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)
Ziel
Clouseau Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
En ik zoek, steeds opnieuw
Ziel, nu ik voor je open sta
Vind ik mezelf, steeds opnieuw
Veel te lang te blind geweest
Voor wat er in de diepte leeft
Maar ne weet ik wel beter ik vertrouw op jou
Liever, nu zie ik je liever
Intuïtiver, puur op gevoel
Nee, niets heb ik nog te verliezen
Met heel mijn ziel is goed genoeg
Lief, zo graag wil ik bij je zijn
Strek je armen uit en raak me aan
Jouw ziel, deel ze en vertrouw op mij
Alles is nieuw, maar laat je gaan
Veel te lang te bang geweest
Voor wat je ziel te geven heeft
Maar nu weet ik wel beter en vertrouw op jou
Liever, nu zie ik je liever
Intuïtiver, puur op gevoel
Nee, niets heb ik nog te verliezen
Met heel mijn ziel is goed genoeg
Jouw ogen zijn de spiegel van onze ziel
Liever, nu zie ik je liever
Intuïtiver, puur op gevoel
Nee, niets heb ik nog te verliezen
Met heel mijn ziel is goed genoeg
The Clouseau song "Ziel" is a passionate plea for connection and vulnerability. The Dutch lyrics convey a sense of longing and self-discovery as the singer opens themselves up to love and trust. The word "ziel" means "soul" in English, and the song reflects a search for depth and meaning in relationships.
The song begins with the singer diving deeper and deeper into their soul, searching for something new. They recognize that they have been blind to the depths of emotion and connection, but now they are ready to trust and open up to their partner ("ik vertrouw op jou"). The chorus repeats the word "liever", meaning "preferably" or "rather", emphasizing the importance of following one's intuition and emotions rather than being held back by fear or doubt. The singer declares that they have nothing left to lose and offers themselves completely, confident that their soul is enough.
The bridge of the song declares that the eyes are the mirror of the soul ("Jouw ogen zijn de spiegel van onze ziel"), further emphasizing the importance of connection and intimacy. Overall, "Ziel" is a deeply emotional and introspective song that celebrates the power of vulnerability and trust in relationships.
Line by Line Meaning
Ziel, nu ik tot je bodem ga
As I delve into the depths of my soul
En ik zoek, steeds opnieuw
And I search, time and time again
Ziel, nu ik voor je open sta
My soul, as I open myself up to you
Vind ik mezelf, steeds opnieuw
I rediscover myself, again and again
Veel te lang te blind geweest
I've been blind for too long
Voor wat er in de diepte leeft
To the depths of my being that were hidden from me
Maar ne weet ik wel beter ik vertrouw op jou
Now I know better, and I trust in you
Liever, nu zie ik je liever
I cherish you more now
Intuïtiver, puur op gevoel
I rely more on my intuition, purely on feeling
Nee, niets heb ik nog te verliezen
No, I have nothing left to lose
Met heel mijn ziel is goed genoeg
All I have is my soul, and that is enough
Lief, zo graag wil ik bij je zijn
Oh love, how I long to be with you
Strek je armen uit en raak me aan
Stretch out your arms and touch me
Jouw ziel, deel ze en vertrouw op mij
Share your soul with me and trust in me
Alles is nieuw, maar laat je gaan
Everything is new, but let yourself go
Veel te lang te bang geweest
I've been scared for too long
Voor wat je ziel te geven heeft
To give my soul all that it deserves
Maar nu weet ik wel beter en vertrouw op jou
But now I know better, and I trust in you
Jouw ogen zijn de spiegel van onze ziel
Your eyes are the mirror of our souls
Liever, nu zie ik je liever
I cherish you more now
Intuïtiver, puur op gevoel
I rely more on my intuition, purely on feeling
Nee, niets heb ik nog te verliezen
No, I have nothing left to lose
Met heel mijn ziel is goed genoeg
All I have is my soul, and that is enough
Contributed by Adalyn V. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@francisdisco1634
Eens in je ziel te zijn getrapt, is het moeilijk om je ziel weer open te zetten ❤️
@katelijnisselee2602
Eens je diep in je ziel geraakt bent is alles voorbij
@nelevastmans
Ik Ben jelle ik won wevelgem leuk for je Kom maar naar wevelgem