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 - - - - - - - - - -
Angel
Shocking Blue Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I could understand your sexy command.
Now I′m drumming in a [...] of love.
Yeah, I'm drumming in a [...] of love.
I learned [...] enough your passion,
I can′t stand a pain any more.
Your love is like war and destruction,
You don't have to be an angel
For making me feel alright.
All I need is some understanding
And two arms to hold me tight.
You don't have to be an angel
For making me feel alright.
All I need is some understanding
And two arms to hold me tight.
Ooh-ooh-ooh-hoo-hoo, yeah!
Bad dream came [...]
They all came and day ain′t so far away.
Now I′m leaving my broken dreams behind.
Yeah, I'm leaving my broken dreams behind.
I′m gonna tell my bad and new
For they got to be a stranger.
I'm searching for some peace of mind,
Your talking is just thrill the danger.
You don′t have to be an angel
For making me feel alright.
All I need is some understanding
And two arms to hold me tight.
You don't have to be an angel
For making me feel alright.
All I need is some understanding
And two arms to hold me tight.
You don′t have to be an angel
For making me feel alright.
All I need is some understanding
And two arms to hold me tight.
You don't have to be an angel
For making me feel alright.
All I need is some understanding
And two arms to hold me tight.
Ooh-ooh-ooh-hoo-hoo, yeah!
The song "Angel" by Shocking Blue is about the singer's experience falling in love, dealing with its challenges, and longing for emotional support. The first verse portrays the ease of falling in love with someone's attractive qualities but at the same time expresses confusion and vulnerability through the metaphors of drumming in a "jungle" of love, and love being like "war and destruction." The second verse reflects the singer's painful experience of heartbreak and leaving old dreams behind in search of new horizons, shown through the imagery of bad dreams and parting ways with old acquaintances. The chorus emphasizes the singer's need for emotional support and understanding, rather than the embodiment of a heavenly figure.
The repetition of the phrase "you don't have to be an angel for making me feel alright" throughout the chorus highlights the theme of the song. It suggests that it's the simple gestures of understanding and physical comfort from a human partner that can give the singer a sense of security and happiness, rather than unrealistic expectations of perfection from a celestial being. Although the lyrics are somewhat cryptic and do not offer every detail of the story, the song's melody and soft vocals convey the emotions of the singer's experiences effectively.
Line by Line Meaning
To fall in love is easy,
Falling in love is not difficult.
I could understand your sexy command.
I understood what you wanted from me
Now I′m drumming in a [...] of love.
Now I feel overwhelmed with love
Yeah, I'm drumming in a [...] of love.
Yes, I am completely lost in love.
I learned [...] enough your passion,
I came to know your passion well enough
I can′t stand a pain any more.
I can't bear the pain anymore.
Your love is like war and destruction,
Your love is causing trouble and destruction.
I got my reason [...] take for.
I have reasons to leave you.
You don't have to be an angel
You don't have to be perfect
For making me feel alright.
To make me feel better.
All I need is some understanding
I just need you to understand
And two arms to hold me tight.
And I need you to hold me close.
Bad dream came [...]
A nightmare came
They all came and day ain′t so far away.
They all came and the day of reckoning is near.
Now I′m leaving my broken dreams behind.
I am leaving my shattered dreams behind.
I′m gonna tell my bad and new
I am going to tell the bad news
For they got to be a stranger.
Because they might as well be a stranger.
I'm searching for some peace of mind,
I am looking for peace of mind.
Your talking is just thrill the danger.
Your words are like playing with fire.
Ooh-ooh-ooh-hoo-hoo, yeah!
Expressing joy and excitement.
Writer(s): Robert Van Leeuwen
Contributed by Jordan L. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
john deter
ONE OF THE BEST------------------LIFE GOES SO FAST-----------MARISKA YOU"RE STILL AN ANGEL
PenumbraTheWolf
Oh my goodness it's been so long since I've listened to shocking blue! Can't believe i still like this song, too!
Linda Tiferet
:)
PenumbraTheWolf
And 2020 😂 i swear i forget i already commented everytime.
PenumbraTheWolf
Still do as of 2018
RichardKoopal1
Gewoon een topsong, had gewoon een hit moeten zijn.
Efrain Paoli
Very good, is song is new for me. excellent ¡¡¡
TorasPatra
nice song,
Mons Solitario
♥
RAZAR
RAZAR KING SIZE KING LOVING ANGEL MUSIC