I'll always love you - Taylor Dayne

After scoring two big hits with the dance anthems 'Tell it to my heart' and 'Prove your love', Taylor Dayne tried her luck with a ballad. Titled 'I'll always love you', it showed a softer side of the American singer, something that was appreciated a lot in America (it peaked at number 3 in the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart), but not so much in Europe, where it stalled outside the top 40 in the Netherlands and only managed a lowly position at number 41 in the UK singles chart.

Personally, I thought this was one of Dayne's better tracks, and it was the first single of her which I bought.

My collection: 7" single no. 638

Found: Free Record Shop, Den Haag, 1988

Cost: 6 guilders

Tracks: 'I'll always love you' / 'Where does that boy hang out'

Download: Album 'Tell it to my heart', including both tracks

Lonely symphony (We will be free) - Frances Ruffelle

Frances Ruffelle was born on August 29, 1965. She is the daughter of Sylvia Young OBE, founder of the famous theatre school where Frances trained and started to perform at the age of seven. She worked in various West End musicals in London, before entering in the 1994 Eurovision Song Contest, performing 'Lonely symphony'. When asked about her motivations for joining the competition, she jokingly replied that since none of the four constituent nations of the UK (Wales, Scotland, England and Northern Ireland) had qualified for that year's football World Cup finals, it was her responsibility to try to restore some national pride.

She finished tenth in that year's contest, and went on to record a few solo cd's. 'Lonely symphony' peaked at number 25 in the UK singles chart.

My collection: 7" single no. 2894

Found:Beanos, East Croydon, London, October 24, 1997

Cost: 2 pounds

Tracks: 'Lonely symphony (We will be free)' / 'Is this a broken heart?'

Substitute - Clout

Clout formed in 1977 in South Africa. Original members were Glenda Hyam, Lee Tomlinson, Ingrid Herbst, Cindy Alter and Jenni Garson. Their first hit was 'Substitute', a cover version of a song originally recorded by the Righteous Brothers in 1975.

When Clout made number 2 with this single in the Netherlands in 1978, my knowledge of English was only rudimentary. I understood a few lines of the songs, but the conclusion I made was - in hindsight - quite funny: I thought the chorus meant 'I'll be your prostitute'. These days there are websites about misheard lyrics, but misinterpreted lyrics, now that's a whole different ballgame...

My collection: 7" single no. 3479

Found: Empire Records, Den Haag, December 11, 2008

Cost: 0,5 euro

Tracks: 'Substitute' / 'When will you be mine'

Shut up - Madness

'Shut up' was another single drawn from Madness' 1981 album '7'. The lyric of the song tells a story of a criminal who, despite obvious evidence, tries to convince people he is not guilty. Even though the song is called 'Shut up', the two words do not appear in the lyric. However, they were the final words of an additional verse which was part of an early version of the song.

In the UK, 'Shut up' peaked at number 7 in the singles chart. The single was only a minor hit in the Netherlands, peaking at number 31 in the Dutch Top 40. I remembered it vividly from the tense atmosphere and the great piano backing in the last few seconds of the track.

My collection: 7" single no. 429
Found: Parkpop, Den Haag, June 29, 1986
Cost: 2 guilders
Tracks: 'Shut up' / 'A town with no name'

You rock my world - Michael jackson

Now that Michael Jackson has announced his final concerts in London for July this year, I thought it would be appropriate to look back on the most recent single I have from him. It's a vinyl single of 'You rock my world', the first single from his last studio album 'Invincible'. And if that album proved anything, it's that the man wasn't invincible at all. The album sold worse than all the previous ones, and the record company only released two singles from the album. While the next one, 'Cry', didn't perform too well in the charts, this one made the top 10 in almost every country imaginable.

Michael Jackson and Rodney Jerkins played all the instruments in the song, which was recorded at Record One studios in Los Angeles. Recorded between July and September 2000, the track sounds a bit like a less exciting reprise of Jackson's previous hits 'The way you make me feel' and 'Remember the time'. This vinyl single features the same track on both sides, and is made in the USA.

My collection: 7" single no. 3350
Found: HMV, London, 2001
Cost: 4 pounds
Tracks: 'You rock my world' / 'You rock my world'

Only love - Susanna Hoffs

The third and last single from Susanna Hoffs' solo album 'When you're a boy' was so unsuccessful that I didn't even know it existed until I saw it two years after it was released. It didn't chart anywhere. The B-side of the single features a non-album track, 'You were on my mind', which is slightly different from the very polished material on the album.

There was no picture disc edition of this single, unlike the two previous ones. If it existed, I would have bought it.

My collection: 7" single no. 2048
Found: Record fair, November 13, 1993
Cost: 4 guilders
Tracks: 'Only love' / 'You were on my mind'

Digging in the dirt - Peter Gabriel

Peter Gabriel released his sixth studio album 'Us' in 1992, six years after his previous album 'So' . The first single was 'Digging in the dirt', an intricate song but a slightly understated affair after all the bombast of 'Sledgehammer' and 'Big time'. The song was an exploration of the issues in his personal life at the time - the end of his relationship with Rosanna Arquette, his desire to reconnect with his daughter and even the self healing he was looking for in therapy. On the B-side there was a beautiful silent version of the album's next single, 'Steam'.

'Digging in the dirt' peaked at number 24 in the UK and number 30 in the Netherlands. I bought this single on discount and found a nice boxed edition of the cd-single years later.

My collection: 7" single no. 1787
Found: Melody Maker, Den Haag, November 14, 1992
Cost: 4 guilders
Tracks: 'Digging in the dirt' / 'Quiet steam'