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)
Take It to Your Heart
Clouseau Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
We have been alone
We have been together
We have seen it all
You have said
The sweetest words forever
And I have heard them all
What I'm telling you now
So will you
Take it to your heart
When I say I love you
Take it to your heart
No I've never known how to tell you
What I'm telling you now
So will you take it to your heart
It feels good to hear you say I love you
What power lies within those words
You must be strong
For I cannot imagine
How you held on and never heard
What I've never known how to tell you
I'm telling you now
So will you
Take it to your heart
When I say I love you
Take it to your heart
Even when the stars are falling
Out of a clear blue sky
There will still be love enough
For you and I
No I've never known how to tell you
What I'm telling you now
So will you
Take it to your heart
When I say I love you
Take it to your heart
Every day now
Take it to your heart
Aah
Take it to your heart
The song "Take it to Your Heart" by Clouseau is a beautiful love song that speaks about the intense emotions that two lovers share. The lyrics emphasize the fact that the two lovers have been through thick and thin together and that they have experienced all that life has to offer them. Despite all the obstacles that life may bring their way, they have always remained together, and their love has only grown stronger over the years.
The lyrics also speak about the power of the words "I love you." The singer admits that he has never known how to tell his lover how much he loves her, and so he urges her to take his words to her heart. He acknowledges that saying "I love you" feels good, and that there is immense power in those three words. The chorus repeats the phrase "Take it to your heart" emphasizing just how important it is for the lover to truly believe and understand the depth of the singer's love.
The song ends on a hopeful note, emphasizing that even in the darkest of times, love will always be enough for the two lovers. Overall, "Take it to Your Heart" is a powerful and moving love song with heartfelt lyrics and a beautiful melody that perfectly captures the intense emotions of two people in love.
Line by Line Meaning
Take it to your heart
Please listen to this and take it seriously
We have been alone
There were times when we were lonely, with nobody else around
We have been together
We have been through many shared experiences
We have seen it all
We have been through a lot together
You have said
You have told me
The sweetest words forever
Words that are very kind and loving, perhaps the nicest words anyone has ever spoken to me
And I have heard them all
I've listened to everything you've said, and I appreciate it
But I've never known how to tell you
What I'm telling you now
I've never been able to put my feelings into words like I am doing currently
So will you
Will you please listen to me
When I say I love you
This is how I feel about you
It feels good to hear you say I love you
Your words make me feel happy and loved
What power lies within those words
I feel like 'I love you' holds lots of meaning and significance
You must be strong
For I cannot imagine
How you held on and never heard
Your strength impresses me, as I cannot fathom how you coped with not hearing how important you are to me
Even when the stars are falling
Out of a clear blue sky
There will still be love enough
For you and I
No matter what may happen, I will never stop loving you
Every day now
From now on, every day
Take it to your heart
Please believe me and take this message to heart
Aah
A sound of happiness or contentment
Contributed by Riley O. Suggest a correction in the comments below.