Between the outright theft and the lyrical clumsiness, nothing about “Venus” should work. You could get away with stuff like that back then.Īlong with those bits that he swiped, Van Leeuwen added near-nonsensical lyrics about a goddess whose “weapons were her crystal eyes.” The song’s perspective shifts back and forth between third and first person, so we can’t tell whether Veres is singing about Venus or whether she’s supposed to be Venus. In 1963, the Big 3, a folk trio that included a pre-Mamas And The Papas Mama Cass, recorded a song called “ The Banjo Song.” That wasn’t really original, either band member Tim Rose had simply written a new arrangement for the folk standard “Oh Susanna.” Van Leeuwen took that arrangement - the riff, the vocal melody, everything - and used it for “Venus.” He also took the swirling guitar intro from the Who’s “ Pinball Wizard.” All of it was absolutely shameless. “Venus” was not an altogether original song.
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