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)

Oker
Clouseau Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Alles staat stil onder een hemel van Delfts blauw
En de zon verft de graven oker.
En als ik bidden kon, vroeg ik om herfst hier,
Waar jij slaapt, heel het jaar,
Want daar hield jij van.
Sluimer zacht, ik blijf nog even, want het is
Hier zo mooi, en ik wil wat praten.
En ik hoor nog jouw stem, lang voor wij

Afscheid namen, en hoe jij zei:
Alles gaat voorbij.
Laat de zondvloed maar komen,
Laat het regenen in stromen
Voor altijd, voor altijd.
Laat de regen maar komen.
Ik heb jou in mijn dromen,
Voor altijd, voor altijd.
Laat de regen maar komen,
Laat het gieten in stromen.
Voor altijd, voor altijd.
Alles staat stil. Iets is gebroken,
En ik moet nu naar huis,
Want de poorten sluiten.
En jij lijkt zo dichtbij.
Thuis wacht er niemand meer op mij,
En de zon verft de graven rood.
Laat de regen maar komen.
Laat het gieten in stromen,
Voor altijd, voor altijd.
Laat de zondvloed maar komen.
Ik heb jou in mijn dromen voor altijd,

Voor altijd.
Alles wordt stil.

Overall Meaning

The song "Oker" by Clouseau revolves around the theme of loss and the memories it leaves behind. The opening lines paint a picture of a calm and serene setting under a sky of Delfts blue while the sun paints the graves in ochre. The lyrics reflect the emotions of a person who has lost someone they loved deeply and wishes to be with them, even if only in their dreams. The singer longs for the fall season where the person they lost loved to rest for the whole year.

As the song progresses, the singer talks about how they want to stay there because it's beautiful, and they want to talk to the person they lost. They still hear the person's voice and remember how they said: "everything passes." The chorus of the song talks about how the singer is ready to weather any storm and how they have the person they lost in their dreams.

The song's closing lines express the singer's acknowledgment that something has broken and that the gates are closing. They acknowledge that nobody waits for them at home, and the sun has turned the graves red. In the end, the singer repeats the chorus, expressing their willingness to weather any storm and keep the person they lost forever in their hearts, dreams, and memories.

Line by Line Meaning

Alles staat stil onder een hemel van Delfts blauw
Everything is still beneath a sky of Delft blue color

En de zon verft de graven oker.
And the sun paints the graves ochre.

En als ik bidden kon, vroeg ik om herfst hier,
And if I could pray, I would ask for autumn here,

Waar jij slaapt, heel het jaar,
Where you sleep all year,

Want daar hield jij van.
Because that's what you loved.

Sluimer zacht, ik blijf nog even, want het is
Sleep softly, I'll stay a little longer, because it's

Hier zo mooi, en ik wil wat praten.
Beautiful here, and I want to talk a little.

En ik hoor nog jouw stem, lang voor wij
And I still hear your voice, long before we

Afscheid namen, en hoe jij zei:
Said goodbye, and how you said:

Alles gaat voorbij.
Everything passes.

Laat de zondvloed maar komen,
Let the flood come,