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 - - - - - - - - - -
the queen
Shocking Blue Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Wond'ring in the morning sun.
Why this world seems unstumble?
Gotta see the sun rising
And the flowers awaking.
While this world seem forsaken,
I'm the queen of this country!
Being picked 'round by the birds.
When this world seem forgotten
Gotta see the sun rising
And the flowers awaking.
While this world seem forsaken,
I'm the queen of this country
The lyrics of Shocking Blue's song "The Queen" describe a person who wakes up early each morning, wondering about the world and why it seems so unstable. Despite this, they find solace in watching the sun rise and the flowers awaken. The lyrics also draw attention to the river, which is being sung around by the birds, highlighting the tranquillity of the natural world. The chorus then reflects on the feeling of being forsaken, but with a sense of pride, stating "I'm the queen of this country."
The lyrics suggest that the individual might be finding comfort in the beauty of the natural world around them, even though the rest of the world may seem forsaken. The idea of being queen might represent a sense of control or ownership, as the individual finds peace within their own country, or perhaps it could represent a feeling of powerlessness within the larger world.
Line by Line Meaning
Wake up early each morning,
I am an early riser, questioning the stability of the world every morning as I witness the sunrise.
Wond'ring in the morning sun.
I contemplate my existence and the purpose of life as I bask in the warmth of the morning light.
Why this world seems unstumble?
I am perplexed by the chaos and disorder in the world, and cannot understand why it is so unstable.
Gotta see the sun rising
I feel a sense of urgency to witness the sunrise each day, as if it holds some secret or answer to my questions.
And the flowers awaking.
I find solace in watching the natural world come to life each morning, as flowers bloom and animals awaken.
While this world seem forsaken,
Despite the apparent abandonment and neglect of the world, I still find beauty and purpose in it.
I'm the queen of this country!
I am empowered by my ability to find meaning and beauty in the world, despite its flaws and challenges.
The river is singing the same song,
The natural world around me is in harmony, as the river and birds sing their own songs, separate from human concerns.
Being picked 'round by the birds.
The river is a part of the natural world, and is subject to the same cycles and rhythms as everything else.
When this world seem forgotten
In a moment of feeling forgotten or alone, I turn to the natural world for comfort and reassurance.
Contributed by Matthew R. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
tropicwave1
The Queen
Shocking Blue
Wake up early each morning,
Wond'ring in the morning sun.
Why this world seems unstumble?
Gotta see the sun rising
And the flowers awaking.
While this world seem forsaken,
I'm the queen of this country!
The river is singing the same song,
Being picked 'round by the birds.
When this world seem forgotten
Gotta see the sun rising
And the flowers awaking.
While this world seem forsaken,
I'm the queen of this country!
Ельдо Радо
Королева РОКА! R.I.P МАРИШКА! Тебя невозможно забыть!
Владислав Хоменко
Как по мне,лучший вокал!Вечная память Маришке.
MrGoldenthroat
This magnificent band is superior in every way to the vast majority of bands in the history of music! They belong to be ranked in the top 10 greatest Rock bands ever!! It is a crying shame that they are so unheralded, underrated, and underappreciated!!
MrGoldenthroat
An incredible song performed to perfection by an incredible group!!!
Irene Patiño
Mariska so sweet and beautiful voice and her band always Will be excellent. RIP Mariska🙏
x49372
No conocía esta canción, pero es extraordinaria...
Nunca se puede aplicar mejor el siguiente dicho:
Lo bueno, si breve, dos veces bueno.
Hernan Diaz
los 60' y 70' décadas doradas del rock, Shocking Blue fue una de las mejores bandas de rock de esa época, y Mariska Veres la cantante más sexy
Francisco Zarppa
No conocía la canción, pero cómo la mayoría de la banda es un temazo
MrGoldenthroat
Great song by this phenomenal group!!
C B'more
Great track! S B never cease to amaze - seriously underrated band.