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)
Kom dichterbij me
Clouseau Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Die met haat cowboyhoed
Kijk 'ns aan en de mensen staren
God, wat een overvloed
Kom dichterbij me vannacht
Je bent zo volmaakt en ik wil je
Kom dichterbij me, ik wacht
Twee uur 's nachts en de beat blijft duren
En zij laat zich weer 'ns gaan
Mijn geduld maakt hier overuren
Hey, hoe kan ze mij weerstaan?
Kom dichterbij me vannacht
Oh, het spijt me zeer, maar ik wil veel meer
Kom dichterbij me, ik wacht
'k Wil je helemaal, dit wordt me fataal!
Alle mannen willen haar en ze fluiten voor de sport
We richten alle pijlen maar we schieten veel te kort
Kom dichterbij me vannacht
Oh, het spijt me zeer, maar ik wil veel meer
Kom dichterbij me, ik wacht
Je bent zo volmaakt, god je maakt me gek
Kom dichterbij me, ik wacht
'k Wil je helemaal, dit wordt me fataal!
The Clouseau song "Kom dichterbij me" speaks of a woman with a cowboy hat, swinging her hips and drawing attention from the crowd. The singer expresses his desire for her and his frustration at not being able to resist her. The beat continues late into the night, and the woman persists in enticing the men around her. Despite the singer's attempts to win her affection, he feels he is falling further under her spell.
The song's lyrics depict the primal urge of desire, and the feeling of being powerless to resist it. The imagery of the woman in the cowboy hat and the crowds of men whistling for her creates a sense of intensity and competition. The repetitive beat suggests that this attraction is instinctual and uncontrollable.
The use of repetition in the refrain, "Kom dichterbij me", further reinforces the singer's desire for this woman. The repetition of the phrase also creates a hypnotic effect, drawing the listener further into the song's narrative. The singer's obsession with the woman becomes all-consuming, leading him to feel that his attraction will be his undoing.
Overall, "Kom dichterbij me" is a passionate and intense song that speaks to the power of desire and attraction.
Line by Line Meaning
Zie ze staan, hoe die heupen zwaaien
Observing how confidently she moves her hips.
Die met haat cowboyhoed
She is wearing a cowboy hat, which is just an accessory and unrelated to her dance.
Kijk 'ns aan en de mensen staren
People are looking at her with great attention.
God, wat een overvloed
Watching her is a real treat and an abundance of joy.
Kom dichterbij me vannacht
Asking her to move closer to him tonight.
Je bent zo volmaakt en ik wil je
Expressing his desire to be with her because she is perfect.
Kom dichterbij me, ik wacht
He is patiently waiting for her to come closer.
'k Wil je helemaal, dit wordt me fataal!
He wants her entirely, and her rejection would be devastating for him.
Twee uur 's nachts en de beat blijft duren
It's 2 am, and the music is still playing.
En zij laat zich weer 'ns gaan
She is losing herself in the music once more.
Mijn geduld maakt hier overuren
He is struggling to be patient with her behavior.
Hey, hoe kan ze mij weerstaan?
He cannot understand why she is not interested in him.
Alle mannen willen haar en ze fluiten voor de sport
All the men are drawn to her and whistle at her as a form of entertainment.
We richten alle pijlen maar we schieten veel te kort
Despite their efforts, they are still unable to win her affection.
'k Wil je helemaal, dit wordt me fataal!
Reiterating his intense desire for her and the effects her rejection would have on him.
Je bent zo volmaakt, god je maakt me gek
Saying how perfect she is and how she drives him crazy.
Contributed by Sophia K. Suggest a correction in the comments below.