Lass die Sonne in dein Herz - Wind

Wind represented Germany in the Eurovision Song Contest for the second time in 1987 with 'Lass die Sonne in dein Herz'. Just like the first time in 1985, they ended up on second place, behind Johnny Logan, who won with 'Hold me now' for Ireland. Their performance is notable for including as a backing singer Robert Pilatus, later to achieve infamy in connection with Milli Vanilli.

Written and composed by longtime Contest contributors for Germany Ralph Siegel and Bernd Meinunger, the song is a reggae-oriented track with a lyric full of positive platitudes.

My collection: 7" single no. 540

Found: Free Record Shop, Den Haag, July 1, 1987

Cost: 6 guilders

Tracks: 'Lass die Sonne in dein Herz' / 'Let the sun shine in your heart'

That loving feeling - Cicero

Cicero followed up his debut single 'Love is everywhere' with another track produced by the Pet Shop Boys, 'That loving feeling'. Despite the fact that the track had that typical Pet Shop Boys sound, it only made number 46 in the UK singles chart. It could be because of the unremarkable lead vocals by Cicero.

Whatever it was, it was the beginning of the end for him: the subsequent single 'Heaven must have sent you back to me' peaked at number 70 and later singles didn't chart. A promising career was cut short pretty quickly.

My collection: 7" single no. 3081

Found: Beanos, East Croydon, London, May 10, 1999

Cost: 1 pound

Tracks: 'That loving feeling' / 'Splatt'

One, two, three... Bananas - Marga and Deuce

After the Dutch girl group Luv' split up in 1982, one of the members Marga Scheide teamed up with twin sisters Clari and Anja Horsmeier to record 'One, two, three... Bananas', hoping to achieve similar success. The single flopped mercilessly, despite its pretty decent retro production.

Marga Scheide reformed Luv' in 1989 with different members, and later on with the original members of Luv' in 1993 and 2005. The Horsmeier sisters competed in the Dutch national final for the Eurovision Song Contest in 1983 with the song 'Computergames', but didn't win.

My collection: 7" single no. 167

Found: Disco Market, Den Haag, 1982

Cost: 3,5 guilders

Tracks: 'One, two, three... Bananas' / 'Ooh, he did it'

Another brick in the wall part 2 - Pink Floyd

'Another brick in the wall (part 2)' is a protest song against rigid schooling in general and boarding schools in particular. It led to the song being banned in South Africa and several other countries. It was a number 1 hit for Pink Floyd in the UK, peaking at number 3 in the Netherlands.

For this track, Pink Floyd needed a school choir. Producer Bob Ezrin asked sound engineer Nick Griffiths to find one. Griffiths approached music teacher Alun Renshaw of Islington Green School, around the corner from their Britannia Row Studios.

When I went to English class for the first time, when I was nine years old, the teacher asked if we knew any words in English. 'Another brick in the wall' was the first phrase I came up with. The teacher assumed I didn't know what those words meant - but I did. 'We don't need no education', indeed.

My collection: 7" single no. 3201
Found: Record fair, September 30, 2000
Cost: 2 guilders
Tracks: 'Another brick in the wall (part 2)' / 'One of my turns'

Johnny come home (Mark Moore remix) - Fine Young Cannibals

Released as a single from their remix album 'The raw and the remix' (1990), this Mark Moore remix of Fine Young Cannibals' debut single 'Johnny come home' did not impress anyone. The single was released and disappeared from the racks as quickly as it had come.

My friend Puck once bought the LP 'The raw and the remix'. He probably liked the singles that the band had released from the album 'The raw and the cooked' (1989), but was very disppointed with this album. He tried forever to sell it, but I think he still has it now....

My collection: 7" single no. 3210
Found: Record fair, September 30, 2000
Cost: 2 guilders
Tracks: 'Johnny come home (Mark Moore remix)' / 'Johnny takes a trip'

It's really you - Barbara Dickson

Barbara Dickson was born in Dunfermline, Fife, Scotland on September 27, 1947. She started singing in folk clubs around her native Fife in 1964. Her first solo album was 'Do right woman' in 1970. Ten years later she reached her commercial peak when she released 'The Barbara Dickson Album', produced by Alan Tarney. The album yielded two singles, of which 'January February' was the successful one and 'It's really you' flopped.

Personally I think 'It's really you' is the better one of the two, being a rather bouncy poppy piece of work.

My collection: 7" single no. 3137
Found: Disco Market, Den Haag, July 24, 1999
Cost: 1 guilder
Tracks: 'It's really you' / 'Plane song'
Download: Album 'The Barbara Dickson Album', including both tracks

Everytime I think of you - The Babys

'Everytime I think of you' was recorded by the Babys in 1978 for their third album 'Head first' (the title track appears on the B-side of the single). It peaked at number 13 in the US Billboard Hot 100 chart, and number 7 in the Netherlands. Amazingly, it didn't chart in the UK at all.

In 2006, an appalling cover version was recorded by Lucie Silvas and Dutch singing sweater Marco Borsato. It was bought by brainless people who can't tell the difference between shit and music. Nothing beats the original, certainly in this case.

