The river - Bruce Springsteen

'The river' was written by Bruce Springsteen right after he'd completed an album that was to be titled 'The ties that bind'. The imagery of the chorus and the end of the song were inspired by lines from Hank Williams' 1950 hit, 'Long gone lonesome blues'. When this song came up, Springsteen decided to write several others with a similarly darker feel, and eventually released a double album entitled 'The river' in 1980.

Released as a single, it reached number 12 in the Dutch Top 40 and number 35 in the UK singles chart. It remains one of Springsteen's signature songs.

My collection: 7" single no. 2691
Found: Beanos, East Croydon, London, July 3, 1996
Cost: 2 pounds
Tracks: 'The river' / 'Independence day'

Nooduitgang (live) - Het Goede Doel

Het Goede Doel released a live version of their song 'Nooduitgang' ('Emergency exit') in 1987. Their album 'Mooi en onverslijtbaar' and its associated singles sold rather well, but the release of a live album was imminent, and so this single was released to promote it. Band member Sander van Herk wrote a piece on the history of the band in 2001 in a booklet for a 4cd box set and confessed that the track on the single was played live, but the audience participation was mixed in.

The record buying public was unaware of this, and the single reached number 25 in the Dutch Top 40.

My collection: 7" single no. 3769
Found: Marktplaats.nl, received June 3, 2009
Cost: 1 euro
Tracks: 'Nooduitgang (live)' / 'The sonic ranger rides again'

We'll be together - Sandra

Released in November 1988, 'We'll be together' was the third single taken from Sandra's third album 'Into a secret land'. For the first time ever, this song was co-written by Sandra herself. The single reached number 9 in the German singles chart.

When I bought this single, it came with a Spanish promotional sheet. Printed in colour, the front of the A4 paper features the album cover and the back features a biography, written in Spanish.

My collection: 7" single no. 1777
Found: Record fair, Amsterdam, October 25, 1992
Cost: 2 guilders
Tracks: 'We'll be together' / 'It means forever'

Sign your name - Terence Trent d'Arby

Although I hated the first few singles by Terence Trent d'Arby, I had to admit that 'Sign your name' was actually a very good ballad. It was taken from his debut album 'Introducing the hardline according to Terence Trent d'Arby', released in 1987.

It was a big hit in countries around the world, peaking at number 2 in the UK singles chart and the Dutch Top 40, and number 4 in the US Billboard Hot 100.

My collection: 7" single no. 1331
Found: Record Exchange, London, October 17, 1990
Cost: 50p
Tracks: 'Sign your name' / 'Greasy chicken'

To turn the stone - Frida

'To turn the stone' was the second single taken from Frida's 1982 album 'Something's going on'. It was considerably less successful than the previous one, 'I know there's something going on', which reached the charts all over Europe.

'To turn the stone' only managed to reach number 39 in the German singles chart and flopped everywhere else. As a result, no further singles were taken from the album.

My collection: 7" single no. 160
Found: Studio Echo, Den Haag, 1982
Cost: 5,5 guilders
Tracks: 'To turn the stone' / 'I got something'

The Skye Boat song - Willy Finlayson

Tori Amos' debut album 'Y Kant Tori Read', released before she hit the big time with 'Little earthquakes', contained an instrumental excerpt of 'The Skye Boat song', a Scottish traditional from the 19th century. Since I liked the melody, I was quite curious when I found this single, on which the traditional is performed by Willy Finlayson. Remember him? He also recorded 'On the air tonight' in 1985.

Finlayson's solo career has been short: none of his singles reached the UK singles chart and no other singles of his are known.

My collection: 7" single no. 2173
Found: House of Rhythm, London, September 27, 1994
Cost: 50p
Tracks: 'The Skye Boat Song' / 'Cash'

Holding out for a hero - Bonnie Tyler

When you hear this song you will probably recognise the production values of Jim Steinman immediately: with its backing vocals and high speed music, it's an almost hysteric piece of music. 'Holding out for a hero' was originally released in 1984 and included on the soundtrack of the movie 'Footloose'. It later appeared on Tyler's 'Secret dreams and forbidden fire' album.

The single peaked at number 2 in the UK singles chart and number 34 in the US Billboard Hot 100. In the Netherlands, the single flopped mercilessly.

My collection: 7" single no. 3291
Found: Disco Market, Den Haag, February 24, 2001
Cost: 1 guilder
Tracks: 'Holding out for a hero' / 'Faster than the speed of night'

Crystal ball - Keane

Tim Rice-Oxley from Keane commented about 'Crystal ball': 'That was a really scary for me, because I've always had lots to say, and lots of opinions whether right or wrong. We then ended up having a massive row about something a couple of days later and it came out of that that we were all feeling this sense of numbness, this feeling of kinda fading away as people. I struggled to find one last song to complete the album, and found I could not write. I was left looking around song directories written by the sheer desperates of London, thus explaining how I discovered Crystal Ball...'

