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)

Wat wil je dat ik doe
Clouseau Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Ik weet dat je soms twijfelt,
dat het soms niet meer gaat.
De wanhoop staat geschreven,
op je gelaat.

Je wil wel, maar je kan niet,
of toch niet helemaal.
Net of je staat te zingen,

voor een lege zaal.

Ik wil niet dat je weggaat.
Ik wil niet alleen, ik wil niet alleen.
Ik wil niet dat je weggaat.

Ik wil niet dat je weggaat.
Ik wil niet alleen, ik wil niet alleen.
Ik wil niet dat je weggaat.

Ik weet dat je soms weg wilt,
want de maat is weer vol.
Er gebeuren rare dingen
en je hoofd slaat op hol.

Je denkt wel maar je weet niet,
of je blijven zou.
Maar ik kan niet en ik wil ook niet
zonder jou.

Maar ik weet dat je soms twijfelt,
dat het soms niet meer gaat.
Want die wanhoop staat geschreven,
op je gelaat.

Je lacht wel, maar je zegt niet veel.
net of ik je in tweeën deel.
Eén helft komt niet op toeren,
de andere teveel.

Ik wil niet dat je weggaat.
Ik wil niet alleen, ik wil niet alleen.
Ik wil niet dat je weggaat.

Ik wil niet dat je weggaat.
Ik wil niet alleen, ik wil niet alleen.
Ik wil niet dat je weggaat.

Ik wil niet dat je weggaat.

Ik wil niet alleen, ik wil niet alleen.
Ik wil niet dat je weggaat.

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to Clouseau's song "Ik Wil Je Terug" talk about the fear and uncertainty that comes with being in a relationship that is not stable or secure. The singer understands that his partner is going through a difficult time and may be wrestling with doubts about the future of their relationship. The fear and desperation can be seen in her eyes and expressed through the lines "De wanhoop staat geschreven, op je gelaat".

The singer expresses his need for his partner to stay, even if that means bearing the weight of her uncertainty. He doesn't want to be alone and cannot bear the thought of her leaving. The singer acknowledges that his partner may want to leave, but he can't live without her. The lyrics make it clear that the singer's love for his partner is true and expressed through lines such as "Ik wil niet alleen, ik wil niet alleen".

Additionally, the song stresses the importance of communication and understanding in relationships. The singer urges his partner to communicate her feelings openly rather than keeping them bottled inside. The lyrics suggest that the lack of communication is causing a rift in the relationship, which is represented in the line "Je lacht wel, maar je zegt niet veel. Net of ik je in tweeën deel". Ultimately, the singer's plea is for his partner to stay and work through their issues together.

Line by Line Meaning

Ik weet dat je soms twijfelt,
I understand that you sometimes have doubts

dat het soms niet meer gaat.
that sometimes it's too much to handle

De wanhoop staat geschreven,
Despair is written all over

op je gelaat.
your face

Je wil wel, maar je kan niet,
You want to, but you can't

of toch niet helemaal.
At least, not entirely

Net of je staat te zingen,
It's like you're singing

voor een lege zaal.
in an empty room

Ik wil niet dat je weggaat.
I don't want you to leave

Ik wil niet alleen, ik wil niet alleen.
I don't want to be alone, I don't want to be alone

Ik weet dat je soms weg wilt,
I know that sometimes you want to leave