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)
I Live in Memories
Clouseau Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Well it's the middle of the night
And I'm cold and lonely
Lying in my bed
The moon is shining
On the wall above me
And I just can't forget
Here's to the memories
I look for company and comfort
In your picture on that wall
And when I feel you near me baby
I chase your shadow down the hall
But there's no one beside me
Just the dead of night
No one to tell me everything's alright
Am I getting through
Our house is empty without you
(Chorus)
I can't forget your naked body
I can't forget your kiss
I can't forget that there's a part of you
In everything I miss
I cannot live like this
I live in memories, oh
Here's to the memories, oh
I feel my heart beat fast
When I think about
The passion in your kiss
And if I listen real close
I can hear you whisper
Words of happiness
I live in memories
Here's to the memories
Can you understand the heartache
Can you understand the pain
Will you think of me in springtime
Underneath the pouring rain
When there's no one beside you
Just the dead of night
No one to tell you
Everything's alright
Am I getting through
I am empty without you
(Chorus)
And I wonder if you ever
Are you ever coming home
Or will I dance with you forever
In memories alone, oh
(Chorus)
In Clouseau's song "I Live in Memories," the singer expresses his deep longing and heartache for someone who is no longer with him. The song begins with a description of the singer's physical and emotional state - it is the middle of the night and he is lying in bed feeling cold and lonely. He gazes at the moon shining on the wall and remembers the person he misses so much. The chorus beautifully captures the essence of the song as the singer toasts to the memories - the only thing left of his loved one.
The second verse takes the listener on an emotional journey as the singer searches for comfort in the picture of his loved one on the wall. He feels her near him and chases her shadow down the hall, but it is only a figment of his imagination. He is all alone in the dead of the night with his memories. The pain of her absence is too much to bear, and he can't forget her naked body, her kiss, and all the things that remind him of her. He is left with only memories.
In the final verse, the singer wonders if his loved one will ever return or if he will dance with her forever in memories alone. He asks if she can understand the heartache and pain he feels and if she ever thinks of him. The song is a poignant reminder of the power of memories and the depth of love.
Line by Line Meaning
Well it's the middle of the night
The singer is telling us that it's the middle of the night and they are awake.
And I'm cold and lonely
The singer is feeling cold and lonely.
Lying in my bed
The singer is lying in their bed while feeling lonely.
The moon is shining
The moon is shining and illuminating the artist's room.
On the wall above me
The moon is shining on the wall above the artist's bed.
And I just can't forget
The singer is unable to forget about something.
I live in memories
The singer spends a lot of time thinking about memories.
Here's to the memories
The artist is celebrating memories.
I look for company and comfort
The artist is feeling lonely and seeks company and comfort.
In your picture on that wall
The artist is finding company and comfort in a picture on their wall.
And when I feel you near me baby
The singer feels comfort when thinking about their lover.
I chase your shadow down the hall
The artist imagines their lover's shadow going through the house.
But there's no one beside me
The singer is alone and there is nobody with them.
Just the dead of night
The singer is experiencing loneliness and sadness.
No one to tell me everything's alright
The singer has nobody to comfort them.
Am I getting through
The artist is wondering if their message is being received.
Our house is empty without you
The artist is acknowledging the absence of their lover in their home.
I can't forget your naked body
The singer is remembering intimate moments with their lover.
I can't forget your kiss
The singer cannot forget the sensation of their lover's kiss.
I can't forget that there's a part of you
The artist feels that their lover is still with them in some way.
In everything I miss
The artist feels sadness and longing in everything they do.
I cannot live like this
The artist is expressing their inability to continue living with the sadness and longing they feel.
I feel my heart beat fast
The singer is feeling excited or nervous.
When I think about
The artist is imagining something.
The passion in your kiss
The singer is remembering the sensations of kissing their lover.
And if I listen real close
The singer is trying to hear something.
I can hear you whisper
The singer imagines their lover whispering to them.
Words of happiness
The artist imagines their lover saying comforting and happy things to them.
Can you understand the heartache
The artist is asking if their lover can understand their sadness.
Can you understand the pain
The singer wants their lover to empathize with their pain.
Will you think of me in springtime
The singer is asking if their lover will remember them.
Underneath the pouring rain
The artist imagines their lover remembering them during a stormy weather.
And I wonder if you ever
The artist is wondering if their lover will ever come back.
Are you ever coming home
The artist is wondering if their lover will ever return to them.
Or will I dance with you forever
The singer is acknowledging the possibility that their memories will be the only way to dance with their lover.
In memories alone, oh
The artist is accepting that their memories are the only way they can be with their lover.
Contributed by Matthew E. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Bauke Wijnsma
Prachtig nummer! Bedankt voor het plaatsen van dit nummer op Youtube.
Vind het nog altijd jammer van die knipfout dat er een stukje van Caroline achteraan komt.
Zo staat het ook op de CD dus het hoort er wel bij.
Evelien328
een van de mooiste liedjes op hun cd in every small town