The track was released as the second single of Keane's second album 'Under the iron sea'. It reached number 20 in the Dutch Top 40 and the UK singles chart. This 7" single is a numbered limited edition; this is number 30.

My collection: 7" single no. 3490
Found: eBay.co.uk, received December 20, 2008
Cost: 3 pounds
Tracks: 'Crystal ball' / 'Maybe I can change'

Love house - Samantha Fox

Honestly, I have no idea why I bought this single. It's a long time ago when I did. Even then, I was not impressed with the output of Page 3 girl Samantha Fox and house music in general. This track was produced by the Dutch brothers Bolland, but that in itself is no reason for me to buy a single - quite the contrary.

Mysteries have a right to survive, and so I won't guess any more. The only thing I do know that this single reached number 10 in the Dutch Top 40 and number 32 on the UK singles chart.

My collection: 7" single no. 2410
Found: Leiden, 1995
Cost: 1 guilder
Tracks: 'Love house' / 'Don't cheat on me'

Cannonball - Supertramp

Without Roger Hodgson, but with a reputation that was very good, Supertramp soldiered on after 1983. Rick Davies took over lead vocals, and the 1985 album 'Brother where you bound' was promoted with the first single 'Cannonball'.

On the album and on thie 12" single, the track lasted for well over 7 minutes, whereas the 7" single contained an edit. Impressive also is the 10 minute instrumental version on the B-side of this 12" single.

My collection: 12" single no. 285
Found: Record Exchange, London, 1996
Cost: 50p
Tracks: 'Cannonball (Direct to disc version)' / 'Cannonball (instrumental)'

Heartbreaker - Dionne Warwick

When Barry Gibb is producing, or even co-producing, any song takes on a decidedly 'Bee Gees sound'. So when Dionne Warwick had her 1982 album 'Heartbreaker' co-produced by Gibb, it was almost as if she was doing backing vocals to Bee Gees tracks. Warwick later commented that she didn't like the album's title track, but recorded it because she trusted the judgement of the three Gibb brothers, who wrote the song, that it would be a hit.

And it was: Warwick reached the charts all over the world when 'Heartbreaker' was released as a single. It reached number 5 in the Dutch Top 40 and number 2 in the UK singles chart. Warwick commented: 'I cried all the way to the bank'.

My collection: 7" single no. 3088
Found: Record Exchange, London, May 12, 1999
Cost: 1 pound
Tracks: 'Heartbreaker' / 'I can't see anything but you'

Ever so lonely - Monsoon

To be honest, I'd completely forgotten that I owned this 12" single of 'Ever so lonely'. The single has been on this blog in an earlier entry. So when I was going through my 12 inch singles, I was pleasantly surprised.

This extended version of 'Ever so lonely' is made in the best of the Eighties traditions: it's just longer, it features a few extra instrumental and vocal passages, and no irritating beats and out of key synth loops. How refreshing!

My collection: 12" single no. 338
Found: Plaatboef, Rotterdam, 1998
Cost: 2 guilders
Tracks: 'Ever so lonely (extended version)' / 'Sunset over the Ganges'

Mama - Zucchero

In 1990, the Italian singer Zucchero attempted to reach the charts outside of continental Europe, where he'd made a name for himself. In July 1990 he released 'Mama' in the UK, an English version of his 1989 European hit 'Madre dolcissima'. The single did not chart.

In 1991, he had more success, when he recorded a duet with Paul Young. Their track 'Senza una donna' became a top 10 hit in the UK.

My collection: 7" single no. 3060
Found: Record Exchange, London, May 9, 1999
Cost: 20p
Tracks: 'Mama' / 'Madre dolcissima'

You keep me hangin' on - Tata Vega

Tata Vega was born as Carmen Rosa Vega in New York on October 7, 1951. She began her singing career in 1963. She was cast in the Broadway production of the musical 'Hair', after which she joined the band Pollution and then the group Earthquire. Between 1976 and 1981, she released four solo albums on the Motown label.

In 1980, she released her version of the Supremes hit 'You keep me hangin' on'. It was a typical late Seventies disco version, which did not manage to chart outside of America. I bought this single because I am interested in every cover version of 'You keep me hangin' on'. I have to admit that I still like Kim Wilde's version best.

