"Venus": The Fighting and the Dancing

The year is 1969. The year of Man's landing on the Moon, Senator Robert Kennedy's assassination and the Stonewall riots. A song written by Robbie van Leeuwen and played by the Dutch pop band The Shocking Blue tops the charts worldwide. "Venus" became a global success since the moment it was released. Today, half a century later, "Venus" is a timeless classic, recently incorporated to quality series like The Handmaid's Tale or The Queen's Gambit. It also features in the 2015 film "Stonewall", a riveting account of the historical events leading to the riots in NYC on June 28th of that same year, which brought about the gay liberation movement and, eventually, gay rights, as we know them today.

It is only fair to remember the members of this legendary, though short-lived, band, one of those "one-hit wonder bands" who had a groovy hit single and their 15 minutes of fame: lead singer Mariska Veres (yeah, she's got it!), Robbie van Leeuwen (voice, guitar and sitar), Klaasje van der Wal (bass guitar), and Cornelius van der Beek (drums). Released in 1969, "Venus" still has the power and effect of a dynamite song. Many of us are still dancing to this gem because this song is timeless.

Right before the Xmas season of that year, my beloved aunt Isabel asked me what present I wanted for "Reyes" (the Hispanic version of Santa), which is celebrated on January 6th. At 11, I had already been listening to pop music in English on a local pop music station, LVG (La Voz del Guadalquivir), and was blown away by this song. So I told her what my choice was, wrote down the name of the record for her, and when I went with my family to visit her on Reyes Day 1970, there she was handing me the single with that shocking blue background and Mariska's sensuous cleavage. It was one of the best Xmas gifts I have ever been given. In the early 70s, I would play it over and over again on our portable record player. (Sadly, I lost my vinyl copy.)

Little did I know that the hit "Venus" had, a few months earlier, presided over the dancing at the Stonewall bar in Greenwich Village, as shown in the aforementioned film "Stonewall", when one of the gay patrons (a brave fighting queen) picks up the song on the juke box and everyone joins in the liberating dancing. Now, at 64, I keep fighting for gay rights, trying to convince today's barbarians that LGTB rights are indeed human rights and facing up to the spreading tide of homophobia and bigotry all over the world. I miss the dancing, though! cmg2022

Lyrics and song:

A goddess on a mountain top

Was burning like a silver flame

The summit of beauty and love

And Venus was her name

She's got it

Yeah, baby, she's got it

Well, I'm your Venus

I'm your fire, at your desire

Well, I'm your Venus

I'm your fire, at your desire

Her weapons were her crystal eyes

Making every man mad

Black as the dark night she was

Got what no one else had, whoa!

She's got it

Yeah, baby, she's got it

Well, I'm your Venus

I'm your fire, at your desire

Well, I'm your Venus

I'm your fire, at your desire

She's got it

Yeah, baby, she's got it

Well, I'm your Venus

I'm your fire, at your desire

Well, I'm your Venus

I'm your fire, at your desire.