Venus (Shocking Blue song)

"Venus" is a 1969 song by the Dutch band Shocking Blue which the group took to number one in nine countries in 1970.

In 1986, the British girl group Bananarama returned the song to number one in seven countries. The composition has been featured in numerous films, television shows and commercials, and covered dozens of times by artists around the world.



Contents
[hide]  *1 Shocking Blue  ==Shocking Blue[ edit] == Released in late 1969 as a single from the album At Home, Shocking Blue's single reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100 on February 7, 1970. RIAA certification came on January 28, 1970 for selling over one million copies in the U.S., garnering a gold record. Worldwide, the single sold over 7.5 million copies.[3]
 * 1.1 Shocking Blue version in popular culture
 * 1.1.1 In advertising
 * 1.1.2 In films
 * 1.1.3 In games
 * 1.1.4 In literature
 * 1.1.5 In music
 * 1.1.6 In television
 * 1.2 Shocking Blue version on the charts
 * 2 Bananarama version
 * 2.1 Music video
 * 2.2 Track listings
 * 2.3 Personnel
 * 2.4 Bananarama version in popular culture
 * 2.4.1 In film
 * 2.4.2 In games
 * 2.4.3 In television
 * 2.4.4 In videos
 * 2.4.5 In advertising
 * 2.5 Bananarama version on the charts
 * 3 Other cover versions
 * 4 Foreign language covers
 * 5 Live cover performances
 * 6 Sampling
 * 7 "Shizgarah", or "Venus" in Russian urban folklore
 * 8 Legacy
 * 9 References
 * 10 External links

The song's lead vocals are performed by Mariska Veres. The song's music and lyrics are written 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 godess on the mountain top..." as "...the godness on the mountain top...". This was corrected in later versions.[4]

Van Leeuwen was inspired by "The Banjo Song", a composition by Tim Rose that set Stephen Collins Foster's lyrics to "Oh! Susanna" to a completely new melody. "The Banjo Song," which appears on a 1963 album by The Big 3, features a bassline, guitar riffs, and a melody that sound almost exactly the same as those in "Venus".[5]  However, Rose never claimed plagiarism.

"Venus" was remixed and re-released by dance producers The BHF (Bisiach Hornbostel Ferrucci) Team in May 1990, scoring the group a Top 10 hit in the UK and Australia 21 years after the release of the original. The remix featured a hip house rhythm and samples. An instrumental version was also released independently under the producer's alias "Don Pablo's Animals". The instrumental version (credited only to Don Pablos Animals – without referencing Shocking Blue) became the highest charting version of the song.[6]  The single began with a sample from James Brown's 1988 hit "The Payback Mix (Part One)". This release of "Venus" peaked at #4 on the UK Singles Chart[6]  and #8 in Australia in 1990. ===Shocking Blue version in popular culture<span class="mw-editsection" style="-webkit-user-select:none;font-size:small;margin-left:1em;line-height:1em;display:inline-block;white-space:nowrap;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket" style="color:rgb(85,85,85);">[ edit<span class="mw-editsection-bracket" style="color:rgb(85,85,85);">] === ====In advertising<span class="mw-editsection" style="-webkit-user-select:none;font-size:small;margin-left:1em;line-height:1em;display:inline-block;white-space:nowrap;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket" style="color:rgb(85,85,85);">[ edit<span class="mw-editsection-bracket" style="color:rgb(85,85,85);">] ==== ====In films<span class="mw-editsection" style="-webkit-user-select:none;font-size:small;margin-left:1em;line-height:1em;display:inline-block;white-space:nowrap;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket" style="color:rgb(85,85,85);">[ edit<span class="mw-editsection-bracket" style="color:rgb(85,85,85);">] ==== <p style="margin-top:0.5em;line-height:20.3636360168457px;color:rgb(37,37,37);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:13.63636302948px;">The song has been used in several films:
 * Parodied by the Muppets for a television public service announcement about the V-chip and TV ratings.

