Deixar de sonhar - Nucha

Like many singles on this blog lately, this single has a few connections to the Eurovision Song Contest, as Nucha performed in the 1990 edition with Ha sempre alguem, representing Portugal. This single was a follow-up to that one, and amazingly, the song was written and composed by Maarten Peters, with a lyric translation by the brothers Fransisco and Frederico Teotónio Pereira.

Maarten Peters wrote the song as 'Het zal nooit meer zo zijn' ('It will never be the same') for the national finals of the Eurovision Song Contest in the Netherlands in 1989. It was performed by Ingrid Souren and finished in third place. It was translated into Portuguese for this version by Nucha and ended up in the top 10 in Portugal. Afterwards, the original Dutch version was recorded by Willeke Alberti, who herself appeared on the Eurovison Song Contest with the embarrassing song 'Waar is de zon' in 1994.

My collection: 7" single no. 5736
Found: Kringloop Sassenheim
Cost: 0,5 euro
Tracks: 'Deixar de sonhar' / 'Se o dia nascesse'

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4 Tophits - Various

This EP is a mixed bag, and gives a little impression of what people listened to back in the Sixties. It has to be said, of course, that this '4 Tophits' EP is part of a series of so-called Fonodiscs which included classical music and light entertainment, as well as marching band music and children's songs.

Of special interest is the first track on this EP: it's a cover version of 'Zwei kleine Italiener', the song that was performed by Conny Froboess as the German entry in the 1962 Eurovision Song Contest. This version is almost identical, which was the secret behind the cheap EP's of Fonodisc: cheap versions of hits could mean big profits. Although this EP never charted, of course.

My collection: 7" single no. 5735
Found: Kringloop Voorhout
Cost: 0,5 euro
Tracks: 'Zwei kleine Italiener' (Charlotte Marian), 'Auf wiederseh'n, Marlene' (The Music-Makers) / 'Tanze mit mir in den morgen' (Udo Spitz), 'Hawaii Tattoo' (Ernst Zeiner)

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Someone else's home - Johnny Curious

This single is an interesting one, as it was never a hit but it is still a bit of a collector's item. It's very hard to get this for any price below 15 euros, although I am proud to say that I did manage that. I was almost ready to have this flown in from Scandinavia or America, when suddenly a Dutch seller had this one. And I had to have it, although I can't exactly say why. But at least one of my Twitter followers knows....

Johnny Curious formed in Welwyn Garden City in 1976. As far as I know, the band only released two singles: 'In tune' (1978) and this one, 'Someone else's home' (1979). Band members Alan Cowley and Ian Cowley are credited on the sleeve of this single. Original band members John Philips and Bob Green had already left.

My collection: 7" single no. 5734
Found: Discogs.com, received March 12, 2015
Cost: a little too much
Tracks: 'Someone else's home' / 'Backwards in the night'

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Welche Farbe hat der Sonnenschein - Rainy Day

Rose Rengel, Paul Braukmann and Gerry Braukmann formed Rainy Day, the band that represented Switzerland at the 1984 Eurovision Song Contest with 'Welche Farbe hat der Sonnenschein'. The song asks the question: "What colour is the sunshine?". The group ask us 'how to paint it?' They say that there are many colours, the way we see the world depends on our feelings.

The song was not very successful at the Contest: at the close of voting, it had received 30 points, placing 16th in a field of 19 competitors. 

My collection: 7" single no. 5733
Found: Discogs.com, received February 25, 2015
Cost: 2 euro
Tracks: 'Welche Farbe hat der Sonnenschein' / 'Die Stadt'

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Nova - You're summer

Keywords on blogs can be misleading. Nova, for instance, exists as a Dutch duo of synthesizer wizards, but also as a Swedish duo consisting of Claes af Geijerstam and Göran Fristorp, who made a name for themselves representing their country at the 1973 Eurovision Song Contest. They were originally called Malta, but were forced to change their band name because of the possible confusion with one of the participating countries in that year's contest.

Their song was called 'You're summer', which contains the rather intriguing line 'Your breasts are like swallows in nesting', written by the well-known poet Lars Forssell. At the close of voting, it had received 94 points, placing 5th in a field of 17 competitors.

