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)
September
Clouseau Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Een septemberavond van weleer
't Leven was zo mooi met jou aan m'n zij
De herinnering is sterk en ze blijft
Die zomernachten dansen in het maanlicht
Ik zag je en je lachte, bruinverbrand gezicht
Voor altijd in m'n dromen steeds meer en meer
't Zijn lange dagen zo zonder jou
't Regent weer met vlagen, september wordt heel koud
Kon ik nu maar weer bij je zijn
Dan voelde ik veel minder pijn
The lyrics of Clouseau's song "September" tell a tale of past love and longing. The singer looks back on a September evening with his former love, when life was still beautiful with her by his side. The memory is strong and vivid, even though time has passed. The summer nights spent together, dancing in the moonlight, are still present in his dreams. He remembers her laughter and her tanned face, and the sweet words she used to say to him. The singer feels lost and incomplete without his former love, and the rainy and cold September days only accentuate the sorrow he feels.
The song's lyrics are simple yet emotive, and they show how powerful the memory of a past love can be. The imagery of the cold and misty September evening and the dance in the moonlight create a nostalgic and romantic mood that resonates with many listeners. The singer's longing for his former love is palpable, as he wishes he could be with her again to ease his pain.
Overall, "September" is a poignant song that captures the bittersweet memories of lost love and the longing for a past that cannot be regained.
Line by Line Meaning
k Weet nog goed, koud en mistig weer
I still remember that cold and foggy weather
Een septemberavond van weleer
An old September evening
't Leven was zo mooi met jou aan m'n zij
Life was so beautiful when you were by my side
De herinnering is sterk en ze blijft
The memory is strong and it stays
Die zomernachten dansen in het maanlicht
Those summer nights dancing in the moonlight
Ik zag je en je lachte, bruinverbrand gezicht
I saw you laughing with your tanned face
Voor altijd in m'n dromen steeds meer en meer
Forever in my dreams, more and more
Die lieve woordenstroom klinkt telkens weer
Those sweet words keep sounding again and again
't Zijn lange dagen zo zonder jou
These are long days without you
't Regent weer met vlagen, september wordt heel koud
It rains frequently again, September becomes very cold
Kon ik nu maar weer bij je zijn
If only I could be with you again
Dan voelde ik veel minder pijn
Then I would feel much less pain
Contributed by Christopher W. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Jessika Vandamme
Geweldige song met supermooie lyrics !
Zal veel succes hebben !
Evelien Visser
Super nummerke mannen, echt jullie stijl well done koen en Kris love you♥️♥️
Peter Dhanyns
I love this
Reuring Reuring
De frieten stinken naar schijt: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zuc9JIRm8-M
Denise Anneke Williams
Love Clouseau love Belgie and Belgique. One very special group to me . So many memories of Vlaanderen ❤️🇧🇪it’s such a long time since ‘geef het op’ love !!!!!
Denise Anneke Williams
We so hope to see you in concert !!!!! Maybe Antwerpen one day or Brussel , much love
Nancy Cazaerck
Zo mooi dit, ik loop reeds dagen met dit liedje in m n hoofd ☺️☺️🥰♥️ top Koen en Kris. Ik hoop jullie notens live te kunnen zien en eigenlijk te mogen ontmoeten. Ondertussen…..keep safe 🙏🙏
Jennifer Beeckaert
Super goede nummer❤️ ik had niks anders verwacht😁
thdr
Een echt clouseau nummer zoals ik mijn idolen ken. Een heel mooi nummer. Ik hoop dat Koen weer een grote liefde mag vinden die er voor altijd zal zijn. Groet uit Nederland 🥰
Patricia Vandevelde
Super nummer ❤️❤️❤️