====In games<span class="mw-editsection" style="-webkit-user-select:none;font-size:small;margin-left:1em;line-height:1em;display:inline-block;white-space:nowrap;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket" style="color:rgb(85,85,85);">[ edit<span class="mw-editsection-bracket" style="color:rgb(85,85,85);">] ==== ====In literature<span class="mw-editsection" style="-webkit-user-select:none;font-size:small;margin-left:1em;line-height:1em;display:inline-block;white-space:nowrap;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket" style="color:rgb(85,85,85);">[ edit<span class="mw-editsection-bracket" style="color:rgb(85,85,85);">] ==== ====In music<span class="mw-editsection" style="-webkit-user-select:none;font-size:small;margin-left:1em;line-height:1em;display:inline-block;white-space:nowrap;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket" style="color:rgb(85,85,85);">[ edit<span class="mw-editsection-bracket" style="color:rgb(85,85,85);">] ==== ====In television<span class="mw-editsection" style="-webkit-user-select:none;font-size:small;margin-left:1em;line-height:1em;display:inline-block;white-space:nowrap;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket" style="color:rgb(85,85,85);">[ edit<span class="mw-editsection-bracket" style="color:rgb(85,85,85);">] ==== ===Shocking Blue version on the charts<span class="mw-editsection" style="-webkit-user-select:none;font-size:small;margin-left:1em;line-height:1em;display:inline-block;white-space:nowrap;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket" style="color:rgb(85,85,85);">[ edit<span class="mw-editsection-bracket" style="color:rgb(85,85,85);">] === ==Bananarama version<span class="mw-editsection" style="-webkit-user-select:none;font-size:small;margin-left:1em;line-height:1em;display:inline-block;white-space:nowrap;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;font-family:sans-serif;"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket" style="color:rgb(85,85,85);">[ edit<span class="mw-editsection-bracket" style="color:rgb(85,85,85);">] == <p style="margin-top:0.5em;line-height:20.3636360168457px;color:rgb(37,37,37);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:13.63636302948px;">"Venus" had been a part of Bananarama's repertoire for several years before they actually recorded it. The team'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.
 * Kal Aaj Aur Kal (1971)
 * Needle (also known as Igla), (1988)
 * The Brady Bunch Movie (1995)
 * Grumpier Old Men (1995)
 * Remember the Titans (2000)
 * The Vanished Empire (2008)
 * Otis (2008), in the opening sequence
 * Walking on Sunshine (2014)
 * Zonder Zelda ("Without Zelda", 1997 Dutch TV movie, directed by Maarten Treurniet)<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-7" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;font-size:10.9090909957886px;">[7]
 * A caveman-style musical version appears in Croc 2, as the theme for "Venus fly Von Trappe"<sup class="noprint Inline-Template Template-Fact" style="line-height:1;font-size:10.9090909957886px;white-space:nowrap;">[citation needed]
 * Twin sisters, Sarah and Casey Hunter sang "Venus" in the Sugar & Spice book, Stuck in the 80's<sup class="noprint Inline-Template Template-Fact" style="line-height:1;font-size:10.9090909957886px;white-space:nowrap;">[citation needed]
 * Morissey, the former lead singer of The Smiths, used the Shocking Blue music video for "Venus", in a pre-concert video shown during his 2009 tour<sup class="noprint Inline-Template Template-Fact" style="line-height:1;font-size:10.9090909957886px;white-space:nowrap;">[citation needed]
 * Stars on 45 used the opening riff from "Venus" to begin their medley "Stars on 45", which went to #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 in June 1981.
 * Sharon Watts (played by Letitia Dean) sang "Venus" in an episode of EastEnders
 * D.J. Tanner (Candace Cameron) and her best friend Kimmy Gibbler (Andrea Barber) sang "Venus" with Jesse Katsopolis (John Stamos) in a season one episode of Full House in which he taught them how to succeed in a band
 * The song was used in the March 11, 2009 episode of Life on Mars when a group of flight attendants arrive at an airport bar
 * A Spanish version was played on the Prison Break episode "Good Fences"

<p style="margin-top:0.5em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:20.3636360168457px;color:rgb(37,37,37);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:13.63636302948px;">Dallin, Fahey, and Woodward had nearly completed recording their third album, titled 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, and the result was a worldwide smash. Bananarama's "Venus" went to number one in the U.S., Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Switzerland, Mexico, and South Africa. It hit number two in Germany and Hong Kong and was a top ten success in Italy, Austria, Belgium, Finland, France, Netherlands, Sweden, Colombia, Norway, Portugal, Spain, and their native UK (#8 on UK Singles Chart). It also went to number one for two weeks on the U.S. Dance chart.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-9" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;font-size:10.9090909957886px;">[9]

<p style="margin-top:0.5em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:20.3636360168457px;color:rgb(37,37,37);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:13.63636302948px;">The collaboration on "Venus" led Bananarama and SAW to work together on the group's follow-up album Wow! the following year.

