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)
That's Alright
Clouseau Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I'm sitting here all by myself
And the TV gives off light
But is doesn't really help
And I go back to the time
When she looked me up and down
And when she said, you will be mine
I just followed like a clown
(Chorus)
But that's alright
'Cause her eyes were full of rainbows
But that's alright
She made princes out of toads
I don't know why she felt she had to go
But that's alright, that's alright
Every night and every day
How she taunted, how she teased
I can confidently say
That she just did as she pleased
(Chorus)
Oh and each and every night
I keep thinking how it hurts
And the TV's on alright
But the image isn't hers
I remember every time
When I looked her up and down
That's a memory so fine
My head spinning round
In the song, That's Alright by Clouseau, the singer is reflecting on a past relationship that has ended. The singer is alone and watching TV, but even the light from the TV cannot provide comfort. The singer remembers how they followed their partner like a clown when she said that he would be hers. The chorus repeats the phrase "but that's alright" as the singer reconciles with the end of the relationship. The partner had made the singer feel special and seen, like turning "princes out of toads," but the singer doesn't know why the partner had to leave.
The second verse continues with how the partner would taunt and tease the singer, doing as she pleased. The pain of the breakup is still present, and the singer remembers their partner every night, but now the TV image is not hers. The final lines of the song return to the memories of when the singer first met their partner, how fine that moment was, how it made their head spin around.
Line by Line Meaning
In the darkness of the night
I'm alone in the dark.
I'm sitting here all by myself
There's no one here with me.
And the TV gives off light
The TV is turned on and providing light.
But it doesn't really help
It doesn't change the fact that I'm alone.
And I go back to the time
I remember when...
When she looked me up and down
She checked me out with her eyes.
And when she said, you will be mine
She made a move on me.
I just followed like a clown
I went along with it like a fool.
But that's alright
It's okay.
'Cause her eyes were full of rainbows
She seemed magical and enchanting.
But that's alright
It's okay.
She made princes out of toads
She had a talent for bringing out the best in people.
I don't know why she felt she had to go
I'm not sure why she left.
But that's alright, that's alright
But it's okay, it's okay.
Every night and every day
All the time...
How she taunted, how she teased
She would tease me and play hard to get.
I can confidently say
I can say for sure...
That she just did as she pleased
She did whatever she wanted.
Oh and each and every night
Every single night...
I keep thinking how it hurts
I can't help but feel pain.
And the TV's on alright
The TV is still on, but it's not helping.
But the image isn't hers
What's on the TV doesn't remind me of her.
I remember every time
I'm reminded of every moment when...
When I looked her up and down
When I checked her out with my eyes.
That's a memory so fine
It's a great memory.
My head spinning round
It makes me dizzy to think about it.
Contributed by Dylan F. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
The Science Of Gambling
lekker nummer :)
Jean
Die "Engelse periode" is zowat aan me voorbij gegaan. Behalve "haeven" ken ik er geen. Ik ben dus wel blij dat ik ze nu kan beluisteren. đź‘Ť
Bexy82
Close Encounters bevat hun grootste Nederlandstalige hits in een Engelstalig jasje. Zo is bv Anne Anna geworden op dat album, Ze Zit noemt 'She's After Me' en Alleen Met Jou heeft als titel With A Woman Like You. Close Encounters, tevens de titel van het album, is in onze moedertaal Daar Gaat Ze. :) Alleen van That's Alright weet ik niet hoe dat nummer in het Nederlands heet. Voor de rest ken ik ze allemaal! :)
Jean
Dankjewel voor deze info. In de reportage "30 jaar clouseau" werd er ook over die Engelse periode gesproken en toen had ik het gevoel dat ik toch wel iets had gemist....
E€A
@Bexy82 its alright is algemeen bestaan recht. Het is al goed want goed is stoffelijk. 🙏That's all folks.
E€A
🙄 One word for the lyric
Waarheid