Pull up to the bumper - Grace Jones

Making a meat sandwich, taking the 5 train, holding out the flag, putting it in there, going up and down... I'm always in awe of people who can creatively describe the act of making love and associated sexual acts. Back in 1981, my English wasn't good enough to appreciate the full meaning of 'Pull up to the bumper': I simply thought it was about cars.

Upon its original release, the single reached number 53 in the UK singles chart and number 20 in the Dutch Top 40. In the UK, 'Pull up to the bumper' was re-released in 1985, reaching number 12 on that occasion.

My collection: 7" single no. 2860
Found: August 9, 1997
Cost: 1 guilder
Tracks: 'Pull up to the bumper' / 'Feel up'

Calling out to Carol - Stan Ridgway

In 1989, Stan Ridgway released his second solo album 'Mosquitos'. The album is notable for the three tracks featuring Tori Amos pre-'Little earthquakes' and so has become sought after by Tori Amos fans.

But perhaps the album is even better known for the hit single 'Calling out to Carol', a rather radio-friendly track which reached number 19 in the Dutch Top 40.

My collection: 7" single no. 945
Found: Free Record Shop, Den Haag, July 21, 1989
Cost: 6 guilders
Tracks: 'Calling out to Carol' / 'Can't stop the show (live)'

Be thankful - Massive Attack

Massive Attack had two hit singles in 1991, 'Unfinished sympathy' and 'Safe from harm'. They followed this up in early 1992 with 'Be thankful', the fourth and last single from their debut album 'Blue lines'. This proved to be a very unsuccessful release, as it only reached number 49 in the Australian singles chart, while failing to chart everywhere else.

I bought this single out of curiosity and because of the fact that the shop didn't have much else to buy. Sometimes I had this mood where I just had to buy cheap singles, and when there's nothing much on offer, I tend to buy whatever I think might be good. And this was, well, reasonably good.

My collection: 7" single no. 2251
Found: Disco Market, Den Haag, March 4, 1995
Cost: 1 guilder
Tracks: 'Be thankful (Paul Oakenfold mix)' / 'Hymn of the big wheel (Nellee Hooper mix)'

Sweet talkin' woman - Electric Light Orchestra

'Sweet talkin' woman' was originally named 'Dead end street', but the name changed to avoid confusion with a 1966 hit of the same title by the Kinks. Some words that survived from that version can be heard in the opening of the third verse, 'I've been livin' on a dead end street'. It was recorded on ELO's 1978 album 'Out of the blue' and released as the fourth single from the album.

Initial copies of the 7" single were pressed on transparent purple vinyl in the UK. It reached number 6 in the UK singles chart and number 27 in the Dutch Top 40.

My collection: 7" single no. 1163
Found: January 27, 1990
Cost: 1 guilder
Tracks: 'Sweet talkin' woman' / 'Bluebird is dead'

Do what you do - Jermaine Jackson

After Michael Jackson's phenomenal success with 'Thriller', it seemed like all of his siblings wanted a piece of the pie as well. Janet Jackson started a very successful career together with Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis, and Jermaine Jackson signed with Arista records to release 'Dynamite', an album featuring a couple of hit singles. One of them was 'Do what you do', which some say featured Michael Jackson on backing vocals.

The main revelation for me was the music video at the time. I was already familiar with the fact that belly buttons can be 'innies' or 'outies', but I'd never seen a spine so deeply hidden in someone's back (scroll to 3'21 to see this anatomical phenomenon). Meanwhile, 'Do what you do' reached number 4 in the UK singles chart and the Dutch Top 40.

My collection: 7" single no. 257
Found: LP Top 100, Den Haag, 1985
Cost: 5,5 guilders
Tracks: 'Do what you do' / 'Tell me I'm not dreamin' (Too good to be true)' (duet with Michael Jackson)

She makes my day - Robert Palmer

'She makes my day' was released as the third single from Robert Palmer's 1988 album 'Heavy nova'. While the first single 'Simply irresistible' became a rock classic, the second one 'Early in the morning' went by almost unnoticed. 'She makes my day' was a top 10 hit in the UK and Australia, peaking at number 6 and 9 respectively, but was ignored in the rest of the world.

I loved the song when it was released in 1988, but twenty years later it sounds a little too syrupy for my taste.

My collection: 7" single no. 720
Found: Disco Market, Den Haag, January 21, 1989
Cost: 3,5 guilder
Tracks: 'She makes my day' / 'Disturbing behaviour'

Fire - Pointer Sisters

'Fire' was written by Bruce Springsteen and was originally intended to be used by Elvis Presley. Robert Gordon ended up being the first artist to record the song in 1978. Later that year, the Pointer Sisters recorded their version. It gave them major worldwide success, reaching number 34 in the UK singles chart and number 1 in the Dutch Top 40.

Although he performed the song live from his 1978 tour onwards, Springsteen himself did not release his own recording of the song until his 1986 'Live/1975-85' album, which contains his (heavily edited) December 16, 1978 performance.