<p style="margin-top:0.5em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:20.3636360168457px;color:rgb(37,37,37);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:13.63636302948px;">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<span class="mw-editsection" style="-webkit-user-select:none;font-size:small;margin-left:1em;line-height:1em;display:inline-block;white-space:nowrap;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket" style="color:rgb(85,85,85);">[ edit<span class="mw-editsection-bracket" style="color:rgb(85,85,85);">] === <p style="margin-top:0.5em;line-height:20.3636360168457px;color:rgb(37,37,37);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:13.63636302948px;">The music video for the song 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 Grecian goddesses. In one sequence of the video, The Birth of Venus, the painting by Sandro Botticelli, was reenacted. The video marked a pivotal shift towards a more glamorous and sexual image for the girls that contrasted with the tomboyish style in their earlier work. Choreography by Bruno Tonioli. Music video directed by Peter Care. ===Track listings<span class="mw-editsection" style="-webkit-user-select:none;font-size:small;margin-left:1em;line-height:1em;display:inline-block;white-space:nowrap;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket" style="color:rgb(85,85,85);">[ edit<span class="mw-editsection-bracket" style="color:rgb(85,85,85);">] === ===Personnel<span class="mw-editsection" style="-webkit-user-select:none;font-size:small;margin-left:1em;line-height:1em;display:inline-block;white-space:nowrap;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket" style="color:rgb(85,85,85);">[ edit<span class="mw-editsection-bracket" style="color:rgb(85,85,85);">] === <p style="margin-top:0.5em;line-height:20.3636360168457px;color:rgb(37,37,37);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:13.63636302948px;">Bananarama
 * 7" single NANA10
 * 1) "Venus" 3:30
 * 2) "White Train" 3:50
 * S.Dallin/S. Fahey/K. Woodward/P. Bishop/P. Seymour
 * 12" single NANX10
 * 1) "Venus" (Extended version) 7:23
 * 2) "Venus" (Dub) 8:15
 * 3) "White Train" 3:50
 * 2nd 12" single NANXR10
 * 1) "Venus" (The Hellfire Mix) 9:20 #:Remixed by Ian Levine
 * 2) "Venus" (Hellfire Dub) 6:55
 * 3) "White Train" 3:50
 * 3rd 12" single NAXRR10
 * 1) "Venus" (The Fire And Brimstone Mix) 6:35 #:Remixed by Stock, Aitken & Waterman
 * 2) "Venus" (Hellfire Dub) 6:55
 * 3) "White Train" 3:50
 * US 12" maxi-single 886 088-1
 * 1) "Venus" (The Hellfire Mix) 9:20
 * 2) "Venus" (The Fire & Brimstone mix) 6:55
 * 3) "Venus" (Extended version) 7:23
 * 4) "Venus" (Dub) 8:25
 * CD video single
 * 1) "Venus" (Extended version) 7:23
 * 2) "True Confessions" (Edit) 4:09
 * 3) "A Trick of the Night" (Edit) 4:07
 * 4) "More Than Physical" (UK Single version) 3:40
 * Other versions
 * 1) "Venus" (The Greatest Remix Edit) 3:40
 * Found on the 1989 UK CD single "Cruel Summer '89", Remixed by Phil Harding and Ian Curnow
 * 1) "Venus" (The Greatest Remix) 7:43
 * Found on the 1989 German CD single "Megarama '89", Remixed by Phil Harding and Ian Curnow
 * 1) "Venus" (2001 version)
 * Found on the album Exotica
 * 1) "Venus" (Marc Almond's Hi-NRG Showgirls mix) 6:02
 * Found on the 2005 album Drama, Remixed by Marc Almond
 * 1) "Venus" (From Soundtrack Sugar & Spice: Stuck in the 80's)

<p style="margin-top:0.5em;line-height:20.3636360168457px;color:rgb(37,37,37);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:13.63636302948px;">Additional personnel
 * Sara Dallin – Vocals
 * Siobhan Fahey – Vocals
 * Keren Woodward – Vocals