My collection: 7" single no. 5732
Found: Discogs.com, received February 25, 2015
Cost: 2 euro
Tracks: 'You're summer' / 'You never tell me no'

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Huilumies - Vesa-Matti Loiri

I have bought a lot of Eurovision singles over the past year (as you can see on this blog), but so far it has been difficult to buy all the singles of one particular year. But I finally did it recently, as this single completes the year 1980 for me. Well... almost, because this copy unfortunately came without the picture sleeve. But for now, this will certainly do, because the track 'Huilumies' is one of my favourites of the year.

'Huilumies' (Finnish for 'A flute man') is sung from the perspective of the tititular 'flute man', who sings that while he may not be able to express his feelings in words, he is able to do so with his flute. At the close of voting, it had received 6 points, placing last in a field of 19 competitors.

My collection: 7" single no. 5730
Found: Discogs.com, received February 25, 2015
Cost: 2 euro
Tracks: 'Huilumies' / 'Vie minut valoon'

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Sans toi - Martine Clemenceau

Martine Clemenceau was born in 1949. In 1973 she represented France with the song 'Sans toi'. The song is a dramatic ballad, with Clémenceau expressing her feelings about a lover who has left her. Clémenceau also recorded the song in German, under the title 'Immer'. At the close of voting, it had received 65 points, placing 15th in a field of 17 competitors.

Her song Solitaire, written in 1981 is her most important hit in France. Laura Branigan 1983 recorded a cover of that song in 1983, which peaked at number 7 in the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart.

My collection: 7" single no. 5729
Found: Discogs.com, received February 25, 2015
Cost: 2 euro
Tracks: 'Sans toi' / 'L'arlequin'

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Nocas mi se pjesma pise - Ambasadori

Ambasadori formed in 1968 when guitarist Slobodan Vujović recruited other band members. They came and went throughout the 1970s and include various musicians active on the Sarajevo music scene at the time and after, such as trumpet player Krešimir "Keco" Vlašić, singer Ismeta Dervoz, drummer Perica Stojanović, organist Vlado Pravdić bassist Ivica Vinković and saxophonist Andrej "Lale" Stefanović.

In 1976 Ambasadori represented Yugoslavia at the Eurovision Song Contest with 'Ne mogu skriti svoju bol', which appears on this single as the B-side, remarkably. The song is about a woman who is suffering because her lover had gone and she wants him to remember her. At the close of voting, it had received 10 points, placing 17th in a field of 18 competitors.

My collection: 7" single no. 5728
Found: Discogs.com, received February 25, 2015
Cost: 2 euro
Tracks: 'Nocas mi se pjesma pise' / 'Ne mogu skriti svoj bol'

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Chez nous - Dominique Walter

Dominique Walter was born as Dominique Gruère on May 22, 1942. In 1966, he represented France at the Eurovision Song Contest with the song 'Chez nous'. At the close of voting, it had received just 1 point, placing 16th in a field of 18 competitors.

The song deals with the traditions of France (and, by extension, Europe) as they are seen by the rest of the world, with Walter remarking that they appear to be overly romantic. Walter also recorded the song in German under the same title.

My collection: 7" single no. 5727
Found: Discogs.com, received February 25, 2015
Cost: 2 euro
Tracks: 'Chez nous', 'Chaque fois que je te revois' / 'E pericoloso l'amour', 'Si tu peux rire'

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Sonntag - Mess

The Austrian band Mess consisted of Michael Scheikl and Elisabeth 'Lizzy' Engstler. They represented their country on the Eurovision Song Contest in 1982. Their song 'Sonntag' was composed by Michael Mell and written by Rudolf Leve. The song is in praise of lying around on a Sunday, which is described as being one of the best things to do.

At the close of voting, it had received 57 points, placing 9th in a field of 18 competitors.

My collection: 7" single no. 5726
Found: Discogs.com, received February 25, 2015
Cost: 2 euro
Tracks: 'Sonntag' / 'Honey Bee'

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Wunder gibt es immer wieder - Katja Ebstein

Katja Ebstein was just 25 years old when she represented Germany at the Eurovision Song Contest for the first time. She was born in Girlachsdorf (now Gniewków, Poland) and would go on to represent her country two more times: in 1971 and in 1980.

