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)
Voor je 't weet
Clouseau Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Net nu je eindelijk hier bij me bent
Brandt het vlees aan,
Mislukt m'n cullinair experiment.
Normaal gezien gebeurt dit nooit
Je moet me geloven,
Ik ben gewoon maar wat verstrooid.
En voor je't weet
Voor je't weet
Vind je mij heel normaal,
Ja want dat ben ik toch
En wie weet
Krijg je zo veel vertrouwen,
Dat je ziet wat ik voor je ben
Ideaal
Dit is toeval,
Ik trap op je voet al bij de eerste dans.
Je verveelt je,
En dat ligt aan mij ik doe m'n best nochtans.
Ik lijk voor jou maar tweede keus,
Wacht maar tot morgen,
Ik ben nu gewoon maar wat nerveus.
En voor je't weet
Ga je toch van me houden.
Voor je't weet
Vind je mij heel normaal,
Ja want dat ben ik toch
En wie weet
Krijg je zo veel vertrouwen
Dat je ziet wat ik voor je ben
Ben ik een klus?
(is hij een klus?)
Weet dat het erger had gekund
'k had ook nog lelijk kunnen zijn.
En voor je't weet
Ga je toch van me houden.
Voor je't weet
Vind je mij heel normaal,
Ja want dat ben ik toch
En wie weet
Krijg je zo veel vertrouwen
Dat je ziet wat ik voor je ben,
Ideaal,
Geniaal,
Totaal joviaal,
Gewoon fenomenaal,
Ideaal,
Geniaal,
Ideaal,
Geniaal,
Ideaal,
Gewoon fenomenaal!!!
The song is called "Voor je 't weet" which means "Before you know it" in English. This song is about a person who is quite nervous and worried about the possibility of losing someone they care about. The first verse talks about the person trying to cook for the person they care about and failing miserably by burning the meat. The person acknowledges that they are forgetful and absent-minded, but hopes that the other person will love them regardless. The chorus says that "before you know it," the other person will love them and find them normal, and perhaps even see them as ideal.
The second verse talks about the person's nervousness during a dance, and their worry that they are not the other person's first choice. Again, they hope that the other person will come to love them and see them for who they are. The bridge suggests that even though the person may not be perfect, they could have been much worse, and they are still a good choice for the other person. The song ends with the chorus repeating the idea that "before you know it," the other person will love them and see them as ideal.
Overall, the song is about insecurity and the hope that despite one's flaws, they will still be loved by the other person. Clouseau's emotional delivery adds to the vulnerability of the lyrics, making it a heartfelt and relatable song.
Line by Line Meaning
Wat een flater,
I made a mistake
Net nu je eindelijk hier bij me bent
You're finally with me
Brandt het vlees aan,
I burned the meat
Mislukt m'n cullinair experiment.
My culinary experiment failed
Normaal gezien gebeurt dit nooit
Normally this never happens
Je moet me geloven,
You have to believe me
Ik ben gewoon maar wat verstrooid.
I'm just a bit absent-minded
En voor je't weet
And before you know it
Ga je toch van me houden.
You'll end up loving me anyway
Vind je mij heel normaal,
You'll find me very normal
Ja want dat ben ik toch
Because that's what I am
En wie weet
And who knows
Krijg je zo veel vertrouwen,
You'll gain so much trust
Dat je ziet wat ik voor je ben
You'll see what I am for you
Ideaal
Ideal
Dit is toeval,
This is coincidence
Ik trap op je voet al bij de eerste dans.
I step on your foot during the first dance
Je verveelt je,
You're bored
En dat ligt aan mij ik doe m'n best nochtans.
And that's on me, despite me doing my best
Ik lijk voor jou maar tweede keus,
I seem like your second choice to you
Wacht maar tot morgen,
Wait until tomorrow
Ik ben nu gewoon maar wat nerveus.
I'm just a bit nervous now
En voor je't weet
And before you know it
Ga je toch van me houden.
You'll end up loving me anyway
Vind je mij heel normaal,
You'll find me very normal
Ja want dat ben ik toch
Because that's what I am
En wie weet
And who knows
Krijg je zo veel vertrouwen
You'll gain so much trust
Dat je ziet wat ik voor je ben
You'll see what I am for you
Ben ik een klus?
Am I a job?
(is hij een klus?)
(Is he a job?)
Weet dat het erger had gekund
Know that it could have been worse
'k had ook nog lelijk kunnen zijn.
I could have also been ugly
En voor je't weet
And before you know it
Ga je toch van me houden.
You'll end up loving me anyway
Vind je mij heel normaal,
You'll find me very normal
Ja want dat ben ik toch
Because that's what I am
En wie weet
And who knows
Krijg je zo veel vertrouwen
You'll gain so much trust
Dat je ziet wat ik voor je ben,
You'll see what I am for you
Ideaal,
Ideal
Geniaal,
Genius
Totaal joviaal,
Totally cheerful
Gewoon fenomenaal,
Just phenomenal
Ideaal,
Ideal
Geniaal,
Genius
Ideaal,
Ideal
Geniaal,
Genius
Ideaal,
Ideal
Gewoon fenomenaal!!!
Just phenomenal!!!
Contributed by Jordan J. Suggest a correction in the comments below.