My collection: 7" single no. 1624
Found: Disco Market, April 18, 1992
Cost: 1 guilder
Tracks: 'Fire' / 'Love is like a rolling stone'

Beautiful girl - INXS

'Beautiful girl' was recorded as a track on INXS's 1992 album 'Welcome to wherever you are'. The song was written by Andrew Farriss, inspired by the birth of his newly born baby daughter. In an interview he explained: 'I was writing lyrics like 'Baby don't cry' and 'Beautiful girl' and lyrics just about how wonderful it is to have something else in your life besides yourself to worry about and think about.'

'Beautiful girl' was released as the fourth single from the album. In the UK, the single was released in a limited edition gatefold sleeve. It reached number 23 in the UK singles chart and number 46 in the US Billboard Hot 100 chart.

My collection: 7" single no. 1920
Found: Record fair, June 5, 1993
Cost: 8 guilders
Tracks: 'Beautiful girl' / 'Strange desire (original recording)'

Thank you my love - Imagination

When Imagination left their production duo of Steve Jolley and Tony Swain behind, commercial success soon eluded them. However, 'Thank you my love', which was produced by Nigel Wright and Imagination, was an exception. This single was released in 1984 and reached number 22 in the UK singles chart.

The single was a new track on the compilation album 'Gold', which included all their previous hit singles.

My collection: 7" single no. 3125
Found: Disco Market, Den Haag, July 24, 1999
Cost: 1 guilder
Tracks: 'Thank you my love' / 'Point of no return'

White horses in the snow - Maarten Peters

My collection of 7" singles is an important one for me, but I'm also an avid collector of 3" cd-singles. In the late Eighties a lot of singles were released on this format, but my budget wasn't big enough to buy everything: choices had to be made. In the case of 'White horses in the snow', I chose to buy the 7" single and not the 3" cd-single. Mostly because of the fact that both the A-side and the B-side featured on the accompanying album of the same name - and f course by that time I had abandoned the lp format in favour of the cd.

Today I received the 3" cd-single of 'White horses in the snow', which I've finally bought over 20 years after its release. Maarten Peters had a hit with this in the autumn of 1989, peaking at number 23 in the Dutch Top 40.

My collection: 7" single no. 984
Found: Free Record Shop, Den Haag, September 21, 1989
Cost: 6 guilders
Tracks: 'White horses in the snow' / 'Guardian angel'

We care a lot - Faith no more

Somewhere in 1987, 'We care a lot' by Faith no more was played very often on the radio. So much so that after a while I actually started to like this loud and noisy song. The song was originally recorded for the band's 1985 debut album of the same name. In 1987, when they recorded their second album 'Introduce yourself', the track was re-recorded and included on that album as well. It was even released as the first single from that album.

Although 'We care a lot' did not chart in the Netherlands, it reached number 53 in the UK singles chart.

My collection: 7" single no. 626
Found: Disco Market, Den Haag, 1987
Cost: 2 guilders
Tracks: 'We care a lot' / 'Spirit'

Dreadlock holiday - 10CC

10CC were huge in the autumn of 1978, because of this single. 'Dreadlock holiday' became a classic almost at the time of its release as a single. It was played a lot on radio and television and eventually became a number 1 hit in several European countries, including the UK and the Netherlands.

I bought this USA pressing of 'Dreadlock holiday' during a pop festival, but it wasn't a happy purchase: the single turned out to be a horrible mispressing. You can hear it here: the single warbles like a maniac. I hear mispressings can be worth a lot, so maybe a 10CC fan is interested in this one...

My collection: 7" single no. 432
Found: Parkpop, Den haag, June 29, 1986
Cost: 2 guilders
Tracks: 'Dreadlock holiday' / 'Nothing can move me'

For your eyes only - Sheena Easton

Sometimes when you have a big singles collection, you erroneously buy a single twice. I recently discovered I have two copies of 'For your eyes only' by Sheena Easton: this one and this one. The other single was a European pressing, whereas this one was made in the UK. And lo and behold: they have different B-sides! What a nice surprise.

The B-side of this single is nothing much to write home about: it's an instrumental piece from the soundtrack of the James Bond movie 'For your eyes only'. As I always say: 'It's just a soundtrack, isn't it?'.

My collection: 7" single no. 3299
Found: Disco Market, Den Haag, February 24, 2001
Cost: 1 guilder
Tracks: 'For your eyes only' / 'Runaway'

Ordinary world - Duran Duran

'Ordinary world' was written by Simon Le Bon as the second of a trilogy of songs for his late friend David Miles; the others being 'Do you believe in shame?' (1988) and 'Out of my mind' (1997). The song can be credited for bringing back Duran Duran into the public eye after the commercial failure of their 1991 album 'Liberty' and associated singles.

When Capitol leaked 'Ordinary world' to a radio station in Florida, the track proved so popular that the release date had to be brought forward in the USA. The single reached number 3 in the US Billboard Hot 100 chart. In the UK, the single was almost equally popular, peaking at number 6. In the Netherlands, it would prove to be the band's last hit single, reaching number 14 in the Dutch Top 40.

