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)
Promise Land
Clouseau Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Standing tall under the weight of the world
Ain't it funny how the years unfurl
Found myself, found my strength
In a promise
I told her one day we would leave it all
Made my commitment, made her believe
In a promise
It's taken every moment
We've shed our share of tears
Time had done its dance and we're still here
Oh and I'm lost within her now
Together we are bound
(Chorus)
Open our eyes, open our ears
To the Promise Land
Open our minds, open our hearts
To the promise Land
Just like I'm counting on the rising sun
I believe in the only one
I want to hold when the day is done
That's a promsie
While everyone around us
Struggle with their fear
We have each other to love
And we're still here
Yeah we have built a bridge
That lead our hearts to here
(Chorus)
When we are young without a care
Life can take us anywhere
There's a heaven we'll see from there
Mothers and fathers
And sisters and brothers
Living their dreams
(Chorus)
The song "Promise Land" by Clouseau talks about a couple who found strength and commitment in their relationship. The first few lines of the song indicate that the world can be a difficult place to live in, but the couple has found a promise that gives them hope and inner strength. The singer tells his partner that one day they would leave everything behind, including the city streets, and find a new life together - a promise that he intends to keep.
As the song progresses, the singer speaks about the struggles they have faced as a couple, the tears they have shed, but how they still remain together. He is lost within her, and they are bound together. The chorus talks about opening their eyes, ears, minds, and hearts to the Promise Land, which could refer to a physical place or an emotional state of being. The singer believes in the only one (presumably his partner) and wants to hold her when the day is done. The simplicity of this statement shows the love and commitment he has towards his partner.
Towards the end of the song, it seems as though the singer is looking back at his younger self, perhaps a time when he did not have the love and support he has now. He speaks about how life can take us anywhere and how he envisions a heaven he will see with the people he loves. The song ends with a repetition of the chorus, emphasizing the idea of holding onto the promise and opening oneself to an optimistic future.
Line by Line Meaning
Standing tall under the weight of the world
Despite the hardships and challenges of life, I am standing tall and strong
Ain't it funny how the years unfurl
It's strange and surprising how time passes and things change
Found myself, found my strength / In a promise
I discovered who I am and became stronger because of a commitment I made
I told her one day we would leave it all / The city streets where the mighty fall / Made my commitment, made her believe / In a promise
I promised my loved one that we would escape the struggles of city life and made her believe in my promise
It's taken every moment / We've shed our share of tears / Time had done its dance and we're still here / Oh and I'm lost within her now / Together we are bound
We've faced many challenges and shed tears, but time has passed and we're still together and in love
(Chorus)
The chorus repeats the desire to open our eyes, ears, minds, and hearts to the Promise Land
Just like I'm counting on the rising sun / I believe in the only one / I want to hold when the day is done / That's a promsie
I have faith in my love, and I want to hold her at the end of each day as a part of my promise
While everyone around us / Struggle with their fear / We have each other to love / And we're still here / Yeah we have built a bridge / That lead our hearts to here
Others may struggle with fear and uncertainty, but we have each other's love and have built a bridge that brings us together
When we are young without a care / Life can take us anywhere / There's a heaven we'll see from there / Mothers and fathers / And sisters and brothers / Living their dreams
When we're young, life is full of possibilities, and we can see a future where our loved ones are all living their dreams and in a better place
Contributed by Hannah M. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Francis Disco
Mooie tekst super mooi nummer 💕💕
Katelijn Isselee
Mooi gewoon ZALIG
Cin Bols
Mooi nummer. De 1ste keer dat ik dit hoor.