"Venus" is a song by Dutch rock band Shocking Blue, initially released as a single in the Netherlands in the summer of 1969. Written by Robbie van Leeuwen, the song topped the charts in nine countries. In 1981, it was used to open the "Stars on 45" medley. In 1986, English girl group Bananarama covered "Venus" for their third studio album, True Confessions, reaching number one in six countries. The composition has been featured in numerous films, television shows and commercials, and covered dozens of times by artists around the world.
Shocking Blue (original)
Background
"Venus" was issued in the Netherlands in July 1969 as a single, backed with "Hot Sand", on the Pink Elephant label. The song peaked at number three on the Dutch Top 40 on 12 July 1969, and remained at that position for a total of five weeks. Later that year, "Venus" was issued in several European countries and other worldwide nations. In the United States, "Venus" reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100 on 7 February 1970. On 28 January 1970, it was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America for sales in excess of one million copies in the United States. Worldwide, the single has sold over 7.5 million copies. "Venus" was included as a bonus track on the 1989 CD reissue of the group's second studio album, At Home, originally released in 1969. The song's lead vocals are performed by Mariska Veres. The music is from "The Banjo Song" by Tim Rose and the Big 3 with new lyrics by Robbie van Leeuwen, the band's guitarist, sitarist and background vocalist, who also produced along with record producer Jerry Ross. Van Leeuwen originally miswrote the line "...the goddess on the mountain top..." as "...the godness on the mountain top...", so Veres sang it this way on the recording of the song. This was corrected in later versions. The Hohner electric piano on the single was played by :nl:Cees Schrama|Cees Schrama. Van Leeuwen was inspired by "The Banjo Song", a composition by Tim Rose, for The Big 3, that set Stephen Foster's lyrics to "Oh! Susanna" to a completely new melody.
BHF/Don Pablo's Animals remixes
"Venus" was remixed and re-released by dance producers The BHF Team in May 1990. Titled "Venus '90", the remix featured a hip house rhythm and samples. "Venus '90" reached number 78 on the UK Singles Chart and number 49 on the Australian ARIA Singles Chart. An instrumental version was also released independently under the producer's alias, Don Pablo's Animals, without referencing Shocking Blue. The instrumental version became the highest-charting version of the song, peaking at number four on the UK Singles Chart.
Charts
Weekly charts
Year-end charts
Certifications
Bananarama version
Background
"Venus" had been a part of Bananarama's repertoire for several years before they actually recorded it. The group's three members, Sara Dallin, Siobhan Fahey, and Keren Woodward, had the idea of turning the song into a dance music tune, but they were met with resistance from their producers at the time, Steve Jolley and Tony Swain. Bananarama brought the idea to the production trio of Stock Aitken Waterman, and it became Bananarama's first collaboration with them. Dallin, Fahey, and Woodward had nearly completed recording their third studio album, True Confessions, with Jolley and Swain. Stock, Aitken and Waterman also resisted the idea because they believed that "Venus" would not make a good dance record. After persistence by the women, SAW relented. Bananarama's "Venus" peaked at number one in the United States, Australia, Finland, New Zealand, Switzerland, and South Africa, while reaching number two in Germany and the top 10 in Austria, Belgium, Canada, France, Netherlands, Norway, Spain, Sweden and their native United Kingdom. It also topped the US Hot Dance/Disco chart for two weeks. The collaboration on "Venus" led Bananarama and SAW to work together on the group's follow-up album Wow! the following year. A new mix of the track appeared as B-side to the 1989 limited release "Megarama '89" in Germany and France. Bananarama has since re-recorded the track for their 2001 album Exotica and it was later remixed by Marc Almond, with re-recorded vocals, and included on their 2005 album Drama.
Music video
The music video, directed by Peter Care, with choreography by Bruno Tonioli, received extensive play on MTV and video channels across the world, and presented Bananarama in various costumes, including a she-devil, a French temptress, a vampiress, and several Greek goddesses. In one sequence of the video, Sandro Botticelli's painting The Birth of Venus is adapted as a tableau vivant. The video marked a pivotal shift towards a more glamorous and sexual image for the girls that contrasted with the tomboyish style of their earlier work.
Track listings
UK / US / Canadian 7-inch single
UK: London Records NANA 10 / US: London Records 886-056-7 / Canada: London Records LDS 227 / Australia: Liberation Records LS 1789