Her first attempt took place in 1970, with 'Wunder gibt es immer wieder'. Written by Christian Bruhn and Günter Loose, the song has a positive message: there is no point in complaining because miracles happen all the time, so one will inevitably happen for you too. At the close of voting, it had received 12 points, placing 3rd in a field of 12 competitors.

My collection: 7" single no. 5725
Found: Discogs.com, received February 25, 2015
Cost: 2 euro
Tracks: 'Wunder gibt es immer wieder' / 'Ich will ihn'

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Un jardin sur la terre - Serge Lama

Serge Lama was born on February 11, 1943 in Bordeaux, France. His career as a songwriter took off with the song 'Je suis malade', made famous by Dalida and Lara Fabian.

In 1971 he represented his country in the Eurovision Song Contest with 'Un jardin sur la terre'. The song deals with the chaos of daily life, with Lama expressing his desire for a place where he can find solitude amid everything else. At the close of voting, it had received 82 points, placing 10th in a field of 18 competitors.

My collection: 7" single no. 5724
Found: Discogs.com, received February 25, 2015
Cost: 2 euro
Tracks: 'Un jardin sur la terre' / 'Bungalow 73'

Fleur de liberté - Jacques Hustin

Jacques Hustin (15 March 1940 – 6 April 2009) was a Belgian singer-songwriter and artist who was successful in his homeland in both fields, and is best known internationally for his participation in the 1974 Eurovision Song Contest.

He participated with his self-penned song 'Fleur de liberté' in Brighton. In a very competitive contest (featuring Abba, Olivia Newton-John and Gigliola Cinquetti among others) he ended up in ninth place out of 17 competitors.

My collection: 7" single no. 5723
Found: Discogs.com, received February 25, 2015
Cost: 1 euro
Tracks: 'Fleur de liberté' / 'On dit de toi, on dit de moi'

Please note: Divshare has been defunct for over a month now, and it looks like it won't be resolved any time soon. I haven't found a good alternative for streaming music in a player, so I guess I won't be able to let you hear these singles. If you have any suggestions, please let me know in the comments and I'll do my best to oblige.

Nel blu dipinto di blu - Domenico Modugno

The Eurovision Song Contest has a rich history of famous winners, but there are a few songs that have become classics without even winning. The best example of this comes from the first few years of the contest: Italian singer Domenico Modugno performed the song 'Nel blu dipinto di blu' in 1958 during the third edition of Eurovision after winning the San Remo festival with the same song. At the close of voting, it got 13 point and became 3rd out of 10 competitors.

Following commercial success in Italy, where it sold almost a million copies, the song was also released in the United States and in the rest of Europe. In the United Kingdom, Modugno's single was released on 23 August 1958, together with eight other versions recorded by international artists. The single obtained global acclaim, becoming an international hit. However, somewhere along the line the song became better knows as... 'Volare'.

This single is an Italian pressing, presumably from 1958, on blue vinyl. I don't know, but it might be a real collector's item.

My collection: 7" single no. 561
Found: Marktplaats.nl, received February 14, 2015
Cost: 2 euro
Tracks: 'Nel blu dipinto di blu' / 'Lazzarella'

Man gewöhnt sich so schnell an das schöne - Nora Nova (Ariola Music Box EP)

This EP is a strange beast. I bought it, obviously, for the German entry to the 1964 Eurovision Song Contest, but there are three other tracks on this disc, and possibly the weirdest of all is the first one: it's Chubby Checker singing 'Good old Schwäb'sche Eisenbahn'. That's right, partly in German.

Nora Nova was the first Bulgarian to participate in the Eurovision Song Contest. Her father was an official of Tsar Boris III of Bulgaria and she reports that she was raised a monarchist. After scoring a number of hits in the German and Swiss charts, in 1964 she was chosen to represent West Germany at the Eurovision Song Contest in Copenhagen. Her song, 'Man gewöhnt sich so schnell an das Schöne', reportedly has the longest name in Eurovision Song Contest history. With it she had another record — nul points for West Germany, and hence 13th, last place.

