Head over heels - Tears for fears

'Head over heels' was the fourth single taken from Tears for fears' second album 'Songs from the big chair'. The track was remixed for the single, because on the album the track segued from a studio recording of the track 'Broken' and into a live recording of that same track. Roland Orzabal commented about the song: 'It is basically a love song and one of the most simple tracks that Tears for Fears have ever recorded. It is a love song that goes a bit perverse at the end.'

The single performed well in the UK singles chart, peaking at number 12, but in the US Billboard Hot 100 it fared even better: it reached number 3. The music video is centered around Roland Orzabal's attempts to get the attention of a librarian (played by a Canadian model), while a variety of characters (many played by the rest of the band) take part in shenanigans in the library. The final scene shows Orzabal and the librarian as an older married couple. The video was filmed at the Emmanuel College Library in Toronto, Canada.

My collection: 7" single no. 302

Found: LP Top 100, Den Haag, 1985

Cost: 5,5 guilders

Tracks: 'Head over heels' / 'When in love with a blind man'

In between days - The Cure

'In between days' (sometimes listed as 'Inbetween days' or 'In-between days') was released as the first single from the Cure's 1985 album 'The head on the door'. In the UK, it was the band's ninth chart single and their fourth consecutive Top 20 hit, peaking at number 15. In the US it was their first single to reach the Billboard Hot 100 when it peaked at number 99.

The music video that accompanied the single, directed by Tim Pope, was an interesting one: it featured a camera on a string, which was pushed forward and back by members of the band.

My collection: 7" single no. 1643

Found: May 3, 1992

Cost: 3 guilders

Tracks: 'In between days' / 'The exploding boy'

Healing waters - Mr. Mister

Mr. Mister was formed in 1982 by Richard Page, Steve George, Pat Mastelotto and Steve Farris. Their debut album 'I wear the face' was released in 1984. A year later, their second album 'Welcome to the real world' yielded the hits 'Broken wings' and 'Kyrie'. They were under pressure to come up with an equally successful third album.

The band's third album was 'Go On...' (1987), which the band said was "some of the best stuff we ever did," showing a much more mature band and a sound that hinted at progressive rock. The track 'Healing waters' was released as the second single from that album, but despite its catchy refrain and compelling lyric, it did not chart.

My collection: 7" single no. 767

Found: Disco Market, Den Haag, March 16, 1989

Cost: 1 guilder

Tracks: 'Healing waters (remix)' / 'Control'

Cathy's clown - Tarney Spencer Band

The Tarney-Spencer Band was an Australian rock band composed of Trevor Spencer and Alan Tarney in the late Seventies. The band recorded three albums: 'Tarney and Spencer' (1976), 'Three's a crowd' (1978) and 'Run for your life' (1979). In 1979, the band was released from their contract with A&M Records after the release of the non-album single 'Cathy's clown' . It peaked at number 31 in the Netherlands in early 1980.

Trevor Spencer left the UK and returned to Perth to help start Sh-Boom studios with Gary Taylor. Alan Tarney began working as a producer in 1979 and was largely responsible for masterminding Cliff Richard's resurgent chart career in the late 1970s and mid-1980s with world-wide-hit 'We don't talk anymore'. He also produced A-ha's first three albums.

My collection: 7" single no. 65

Found: Wouters, Den Haag, 1980

Cost: 3 guilders

Tracks: 'Cathy's clown' / 'Anything I can do'

Loreen - Sandra

'Loreen' was the third single release from Sandra's second album 'Mirrors'. It was the first time that she released a ballad as a single, marking a slight change from the upbeat pop songs that had started to sound so alike.

The change was not especially rewarded: it was the lowest charting single by Sandra in Germany, peaking at number 23. Still, in Sweden the single peaked at number 4.

My collection: 7" single no. 2085

Found: Record fair, February 26, 1994

Cost: 2 guilders

Tracks: 'Loreen' / 'Don't cry'

The elephant song - Kamahl

Kandiah Kamalesvaran was born in Malaysia on November 13, 1934. He grew up as Kandiah Kalamesvaram (King of Lotus flowers) in Kuala Lumpur. In 1953 he moved to Adelaide, Australia with his family. It is where he got to know pop and classical music. During a concert by Nat King Cole he had the opportunity to meet the singer. It made him determined to start his own career as a singer.

He debuted in 1959, but only achieved fame in the Netherlands in 1975 thanks to 'The Elephant song'. The track appeared in a TV documentary about the World Wildlife Fund. The song was written by Dutch producer Hans van Hemert with lyricist Gregor Frenkel Frank. The single topped the Dutch Top 40 for five weeks in the summer of 1975. The B-side is an English version of a song that was a hit for Conny van den Bos the year before as 'Ik geef je 'n roosje m'n roosje'.

My collection: 7" single no. 2722
Found: Record fair, September 2, 1996
Cost: 1 guilder
Tracks: 'The elephant song' / 'A daisy a day'

Only women bleed - Julie Covington

'Only women bleed' was written by Alice Cooper and Dick Wagner. It is a ballad about a woman in an abusive marriage. It became one of Alice Cooper's biggest hits, reaching number 12 on the US Billboard Hot 100 singles chart in 1975. It was the first of several ballads by Cooper that got into the top 20.

Julie Covington recorded her cover version for her 1978 self-titled album. It reached number 12 in the UK singles chart. In the UK, Cooper's version did not chart while Covington's version did not chart in the USA.

My collection: 7" single no. 861
Found: All that music, Leiden, June 2, 1989
Cost: 3 guilders
Tracks: 'Only women bleed' / 'Easy to slip'