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 - - - - - - - - - -
This America
Shocking Blue Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Follow me and we can have some.
Beautiful flowers I give to you,
If I'll stay then I'll be true.
Lovely lady, you call me,
Two together we will be free.
Beautiful presents I shall bring,
This America,
I love how you love us.
This America,
I love how you need us.
This America,
I love how you want us to be free.
Come on and follow me.
People ask me to come and see
All the things they can offer to me.
I turn them down, 'cause I like your style.
I'll stick around here for a while.
This America,
I love how you love us.
This America,
I love how you need us.
This America,
I love how you want us to be free.
This America,
I love how you love us.
This America,
I love how you need us.
This America,
I love how you want us to be free.
Come on and follow me,
Come on and follow me,
Come on and follow me,
Come on and follow me,
Come on and follow me,
Come on and follow me,
Come on and follow me,
Come on and follow me.
In "This America" by Shocking Blue, the singer expresses his love for America and his desire to stay there. He invites the listener to follow him and enjoy the beautiful flowers that he has to offer. The lyrics also suggest that the singer has turned down other offers to travel and explore other places because he likes the style of America and wants to stick around for a while.
The song reflects the idea that America is a land of opportunity and freedom, where people can be their true selves without any restrictions. The song has a romantic tone and suggests that the singer wants to explore the land with a lovely lady by his side. Overall, the song reflects the sense of hope and optimism that America brings to people.
Line by Line Meaning
It's my land and in days to come
I feel a deep connection to this land and plan to stay here for a long time.
Follow me and we can have some.
Join me on this journey and we'll experience great things together.
Beautiful flowers I give to you,
I offer you all the beauty and wonder of this land.
If I'll stay then I'll be true.
I am committed to this place and my promise to you is unwavering.
Lovely lady, you call me,
You have captured my heart and I am yours.
Two together we will be free.
We can carve out our own destiny and live life on our terms.
Beautiful presents I shall bring,
I'll share with you all the wonders of this land.
All together we can sing.
We can share in the joy and beauty of this place and come together as one.
This America,
I'm talking about this great land that we call home.
I love how you love us.
I adore the way this land embraces and cherishes its people.
I love how you need us.
I appreciate how this land is dependent on and values its people.
I love how you want us to be free.
I'm amazed by the way this land cherishes and protects its people's freedoms.
Come on and follow me.
Join me on this journey and let's explore this amazing land together.
People ask me to come and see
Others are curious and want me to explore different places.
All the things they can offer to me.
They offer me other opportunities that may seem attractive, but they can't compare with what I already have.
I turn them down, 'cause I like your style.
I refuse those offers because I'm loyal and committed to what I already have.
Contributed by Dominic I. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Edinburgh Scotland
From Japan
Shocking blue is dutch legend musician❤ I love their many songs. Thanks TOPPOP
Shocking Blue and Mariska Veres
wow!! finaly a Shocking Blue clip from Toppop. I hope you will add more of them, like the solo singles from Mariska Veres Loving you and Take me high.
The Woodys Surf Instrumental Band
Had to give them a thumbs up for giving us the song 'Venus' ❤️
oscar yair soriano sanchez
Excelente....
Besouro Verde
Era muito linda.
Cristiano Fernandes
Concerteza e a música também demais perfeita
김상걸
잘듣고갑니다😊😊😊....
Bouke van Gelderen
Mariska Veres - Zang
Martin van Wijk - Gitaar
Henk Smitskamp - Bas
Cor van der Beek - Drums
Daniel Pena
I had always heard this band broke up after their mega hit, Venus.
S Williams
Daniel Pena No