===Bananarama version in popular culture<span class="mw-editsection" style="-webkit-user-select:none;font-size:small;margin-left:1em;line-height:1em;display:inline-block;white-space:nowrap;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket" style="color:rgb(85,85,85);">[ edit<span class="mw-editsection-bracket" style="color:rgb(85,85,85);">] === ====In film<span class="mw-editsection" style="-webkit-user-select:none;font-size:small;margin-left:1em;line-height:1em;display:inline-block;white-space:nowrap;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket" style="color:rgb(85,85,85);">[ edit<span class="mw-editsection-bracket" style="color:rgb(85,85,85);">] ==== ====In games<span class="mw-editsection" style="-webkit-user-select:none;font-size:small;margin-left:1em;line-height:1em;display:inline-block;white-space:nowrap;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket" style="color:rgb(85,85,85);">[ edit<span class="mw-editsection-bracket" style="color:rgb(85,85,85);">] ==== ====In television<span class="mw-editsection" style="-webkit-user-select:none;font-size:small;margin-left:1em;line-height:1em;display:inline-block;white-space:nowrap;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket" style="color:rgb(85,85,85);">[ edit<span class="mw-editsection-bracket" style="color:rgb(85,85,85);">] ==== ====In videos<span class="mw-editsection" style="-webkit-user-select:none;font-size:small;margin-left:1em;line-height:1em;display:inline-block;white-space:nowrap;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket" style="color:rgb(85,85,85);">[ edit<span class="mw-editsection-bracket" style="color:rgb(85,85,85);">] ==== ====In advertising<span class="mw-editsection" style="-webkit-user-select:none;font-size:small;margin-left:1em;line-height:1em;display:inline-block;white-space:nowrap;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket" style="color:rgb(85,85,85);">[ edit<span class="mw-editsection-bracket" style="color:rgb(85,85,85);">] ==== ===Bananarama version on the charts<span class="mw-editsection" style="-webkit-user-select:none;font-size:small;margin-left:1em;line-height:1em;display:inline-block;white-space:nowrap;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket" style="color:rgb(85,85,85);">[ edit<span class="mw-editsection-bracket" style="color:rgb(85,85,85);">] === ==Other cover versions<span class="mw-editsection" style="-webkit-user-select:none;font-size:small;margin-left:1em;line-height:1em;display:inline-block;white-space:nowrap;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;font-family:sans-serif;"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket" style="color:rgb(85,85,85);">[ edit<span class="mw-editsection-bracket" style="color:rgb(85,85,85);">] == ==Foreign language covers<span class="mw-editsection" style="-webkit-user-select:none;font-size:small;margin-left:1em;line-height:1em;display:inline-block;white-space:nowrap;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;font-family:sans-serif;"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket" style="color:rgb(85,85,85);">[ edit<span class="mw-editsection-bracket" style="color:rgb(85,85,85);">] == ==Live cover performances<span class="mw-editsection" style="-webkit-user-select:none;font-size:small;margin-left:1em;line-height:1em;display:inline-block;white-space:nowrap;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;font-family:sans-serif;"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket" style="color:rgb(85,85,85);">[ edit<span class="mw-editsection-bracket" style="color:rgb(85,85,85);">] == ==Sampling<span class="mw-editsection" style="-webkit-user-select:none;font-size:small;margin-left:1em;line-height:1em;display:inline-block;white-space:nowrap;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;font-family:sans-serif;"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket" style="color:rgb(85,85,85);">[ edit<span class="mw-editsection-bracket" style="color:rgb(85,85,85);">] == =="Shizgarah", or "Venus" in Russian urban folklore<span class="mw-editsection" style="-webkit-user-select:none;font-size:small;margin-left:1em;line-height:1em;display:inline-block;white-space:nowrap;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;font-family:sans-serif;"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket" style="color:rgb(85,85,85);">[ edit<span class="mw-editsection-bracket" style="color:rgb(85,85,85);">] == <p style="margin-top:0.5em;line-height:20.3636360168457px;color:rgb(37,37,37);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:13.63636302948px;">Despite the fact that the heavily controlled Soviet mass media totally ignored much of Western popular culture, the Shocking Blue song quickly become a popular hit in 1970s Russia, especially among street youth akin to Western hippie and "hooligan" subcultures. Due to the song's simple arrangement and danceable rhythm, "Venus" was adopted and performed by thousands ofunderground amateur performers, both those who accompanied themselves on acoustic guitar and full contemporary bands who performed it with electric guitar at dance parties. Thus, the English language song of a Dutch band become a prominent phenomenon of Russian urban folklore and was considered by many an unofficial "anthem of the generation".
 * Andrew Biscomb – Sleeve design
 * Peter Barrett – Sleeve design
 * In the film American Wedding (2003) the song is featured in a dancing scene in a gay bar.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-10" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;font-size:10.9090909957886px;">[10]
 * Included in the film Romy and Michele's High School Reunion (1997)
 * In Camille Rewinds the song was played during the 1985 party scene in a short montage of Camille (Noémie Lvovsky) and Eric (Samir Guesmi) dancing and getting close with each other.
 * The British musical comedy film Walking on Sunshine covered the song.
 * This song is part of the set-list of Harmonix's Kinect game Dance Central 2.
 * It was included on Dance Dance Revolution (2010 video game) (PS3/Wii/Xbox 360).
 * An episode of American Dad ("Moon Over Isla Island") features the song when Roger suggests changing the name of the country of Isla to "Bananarama", with Venus as its national anthem.
 * The music video was viewed and commented on by Beavis and Butthead
