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 - - - - - - - - - -
Morning Sun
Shocking Blue Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Creeping up right behind me
When the moment is right im gonna tell her tonight
Ill tell her shes my morning sun
Here comes the morning sun
Spreading all the rays around me
When the ocean is right im gonna feel it tonight
And with a smile like no other
It always brings me back to you
I can tell by the look in your eyes
You wanna be about it come on and be about it
All daydreaming staring at the ceiling
Ill be tripping baby if you leave
Cause I toss and I turn
And I wake up to the birds
Singing who loves the morning sun
It took so long for me to say goodnight
Cause all the words got in the way
And I never wanna see you cry
Cause I feel everything in my soul
Well be shining forever
Yeah it warm right here with you
And I can tell by the look in your eyes
You wanna be about it go ahead and be about it
All daydreaming staring at the ceiling
Ill be tripping baby if you leave
Cause I toss and I turn
And I wake up to the birds
Singing who loves the morning sun
All daydreaming staring at the ceiling
Ill be tripping baby if you leave
Cause I toss and I turn
And I wake up to the birds
Singing who loves the morning sun
All daydreaming staring at the ceiling
Ill be tripping baby if you leave
Cause I toss and I turn
And I wake up to the birds
Singing who loves the morning sun
Singing who loves the morning sun
Singing who loves the morning sun
Tell me who loves the morning sun
Ill tell ya who loves the morning sun
The lyrics of Shocking Blue's "Morning Sun" describe a person's deep love and appreciation for the beauty of the morning sun. The person is captivated by the energy of the sun as it rises and fills the world with light. They long to share this experience with someone special and express their feelings towards them. The lyrics show the person's commitment to their love, despite challenges and obstacles that they may encounter.
The song's chorus repeats the question "who loves the morning sun," with the first verse stating that the singer will tell their love that they are their "morning sun." As the song progresses, the person reveals that the morning sun reminds them of their love, and it brings them back to their partner.
The lyrics also touch on the singer's fear of losing their love and their dread of waking up alone. They describe how they will be "tripping" if their love leaves because they cannot imagine life without them. The refrain of the song drives home the idea that love is essential to a person's happiness and that the morning sun is a symbol of that love.
Overall, the lyrics of "Morning Sun" are a poetic expression of the beauty and power of love, and the role that nature can play in reminding us of that love.
Line by Line Meaning
Who loves the morning sun
Asking who loves the warmth and light of the morning sun
Creeping up right behind me
Referring to the sun rising in the morning and shining on the singer
When the moment is right im gonna tell her tonight
Waiting for the right moment to confess feelings to a loved one
Ill tell her shes my morning sun
Expressing love and admiration for the person as if they are the source of the warmth and light of the morning sun
Here comes the morning sun
Referring to the sun rising in the morning and shining upon the artist
Spreading all the rays around me
Describing the sun's light spreading and illuminating everything around the singer
When the ocean is right im gonna feel it tonight
Waiting for the right moment to experience the beauty and power of the ocean
Ill tell you who loves the morning sun
Answering the question of who loves the warmth and light of the morning sun
And with a smile like no other
Describing the significant other's unique, special smile
It always brings me back to you
Feeling drawn to and reminded of the significant other by the morning sun
I can tell by the look in your eyes
Noticing the significant other's interest and desire for something
You wanna be about it come on and be about it
Encouraging the significant other to pursue what they desire
All daydreaming staring at the ceiling
Lost in thought and imagination, staring up at the ceiling
Ill be tripping baby if you leave
Feeling lost and unbalanced if the significant other were to leave
Cause I toss and I turn
Describing difficulty sleeping and restlessness
And I wake up to the birds
Waking up to the sounds of birds in the morning
Singing who loves the morning sun
The birds singing in celebration of the warmth and light of the morning sun
It took so long for me to say goodnight
Struggling to say farewell for the night
Cause all the words got in the way
Words failing to express what is truly felt
And I never wanna see you cry
Expressing a desire to avoid causing the significant other pain or sadness
Cause I feel everything in my soul
Describing the depth of feeling for the significant other
Well be shining forever
Together with the significant other, the artist will radiate brightness and happiness
Yeah it warm right here with you
Feeling cozy and comfortable in the presence of the significant other
Tell me who loves the morning sun
Asking again for someone to identify who loves the warmth and light of the morning sun
Ill tell ya who loves the morning sun
Replying that the singer loves the warmth and light of the morning sun
Writer(s): Maarten Wijk Van
Contributed by Vivian B. Suggest a correction in the comments below.