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 - - - - - - - - - -
Seven Is a Number in Magic
Shocking Blue Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
He has to feed his children,
He has to feed his wife.
He ain't got money but let me tell you now
He's rough in his life.
Seven is a number in magic,
Seven is a number in magic,
Gilbert, Gene and John,
He got an automobile,
He got and doesn't choose.
A guy like him knows a secret how you
Never ever can lose.
Seven is a number in magic,
Seven is a number in magic,
Seven is a number in M. A. G. I. C.
Seven is a number in magic,
Seven is a number in magic,
Seven is a number in M. A. G. I. C.
(...) and (...)
Known by ev'ryone now.
They got what they've earned,
But they had to keep their fingers crossed
And hope they would return.
Seven is a number in magic,
Seven is a number in magic,
Seven is a number in M. A. G. I. C.
Seven is a number in magic,
Seven is a number in magic,
Seven is a number in magic (wooh),
Seven...
The lyrics to Shocking Blue's song "Seven Is a Number in Magic" paint a picture of the struggles of ordinary people trying to make ends meet. The first verse talks about a farmer who is struggling to feed his family despite having no money. The second verse introduces us to Gilbert, Gene, and John, who have an automobile and seem to have a secret to never losing. The last verse is incomplete, but it seems to allude to people who have made it and achieved success, but had to keep their fingers crossed and hope for the best.
The repeated refrain of "seven is a number in magic" adds a sense of mysticism and hope to the song. It's unclear what this phrase actually means, but it could represent the idea of luck or a secret knowledge that some people possess. The song seems to suggest that success and happiness are just out of reach for most people, but the idea of magic provides a glimmer of hope.
Line by Line Meaning
Farmer's get afraid,
Farmers are often worried and scared
He has to feed his children,
They have to take care of their children
He has to feed his wife.
They have to provide for their wife
He ain't got money but let me tell you now
Even though he's poor, he still manages to survive
He's rough in his life.
His life is hard and difficult
Gilbert, Gene and John,
These three people are being mentioned
He got an automobile,
He has a car
He got and doesn't choose.
He got something and didn't choose it
A guy like him knows a secret how you
Someone like him knows a secret
Never ever can lose.
He never loses
(...) and (...)
Unnamed individuals
Known by ev'ryone now.
Everyone knows who they are now
They got what they've earned,
They acquired what they worked for
But they had to keep their fingers crossed
They had to hope for a favourable outcome
And hope they would return.
They hoped they would see a return on their investment
Seven is a number in magic,
The number seven has a significant meaning in magic
Seven is a number in M. A. G. I. C.
MAGIC is spelled out as an acronym to emphasize the importance of the number seven in magic
Seven is a number in magic (wooh),
The importance of the number seven in magic is being reiterated with excitement
Seven...
The song ends with a repetition of the importance of the number seven in magic
Contributed by Callie C. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Cotton Cat
So magical (:
Bubu
Farmer's get afraid,
He has to feed his children,
He has to feed his wife.
He ain't got money but let me tell you now
He's rough in his life.
Seven is a number in magic,
Seven is a number in magic,
Seven is a number in M. A. G. I. C.
Gilbert, Gene and John,
He got an automobile,
He got and doesn't choose.
A guy like him knows a secret how you
Never ever can lose.
Seven is a number in magic,
Seven is a number in magic,
Seven is a number in M. A. G. I. C.
Seven is a number in magic,
Seven is a number in magic,
Seven is a number in M. A. G. I. C.
And
Known by everyone now.
They got what they've earned,
But they had to keep their fingers crossed
And hope they would return.
Seven is a number in magic,
Seven is a number in magic,
Seven is a number in M. A. G. I. C.
Seven is a number in magic,
Seven is a number in magic,
Seven is a number in magic (wooh),
Seven...
pgh45rpms
I think the one line at :59 is -- :"He got a dozen shoes" But I can't get past Mariska's accent at 2:15.
jjammmees
Does anyone know what she says at 2:15? Every lyric site I’ve looked on doesn’t include the line and it’s really bugging me
jjammmees
thanks
kakolykia
she says censored XD
AtlanticSalmon
@hityouwithacoustic "Seven is a number in M - A - G - I - C