My collection: 7" single no. 5620
Found: Marktplaats.nl, received February 14, 2015
Cost: 2 euro
Tracks: 'Good old Schwäb'sche Eisenbahn' (Chubby Checker) / 'Keine Schule mehr' (Peggy Peters) / 'Man gewöhnt sich so schnell an das Schöne' (Nora Nova) / 'Bella Luna' (Renate und Werner Leismann'

Mama - Jean-Jacques

Jean-Jacques appeared on this blog once before with the single of his 1969 Eurovison Song Contest entry Maman. As mentioned there, he recorded his song in French, Spanish and Italian. So this single presents the Spanish version, and even the B-side 'Les beaux dimanches' appears here in that language.

It's not inconceivable that I would never have bought either single if Jean-Jacques hadn't participated in the Eurovision Song Contest, because it's such a sentimental song. But there you go.

My collection: 7" single no. 5619
Found: Marktplaats.nl, received February 14, 2015
Cost: 2 euro
Tracks: 'Mama' / 'Los domingos felices'

Croire - Lara Fabian

Lara Crokaert was born on January 9, 1970 in Etterbeek, Belgium. She began singing, dancing and taking piano lessons at a young age, and began formal music lessons at age eight. She began writing and performing her own songs during her ten years of formal music study.

In 1988, the RTL TV channel in Luxembourg invited Fabian to represent the country at the 33rd Eurovision Song Contest, held that year in Dublin, Ireland. The song was a composition of Jacques Cardona and Alain Garciac entitled 'Croire' ('Trust'). At the close of voting, it had received 90 points, placing 4th in a field of 21 competitors. The single became a hit in Europe, selling nearly 500,000 copies.

My collection: 7" single no. 5618
Found: Marktplaats.nl, received February 14, 2015
Cost: 2 euro
Tracks: 'Croire' / 'Trust'

Oulou tou kosmou i elpida - Cleopatra

I had to set aside my principle of not spending too much money on vinyl singles for this 1992 Eurovision Song Contest entry by Cleopatra, because it's so hard to find and the fact that I was buying this together with six other singles meant that I could save on shipping costs anyway. That's how I have to justify things sometimes.

'Oulou tou kosmou i elpida' ('Everyone's hope') is one of the best Eurovision entries ever, despite - or perhaps, because of - the fact that the lyrics are incomprehensive if one does not speak or understand Greek. The powerful song received 94 points, placing 5th in a field of 23 competitors, making it Greece's best showing in the Contest since 1977.

My collection: 7" single no. 5617
Found: eBay.com, received February 12, 2015
Cost: 5 euro
Tracks: 'Oulou tou kosmou i elpida' / 'Song for love'

Sata salamaa - Vicky Rosti

'Sata salamaa' ('One hundred lightnings') was performed by Finnish singer Vicky Rosti on the 1987 Eurovision Song Contest. On this single the original Finnish version is backed with an English version entitled 'Firenight'. The song is sung from the perspective of a woman telling her lover that, regardless of the adversity (the "hundred lightnings" of the title) they face in their love, 'There's a thousand worlds out there, and one of them is ours' - in other words, they will triumph in the end. At the close of voting, the song had acquired 28 points, finishing 15th out of 22 competitors.

Vicky is still active in the Finnish music scene, as a member of the band Menneisyyden Vangit.

My collection: 7" single no. 5616
Found: eBay.com, received February 12, 2015
Cost: 2 euro
Tracks: 'Sata salamaa' / 'Firenight'

Frère Jacques - Anne Marie B.

'Frère Jacques' was the Luxembourgish entry in the 1977 Eurovision Song Contest, performed by French singer Anne-Marie Besse. As the title suggests, the disco-influenced song contains several references to the nursery rhyme of the same name; 'Frère Jacques, dormez-vous?' ('Brother John, are you sleeping?') 'J'entends les cloches qui sonnent' ('I can hear the bells ringing') and 'Tu aurais bien mieux à faire que de jouer au grand frère...' ('There are so much better things for you to do than pretending to be my big brother....'). The singer compares the childish rhyme to her current adulthood, singing about how she longs to have a relationship with some of Jacques/John's friends; 'I'm not a child anymore, you know'. The song ends with the line 'Frère Jacques, réveille-toi et viens dormir avec moi...' ('Brother John, wake up and come sleep with me...'). At the close of voting, the song had received 17 points, placing 16th in a field of 18 competitors.

My collection: 7" single no. 5616
Found: eBay.com, received February 12, 2015
Cost: 2 euro
Tracks: 'Frère Jacques' / 'Bébé chat'