My collection: 7" single no. 3045
Found: La La Land, Den Haag, December 19, 1998
Cost: 2 guilders
Tracks: 'You keep me hangin' on' / 'You better watch out'

The sun ain't gonna shine anymore - The Walker Brothers

'The sun ain't gonna shine anymore' was written by Bob Crewe and Bob Gaudio. It was originally released as a single by Frankie Valli in 1965. Although it was recorded with his group the Four Seasons, it was released as his first solo single in over a decade.

In 1966, the Walker Brothers released their cover version of the song. This version had a lot more success than Valli's original, reaching the singles charts all over the world. The single peaked at number 13 in the US Billboard Hot 100, number 9 in the Dutch Top 40 and number 1 in the UK singles chart.

My collection: 7" single no. 1071
Found: London, October 19, 1989
Cost: 2 pounds
Tracks: 'The sun ain't gonna shine anymore' / 'My ship is coming in'

Love scenes - Beverley Craven

Beverley Craven released her second album 'Love scenes' in 1993, after giving birth to her first daugher, Mollie. This experience ended up being part of the subject matter on that album, unfortunately, with the track 'Mollie's song' as the most unfortunate result.

The title track was released as the album's first single, and it was also the last single to be released on the 7" vinyl format. Subsequent singles 'Mollie's song' (yes, I couldn't believe it either) and 'The winner takes it all' (a cover of the Abba track) were only released on cd-single. 'Love scenes' reached number 34 in the UK singles chart.

My collection: 7" single no. 1996
Found: London, October 18, 1993
Cost: 2 pounds
Tracks: 'Love scenes' / 'Blind faith'

This feeling - Sam Brown

'This feeling' was the third single taken from Sam Brown's debut album 'Stop!'. The track features a beautiful guitar solo by Pink Floyd's David Gilmour. 'This feeling' was remixed for the single, which in fact didn't really make it much better, but it was shorter and that was probably the most important thing for the record company.

It didn't help matters much: the single stalled at number 91 in the UK singles chart, although it did manage to reach number 28 in the Dutch Top 40.

My collection: 7" single no. 691
Found: Free Record Shop, Den Haag, October 1, 1988
Cost: 6 guilders
Tracks: 'This feeling' / 'Soldiers'

I should be so lucky - Kylie Minogue

I never shy away from a good debate, especially when it takes place on this blog. So when Jos asked me why in God's name I bought singles by Risqué, I can't help but reply (while of course respecting the fact that there is no accounting for tastes, indeed). Within my collection there are certainly some artistic highs and lows. I love the good, the bad and the ugly. But most of all, I like pop. And it's true, a lot of pop music is not sung by the ones on the sleeve (and when it is, it is usually 'polished' in the studio), the music comes from session musicians - but it is always produced well. Does it matter that the guys from Milli Vanilli or Boney M didn't sing their stuff themselves? I think not; 'Daddy cool' and 'Ma Baker' are still pop classics.

All this to conceal that I bought a lot of Kylie Minogue singles - after she became 'cool' when she started working with Manic Street Preachers in 1995. So did she sing this debut single herself? I think so - it sounds irritating enough. But look here: two decades on, she's a star. And she's already performed this very song in about ten different arrangements - including a ballad and a variety showband version. Creativity knows no boundaries.

My collection: 7" single no. 3316
Found: Record fair, Utrecht, March 24, 2001
Cost: 1 guilder
Tracks: 'I should be so lucky' / 'I should be so lucky (instrumental)'

Motorcycle emptiness - Manic Street Preachers

The Manic Street Preachers formed in 1986. Members were James Dean Bradfield, Nicky Wire, Sean Moore and Richey Edwards. Edwards mysteriously vanished on February 1, 1995. Nothing was ever heard from him again. To this day, it is still one of the big mysteries of rock.

Before all that, the band released their debut album 'Generation terrorists' in 1992. 'Motorcycle emptiness' was the fifth single taken from that album and it became the biggest hit, reaching number 17 in the UK singles chart and number 24 in the Dutch Top 40 - their first and only hit in the Netherlands.

My collection: 7" single no. 1696
Found: Melody Maker, August 15, 1992
Cost: 6,5 guilders
Tracks: 'Motorcycle emptiness' / 'Bored out of my mind'

Is there something I should know - Duran Duran

'Is there something I should know?' was recorded in December 1982 in London. It was released as a non-album single, although in the USA the track was added to the 1983 reissue of the band's debut album 'Duran Duran'.

In the UK, the single became the band's first number one hit. It reached number 4 in the US Billboard Hot 100 in August 1983. In the Dutch Top 40, the single reached number 14, their first hit in the Netherlands.

My collection: 7" single no. 1806
Found: Record fair, Amsterdam, January 9, 1993
Cost: 1 guilder
Tracks: 'Is there something I should know?' / 'Faith in this colour'