar even
Hold me tightly, even if it's just for a little while
Maar jij ziet 't zus en ik zie 't zo
But you see it one way and I see it another
En we kunnen niet kiezen
And we cannot choose
Dus we zullen elkaar, ja, allebei verliezen
So we will both lose each other
Je was er voor mij maar ik ging heen
You were there for me but I left
Ik sta heel alleen
I am very alone
Contributed by John P. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
thdr
Ik vind dit 1 van clouseaus leukste nummers. Jammer dat clouseau dit nummer bij concerten niet meer zingt. Al meer dan 30 jaar grote fan van clouseau.❤
KURT VOGELS
Heb dit album nog op lp
Joost Ouvry
Waar is de tijd?!
Nicole Maes
Waar is de tijd???
Tablet De Bolster
K3