My collection: 7" single no. 819

Found: Disco Market, Den Haag, May 13, 1989

Cost: 1 guilder

Tracks: 'Everytime I think of you' / 'Head first'

Download: Album 'Anthology', including both tracks

No more lies - Sharpe and Numan

After recording 'Change your mind' for Bill Sharpe's solo album, he and Gary Numan decided to record a whole album together. The album, titled 'Automatic', saw the light in 1989, but before that, a couple of singles were released.

'No more lies', released in January 1988, was one of them. At the time of its release I came across the cd-single several times, but I never bought it. Something I lived to regret. When I saw the vinyl single a decade later, I snapped it up. It's great synthpop, which was rewarded in the UK with a chart placing, peaking at number 34 in the singles chart. Outside of the UK, it was largely ignored.

My collection: 7" single no. 2907
Found: Beanos, East Croydon, London, October 31, 1997
Cost: 2 pounds
Tracks: 'No more lies' / 'Voices'

Ça plane pour moi - Plastic Bertrand

Originally released in December 1977, Plastic Bertrand had a hit in May 1978 with 'Ça plane pour moi'. It peaked at number 18 in the UK and at number 2 in the Netherlands. The lyric of this song is open to interpretation, since it is full of French slang that was used in the Seventies. The title means 'It is gliding for me', which could imply that the singer is with his head in the clouds, or possibly high on drugs. Other suggestions are 'It's all working out for me', 'This works for me', 'Everything's cool/groovy for me' or, more loosely, 'Things are going great' or even 'I'm on cloud nine'.

I wasn't impressed with this song when it came out, but twenty years later I still bought it. In time, punk songs get a certain nostalgia value.

My collection: 7" single no. 3126

Found: Disco Market, Den Haag, July 24, 1999

Cost: 1 guilder

Tracks: 'Ça plane pour moi' / 'Pogo pogo'

Bright eyes - Art Garfunkel

I once knew a girl who had such amazing eyes, they looked like the deepest lakes with mysteries so dark and beautiful I got so fascinated it stifled any chance of me talking to her. (I have to admit, sometimes they looked hollow and uninviting too.) And so it came to pass she got the nickname 'Bright eyes'.

This, of course, came from the famous Art Garfunkel song from 1979. It was composed by Mike Batt for the soundtrack of the movie 'Watership down', an animated movie about rabbits. The song relates to the transition into death highlighted by Hazel's close shave when he is shot by a farmer, and then years later when Hazel finally departs his body and enters the world of spirit. It may also be viewed in reference to the disease the rabbits refer to as 'white blindness' - actually Myxomatosis. I've always had a soft spot for animated videos, so when I saw this one in 1979, it stuck in my mind.

My collection: 7" single no. 818

Found: Disco Market, Den Haag, May 13, 1989

Cost: 1 guilder

Tracks: 'Bright eyes' / 'Kazaar's theme'

Light my fire / Please release me - Mike Flowers Pops

Mike Flowers Pops followed up their hit 'Wonderwall' with a double A-side 7" single, featuring covers of 'Light my fire' (originally by the Doors) and 'Please release me' (originally by Engelbert Humperdinck). The success of this single was limited: during a two week run it peaked at number 39 in the UK singles chart. This despite 'Please release me' being used for an advertising campaign by Bodington Bitter in the UK. It seemed the momentum for Mike Flowers Pops had gone as fast as it came.

My collection: 7" single no. 2649

Found: HMV, York, June 28, 1996
Cost: 2 pounds

Tracks: 'Light my fire' / 'Please release me'

Once in a lifetime - Talking Heads

'Once in a Lifetime' was taken from the fourth album by Talking Heads, 'Remain in Light'. It was written by David Byrne and Brian Eno. The lyric has a rather existential vibe to it, although it is usually interpreted to be a song dealing with midlife crisis and the inevitable sacrifice of youthful ideals and dreams for conventional success.

In 1981, the single peaked at number 28 in the Netherlands and number 14 in the UK. In 1985, the single was re-released as part of the promotion of the concert film Stop Making Sense. It didn't chart in the UK, but made number 29 in the Netherlands.

My collection: 7" single no. 2946

Found: Record fair, Leiden, January 31, 1998

Cost: 2 guilders

Tracks: 'Once in a lifetime' / 'Seen and not seen'

Download: Album 'Remain in light', including both tracks

Marionette - Maribelle

Before representing the Netherlands at the 1984 Eurovision Song Contest, Maribelle had already competed in the National finals in 1981. She sang two songs: 'Marionette' and 'Fantasie'. She didn't win the competition (which was won by Linda Williams with 'Het is een wonder'), but the two songs were released as a single.

It became a small success for Maribelle: the single reached the Dutch Top 40, where it peaked at number 36 during a four week run.

My collection: 7" single no. 3296
Found: Disco Market, Den Haag, February 24, 2001
Cost: 1 guilder
Tracks: 'Marionette' / 'Fantasie'

She - Vegas

The second single from Vegas' debut (and only) album was 'She', a cover of the 1974 song by Charles Aznavour. It was written by Aznavour and Herbert Kretzmer and reached number one in the UK. Terry Hall and David Stewart must have hoped to repeat that success, but alas they weren't able to: the single peaked at number 43 and stayed in the chart for only four weeks.

