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 - - - - - - - - - -
I Saw Your Face
Shocking Blue Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And I knew I needed you
And your eyes so blue
When I saw your face
I saw your face
I saw your face
I saw your face
And my love was burned
For lady turn
Just show your face
I saw your face
I saw your face
I saw your face
And your hair
So long wow, wow
I want to be around your face
Just show your face
I saw your face
The lyrics of Shocking Blue's "I Saw Your Face" convey the singer’s infatuation with a person they have just met. The opening lines, “I saw your face / And I knew I needed you” demonstrate the singer’s immediate attraction to the person they saw. The attraction intensifies as the singer describes the person’s physical features, such as their blue eyes and long hair.
The use of repetition in lines like “I saw your face / I saw your face” emphasizes the singer’s fixation on this person and underscores the immediacy of their attraction. The lyrics convey a desire to be near this person, to see their face again, and to have the chance to pursue a relationship with them.
Overall, "I Saw Your Face" is a classic love song that captures the feeling of immediate attraction and infatuation with someone. The lyrics are straightforward and the melody catchy, making it a classic song of the 60s.
Line by Line Meaning
I saw your face
The singer has seen the person's face and is captivated by it.
And I knew I needed you
The singer immediately knew that they needed to be with the person after seeing their face.
And your eyes so blue
The singer is specifically drawn to the person's blue eyes.
When I saw your face
The artist is emphasizing the importance of seeing the person's face.
I saw your face
Reiterating that the artist saw the person's face and was affected by it.
And she turned
The woman turned towards the singer.
And my love was burned
The singer's love for the woman intensified after she turned towards him.
For lady turn
The woman's turn was significant for the artist.
Just show your face
The artist is pleading for the woman to show her face again.
I saw your face
Reiterating that the artist saw the person's face and was affected by it.
And your hair
The singer is also drawn to the person's long hair.
So long wow, wow
The artist is expressing their admiration for the person's hair.
I want to be around your face
The singer desires to be near the person's face.
Just show your face
Reiterating the singer's desire for the person to show their face.
I saw your face
Reiterating that the singer saw the person's face and was affected by it.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
ramon lopez
con q pocos acordes, una canción puede sonar tan bien!
GUILLERMO Luis Pereyra
Eternas Gracias por Compartir este Tesoro.
Abrazos!
MrRoostercrow
This band was probably one of the last quality guitar bands
Cameron Duff
hey WOW man, been a Shocking Blue fan ever since I bought my dog a new training collar, but seriously folks, I stumbled upon the Reggis Mull version of this (the writer), and it's not half bad, I love them both, but I have to admit, this version is more refined.
harmony771000
My Holland Music Darlin! best, but Livin Blues!
David Monaghan
This sounds so good.
MrRoostercrow
Nothing wrong with this song. These guys were obviously pro musicians. My god. Thumbs up. I'm sure they influenced the B-52's
Cameron Duff
so did Yoko Ono. (the fish sounds on Rock lobster)
Custódio Guimarães
Very strange to hear a SB song with a male singer. Who is he?
Shorty Beck
He's Robbie van Leeuwen, the guitarist. (Not to be confused with Fred de Wilde, who was the original Shocking Blue lead singer before Mariska.) Usually, Robbie sang backup, but this song is an exception.