Introduction
“Venus” is a song by the Dutch rock band Shocking Blue, released as a single in the Netherlands in the summer of 1969. Written by Robbie van Leeuwen, the song topped the charts in nine countries. The composition has been covered numerous times, and in 1986, English girl group Bananarama covered it for their third studio album, “True Confessions,” with the single reaching number one in six countries.
The song’s original version was recorded on a two-track machine in Soundpush Studio in Blaricum, the Netherlands. Mariska Veres provided the lead vocals, and the lyrics contained a typo in the line “A goddess on a mountain top,” with “goddess” written as “goddness,” which Veres sang on the record and on television. The single was initially released in the Netherlands in July 1969 and peaked at number three on the Dutch Top 40. Jerry Ross, while in Europe, signed Shocking Blue to Colossus Records and chose “Venus” for release in the United States. The song reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100 on February 7, 1970, making it the first song by a Dutch band to top the chart.
“Venus” has sold over 5 million copies worldwide, and its success in the United States prompted interest in other markets. The song has become a classic and was used in the “Stars on 45” medley in 1981. It was also included as a bonus track on the 1989 CD reissue of Shocking Blue’s second studio album, “At Home,” originally released in 1969. Stereogum praised the song’s cleanliness, propulsiveness, and Mariska Veres’ snarling vocals, describing it as a “hook-delivery machine.”
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Lyrics
A goddess on a mountain topWas burning like a silver flameThe summit of beauty and loveAnd Venus was her nameShe’s got itYeah, baby, she’s got itWell, I’m your VenusI’m your fire, at your desireWell, I’m your VenusI’m your fire, at your desireHer weapons were her crystal eyesMaking every man madBlack as the dark night she wasGot what no one else had, whoa!She’s got itYeah, baby, she’s got itWell, I’m your VenusI’m your fire, at your desireWell, I’m your VenusI’m your fire, at your desireShe’s got itYeah, baby, she’s got itWell, I’m your VenusI’m your fire, at your desireWell, I’m your VenusI’m your fire, at your desire