The single was notable for the B-side, which was a 'disco mix' of the track. As far as I know, it's the only remix of a Vegas track ever released.

My collection: 7" single no. 2181

Found: Record Exchange, London, September 27, 1994

Cost: 1 pound

Tracks: 'She' / 'She (disco mix)'

Download: cd-single 'She', including both tracks

Lay your hands on me - Thompson Twins

The Thompson Twins enjoyed a lot of success with their 1984 album 'Into the gap'. They had to come up with a new album soon, so the writing and recording of the next album 'Here's to future days' began in late 1984. The band recorded the single 'Lay your hands on me' with producer Alex Sadkin. The new single climbed to number 13 on the UK singles chart.

My copy of the single came in a limited edition poster bag. I might never have bought it otherwise: I thought the track was a lot weaker than previous singles. Nowadays I feel differently: it still sounds rather fresh.

My collection: 7" single no. 1905

Found: Record fair, Den Haag, May 2, 1993

Cost: 2 guilders

Tracks: 'Lay your hands on me' / 'The Lewis Carol'

Download: here

Lover come back to me - Dead or Alive

After their considerable success with 'You spin me 'round', Dead or Alive came up with another energetic popsong in the guise of 'Lover come back to me'. Personally I always thought this was an even more powerful song, but the masses disagreed: this single fared less well. It peaked at number 11 in the UK and number 30 in the Netherlands.

By the time of the next single, the momentum of Dead or Alive seemed to have disappeared, each single scoring less well than its predecessor. And producers Stock Aitken & Waterman moved on to greener pastures with singing soapstars and fair-haired boys.

My collection: 7" single no. 292

Found: LP Top 100, Den Haag, 1985

Cost: 5,5 guilders

Track: 'Lover come back to me' / 'Far too hard'

Download: here

Alles heeft ritme - Frizzle Sizzle

Sisters Karin and Laura Vlasblom and their friends Mandy Huydts and Marjon Keller debuted in 1981 on 'Kinderen voor kinderen', a Dutch television programme and LP featuring songs by a children's choir. In 1984 the girls appeared on the fifth annual show to tell that they formed a girl group. Naming themselves Frizzle Sizzle they were selected to represent the Netherlands in the 1986 edition of the Eurovision Song Contest with 'Alles heeft ritme'. They ended up 13th in the contest in a field of 20 contestants. In the Dutch Top 40, the song peaked at number 21.

I found this single, amazingly, in a Record Exchange in London, in the basement of the Goldhawk Road shop. I think it's the only time I bought a Dutch language record abroad.

My collection: 7" single no. 3090

Found: Record Exchange, London, May 12, 1999

Cost: 20p

Tracks: 'Alles heeft ritme' / 'Eenmaal jong'

Download: here

Invisible - Alison Moyet

Alison Moyet's third solo single was specially written for her by Motown legend Lamont Dozier, from the famous Holland/Dozier/Holland writing team. The song was released in 1984 and peaked at number 21 in the UK singles chart. A year later, it reached number 31 in the US Billboard Hot 100 chart - making it the only US top 40 hit of her career.

By the time I bought this single, it was ancient. I already had all the other singles taken from her debut album 'Alf', so this was a nice completion.

My collection: 7" single no. 3263

Found: Record fair, Utrecht, October 21, 2000

Cost: 1 guilder

Tracks: 'Invisible' / 'Hitch hike'

Download: here

She sells - Banderas

The second single from Sally Herbert and Caroline Buckley, a.k.a. Banderas, was 'She sells', a song about women being exploited for advertisements. It followed up their successful debut single 'This is your life' (which appeared previously on this blog but was deleted for some strange reason).

I bought this single some time after its release. Before that, I'd gotten hold of Banderas' debut album 'Ripe', which caused my interest in their single releases. It's one of the best pop albums I have.

My collection: 7" single no. 1958

Found: Record fair, Amsterdam, September 25, 1993

Cost: 2 guilders

Tracks: 'She sells' / 'She sells (Alternative 7" mix)'

Download: cd-single 'She sells', including both tracks

Martyr - Depeche Mode

Until the imminent release of 'Wrong' in April this year, 'Martyr' is still Depeche Mode's last single release. It came out on November 13, 2006 in support of a new compilation album, 'The best of Depeche Mode volume 1'. Originally titled 'Martyr for love', the song was recorded during sessions for Depeche Mode's previous album 'Playing the angel'. It was considered as the first single from that album, but was subsequently dropped from the album because it was considered to be 'too poppy'.

Released as their 45th single, it was their 35th top 20 hit in the UK. The single was released as a numbered limited edition on a picture disc 7" vinyl.

My collection: 7" single no. 3592
Found: Plaatboef, Den Haag, March 5, 2009
Cost: 4,5 euro
Tracks: 'Martyr' / 'Never let me down (Digitalism remix)'