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)
Onvolmaakt
Clouseau Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Vroeg Zich af hoe het ging
Observeerde en staarde
Naar zijn blauwe lieveling
Hij zocht wouden en zeeën
Maar dat bleek naar de maan
Want Z'n droom brak in tweeën
Zo wild te keer zag gaan
En waar was die wereld
Die Hij had gekleurd
Ontaard in een steekspel
Wat was hier toch gebeurd?
Hij vroeg Zich af:
Waar is de vrede?
Heeft zij ooit bestaan?
Had Hij moeten weten
Dat dit ook fout kon gaan?
Dwars doorheen al Z'n tranen
Zag Hij de chaos en rook
Cowboys en indianen
En een werelddeel te koop
Een bevolking op de loop
En waar is de liefde?
Heeft zij ooit bestaan?
Had Hij moeten weten
Dat dit ook fout kon gaan
Groen, blauw
Langzaam vervaagd
Tot grimmig grijs, de prijs betaald
Wanneer wordt "alles voor mij en niks voor jou"
Nu eens eindelijk achterhaald?
Hij keek weg van de Aarde
Schudde meeewarig het hoofd
En waar was die wereld
Die Hij had gekleurd
Ontaard in een steekspel
Wat was hier toch gebeurd?
Hij vroeg Zich af:
Waar is de vrede?
Heeft zij ooit bestaan?
Had Hij moeten weten
Dat dit ook fout kon gaan?
Toen voelde Hij Zich heel even
Onvolmaakt
The lyrics of Clouseau's song "Onvolmaakt" describe an extraterrestrial being observing planet Earth from a distance. At first, the being is enchanted by the planet's blue beauty, admiring its natural wonders. However, the being is perplexed and sorrowful when it starts observing the behavior of humans. The being sees a chaotic world, full of conflict, violence, and greed. The lyrics suggest that the being had a spiritual connection to Earth, perhaps even a role in its creation, and that it expected to find a peaceful and harmonious world. The realization that humans have ruined their own planet makes the being feel hopeless and disillusioned.
The lyrics of "Onvolmaakt" are a reflection on the state of our world from an outsider's perspective. The song speaks of the destructive nature of humanity and the consequences of our actions. The being in the song longed for a world that could exist without conflict, greed, and violence, but was forced to confront the harsh reality of our planet. The lyrics prompt listeners to consider their own role in the state of the world, and to strive for a more peaceful and sustainable future.
Line by Line Meaning
Hij keek neer op de aarde
He looked down at the Earth
Vroeg Zich af hoe het ging
Wondered how it was doing
Observeerde en staarde
Observed and gazed
Naar zijn blauwe lieveling
At his blue darling
Hij zocht wouden en zeeën
He searched for forests and seas
Maar dat bleek naar de maan
But that turned out to be a moonshot
Want Z'n droom brak in tweeën
Because his dream shattered in two
Toen Hij de mens zag staan
When he saw humans standing there
Zo wild te keer zag gaan
Going so wild
En waar was die wereld
And where was that world
Die Hij had gekleurd
He had colored
Ontaard in een steekspel
Degenerated into a fencing match
Wat was hier toch gebeurd?
What had happened here?
Hij vroeg Zich af:
He wondered
Waar is de vrede?
Where is the peace?
Heeft zij ooit bestaan?
Did it ever exist?
Had Hij moeten weten
Should he have known
Dat dit ook fout kon gaan?
That this could also go wrong?
Dwars doorheen al Z'n tranen
Through all his tears
Zag Hij de chaos en rook
He saw the chaos and smelled
Cowboys en indianen
Cowboys and Indians
En een werelddeel te koop
And a continent for sale
Een bevolking op de loop
A population on the run
En waar is de liefde?
And where is the love?
Heeft zij ooit bestaan?
Did it ever exist?
Had Hij moeten weten
Should he have known
Dat dit ook fout kon gaan
That this could also go wrong
Groen, blauw
Green, blue
Langzaam vervaagd
Slowly fading
Tot grimmig grijs, de prijs betaald
Until grim gray, the price paid
Wanneer wordt "alles voor mij en niks voor jou"
When will 'everything for me and nothing for you'
Nu eens eindelijk achterhaald?
Finally become outdated?
Hij keek weg van de Aarde
He looked away from the Earth
Schudde meeewarig het hoofd
Shook his head sympathetically
Toen voelde Hij Zich heel even
Then he felt himself just for a moment
Onvolmaakt
Imperfect
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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🤔 Zucht, 2019 ✨