 * Canadian hit show Degrassi: The Next Generation, named in 2005 a two-part episode after the song.
 * It was the first ever song which a contestant on the UK version of Don't Forget the Lyrics failed to complete.
 * The song was used for the goals segment of Don Cherry's Rock'Em Sock'em Hockey (1989).
 * In the United States, United Kingdom, Canada and later in Germany and Switzerland for Gillette Venus razors.
 * In 1970, Tom Jones covered the song on his album Tom.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-12" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;font-size:10.9090909957886px;">[12]
 * In 1976, the Stockley Sisters, a South African duo, took their recording of the song to number 5 on the South African singles chart.
 * In 1980, Nervus Rex, a largely forgotten power pop band of the CBGBs/Max’s era downtown NYC scene, recorded their own cover version.
 * In 1984, Dutch rock and roll band Claw Boys Claw included a cover on their first album, Shocking Shades Of Claw Boys Claw.
 * In 1986, a cover was released by J-pop idol singer Yōko Nagayama and it became her first big hit.
 * In 1986, the song was covered by Italian singer Mina in her 1986's album Si, buana.
 * In 1988, a version of the song by The Chipettes, done in their signature style, was included on the album Born to Rock. They would also cover the Bananarama version for the 1998 album The A-Files: Alien Songs.
 * When auditioning for the Spice Girls in the early '90s, Victoria Beckham recorded a version of the song for a demo tape, never intending for it to be released, though it has since leaked onto the Internet.
 * In 1990, italo house act Don Pablo's Animals released an instrumental cover version of the song.
 * In 1994, Czech band Dunaj recorded a cover version for their album IV.
 * In 2002, Singaporean singer-songwriter Stefanie Sun (Simplified Chinese: 孙燕姿; Traditional Chinese: 孫燕姿) covered the song for her album (Start自選集) as well as covers of "Hey Jude" byThe Beatles and "Silent All These Years" by Tori Amos.
 * In 2003, various hi-NRG/eurodance cover remixes by Obsession was released through Almighty Records. Audio samples can be heard on the official Almighty Records website.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-13" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;font-size:10.9090909957886px;">[13]
 * In 2003, No Angels, the first season winners of German Idol series Popstars, covered it for their album Pure. This version was used in TV spots for ladies' razor Gillette Venus
 * In 2004, Belgian girl group Seduced recorded a cover which incorporated elements of both the original Shocking Blue version and the Bananarama cover. The song peaked at #25 on the Belgian Singles Top 50 that year.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-14" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;font-size:10.9090909957886px;">[14]
 * In 2004, Polish rock band IRA covered the song on their album Ogień with some slight lyric changes in the chorus.
 * In 2005, Japanese rock legend Kiyoharu covered the song for his album Layra.
 * In 2005, Russian children's band Street Magic (Volshebniki Dvora) (Волшебники Двора) cover the song on their album Hit Parade (Хит-парад), featuring lead vocals by band member Denis Uzkov (Денис Усков).
 * In 2005, Japanese singer Hitomi featured a cover as the B-side to her "Japanese Girl" single. This version was the theme to commercials for the Gillette Venus razor in 2006 featuring Hitomi on a rock of a lagoon in Hawaii.
 * In 2007, Kumi Koda recorded the song for Japanese Gillette commercials that year and included a full version of the cover on her 2009 studio album Trick.
 * In 2011, Venezuelan band EraSound released a cover of the song.
 * Between 2011 and 2012, Jennifer Lopez was the spokesperson for Venus razors and recorded her own version of the song for "The Venus Goddess Fund for Education". Her song was featured in the TV commercials for the products.
 * Mexican singer Niñel Conde recorded a Spanish version of the song, on her new album "Ayer y Hoy", with the same name, Venus.
 * Filipino singer Tirso Cruz III covered the song on his album PIP under Vicor Records.
 * In 1969, Bulgarian singer Lili Ivanova recorded her version of the song, called "Venera" (Bulgarian: "Венера").
 * During the 1970s, Cambodian singer Ros Serey Sothea recorded a cover of the song in her native language of Khmer.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-15" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;font-size:10.9090909957886px;">[15]
 * In 1970, Greek band Olympians recorded the song "To koritsi tou Mai" (Greek: "Το κορίτσι του Μάη", meaning "Girl of May") with the melody of "Venus" and lyrics written by Sevi Tiliakou.
 * In 1980, Malaysian group Ideal Sisters recorded a cover version which was retitled as 'Wanita' or Women in English. Although the lyrics were modified, the melody was the same as the original song.
 * In 1984, Finnish group Belaboris recorded the song in Finnish for their album ...Olipa Kerran.
 * Ruslana, winner of the 2004 Eurovision Song Contest has performed the song live in concert.
 * Girlband (The X Factor UK 2008 finalist) covered the song in the first live show. 2010 Finalists Belle Amie also covered the song in the fourth live show which had a Halloween theme.
 * Polish singer Doda covered the song on New Year's Eve 2009/2010 in Łódź (TVP2).
 * Lussi Lebrun covered the song during season 8 of Nouvelle Star.
 * Finnish new wave band Belaboris covered the song, with Finnish lyrics, on their "...Olpa Kerran" 12"
 * The song is featured in the stage musical Priscilla Queen of the Desert – the Musical.
 * On July 18, 1981, Dutch act Stars on 45 reached #1 in the U.S. with a medley including the guitar riff from "Venus". With the original Shocking Blue and the later Bananarama cover both going to #1 on the Billboard Hot 100, this arguably made it the only song in that chart's history to hit #1 by three different artists, though the Stars on 45 medley only included a portion.
 * In 1986, "Weird Al" Yankovic included the Bananarama version in his polka medley "Polka Party!" from the album of the same name.
 * Norwegian act Erlend Øye recorded part of the song in a medley on his album that was part of the DJ-Kicks series.

