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 - - - - - - - - - -
Jambalaya
Shocking Blue Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Me gotta go pole the pirogue down the bayou.
My John, the sweetest one, oh me, oh my, oh.
A son of a gun, we'll have big fun on the bayou.
Jambalaya and a crawfish pie and fillet gumbo,
'Cause tonight I'm gonna see my, my cher amio.
Pick guitar, fill fruit jar, and be gay-o.
A son of a gun, we'll have big fun on the bayou.
Eeh!
Thibodaux, Fontaineaux, the place is buzzin',
Kinfolk come to see John now by the dozen.
A dress in style and go hog wild, me oh my, oh.
A son of a gun, we'll have big fun on the bayou.
Mm, Jambalaya and a crawfish pie and fillet gumbo,
'Cause tonight I'm gonna see my, my cher amio.
Pick guitar, fill fruit jar, and be gay-o.
A son of a gun, we'll have big fun now on the bayou.
The lyrics to Shocking Blue's song Jambalaya celebrate the joy and excitement of life in the Louisiana bayou, as well as the love and companionship that can be found there. The song opens with the singer bidding farewell to a friend named Joe, explaining that he must go "pole the pirogue down the bayou" - an action that involves navigating a small, flat-bottomed boat through the bayou's shallow waters. The singer then speaks fondly of his "John", whom he describes as "the sweetest one", and declares that they'll have "big fun" while exploring the bayou together.
While the verses of the song are fairly straightforward, the chorus is filled with vivid descriptions of the bayou's culinary delights, from "Jambalaya and a crawfish pie" to "fillet gumbo". The singer eagerly anticipates the chance to see his "cher amio" (French for "dear friend") and make music and merriment into the night. The song is infused with a sense of joy and celebration, as well as a deep appreciation for the rich culture and traditions of Louisiana.
Line by Line Meaning
Goodbye, Joe, me gotta go, me oh my, oh.
Farewell, Joe, I have to depart, it is what it is.
Me gotta go pole the pirogue down the bayou.
I have to steer the boat down the bayou.
My John, the sweetest one, oh me, oh my, oh.
My dear John, the kindest person, oh my goodness.
A son of a gun, we'll have big fun on the bayou.
We will undoubtedly have a lot of fun on the bayou.
Jambalaya and a crawfish pie and fillet gumbo,
Jambalaya, crawfish pie, and fillet gumbo.
'Cause tonight I'm gonna see my, my cher amio.
Tonight I will finally see my dear friend.
Pick guitar, fill fruit jar, and be gay-o.
Play the guitar, fill up a jar with fruit, and have a great time.
A son of a gun, we'll have big fun on the bayou.
We will undoubtedly have a lot of fun on the bayou.
Thibodaux, Fontaineaux, the place is buzzin',
Thibodaux, Fontaineaux, the town is abuzz with excitement.
Kinfolk come to see John now by the dozen.
Relatives are coming in droves to see John.
A dress in style and go hog wild, me oh my, oh.
Dress up in trendy clothes and go wild with abandon.
A son of a gun, we'll have big fun on the bayou.
We will undoubtedly have a lot of fun on the bayou.
Mm, Jambalaya and a crawfish pie and fillet gumbo,
Mmm, jambalaya, crawfish pie, and fillet gumbo.
'Cause tonight I'm gonna see my, my cher amio.
Tonight I will finally see my dear friend.
Pick guitar, fill fruit jar, and be gay-o.
Play the guitar, fill up a jar with fruit, and have a great time.
A son of a gun, we'll have big fun now on the bayou.
We will undoubtedly have a lot of fun on the bayou.
Writer(s): Hank Williams Sr Copyright: Sony/ATV Acuff Rose Music
Contributed by Bailey D. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@TamasSzabo-ql6wf
Én mar 1973 bán a Komjathy- ből felvettem magnora. A legjobb feldolgozás!
@user-yu2yo4dr5g
I love you shocking Blue ❤❤❤😊
@quakers200
That Norwegian, Mexican, bayou vibe .
@marciofernando679
Espetacular versao junto de Carpenters wanda Jackson e Creedence com John forget
@Angel-me2if
Preciosos recuerdos de juventud ¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡
@TheRunner75
Interesting version ! Never heard the Shocking Blue in this and they rock ;-)
@annieh2900
Awesome!!
@marchenprinz9533
Mariska looked like a beautiful angel
@paulperkins1615
This is what happens when you give in to the record company demands that you record another track and you are just completely out of songs.