Suddenly last summer - The Motels

'Suddenly last summer' was a number one hit for the Motels in the US. In the Netherlands, it reached number 11 in the Dutch Top 40 in the winter (!) of 1983/84.

Lead singer Martha Davis has said in various radio interviews that the song was written while reflecting on her life and how you know summer is ending when you hear the ice cream truck go by for the last time and you know he won't be back for a while. She also has stated the song is about losing one's virginity.

My collection: 7" single no. 630

Found: Disco Market, Den Haag, 1988

Cost: 1 guilder

Tracks: 'Suddenly last summer' / 'Some things never change'

Download: here

Stay the night - Chicago

I suppose I wasn't the only one who was amused by this video back in 1984. But I do wonder if everyone who saw this bought the single. It didn't chart in the UK, and only reached number 27 in the Dutch Top 40. It did reach number 16 in the US Billboard Hot 100, so I guess the video did enough for the group.

According to the information on Wikipedia, singer Peter Cetera supposedly performed most of his stunts in the video himself. Hard to believe when you hear the sappy ballads he recorded in the years after this.

My collection: 7" single no. 884

Found: All that music, Leiden, June 16, 1989

Cost: 2 guilders

Tracks: 'Stay the night' / 'Only you'

Download: Album 'The Chicago Story, Greatest hits' (CD2), including both tracks

Last words - Ten Sharp

In the first half of the eighties, Marcel Kapteijn, Niels Hermes, Ton Groen, Wil Bouwes and Martin Boers founded Ten Sharp. After competing in a band contest, they were able to sign a contract with CBS Records. They released four singles on the label, of which this one was the third. Since none of these singles charted in the Netherlands, the record company gave up and the band fell apart. That is, until 1991, but that's a different story entirely...

'Last words' was released in 1986 on 7" and 12" single. The 12" single featured a great extended remix. Since I didn't buy the 12" immediately after it came out, I had to hunt for it years later. Fortunately, I found it after some years.

My collection: 12" single no. 151
Found: Grammofoonwinkel, Utrecht, 1992
Cost: 7 guilders
Tracks: 'Last words (extended re-mix)' / 'White gold'
Download: here

Take a bow - Madonna

Madonna's 1994 album 'Bedtime stories' is the first one where she shows signs of actually wanting to make music. The follow-up 'Ray of light' would be her first serious album, but this single, 'Take a bow' is actually a beautiful piece of work too. Her limited vocal range is supported by beautiful string backing, a simple arrangement and effective backing vocals. And this is remarkable, because Babyface, who produced this track, is not known for his craftmanship: he's usually making hip hop and R'n'B drivel.

I bought this single despite my desire not to ever own any Madonna record, but I could never resist owning tracks I liked. Even if they come from her.

My collection: 7" single no. 2301

Found: Record fair, May 27, 1995

Cost: 10 guilders

Tracks: 'Take a bow (edit)' / 'Take a bow (instrumental)'

Download: cd-single 'Take a bow', including both tracks

Excerpt from 'A Teenage Opera' - Keith West

Mark Wirtz had been working on the idea for a rock opera since early 1967. The basic concept of 'A Teenage Opera' was of sketches of different characters who lived in a fantasy village. These stories were to be told by a young man to a young girl. Wirtz intended for the final project to be animated, and later compared it to the 'Yellow Submarine' by the Beatles.

The first song created was the story of Grocer Jack, the local grocer who was taken for granted until he died. Wirtz had the character of Jack in his imagination, but asked Keith West to write the lyrics for it. After West heard the music, he wrote the lyrics straightaway. Soon after, the single was recorded at Abbey Road Studios. The engineer, Geoff Emerick, was working with the Beatles, who were recording 'Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band' at the time. The song was recorded in 'true stereo', a rarity at the time, with the latest technology available. The song itself featured a children's chorus, with singers from Corona Stage School.

The single was released on July 28, 1967, and it was one of the biggest hits of that summer. Rumours began circulating about the rest of the project. A further single, 'Sam', was released in October, but performed significantly worse in the charts. Wirtz meanwhile completed '(He's Our Dear Old) Weatherman', which had started out as 'The Paranoiac Woodcutter'. It was the most complex recording so far, containing more than 100 different sounds. However, like 'Sam', it received very little airplay. The project 'A Teenage Opera' was then shelved. However, in 1996 a cd was released by Wirtz with every track recorded over the years, intended for use in 'A Teenage Opera'.

My copy of the single 'Excerpt from A Teenage Opera' is housed in a Phonogram sleeve, whereas the single was released on the EMI label. Presumably the seller didn't have the original sleeve anymore. It didn't matter to me: I wanted to have this historic piece of music.

My collection: 7" single no. 3310
Found: Record fair, February 24, 2001
Cost: 3 guilders
Tracks: 'Excerpt from 'A Teenage Opera'' (Keith West) / 'Theme from 'A Teenage Opera'' (Mark Wirtz Orchestra)
Download: here

Hey Manhattan! - Prefab Sprout

After 'When love breaks down' I thought I would follow every move of Prefab Sprout, but that didn't last for very long. They released 'Hey Manhattan!' in 1988, but I didn't find out about this song and many others until they released 'A life of surprises', a compilation album featuring all their greatest hits - and then some - in 1992.

So I bought quite a lot of their singles after this compilation album, and 'Hey Manhattan!' was one of them. I actually bought this limited edition with a full colour poster in England. I am always a sucker for special editions. And then there are few songs as beautifully produced as this one.

My collection: 7" single no. 2680

Found: Record Exchange, London, July 2, 1996

Cost: 1 pound

Tracks: 'Hey Manhattan!' / 'Tornado'

Download: here

Analogue (All I want) - A-ha

'Analogue (All I want)' was the second single taken from A-ha's most recent album 'Analogue' (2005). It was A-ha's first top 10 hit in the UK since 1988. The track was re-recorded and rewritten after an earlier version, 'Minor key sonata' had already been made for the album. Like the rest of the album, this early version was produced by Martin Terefe and mixed by Flood. Max Martin was brought in to turn 'Minor Key Sonata' into a more commercially viable track, with a catchier chorus and a less surreal lyric.

The picture disc 7" was produced as a very limited edition.

My collection: 7" single no. 3419

Found: HMV, London, 2005

Cost: 2 pounds

Tracks: 'Analogue (All I want)' / 'Case closed on silver shore'

Download: here