The elephant song - Kamahl

Kandiah Kamalesvaran was born in Malaysia on November 13, 1934. He grew up as Kandiah Kalamesvaram (King of Lotus flowers) in Kuala Lumpur. In 1953 he moved to Adelaide, Australia with his family. It is where he got to know pop and classical music. During a concert by Nat King Cole he had the opportunity to meet the singer. It made him determined to start his own career as a singer.

He debuted in 1959, but only achieved fame in the Netherlands in 1975 thanks to 'The Elephant song'. The track appeared in a TV documentary about the World Wildlife Fund. The song was written by Dutch producer Hans van Hemert with lyricist Gregor Frenkel Frank. The single topped the Dutch Top 40 for five weeks in the summer of 1975. The B-side is an English version of a song that was a hit for Conny van den Bos the year before as 'Ik geef je 'n roosje m'n roosje'.

My collection: 7" single no. 2722
Found: Record fair, September 2, 1996
Cost: 1 guilder
Tracks: 'The elephant song' / 'A daisy a day'