"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.
Contents
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. The magazine ranked it as the number four song for 1959.
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."
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 Billboard's 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.