It’s got the egregiously stolen guitar riff, the maddeningly insistent melody, and the lyrics that were clearly written by someone who does not speak English as a first language. Very quickly, Bananarama had become London pop stars.īananarama’s version of “Venus” isn’t that different from the Shocking Blue original. That “Really Saying Something” cover made it to #5 on the UK charts. Shortly afterward, Fun Boy Three guested on Bananarama’s version of “Really Saying Something,” a song originally recorded by the Motown girl group the Velvelettes in 1964. Bananarama appeared on Fun Boy Three’s version of the 1939 jazz song “ It Ain’t What You Do (It’s The Way That You Do It),” and that single peaked at #4 on the UK charts. Terry Hall, former leader of second-wave ska greats the Specials, loved Bananarama’s version of “Aie A Mwana,” and he invited Bananarama to collaborate with his post-Specials group Fun Boy Three. In 1981, Bananarama recorded a demo, a cover of Black Blood’s 1975 Swahili-language song “Aie A Mwana.” Paul Cook produced it, and it became an underground club hit. They also sang backup for Iggy Pop, the Jam, and whoever else needed backup singers. Pretty soon, they were all making music together.įor a little while, Bananarama - who’d named themselves partly in honor of the Roxy Music song “Pyjamarama” - sang backup for Professionals, the post-Sex Pistols band from Cook and guitarist Steve Jones. Cook let them move into a space above his rehearsal room. All of them were broke as hell, and Dallin and Woodward were about to get kicked out of the hostel where they were living when they met former Sex Pistols drummer Paul Cook at a club.
Dallin and Fahey were both students at the London College Of Fashion, while Woodward worked a day job at the BBC. The Bristol natives Sara Dallin and Keren Woodward were childhood friends who’d moved to London together, and they formed Bananarama after meeting Siobhan Fahey in London. Bananarama were creatures of London’s punk and new wave scenes, but they always knew a great pop song when they heard it. “Venus” kicks ass.īananarama had been singing “Venus” since the group first got together in 1979, though they didn’t record it until years later. Postman.” Actually, though, Bananarama’s version of “Venus” was the third version of the song to hit #1, since “Venus” had been one of the songs in Dutch novelty act Stars On 45’s otherwise Beatles-dominated 1981 medley “ Stars On 45.” America really loved this ridiculous song. Bananarama’s “Venus” arrived at #1 after Donny Osmond’s cover of Steve Lawrence’s “ Go Away, Little Girl,” Grand Funk’s version of Little Eva’s “ The Loco-Motion,” and the Carpenters’ take on the Marvelettes “ Please Mr. Thanks to Bananarama, “Venus” was the fourth song that topped the Hot 100 more than once.