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)
Jij staat alleen
Clouseau Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Donker ben jij
Donker is jouw leven
Somber is jouw lach
Somber ben jij
Over dingen die we deden
En het kind in jouw buik draagt mijn naam
Jij wilt niet
Oh, jij staat alleen
De beslissing is kordaat
Beslissen doe jij
Je laat niet tegenspreken
En in het holst van de nacht schreeuw jij m'n naam
De wroeging komt een eeuw te laat
Er is niets meer
Oh, jij staat alleen
Alleen, alleen, alleen
En in het holst van de nacht hoor ik m'n naam
En voel de wreedheid van het voortbestaan
Geen uitweg meer
Oh, jij staat alleen
The song "Jij staat alleen" by Clouseau is a poignant and emotive portrayal of a woman who feels isolated and alone. The lyrics speak of the darkness that surrounds her and her life, which is reflected in her somber demeanor and her lack of enthusiasm for the things they used to do together. Despite the fact that she is carrying the singer's child, she feels that it has no reason for being and she is unwilling to accept it into her life. The chorus of the song repeatedly reminds the listener that she stands alone, highlighting her sense of isolation.
The second verse of the song speaks of the woman's determination to make her own decisions and not to be swayed by others. She is portrayed as a strong and independent character, but one who is also tortured by her past decisions. In the dead of night, she is wracked with guilt and regret, calling out the singer's name, but it is too late. There is nothing that can be done to change the situation, and she is left alone with her thoughts.
Overall, "Jij staat alleen" is a deeply moving song that resonates with anyone who has experienced feelings of isolation and despair. The metaphorical darkness that surrounds the woman is a powerful symbol of her emotional state, and the repeated chorus serves to reinforce just how alone she truly is.
Line by Line Meaning
Hoe donker, deze dag
This day is very dark and gloomy
Donker ben jij
You are a dark and gloomy person
Donker is jouw leven
Your life is dark and gloomy
Somber is jouw lach
Your laughter is sad and gloomy
Somber ben jij
You are a sad and gloomy person
Over dingen die we deden
You are sad about the things we did
En het kind in jouw buik draagt mijn naam
The child in your womb has my name
Toch heeft het geen reden van bestaan
However, it has no reason to exist
Jij wilt niet
You do not want it
Oh, jij staat alleen
Oh, you are alone
De beslissing is kordaat
The decision is resolute
Beslissen doe jij
You are the one who decides
Je laat niet tegenspreken
You do not allow anyone to contradict you
En in het holst van de nacht schreeuw jij m'n naam
And in the dead of night, you scream my name
De wroeging komt een eeuw te laat
Regret comes a century too late
Er is niets meer
There is nothing left
Alleen, alleen, alleen
Alone, alone, alone
En in het holst van de nacht hoor ik m'n naam
And in the dead of night, I hear my name
En voel de wreedheid van het voortbestaan
And feel the cruelty of existence
Geen uitweg meer
No way out
Oh, jij staat alleen
Oh, you are alone
Contributed by David B. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Ineke Barkema
Mooie songtekst. Raakt wèl een zeer gevoelige snaar!🥲❤️
Francis Disco
Zeer mooie tekst💕💕
ᗰᗩᖇIO ᐯᗩᑎ ᗷEᖇᑎEᐯEᒪᗪ
Blijft een mooie song, zeer mooie tekst.
Dicky Vermeer
Gevoelige snaar geraakt ....prachtig hoor
Katelijn Isselee
Zalig maar toch triestig