Frankie Avalon – Venus – American Bandstand 1961
Frankie Avalon
Venus
American Bandstand 1959
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I know this was 1959. I know, I know but if you really think about it this was only 60 summers ago. And I can’t help but be drawn to the innocence of the time. Sure there were problems as there always are but something about this time in America the perception was one of rest. In between wars and people just living their lives. American Bandstand is just so attractive to me as I look back. Kids coming right from school to dance and be seen on TV. I don’t know but I think a lot about that particular time. There was a certain warmth that I can feel now right through the screen. Those days will never come again and there is much to look forward to but a part of my really misses American Bandstand, young singers like Frankie Avalon and songs like Venus. Maybe you see it the same way. I wish we could revisit ….
American Bandstand
“Venus” became Avalon’s first number-one hit on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, where it spent five weeks atop the survey. The song also reached number ten on the R&B chart. The song’s 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. Billboard ranked it as the No. 4 song for 1959.
In 1976, Avalon released a new disco version of “Venus”. This helped revive the singer’s career, as his success had been waning prior to its release and was Avalon’s last Billboard Hot 100 hit. The re-recording of “Venus” peaking at number forty-six on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100[2] and at number one on the Easy Listening chart. Avalon was quoted stating his opinion of the remake: “It was all right, but I still prefer the original.”
