Shocking Blue's by far biggest hit was Venus, which went to #1 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 in February 1970. 'Venus' returned to the top of the U.S. charts in 1981 as part of the Stars on 45 Medley and was also successfully covered by artists such as Greece's Olympians (1970), Bananarama (1986), Japanese singer Yoko Nagayama (1986).
Nirvana covered the song Love Buzz for their debut album Bleach in 1989, and it was released as their first single. The British Group The Prodigy also sampled Love Buzz for their song 'Phoenix' on their 2004 album Always Outnumbered, Never Outgunned.
Before 'Venus' the group had only had two minor Dutch hits in 1969: Long Lonesome Road and Send Me A Postcard. In 1970 two more hits followed: Mighty Joe and Never Marry A Railroad Man, the latter almost provoking a strike by workers on the London Underground when posters advertising the single in the Underground stations were put on display.
Shocking Blue had several more hits in The Netherlands and beyond. The group started to dissolve in 1973 when Van Leeuwen called it quits. Singer Mariska Veres left the group to start a solo-career in 1974 and Shocking Blue folded.
Mariska Veres died on December 2nd, 2006, after a short battle with cancer. She was just 59 years old.
Members
The initial line-up consisted of
Robbie van Leeuwen (guitar, sitar and backing vocals) (1967–1973)
Fred de Wilde (vocals, 1967–1968)
Klaasje van der Wal (bass guitar, 1967–1972, deceased in 2018)
Cor van der Beek (drums) (1967–1974, deceased in 1998)
Later members were
Mariska Veres (vocals, 1968–1974, deceased in 2006)
Leo van de Ketterij (nl) (guitar, 1970–1971)
Martin van Wijk (guitar, 1973–1974)
Henk Smitskamp (nl) (bass guitar, 1972–1974)
Also
Wim Voermans
Jan Pijnenburg (nl)
Michael Eschauzier
André van Geldorp (nl)
Charles Pesch
Discography
Albums
1967 Shocking Blue (Polydor) also known as Beat with Us (German title) #31 US
1969 At Home (Pink Elephant)
1970 Scorpio's Dance (Pink Elephant) also known as Sally Was A Good Old Girl (Japanese title)
1971 Third Album (AKA Shocking You, Pink Elephant)
1972 Inkpot (Pink Elephant) – The official music of Mark Six
1972 Live in Japan (Pink Elephant)
1972 Attila (Pink Elephant) also known as Rock in the Sea (Japanese title)
1972 Eve and the Apple (Same as Attila with one different track, Polydor)
1973 Ham (Pink Elephant)
1974 Dream on Dreamer (Same as Ham, but with 3 different songs and 6 alternate versions, Polydor)
1974 Good Times (Pink Elephant)
Singles
Year Title US UK AUS NED NOR GER FRA NZ BEL JPN
1967 Love is in The Air / Fix Your Hair Darling - - - - - - - - - -
1968 Lucy Brown is Back in Town / Fix Your Hair Darling - - - 21 - - - - - -
1968 Send Me a Postcard / Harley Davidson - - - 10 4 - 4 - - -
1969 Long and Lonesome Road / Fireball of Love 75 - - 17 - - 6 - - -
1969 Venus / Hot Sand 1 3 1 3 1 2 1 1 - 15
1969 Mighty Joe / Wild Wind 43 45 43 2 - 6 8 - - -
1970 Never Marry a Railroad Man / Roll Engine Roll 102 - 40 1 5 10 1 4 19
1970 Hello Darkness / Pickin' Tomatoes - - - 4 - - - - 12 -
1971 Shocking You / Waterloo - - - 10 - - 1 - 21 -
1971 Serenade / Sleepless at Midnight 110 - - - - - - - - -
1971 Blossom Lady / Is This a Dream - - - 2 - - - - 3 -
1971 Out of Sight, Out of Mind / I Like You - - - 6 6 - - - 5 -
1972 Inkpot / Give My Love to The Sunrise - - - 5 - 21 1 - 4 -
1972 Rock in the Sea / Broken Heart - - - 14 - - 3 - 21 -
1972 Eve and the Apple / When I was a Girl - - - 15 - - 1 - 18 -
1973 Let Me Carry Your Bag / I Saw You in June - - - - - - 2 - - -
1973 Oh Lord / In My Time of Dying - - - 14 - - - - 6 -
1974 This America / I Won't be Lonely Long - - - - - - - - 16 -
1974 Dream on Dreamer / Where The Pick-Nick Was - - - - - - 4 - - -
1974 Good Times / Come My Way - - - - - - - - - -
1975 Gonna Sing My Song / Get It On - - - - - - - - - -
1980 Louise / Venus - - - - - - - - - -
1986 The Jury and The Judge / I am Hanging on to Love - - - - - - - - - -
1990 Venus '90 (UK Only) - 75 - - - - - - - -
1994 Body and Soul / Angel - - - - - - - - - -
Alaska Country
Shocking Blue Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Down in my land, my beautiful land
A nature of God all covered with snow
A pleasure to be and good times to spend
Alaska Country - stay the way you are
Alaska Country - you never cheated me
Na-na-a-a
Alaska Country
Seven days a week
And seven lonely nights
Plenty of time to find myself again
So that I'll know what I was
Created for
To have a good life where there's no pain
Alaska Country - stay the way you are
Alaska Country - you never cheated me
Na-na-a-a
I wanna know that
Alaska Country
The lyrics of "Alaska Country" by Shocking Blue expresses appreciation for the beauty and serenity of Alaska. The singer is grateful for the time spent in the land of Alaska, a place where he can be alone and find his true purpose. The song is a tribute to the magnificent wilderness of Alaska and emphasizes the simplicity of life lived close to nature.
