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 - - - - - - - - - -
Fireball of Love
Shocking Blue Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You made a woman forget to try.
That's the secret of your heart,
You're like a fireball of love.
Fireball, fireball, fireball of love,
You made my life in paradise,
You made that eye cause the weather nice.
You made a tear forget to fall,
You made a forest forget to call.
You made my eyes afraid to see,
You made me afraid to be.
That's the secret of your heart,
You're like a fireball of love.
Fireball, fireball, fireball of love,
You made an owl forget to turn,
You made a flame forget to burn.
You made a tear forget to fall,
You made a forest forget to call.
You made a bird forget to fly,
You made a woman forget to try.
That's the secret of your heart,
You're like a fireball of love.
Fireball, fireball, fireball of love.
Fireball, fireball, fireball of love.
Fireball, fireball, fireball of love.
The lyrics of "Fireball of Love" by Shocking Blue paint a picture of someone who is so alluring and powerful that they have the ability to make people forget their usual natural instincts and behaviors. The song talks about how this person has the ability to make a bird forget to fly and a woman forget to try, which indicates that this person has a kind of magic power or spell that affects those around them. The song also talks about how this person has made the singer's life a paradise and has made tears forget to fall and forests forget to call, which allude to a sense of tranquility and calmness that they bring.
The repetition of the phrase "fireball of love" throughout the song further emphasizes the idea that this person is like a force of nature that cannot be tamed or controlled. The singer's feelings towards this person are complex - they simultaneously convey awe, fear and admiration for their power. The verses about the owl forgetting to turn and the flame forgetting to burn add to the sense of mystique and magic that surrounds this person.
Overall, "Fireball of Love" is a lyrically rich song that showcases Shocking Blue's ability to create vivid images and emotions through their music.
Line by Line Meaning
You made a bird forget to fly,
Your love has such a powerful effect on creatures that even a bird forgets its natural instinct to fly and is entranced by you.
You made a woman forget to try.
Your love is so compelling that it can cause a woman to abandon her ambitions and become consumed by the passion she feels for you.
That's the secret of your heart,
The reason you are able to exert this kind of influence on others is because deep down, your heart is full of love and warmth that is impossible to resist.
You're like a fireball of love.
You are a force of nature, your love blazing like a fiery ball that ignites everything in its path with an intensity that is both captivating and overwhelming.
Fireball, fireball, fireball of love,
The repetition of this line serves to emphasize the powerful and all-consuming nature of the love being described – it is a fireball that cannot be ignored.
You made my life in paradise,
Your love has transformed my life, turning an ordinary existence into something heavenly and idyllic, like a scene from paradise.
You made that eye cause the weather nice.
Your mere presence has the ability to change the atmosphere and make everything seem brighter, warmer, and more pleasant.
You made a tear forget to fall,
Your love is so powerful that even the most heartrending of emotions, like sadness or grief, become powerless and cannot move a person to tears in your presence.
You made a forest forget to call.
Your love has the power to silence even the sounds of nature, like the call of the forest, leaving only the beat of your heart as the only sound that matters.
You made my eyes afraid to see,
Your love can be overwhelming to the point where a person becomes unable to face reality, feeling as if they might be blinded by the sheer intensity of your emotion.
You made me afraid to be.
Your love can cause a person to question their own identity and purpose, or even to fear who they truly are, because of the profound effect you have on them.
You made an owl forget to turn,
Your love can even affect the behavior of animals, causing them to forgo their natural instincts, like an owl forgetting to turn its head or look for prey, just to be near you.
You made a flame forget to burn.
Your love is so intense that it can even affect the basic elements of nature, like a fire that forgets to burn because it is more entranced by your love.
Contributed by Olivia M. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Pescado Rabioso
REAL MUSIC!!!!!!!!!
Jailton Gramosa
Good morning! Beautiful song of Shocking Blue! Love! That simple!
Jared Motzl
Crop some up and down the coast of Lauderdale just to show elan and SpaceX we love put tomahawks down side ways