• A. Golden Earring
  • B. Shocking Blue
  • C. Focus
  • D. The Cats

💡 Need a hint?

This band came from The Hague and had a female singer with an unmistakable voice. Decades later, the song became a hit all over again in a cover version by another group.

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The correct answer is B. Shocking Blue. Their song “Venus” reached the top of the charts in the United States, a remarkable achievement for a Dutch band at the time.

📚 More background information

Shocking Blue was founded in The Hague, with singer Mariska Veres as the unmistakable face of the group. “Venus” was written by guitarist Robbie van Leeuwen and quickly grew into something far bigger than anyone had anticipated.

What is also remarkable is how the song continued to live on. Years after the original release, “Venus” became a worldwide hit once again through a cover version, introducing a whole new generation of listeners to that instantly recognisable melody. Not many songs survive such a leap across time.

The other three bands in this question are no small names either, for that matter. Golden Earring are best known for “Radar Love” and “Twilight Zone”. Focus brought the world the instrumental “Hocus Pocus”, complete with that quirky yodelling. And The Cats from Volendam developed their own distinctive sound, which was later affectionately dubbed “palingsound” (literally “eel sound”, a term for the easy-listening style associated with the region). The Netherlands had a remarkably vibrant music scene during that period, even if not every quiz player is aware of it.