Clouseau (a Belgian band) started as a group of friends back in 1984. Only … Read Full Bio ↴Clouseau (a Belgian band) started as a group of friends back in 1984. Only Karel Theys, the bass-player, had some previous experience in a band with The Employees. 1987 sees them coming out of the garage for the first time : they play Marktrock in Leuven en get a record deal for their first single "Brandweer".

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)

Vogel Voor De Kat
Clouseau Lyrics

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K stamel door m'n zinnen
Ik stopte elk woord
Komt door door jou
Weet niet hoe te beginnen
Vergeten hoe het hoort
Komt door jou

Ik adem in en tel tot 3

Maar trillen, beef, nee
Waarom kan ik het niet?

Ik lijk wel gek
Oooh
Vogel voor de kat
Maar t'is perfect
Oehoe
Zolang je naar me lacht
Je haalt me zomaar uit m'n comfortzone
Ik ben ondersteboven
Belachelijk gewoon
Ik lijk wel gek

M'n glas valt uit m'n handen
Er rolt een domme vraag uit m'n mond
Ik probeer me te vermannen
Maar al m'n lef valt op de grond
Ooit ging het vlot, smooth, al 1000 keer
Maar hier bij jou
Ben ik nergens meer

Ik lijk wel gek
Oooh
Vogel voor de kat
Maar t'is perfect
Oehoe
Zolang je naar me lacht
Je haalt me zomaar uit m'n comfortzone
Ik ben ondersteboven
Belachelijk gewoon

Ik stuntel, tuimel onderuit
Ik ben te laf
Ik ben te luid
Het schaamrood stijgt me naar m'n hoofd
Zodra je kijkt ben ik verdoofd
Dit is een onbekende man
Hij eet volledig uit je hand
Ik lijk in niks meer op die gast
Wie ik nog gisteren was

Ik lijk wel gek
Oooh
Vogel voor de kat
Maar t'is perfect
Oehoe
Zolang je naar me lacht
Je haalt me zomaar uit m'n comfortzone
Ik ben ondersteboven
Belachelijk gewoon

Ik lijk wel gek
Oooh
Vogel voor de kat
Maar t'is perfect
Oehoe
Zolang je naar me lacht
Je haalt me zomaar uit m'n comfortzone
Ik ben ondersteboven

Belachelijk gewoon
Ik lijk wel gek

Overall Meaning

The song "Vogel Voor De Kat" by Clouseau is about the feeling of being completely out of control and vulnerable in front of someone who has a powerful hold over your emotions. The lyrics convey the singer's confusion as they stumble over their words and try to muster the courage to speak their mind. They feel like a bird caught by a cat, completely helpless, yet at the same time, the experience of being in this person's presence is perfect, as long as they are smiling.

The singer is so intimidated by the person they are addressing that they can't seem to act like themselves. They are constantly tripping over their own words and making a fool of themselves. The singer admits to being completely under this person's spell, unable to resist their power. This person has the ability to turn the singer's world upside down and make them behave in ways that are completely out of character.

Overall, the song is a commentary on the dizzying highs and lows of falling in love and giving oneself over to the power of another person. The feeling of being outside of oneself and vulnerable, yet somehow content in that vulnerability, is conveyed excellently through the music and lyrics of the song.

Vogel Voor De KatClouseau Lyrics

Vogel Voor De Kat
Clouseau Lyrics