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)

Nobelprijs
Clouseau Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Jouw zachte ogen in de ochtendzon
Zijn zoveel mooier dan ik dromen kon
Dit komt maar eenmaal in een leven voor
We gaan er vandoor

Jij begrijpt wie ik ben
Wat ik voel
En wat ik wil bereiken

Enkel jij bent mijn doel
En al de rest zal wijken
Laat ze maar kijken naar ons raar gedoe

Laat me proeven van de hemel
Laat me zweven van geluk
Ik wil jou de wereld geven
Die van ons kan niet meer stuk
'k neem je mee naar warme oorden
Op een eindeloze reis
Dit zijn meer dan mooie woorden
Jij verdient de Nobelprijs

Wat zou ik doen indien ik jou niet had
Ik zou verdwalen in een dode stad
Jij houdt mijn leven op het juiste spoor
We gaan er vandoor

Jij begrijpt wie ik ben
Wat ik voel
En wat ik wil bereiken
Enkel jij bent mijn doel
En al de rest zal wijken
Laat ze maar kijken naar ons raar gedoe

Laat me proeven van de hemel
Laat me zweven van geluk
Ik wil jou de wereld geven
Die van ons kan niet meer stuk
'k neem je mee naar warme oorden
Op een eindeloze reis

Dit zijn meer dan mooie woorden
Jij verdient de Nobelprijs

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of Clouseau's song "Nobelprijs" speak about the immense love and admiration the singer has for his beloved. His "zachte ogen" (soft eyes) in the morning sun are more beautiful than he could have ever dreamed. He believes that this kind of love comes only once in a lifetime and therefore, he wants to take her away with him. He praises her understanding of him, her ability to comprehend his emotions, and her willingness to help him achieve his goal. She is the only priority he has and he is willing to let go of everything else for her. The lyrics evoke a sense of devotion and admiration that the singer feels towards his lover, which he explains could only be rewarded with the Nobel Prize.

The singer implies that his lover has given his life the right direction, and without her, he would be lost ("Wat zou ik doen indien ik jou niet had // Ik zou verdwalen in een dode stad" - "What would I do if I didn't have you // I would get lost in a dead city"). He continuously glorifies her in the song and makes grand statements about how he can give her the world and the trip of a lifetime. The lyrics describe the love that is profound and genuine, with the final line suggesting that his lover deserves the Nobel Prize for all the love she gives.

Line by Line Meaning

Jouw zachte ogen in de ochtendzon zijn zoveel mooier dan ik dromen kon
I am amazed by your beautiful eyes while we enjoy the morning sun, it's even better than I could have imagined

Dit komt maar eenmaal in een leven voor, we gaan er vandoor
This is a once in a lifetime opportunity, let's escape and enjoy it together

Jij begrijpt wie ik ben, wat ik voel en wat ik wil bereiken. Enkel jij bent mijn doel en al de rest zal wijken. Laat ze maar kijken naar ons raar gedoe
You understand and support me completely, and nothing else matters. Let others judge us, we'll continue to be our unique selves

Laat me proeven van de hemel, laat me zweven van geluk. Ik wil jou de wereld geven, die van ons kan niet meer stuk.
Let me experience and enjoy true happiness. I want to give you everything in the world and make our bond unbreakable

'k neem je mee naar warme oorden, op een eindeloze reis. Dit zijn meer dan mooie woorden, jij verdient de Nobelprijs
I'll take you on an endless journey to beautiful places because you deserve all the praise and recognition, just like a Nobel Prize

Wat zou ik doen indien ik jou niet had? Ik zou verdwalen in een dode stad. Jij houdt mijn leven op het juiste spoor, we gaan er vandoor
I wouldn't know what to do without you in my life, I'd feel lost and empty. You keep me grounded and focused, so let's go on this adventure together

Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS

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