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)
Louise
Clouseau Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Als jij er niet meer bent, Louise
Hoe moet het met mij verder morgen
Als ik nu ook nog jou verlies
Kijk me aan, ik sta te grienen
Ik kan nergens meer voor dienen
Het is heet maar ik bevries
Oke, maar waarom niet met mij
We kunnen toch wel wat verzinnen
't Is toch niet allemaal voorbij
Kijk me aan, ik sta te huilen
Open je armen, ik wil schuilen
Ik heb je nodig, hier, Louise
M'n lieve Louise, oh Louise ...
En hoe kan ik praten tegen muren
Waar moet ik met mezelf naartoe
Hoelang moet ik dit nog verduren
Wanneer ben jij die man weer moe
Kijk me aan, ik lig te janken
Clouseau ligt languit op de planken
Kom terug s'il te plait, alsjeblieft, oh please
M'n lieve Louise, oh Louise ...
The song "Louise" by Clouseau is a heartfelt ballad about the pain and emptiness that comes in the aftermath of a breakup. The singer is left wondering who will take care of him now that his lover, Louise, is no longer present in his life. He questions how he will be able to move forward without her, and expresses his overwhelming sense of loss and sadness.
Throughout the song, he pleads with Louise to come back and start over with him, acknowledging that they could come up with a solution and that it is not all over. He paints a picture of himself as helpless and lost without her, unable to function or find comfort. He speaks of his desperate need for her presence and the emotional shelter that she provides, begging her to return to him.
The lyrics are emotional and raw, expressing the universal experience of grief and heartbreak. The song is beautifully crafted, with emotive vocals and a poignant melody that captures the depth of the singer's despair.
Line by Line Meaning
Wie gaat er nou nog voor me zorgen
Who will take care of me now that you're gone, Louise?
Als jij er niet meer bent, Louise
If you're not here anymore, Louise
Hoe moet het met mij verder morgen
How will I continue tomorrow
Als ik nu ook nog jou verlies
If I lose you too
Kijk me aan, ik sta te grienen
Look at me, I am crying
Ik kan nergens meer voor dienen
I am of no use
Het is heet maar ik bevries
I am freezing although it's hot
Jij zegt ik wil opnieuw beginnen
You say you want to start anew
Oke, maar waarom niet met mij
Okay, but why not with me?
We kunnen toch wel wat verzinnen
We can think of something
't Is toch niet allemaal voorbij
It's not all over yet
Kijk me aan, ik sta te huilen
Look at me, I am crying
Open je armen, ik wil schuilen
Open your arms, I want to take refuge
Ik heb je nodig, hier, Louise
I need you here, Louise
En hoe kan ik praten tegen muren
And how can I talk to walls
Waar moet ik met mezelf naartoe
Where should I go with myself
Hoelang moet ik dit nog verduren
How long do I still have to endure this
Wanneer ben jij die man weer moe
When will you be tired of that man again
Kijk me aan, ik lig te janken
Look at me, I am sobbing
Clouseau ligt languit op de planken
Clouseau is lying flat on the planks
Kom terug s'il te plait, alsjeblieft, oh please
Please come back, s'il te plait, please
M'n lieve Louise, oh Louise ...
My dear Louise, oh Louise ...
Contributed by Mason D. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
hermanj69
blijf nog altijd een van de beste van clouseau,altijd leuk als ik dit nog een s op de radio hoor
Melissa X
geweldig!! Bedankt voor dit stukje jeugdsentiment! Grijs gedraait heb ik dit nummer destijds.
Bruno Pinkhof
Heel top nummer Cloueseau, ik ben een Clouseau fan. Koen is een heel vriendelijke hartelijke mens in het echt mensen.
Louise Reijmes
word altijd vrolijk als ik dit liedje hoor! me vriend zong dit voor mij hahaha!
Proken123
En lieve Louise, nog samen met dat vriendje?
Anders wil ik jou wel leren kennen, Lieve Louise !
Louise Reijmes
Proken123 zeker al 12 jaar samen 😁
Proken123
@Louise Reijmes tedoemen! 😁😁
Noureddin Hamdaoui
wij houden allemaal van dit land en elders ook als de mensen allemaal wat respect hebben voor elkaar...spijtig genoeg zit de wereld er zo niet elkaar!!!! Maar Clouseau heeft heel ook wat mensen dicht bij elkaar gebracht door zijn songs,houding,programa's chapau man doe zo verder lang zal u leven fijn nummer mijne tijd 80
Ellen Van Roost
Met vertraging maar ook vandaag:nummer van de dag! Zo'n zalige golden oldie!
Explorer
Clouseau weet hoe je muziek maakt. De juiste toon vindt, de juiste accenten plaatst. Vakmanschap. 👏