The lyrics describe Alaska as a place where one can be at peace with oneself and enjoy the beautiful scenery of the snow-covered landscape. The song's chorus emphasizes the singer's satisfaction and trust in Alaska, thanking it for never letting him down or deceiving him. The verses mention the solitude and loneliness of the singer but create an understanding that it's a necessary step in self-discovery. The writer acknowledges that it's in Alaska that he finds himself and knows what he was created for, and he has no regrets or complaints.
In summary, "Alaska Country" by Shocking Blue is a simple yet deep appreciation of the stunningly beautiful, serene, and peaceful Alaska. The singer celebrates the thrill of finding oneself in a tranquil, snow-covered, natural environment and is grateful for the opportunity given to him.
Line by Line Meaning
There's no better way of being alone
Being alone in Alaska Country is the best way to be
Down in my land, my beautiful land
Alaska Country is the singer's beautiful homeland
A nature of God all covered with snow
The natural environment in Alaska Country is a divine gift that is snow-covered
A pleasure to be and good times to spend
It's enjoyable to spend time in Alaska Country and make good memories
Alaska Country - stay the way you are
The singer wants Alaska Country to remain unchanged
Alaska Country - you never cheated me
The singer feels that Alaska Country has always been honest and true to them
Na-na-a-a
This is a meaningless vocalization and does not add to the song's meaning
I wanna know that
The singer wants to confirm that Alaska Country will continue to be the same in the future
Seven days a week
The singer has a full week to spend in Alaska Country
And seven lonely nights
Even though the singer is alone, they have seven nights to spend in Alaska Country
Plenty of time to find myself again
The singer has enough time in Alaska Country to rediscover themselves
So that I'll know what I was
Being in Alaska Country will help the singer understand their purpose
Created for
This is the reason for the singer's existence, which they hope to discover through their time in Alaska Country
To have a good life where there's no pain
The singer hopes that their newfound purpose will lead them to a life free from pain in Alaska Country
Contributed by Kaelyn C. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Bubu
There's no better way of being alone
Down in my land, my beautiful land
A nature of God all covered with snow
A pleasure to be and good times to spend
Alaska Country - stay the way you are
Alaska Country - you never cheated me
Na-na-a-a
I wanna know that
Alaska Country
Seven days a week
And seven lonely nights
Plenty of time to find myself again
So that I'll know what I was
Created for
To have a good life where there's no pain
Alaska Country - stay the way you are
Alaska Country - you never cheated me
Na-na-a-a
I wanna know that
Alaska Country
Виктор Волков
Эту песню невозможно не любить. Как и Маришку.
vitaly goji
She still is the most powerful singer. Born in Gypsy family, she had truly magical voice. Now I understand stories about magical Gypsy girls.. Stole harts of so many..
RIP Marishka, we remember and love you.
Sledr1994
I'm not gonna complain at all about the little amount of view it has.
I honestly feel privileged to be one of the few knowing this little gem.
ryan johnson
Surprised Quentin tarrintino hasn't used this in a movie
TheMaidofMiddleEarth
Because not all great songs need to be in a Tarantino film that's why.
tverboul snoopy
Heard it in a radio store when I was still in college - blew my mind then and forever.
D H F
Juan Gabriel - Yo no nací para amar suena parecido. Amo Shocking Blue!
Nicole SM
Temazo! Jajaj
tverboul snoopy
Beatiful. Masterpiece.
Александр Коновалов
ЛЮБЛЮ ЭТУ ПЕСНЮ!!!