<p style="margin-top:0.5em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:20.3636360168457px;color:rgb(37,37,37);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:13.63636302948px;">The English language in the song, however, was only very loosely approximated, and the song was not even known by its title, "Venus". A countless number of variants of Russian lyrics existed for this song, but traditionally it was performed using gibberish or scat singing phonetically inspired by the sounds of original English lyrics which had become hardly intelligible after being passed along via repeated duplicate copying on cheap, low-end tape recorders. In the Russian variant, the first line of the chorus, "She's got it", was usually pronounced as "Shizgarah" ("Шизгáра") [sheez-GA-rah], and it was this word which became a commonly adopted name of the song in the USSR, even among those who could understand the original English text.

<p style="margin-top:0.5em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:20.3636360168457px;color:rgb(37,37,37);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:13.63636302948px;">In modern times, a few disco clubs and a musical show on Nashe Radio are named "Shizgarah" after this song.

<p style="margin-top:0.5em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:20.3636360168457px;color:rgb(37,37,37);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:13.63636302948px;">Also, "Shizgarah" ("Шизгара") is a novel of Russian writer Sergey Soloukh portraying the life of young Soviet hippies in the 1970s.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-16" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;font-size:10.9090909957886px;">[16] ==Legacy<span class="mw-editsection" style="-webkit-user-select:none;font-size:small;margin-left:1em;line-height:1em;display:inline-block;white-space:nowrap;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;font-family:sans-serif;"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket" style="color:rgb(85,85,85);">[ edit<span class="mw-editsection-bracket" style="color:rgb(85,85,85);">] == <p style="margin-top:0.5em;line-height:20.3636360168457px;color:rgb(37,37,37);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:13.63636302948px;">The Canadian teenage drama series program Degrassi: The Next Generation, which is known for naming each installment after an 1980s hit song, named a two-part installment after this song. ==References<span class="mw-editsection" style="-webkit-user-select:none;font-size:small;margin-left:1em;line-height:1em;display:inline-block;white-space:nowrap;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;font-family:sans-serif;"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket" style="color:rgb(85,85,85);">[ edit<span class="mw-editsection-bracket" style="color:rgb(85,85,85);">] ==
 * 1) <span class="cite-accessibility-label" style="top:-99999px;clip:rect(1px1px1px1px);overflow:hidden;-webkit-user-select:none;position:absolute!important;height:1px!important;width:1px!important;">Jump up ^