Clouseau (a Belgian band) started as a group of friends back in 1984. Only … Read Full Bio ↴Clouseau (a Belgian band) started as a group of friends back in 1984. Only Karel Theys, the bass-player, had some previous experience in a band with The Employees. 1987 sees them coming out of the garage for the first time : they play Marktrock in Leuven en get a record deal for their first single "Brandweer".

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)

Ik Jij Hij Of Zij
Clouseau Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Koning zijn lijkt mij een leuke baan
Maar zonder koningin is er niets aan
Grijs en leeg het leven
Van een man zonder verhaal
Een veel te hoge prijs die je betaalt
O, weet je
Ik , jij , hij of zij
Iedereen heeft iemand nodig

O, kijk naar mij
We gaan er samen voor
Ik , jij hij of zij
Iedereen heeft iemand nodig
We slaan er ons wel door
Ik weet nog hoe je lachte toen ik zei
Ik besta voor jou en jij voor mij
Ik had te veel gedronken
En je bleef buiten bereik
Maar nu krijg ik voor één keer toch gelijk
Geloof me
Ik , jij , hij of zij
Iedereen heeft iemand nodig
O , kijk naar mij
We gaan er samen voor
Ik , jij hjj of zij
Iedereen heeft iemand nodig
We slaan er ons wel door
We slapen samen
Lachen samen
Hoeven ons niet meer te schamen
Wie had durven hopen
Dat jij hier naast mij zou lopen
Grijs en leeg het leven
Van een man zonder verhaal
Een veel te hoge prijs die je betaalt
O ja
Ik , jij , hjj of zij
Iedereen heeft iemand nodig
O , kijk naar mij

We slaan er ons wel door
Ik , jij , hij of zij

Overall Meaning

In Clouseau's song 'Ik Jij Hij Of Zij', the lyrics express the need for companionship and love. The song begins with the idea of being a king, a powerful and prestigious position, but it's not fulfilling without a queen. Without someone to share life's experiences with, it becomes dull and empty, like living a life without a story. It's as if the price paid for such a high position without companionship is too great.

The chorus emphasizes the message of the song. 'I, you, he or she, everyone needs someone' highlights the universality of the need for companionship. The song acknowledges that everyone has experienced the feeling of needing someone to be with, whether it's a romantic partner, friend or family member. The song also expresses the joy of having someone to go through life with.

The lyrics to 'Ik Jij Hij Of Zij' offer a message of hope, reassurance and belonging. It reminds us that we are not alone in our search for companionship and that having someone to share our lives with is essential. It is a perfect song when feeling a bit down, to seek comfort in the knowledge that everyone struggles and needs someone.

Line by Line Meaning

Koning zijn lijkt mij een leuke baan
Being a king seems like a fun job

Maar zonder koningin is er niets aan
But without a queen, it's not worth it

Grijs en leeg het leven
Gray and empty life

Van een man zonder verhaal
Of a man without a story

Een veel te hoge prijs die je betaalt
A price that is too high to pay

O, weet je
Oh, you know

Ik, jij, hij of zij
Me, you, him or her

Iedereen heeft iemand nodig
Everyone needs someone

O, kijk naar mij
Oh, look at me

We gaan er samen voor
We will do it together

We slaan er ons wel door
We will get through it