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 - - - - - - - - - -
Tobacco Road
Shocking Blue Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Mama died and daddy got drunk
Left me here to die or grow
In a middle of Tobacco Road
Grew up in a rusty shack
All I had was hangin' on my back
Only you know how I loathe
This place called Tobacco Road
Only you know how I loathe
Tobacco Road
Gonna leave get a job
With the help and the graze from above
Save same money get rich I know
Bring it back to Tobacco Road
Bring dynamite and a crane
Blow it up start all over again
Build to a town be proud to show
Give the name Tobacco Road
The lyrics of Shocking Blue's "Tobacco Road" tells the story of the singer's life, which started in a dump because his mother died and his father was an alcoholic who left him to grow up in the middle of Tobacco Road in a rusty shack. This place, the Tobacco Road, is a source of disgust for the singer as it is not exactly the kind of home he wished to have. Nonetheless, he recognizes that this place is the only life he has ever known. Therefore, the singer's plan is to leave this place, find a job and with the help of God to save same money and bring it back to Tobacco Road to make it better. The singer even talks about how he will bring dynamite and a crane to blow up the area and start all over again. Finally, his ultimate goal is to build a town to be proud of and give it the name of Tobacco Road.
The lyrics of the song Tobacco Road are impactful and bring to light themes such as poverty, the struggle to succeed, and the determination to turn one's life around. The singer is seeking a better future for himself and those who live on Tobacco Road. The song has a sort of bluesy feel to it which almost gives it a classic sound that allows it to remain popular even to this day. Also, Tobacco Road has been interpreted by several artists and bands, and probably the most notable cover was by Eric Burdon and the Animals.
Line by Line Meaning
I was born in a dump
I was born in a place that was unpleasant and dirty
Mama died and daddy got drunk
My mother passed away and my father started drinking heavily
Left me here to die or grow
My father didn't take care of me and I was left to fend for myself
In a middle of Tobacco Road
I ended up growing up in a poor area known as Tobacco Road
Grew up in a rusty shack
I lived in a rundown and shaky shack during my childhood
All I had was hangin' on my back
I had nothing but the clothes on my back
Only you know how I loathe
Only the person listening to this song understands how much I hate
This place called Tobacco Road
The area where I grew up, Tobacco Road, is what I'm referring to
But it's home the only life I've ever know
Despite how much I dislike it, Tobacco Road is where I grew up and where I've lived my entire life. It's the only place I know as home.
Gonna leave get a job
I'm planning to leave Tobacco Road and get a job
With the help and the graze from above
I'm hoping for some divine intervention to help me find a better life
Save same money get rich I know
I plan on saving up money to become wealthy
Bring it back to Tobacco Road
Once I'm rich, I plan on returning to Tobacco Road
Bring dynamite and a crane
I plan on using dynamite and a crane to demolish the old buildings on Tobacco Road
Blow it up start all over again
I plan on starting anew by demolishing and rebuilding Tobacco Road from scratch
Build to a town be proud to show
I plan on building a new town that people will be proud of
Give the name Tobacco Road
Despite starting from scratch, I want to keep the name Tobacco Road to maintain a connection to my roots and where I started from.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: John D. Loudermilk
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
separiskidi
Just bought inkpot/attila bundle. Also gotten a few rare SB 7" singles in the past month! Love this band.
Atahan Uzunlar
1:58 Billie Jean before MJ
Sergey A. Romanov
PetermoBR, welcome to Russia! I have a one pint (or not one ? :) ) for you! Thanks for the song!