Venus – Shocking Blue | Top 40 Chart Performance, Story and Song Meaning
Chart Performance: Pop (#1); 1970
Story Behind The Song By Ed Osborne
Only a handful of songs have topped the American charts by two different artists, among them Venus. The first time around, Venus spearheaded a mini-Dutch Invasion.
The story began in 1968, when the Shocking Blue from Holland landed its first single – Lucy Brown Is Back In Town – on the Dutch charts. Between Lucy Brown and single number two, Send Me A Postcard Darling, the striking half Hungarian/half-German Mariska Veres took over the lead singer slot.
Postcard and follow-up Long And Lonesome Road both sold well, however, it was Shocking Blue’s next release that beat them all. Venus caught fire all over Europe before an American producer picked it up for the U.S. along with two other Dutch singles.
Venus quickly hit #1 while the other tracks, Ma Belle Amie by the Tee Set and Little Green Bag by the George Baker Selection, peaked at #5 and #21 respectively. As for Venus, the English trio Bananarama took it to #1 again in 1986.
This content and all Song Meaning articles were created and written by Top 40 Contributing Editor Ed Osborne. © 2024 Ed Osborne. All Rights Reserved. In addition to these song meaning articles, Ed has written our “Year in Music 1960s-1990s” articles.
Produced by:
- Robbie van Leeuwen
Lyrics Written by:
- Robbie van Leeuwen
Ed Osborne
Hi. I got my first record at age two and never looked back, spending a decades-long career in radio and the music business. Even after years of reading about and listening to all types of music, I am still fascinated by it. Apart from that, I’m endlessly intrigued by art, nature, and the inner lives of people (and dogs).