"Venus!" Released, 1969 by the Dutch band, (Who knew? For God's sake, They could have easily been Canadian!) "The Shocking Blue!!"(Very psychedelic title. Who thought of that? What type of drugs were they on? Tylenol? I don't think so. Moldy Tylenol? Maybe, perhaps. Let's share!)
E minor, A major, E minor, A major, rinse and repeat.
"I'm your Venus, I'm your fire, what's your desire!"
Don't knock it, it works!
But what an extremely cool song! Sexy female vocals, obscure lyrics, and that cool slide down the guitar neck that made it all happen. Best of all, it featured the word, “Venus,” which to a pair of ten year old boys sounded alarmingly like, “penis.” Hmmm.
We wondered:1) What they looked like. (There was no music video, no internet, and ABC news sure as hell wasn’t going to feature them.)
2) Was the girl a brunette or a blond. And…
3) (I’m not making this up!) Did their mother know that they were singing a song about a penis?
Wow.
Yes, it’s true, we had many serious sleepover conversations which largely revolved around this topic.
It stuck with me. (Both the penis question and the song)
Sometime in the 1980’s I sought out and bought the single for the second time. (You remember those things? "Singles?" Little vinyl platters about the size of a sandwich dish? Two songs, the good one and the one that time will soon forget? )
Through it all, the fundamental question never occurred to me:
Why would a woman, (Forgetting the fact that she was surrounded by musicians, one of whom could produce a pretty cool slide sound with his guitar) call herself a, “ penis?”
Time marched on, I grew up somewhat and learned the following:1) Women are many things. (Always confusing, always beautiful, and always seemingly willing to purchase the man in their life new clothes) but they are by no means in any way, shape, or form, male genetalia, nor do they desire to be.
2) Popular music lyrics exist on many, many levels. Often, they simply are what you want them to be.
3) My mother was not offended by this song. (Heck, she still doesn’t even know it exist!)
The magic of lyrical confusion somehow infected me. For example, check out our song: “Never Too Late.” I’m not even sure what it’s about, and I was quite sober at the time.
Anyhow, I suppose the band had the following lyrical option available and for reasons know but to God, choose not to use it:
“I’m your male genetalia, I’m the intensity of your pre-adolescent sexual confusion, let’s light a fire!”
Groovy man. Deep intense stuff, but I dunno, I just doesn’t sing as well. (Even with that cool guitar slide!)
Thanks for your time.
Have a most groovy day.
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