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)
Langzaam Mijn Hoofd
Clouseau Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Ze steelt m'n lenzen en m'n briefpapier
En zelfs de veters van m'n schoenen
Zijn geen sekonde veilig hier
En ik verlies langzaam mijn hoofd
Want zij had mij wel wat heel anders beloofd
En ik heb ook ieder woord geloofd
Ik loop het rubber van m'n zolen
Terwijl ze slaapt in zwart satijn
Ik sta me buiten dood te vriezen
Als ze toevallig eens alleen wil zijn
En ik verlies...
Ik had me altijd voorgenomen
Om op te groeien voor galg en rad
Nu word ik rijk en respektabel
Ik heb met haar alleen maar pech gehad
En ik verlies...
The opening lines of Clouseau's "Langzaam Mijn Hoofd" aptly convey the sense of being consumed by another person. The singer describes how the woman he is with seems to be taking everything from him, from his soul to his clothes, and even his shoelaces. This sense of dominance is further emphasized by the fact that nothing is safe around her. The singer expresses his sense of powerlessness in being unable to resist her advances.
The song's chorus "En ik verlies langzaam mijn hoofd" (And I slowly lose my mind) hints at the dangers of the situation the singer is in. He is being drawn into a relationship that he knows could be detrimental for him, but he cannot help himself. He has fallen for her lies and charisma and now he is struggling to keep his head above water.
The second verse of the song continues with this theme of being trapped in something that is beyond his control. The singer is sneaking around while she is asleep, trying to avoid waking her. He is so terrified of losing her that he is willing to put up with any kind of hardship, even freezing outside alone just for a few minutes of her time.
Overall, "Langzaam Mijn Hoofd" is a song about the intoxicating power of love and the dangers of losing oneself in it. The lyrics convey a sense of desperation and helplessness in the face of overwhelming emotions that are driving the singer to the brink. The song's powerful chorus is a warning to anyone who has ever felt like they are losing themselves in a relationship they can't control.
Line by Line Meaning
Ze steelt m'n ziel, ze steelt m'n kleren
She takes away my soul, my clothes
Ze steelt m'n lenzen en m'n briefpapier
She takes away my lenses and my letter paper
En zelfs de veters van m'n schoenen
And even the laces of my shoes
Zijn geen sekonde veilig hier
Are not safe for a second here
En ik verlies langzaam mijn hoofd
And I am slowly losing my mind
Want zij had mij wel wat heel anders beloofd
Because she had promised me something very different
En ik heb ook ieder woord geloofd
And I believed every word
En me voor d'r mooie ogen uitgesloofd
And I have worked hard for her beautiful eyes
Ik loop het rubber van m'n zolen
I walk the rubber off of my soles
Terwijl ze slaapt in zwart satijn
While she sleeps in black satin
Ik sta me buiten dood te vriezen
I stand outside freezing to death
Als ze toevallig eens alleen wil zijn
If she wants to be alone for a moment
Ik had me altijd voorgenomen
I had always intended
Om op te groeien voor galg en rad
To grow up to be a criminal
Nu word ik rijk en respektabel
Now I am rich and respectable
Ik heb met haar alleen maar pech gehad
I have only had bad luck with her
Contributed by Andrew N. Suggest a correction in the comments below.