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)
She's After Me
Clouseau Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Cut out of stone by some great artist
But she's a killer
With many names on her deadlist
But if you really want to give her a try, go ahead
Though I think you'd better try to cool down instead
Come buy me a drink
And forget about her
(Chorus)
She's after me and I'm frightened to death
That lovely lady's put a price on my head
Don't see no reason why she's after me
All of my life is in jeopardy
She's had a lot of men, she tore them apart
She didn't let them be
No, she's a killer
And you'll be the next on her deadlist
And if you really want to give her a try, go ahead
Still I'm sure you'd better try to cool down instead
Let's go for a drink and forget all about her
Because
(Chorus)
The lyrics of Clouseau's song "She's After Me" describe a beautiful woman who appears as if she was sculpted out of stone by a great artist, but is actually a killer with a long list of names on her deadlist. The singer warns the listener to avoid her and suggests they go for a drink instead to forget about her. The chorus reveals that the woman is after the singer and has put a price on his head, which puts his life at risk. The singer seems confused about why the woman is after him and believes that his life is in jeopardy.
The song seems to be about the danger of falling for someone who appears attractive, but is actually dangerous. The woman in the song is described as beautiful and alluring but also lethal, with a long list of victims to her name. The singer warns the listener to be careful of her and to avoid getting involved with her. However, despite the warning, there is also a sense of fear and helplessness in the lyrics, as the singer realizes that the woman is after him and has put his life at risk.
In conclusion, Clouseau's "She's After Me" is a cautionary tale about the dangers of falling for someone who appears attractive but is actually dangerous. The song warns the listener to be careful and to avoid getting involved with the woman described in the lyrics, while also acknowledging the fear and helplessness that can come from realizing that someone is after you.
Line by Line Meaning
She looks like a statue
Her physical appearance is so perfect (like a statue made by a great artist) that it is hard to believe she is real.
But she's a killer
Despite her beautiful appearance, she is actually a killer.
With many names on her deadlist
She has killed many people and has a long list of victims.
But if you really want to give her a try, go ahead
Despite the danger, if you still want to pursue a relationship with her, you can try.
Though I think you'd better try to cool down instead
However, it would be better if you calm down and not take any risks.
Come buy me a drink
Let's have a drink together.
And forget about her
Let's forget about the killer and enjoy ourselves.
(Chorus)
She is pursuing Clouseau and he is afraid for his life as she has threatened him.
She's had a lot of men, she tore them apart
She has had numerous romantic partners in the past, but she has killed them all.
She didn't let them be
She did not allow her previous partners to leave or break up with her, she killed them instead.
Still I'm sure you'd better try to cool down instead
Clouseau advises the listener to be cautious and not take any risks, even if they want to pursue a relationship with the killer.
Let's go for a drink and forget all about her
Clouseau suggests they go out and have a good time, ignoring the fact that the killer is after him.
Contributed by Charlie O. Suggest a correction in the comments below.