In 1993, the 7" vinyl format had become so rare that it was impossible for me to find this single on vinyl. In 1995, I suddenly found a jukebox promo copy, which I bought immediately. Two years after that, I finally saw a commercial copy (with picture sleeve) of the 7" single. It had been sold in the UK all along, I just didn't know about it.

My collection: 7" single no. 2241 / no. 2882
Found: Record fair, February 18, 1995 / House of Rhythm, London, October 28, 1997
Cost: 10 guilders / 60p
Tracks: 'Ordinary world' / 'My Antarctica'

Autant d'amoureux que d'etoiles - Annick Thoumazeau

Annick Thoumazeau represented France during the 1984 Eurovision Song Contest with 'Autant d'amoureux que d'étoiles' ('As many lovers as stars'). The lyric speaks of unending devotion of the singer to a lover and stating that they are not the only lovers in the world, as there are 'as many lovers as stars in the sky'.

The song ended up in eighth place in a field of 19 contestants. The song was not a big hit, even in French speaking countries.

My collection: 7" single no. 4390
Found: Second Life Music, Amsterdam, December 30, 2009
Cost: 1 euro
Tracks: 'Autant d'amoureux que d'etoiles' / 'Stars (instrumental)'

The message - Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five

'Yo, motherfucker, yo uh-huh, gonna get your bitch, put your hands in the air, say yeah, uh-huh, yeah, fuck that bitch motherfucker, jigga with me, I'm a bad nigga, motherfucker, yo, yo, yo, uh-huh'. About 90% of all rap lyrics go like this.

What a difference, then, is 'The message'. This lyric does tell a story and it's quite critical of American society. I remember being quite impressed with this song, although I have to say these days I would never buy it anymore. I'm not impressed with any hiphop 'music' (and I'm using that last word loosely here) and gave up on it entirely. This single reached number 6 in the Dutch Top 40 and number 8 in the UK singles chart. In a time when the charts were still filled with great songs, that was quite an impressive feat.

My collection: 7" single no. 217
Found: Studio Echo, Den Haag, 1982
Cost: 5,5 guilders
Tracks: 'The message' / 'The message (instrumental)'

Stand or fall - The Fixx

Back in 1982, 'Stand or fall' was the first track by the Fixx I ever heard. The song was produced by Rupert Hine, whose 'Eleven faces' had just made a big impression on me too. Like that single, this one sounded mysterious and dark.

There weren't that many people who agreed with me: the single reached number 54 in the UK singles chart and flopped almost everywhere else.

My collection: 7" single no. 268
Found: Disco Market, Den Haag, 1984
Cost: 1 guilder
Tracks: 'Stand or fall' / 'The strain'

Body language - Queen

When Queen had a big hit with 'Another one bites the dust', Queen were inspired to abandon their rock roots and experiment with disco, funk and soul music. 'Body language', one of the singles from their album 'Hot space' was perhaps the most obvious result of this. The song featured 'suggestive' lyrics, almost no guitras and a lot of Freddie Mercury's moans and groans.

The drastic change caused the single to stall at number 25 in the UK singles chart. It peaked at number 11 in the US Billboard Hot 100 however, and number 6 in the Dutch Top 40.

My collection: 7" single no. 2108
Found: Record fair, June 4, 1994
Cost: 1 guilder
Tracks: 'Body language' / 'Life is real'

The Jean Genie - David Bowie

David Bowie spent some time in New York City when he composed and recorded 'The Jean Genie'. The subject matter was inspired in part by Bowie's friend Iggy Pop or, in Bowie's own words, 'an Iggy-type character... it wasn't actually Iggy'. The title has long been taken as a pun on the name of the author Jean Genet. Bowie was once quoted as saying that this was 'subconscious... but it's probably there, yes'.

The track was released as the first single from Bowie's 1973 album 'Aladdin Sane'. There was some controversy in the UK upon its release, because the riff in the song sounded a lot like the Sweet's 'Block buster'. The song, written by Mike Chapman and Nicky Chinn, was recorded and released slightly later than Bowie's single, but both were in the top 10 at the same time. All parties maintained that the similarity was, in Nicky Chinn's words, 'absolute coincidence'.

My collection: 7" single no. 4426
Found: Any Record, Den Haag, January 13, 2009
Cost: 1 euro
Tracks: 'The Jean Genie' / 'Ziggy Stardust'

Guitar man - Bread

I've had an 'Original Oldies' single of Bread's 'Guitar man' for over 20 years now, but when I came across an original 1972 pressing of the single today, I couldn't resist buying it. 'Guitar man' is a classic track by Bread and as this sleeve testifies, it was chosen to be Veronica's Alarmschijf (a tip for the top from the famous Dutch radio station) upon its release. It went on to become a number 13 hit in the Netherlands.

My collection: 7" single no. 4425
Found: Any Record, Den Haag, January 13, 2010
Cost: 1 euro
Tracks: 'The guitar man' / 'Just like yesterday'