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)
Vanavond ga ik uit
Clouseau Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Dat is al een week braaf en beschaafd
Een oude dame over geholpen
Een week niet roken, drinken of slaan
Dat is lang, niet uit te houden
Kijk hoe ik kook, kook hoe ik kijk
Reizen wil ik, reizen heel de nacht
Vanavond ga ik uit
En niemand houdt me tegen
Vanavond ga ik uit
Totdat ik heb gekregen
Wat de nacht je geven kan
Als je verdwijnt in vuur en vlam
Vanavond ga ik uit
Een sober leven, je mag 't hebben
Steek 't voor mijn part waar 't je zint
Er komt een eind aan goeie manieren
En waar een eind is, is een begin
Dat is nu, tijd om te reizen
Tijd om te gaan, kijk naar de tijd
'k Heb nu toch wel lang genoeg gewacht
Vanavond ga ik uit
En niemand houdt me tegen
Vanavond ga ik uit
Totdat ik heb gekregen
Wat de nacht je geven kan
Als je verdwijnt in vuur en vlam
Bij koninklijk besluit, vanavond ga ik uit
Doorgaan, doorgaan
Tot je niet meer op je benen kan staan
Doorgaan (Kom aan), doorgaan
Tot je niet meer op je benen kan staan
Doorgaan (Kom aan), doorgaan
Tot je niet meer op je benen kan staan
Doorgaan, doorgaan
Tot je niet meer op je benen kan staan
Vanavond ga ik uit
En niemand houdt me tegen
Vanavond ga ik uit
Zeker weten, zeker weten, oehoehoehoe
Vanavond ga ik uit
En niemand houdt me tegen
Vanavond ga ik uit, uit, uit, uit
Zeker weten, zeker weten, oehoehoehoe
Vanavond ga ik uit
En niemand houdt me tegen
The song "Vanavond ga ik uit" (Tonight I'm Going Out) by Clouseau is about breaking free and having a wild night out after living a calm and well-behaved life for a week. The first verse describes a week without vices such as smoking, drinking, and violence, while in the second verse the singer expresses his desire to travel and go out. He declares that he can no longer wait and needs to let loose. The chorus emphasizes his determination to have a good time and not be stopped by anyone, singing about the potential joy and excitement that the night may bring.
Overall, the song is an upbeat and catchy anthem about letting loose and enjoying life to the fullest.
Line by Line Meaning
Dat is al een week kalm gebleven
I have been calm for a whole week
Dat is al een week braaf en beschaafd
I have been well-behaved and polite for a whole week
Een oude dame over geholpen
I helped an old lady
Een week niet roken, drinken of slaan
I haven't smoked, drank or hit anyone for a whole week
Dat is lang, niet uit te houden
It's been too long, I can't take it anymore
Kijk hoe ik kook, kook hoe ik kijk
Just look at how angry I am, it's boiling inside me
Reizen wil ik, reizen heel de nacht
I want to travel, travel all night
Vanavond ga ik uit
Tonight I'm going out
En niemand houdt me tegen
No one can stop me
Totdat ik heb gekregen
Until I get
Wat de nacht je geven kan
What the night can give you
Als je verdwijnt in vuur en vlam
When you disappear in a blaze of fire
Een sober leven, je mag 't hebben
You can have a simple life
Steek 't voor mijn part waar 't je zint
Put it wherever you like
Er komt een eind aan goeie manieren
Good manners have to end at some point
En waar een eind is, is een begin
And where there is an end, there is a beginning
Dat is nu, tijd om te reizen
That time is now, time to travel
Tijd om te gaan, kijk naar de tijd
Time to leave, look at the time
'k Heb nu toch wel lang genoeg gewacht
I've waited long enough now
Bij koninklijk besluit, vanavond ga ik uit
By royal decree, tonight I'm going out
Doorgaan, doorgaan
Keep going, keep going
Tot je niet meer op je benen kan staan
Until you can't stand on your feet anymore
Doorgaan (Kom aan), doorgaan
Keep going (Come on), keep going
Zeker weten, zeker weten, oehoehoehoe
Definitely, definitely, ooh ooh ooh
Vanavond ga ik uit, uit, uit, uit
Tonight I'm going out, out, out, out
Contributed by Natalie M. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Noella Van Den Berghen
Hoe zo