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)
Oogcontact
Clouseau Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Iedereen kijkt ernaar
Velen wagen hun kansen maar
Ik voel echt iets voor haar
Waarom sta jij daar dan zo te staan?
Geen idee, nee
Morgen is't misschien alweer te laat
Zij haar blik op oneindig
Ik, mijn hart in mijn keel
Ooit moet ik het vertellen maar
Ik twijfel veel te veel
Haal diep adem, aarzel niet en praat
Ik zoek naar woorden
God weet wie er morgen voor haar staat
Dat is waar
Oogcontact is in orde
Zelfcontrole is goed
Een beetje last van verlegenheid
Maar ik stap haar toch tegemoet
Kijk, zij zijn geboren voor elkaar
Zo zie je maar, yeah
Als je wil dan worden dromen waar
Ook al had ik beter moeten weten
En hier veel eerder kunnen staan
Toch ben ik bij jou
Ben ik bij jou
Hier vandaag
Ik stond zo lang te wachten op een teken
En heb die nacht mijn kans gewaagd
Nu ben ik bij jou
Ben ik bij jou
Heel de dag
[Voor altijd ben ik bij jou
En ik wil je nooit meer kwijt
Nu ben ik bij jou,
Ben ik bij jou]
The lyrics of Clouseau's song "Oogcontact" talk about a young man who is mesmerized by a girl dancing. He describes her as agile and beautiful. Although everyone is watching her and many are trying to talk to her, he is hesitant and confused about what to do. He is afraid that he will miss his opportunity if he does not act soon. He wants to talk to her but is held back by his fear and insecurities. He tells himself to take a deep breath and gather the courage to approach her. He believes that they are meant to be together and that if he doesn't act now, he might lose his chance.
The phrase "oogcontact" (meaning "eye contact") is repeated throughout the song, emphasizing the importance of nonverbal communication in building connections. The singer's self-doubt and fear of rejection are relatable to many people, making the song a favorite among young listeners who are struggling to find love.
The lyrics also celebrate the idea that dreams can come true if we work hard to achieve them. The singer finally gathers the strength to talk to the girl, and their connection is strong enough that he ends up spending the whole day with her. The song's theme of taking chances and living in the moment has inspired many people to step out of their comfort zones and pursue their dreams.
Line by Line Meaning
Zij staat lenig te dansen
She is dancing gracefully
Iedereen kijkt ernaar
Everyone is watching her
Velen wagen hun kansen maar
Many are trying their luck
Ik voel echt iets voor haar
I have real feelings for her
Waarom sta jij daar dan zo te staan?
Why are you standing there?
Geen idee, nee
I don't know
Morgen is't misschien alweer te laat
Tomorrow it might be too late
Zij haar blik op oneindig
Her gaze is distant
Ik, mijn hart in mijn keel
My heart is racing
Ooit moet ik het vertellen maar
I must tell her someday
Ik twijfel veel te veel
But I have too many doubts
Haal diep adem, aarzel niet en praat
Take a deep breath and speak up
Ik zoek naar woorden
I'm looking for the right words
God weet wie er morgen voor haar staat
God knows who will be with her tomorrow
Oogcontact is in orde
Eye contact is good
Zelfcontrole is goed
Self-control is good
Een beetje last van verlegenheid
A little bit shy
Maar ik stap haar toch tegemoet
But I'll still approach her
Kijk, zij zijn geboren voor elkaar
Look, they are made for each other
Zo zie je maar, yeah
You see it for yourself
Als je wil dan worden dromen waar
If you want it, dreams can come true
Ook al had ik beter moeten weten
Even though I should have known better
En hier veel eerder kunnen staan
And I could have been here much earlier
Toch ben ik bij jou
Still, I'm here with you
Ben ik bij jou
I'm here with you
Hier vandaag
Here today
Ik stond zo lang te wachten op een teken
I've been waiting for a sign for so long
En heb die nacht mijn kans gewaagd
And that night I took my chance
Nu ben ik bij jou
Now I'm with you
Ben ik bij jou
I'm with you
Heel de dag
All day long
Voor altijd ben ik bij jou
I'll be with you forever
En ik wil je nooit meer kwijt
And I never want to lose you
Nu ben ik bij jou,
Now I'm with you,
Ben ik bij jou
I'm with you
Contributed by Levi R. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Marie Cappart
Clouseau weet nog heel goed hoe ze de oren blij moet maken!! Thanks Guys!!