"Venus" is a song written by Ed Marshall and popularized by Frankie Avalon, whose recording was released in 1959 and spent five weeks at number one on the Billboard Hot 100. The lyrics detail a man's plea to Venus, the Roman goddess of love and beauty, to send him a girl to love and one who will love him as well.
Frankie Avalon recordings 1959 version Songwriter Ed Marshall first offered "Venus" to Al Martino, who liked it but only felt it qualified as an album cut. Marshall then played it on the piano for Frankie Avalon, who recalled, "I listened to it, and the first time it just caught me immediately." He recorded it three days later with producers Peter De Angelis and Bob Marcucci. In a live telephone interview on American Bandstand a couple of days afterward, Avalon told Dick Clark that it would be a hit. The single was released a week later.
Chart performance "Venus" debuted on Billboard magazine's Hot 100 chart in the issue dated February 9, 1959, and reached number one in the March 9 issue, four weeks later. It spent a total of 28 weeks on the chart, five of which were in the top spot. The song also reached number 10 on the magazine's R&B chart. For R&B chart information, select Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs from the drop-down list. The magazine ranked it as the number four song for 1959.
Charts
Weekly charts + Weekly chart performance for "Venus" by Frankie AvalonChart (1959)PeakpositionUK New Musical ExpressFrankie Avalon - Full Official Chart History, Official Charts Company. Retrieved June 19, 2018.16US Billboard Hot R&B Sides10
Year-end charts + Year-end chart performance for "Venus" by Frankie AvalonChart (1959)PositionUS Billboard Hot 1004 All-time charts + All-time chart performance for "Venus" by Frankie Avalon Chart (1958–2018) PositionUS Billboard Hot 100154
1976 version In 1976, Avalon released a new disco version of "Venus" that was Avalon's last Billboard Hot 100 hit, peaking at number 46 there and at number one on the magazine's Easy Listening chart.. Avalon was quoted as saying of the remake: "It was all right, but I still prefer the original."
Charts Weekly charts + Weekly chart performance for "Venus" (disco version) by Frankie AvalonChart (1976)Peakposition US Billboard Hot 100 (Billboard)46US Billboard Easy Listening1
Other charting versions Dickie Valentine enter the UK singles chart on March 19, 1959, with his recording and got as high as number 20 during his eight weeks there. Johnny Mathis reached number 23 on Billboards Easy Listening chart and "bubbled under" the Billboard Hot 100 chart to number 111 in 1968. Jamie Redfern peaked at number 9 on the Go-Set Australian charts in 1973.
See also List of Hot 100 number-one singles of 1959 (U.S.) List of number-one adult contemporary singles of 1976 (U.S.)
References
Bibliography