From the Spice Girls to Girls Aloud, the British are masters of the female pop group. Practically a national pastime these days, it's a phenomenon that has its modern roots in the 1980s, when all-girl band Bananarama updated—and revived—a decades-old tradition by focusing more on dance sounds than doo wop harmonies. Emerging from the London punk scene, this trio of childhood friends went on to produce some of the decade's most memorable pop hits, including "Venus," a cover of Shocking Blue's 1969 chart-topper. While the early synthesizer production sounds hopelessly of its time, the song's famous refrain ("I'm your Venus/I'm your fire/Your desire") still holds immense appeal, driven primarily by Bananarama's unique unison singing, which creates a big sound bursting with attitude. It's no wonder the line lives on as the soundtrack to razor commercials. B
26 years ago this week, "Venus" was the #1 song on the Billboard Hot 100.
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