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 - - - - - - - - - -
Crazy Drunken Man Dreams
Shocking Blue Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Blue, blue, blue cloud line?
Have you ever seen a black fly,
Fly, fly, fly in the sky?
That can't be, no, you can't see,
Crazy drunken man dreams.
That can't be, no, you can't see,
Crazy drunken man dreams.
Haven't you ever seen a wagon wheel
Roll, roll, roll up on the hill?
I can tell you this
Was drinking whiskey too.
That can't be, no, you can't see,
Crazy drunken man dreams.
That can't be, no, you can't see,
Crazy drunken man dreams.
Ooh!
That can't be, no, you can't see,
Crazy drunken man dreams.
That can't be, no, you can't see,
Crazy drunken man dreams.
Haven't you ever seen a mountain high,
Blue, blue, blue cloud line?
Have you ever seen a black fly,
Fly, fly, fly in the sky?
Up, down, all around we'll go,
Up, down, all around we'll go,
Up, down, all around we'll go.
Yeah
The lyrics to Shocking Blue's "Crazy Drunken Man Dreams" depict a surreal experience where the singer is questioning the reality of what they are seeing. The first verse describes a mountain high and a blue cloud line, followed by the presence of a black fly in the sky. The singer suggests that what they are seeing must be the result of a crazy drunken man's dreams, implying that it is not possible to see those things in reality.
The second verse describes a wagon wheel rolling up a hill and the singer admits to drinking whiskey, further supporting the idea that what they are experiencing is not real. The chorus repeats the idea that what they are seeing is the result of a crazy drunken man's dreams, and the song ends with the repetition of the mountain and black fly imagery and the mantra-like phrase "up, down, all around we'll go."
Overall, the lyrics suggest a sense of disorientation and confusion, possibly brought on by alcohol or other substances. The surreal imagery emphasizes the idea that the singer's perception of reality is distorted and unreliable.
Line by Line Meaning
Haven't you ever seen a mountain high,
Have you ever witnessed the beauty of a majestic, towering mountain?
Blue, blue, blue cloud line?
With a top covered by a blanket of fluffy, serene blue clouds?
Have you ever seen a black fly,
Have you looked up to witness a small crawling bug that is usually black in color?
Fly, fly, fly in the sky?
Flying high in the endless, vast sky without hindrance?
That can't be, no, you can't see,
However, it is unrealistic to perceive these magnificent sights in the midst of drunken hallucinations.
Crazy drunken man dreams.
Thus, these surreal visuals are figments of the imagination resulting from excessive alcohol consumption.
Haven't you ever seen a wagon wheel
Have you ever encountered a wooden wheel used to carry heavy goods?
Roll, roll, roll up on the hill?
It's motion carrying it up the hill, faster and faster?
I can tell you this
I can confirm that
Was drinking whiskey too.
I had consumed whiskey excessively while watching the wheel's motion.
Up, down, all around we'll go,
Riding the wheel brought about sensations of motion in opposite directions.
Yeah
Expressing excitement and enthusiasm for the experience.
Contributed by Layla W. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
geert van Raaij
Dat je niet meer aangewezen moet zijn op 'fonos' en dergelijke - ik heb nl. deze muziek in 1968 op album gekocht(!) en er dus allang voor betaald!!