Where the wild roses grow - Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds and Kylie Minogue

'Where the wild roses grow' was written by Australian singer-songwriter Nick Cave. He was inspired to write it after listening to the traditional song 'Down in the willow garden', a tale of a man courting a woman and killing her while they are out together. The song featured guest vocals by Australian pop-singer Kylie Minogue and was released as the first single from the ninth album by Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, 'Murder ballads' (1996).

It became the band's most successful single worldwide, reaching number 1 in Israel and Croatia, number 11 in the UK singles chart and number 9 in the Dutch Top 40. 'Where the wild roses grow' was also certified Gold in Australia where it sold 50,000 copies.

My collection: 7" single no. 2516
Found: Virgin Megastore, London, October 31, 1995
Cost: 2,3 pounds
Tracks: 'Where the wild roses grow' / 'The ballad of Robert Moore and Betty Coltrane'

I quit - Bros

I never understand the Bros-mania that took the UK by storm in 1987. They weren't so special, these two brothers Matt and Luke Goss and one friend, Craig Logan. Their debut album 'Push' was released in early 1988 and the record company milked it for all its worth, releasing single after single because the young people who were so wild about them would just about buy anything anyway.

I bought 'I quit' after it ended up in the discount bin after a relatively disappointing chart run in the Netherlands, reaching only number 33. The nice thing about this single was the extra inner sleeve.

My collection: 7" single no. 704
Found: Disco Market, Den Haag, December 17, 1988
Cost: 1 guilder
Tracks: 'I quit' / 'I quit (Acid drops)'

Een beetje geld voor een beetje liefde - Angelique

Angelique's 'Een beetje geld voor een beetje liefde' ('A little money for a little lovin'') was a parody of Nicole's winning song for the 1982 Eurovision Song Contest, 'Ein Bisschen Frieden'. I won't translate the entire lyric here for non-Dutch people reading this blog, but the bottom line is that the singer describes the day job of a hooker, indirectly implying that sweet innocent Nicole had a job on the side as well.

The song was a big success in the Netherlands, released in July 1982 - not long after the original - it reached number 2 in the Dutch Top 40.

My collection: 7" single no. 127
Found: Studio Echo, Den Haag, 1982
Cost: 5,5 guilders
Tracks: 'Een beetje geld voor een beetje liefde' / 'Vader wat klotsen je ballen'

Candy - Cameo

'Candy' was a hit single for the band Cameo in 1987. It reached number 27 in the UK singles chart and number 12 in the Dutch Top 40. The band tried to capitalize off the song's success by re-using the melody on the song 'Honey' from their next album, 'Machismo'.

The song has been sampled by various artists, including 2Pac, Will Smith and Mariah Carey.

My collection: 7" single no. 2474
Found: Record fair, Amsterdam, September 16, 1995
Cost: 2 guilders
Tracks: 'Candy' / 'Don't be lonely'

Candy - The Meteors

Taken from the Meteors' 1980 album 'The hunger', 'Candy' was another unsuccessful single for the band, as it didn't chart.

I didn't know the song when I bought this single, but I was really passionate about the other single from the same album, 'Together too long'. Unfortunately, this single is a lot less engaging.

My collection: 7" single no. 3138
Found: July 24, 1999
Cost: 1 guilder
Tracks: 'Candy' / 'It sucks'

Sunshine reggae - Laid Back

Laid Back had an enormous European summer hit on their hands when they released 'Sunshine reggae' in September 1983. Despite the bad timing, the single still reached number 2 in the autumn of that year in the Neherlands.

The B-side featured 'White horse', a single that would become a worldwide hit for the band a few months later.

My collection: 7" single no. 3135
Found: July 24, 1999
Cost: 1 guilders
Tracks: 'Sunshine reggae' / 'White horse'

Le freak - Chic

Chic's Bernard Edwards and Nile Rodgers created 'Le freak' on New Year's Eve 1977. They were invited at the famous Studio 54 discotheque but they weren't let in by the doorman after their contact forgot to leave their name at the door. They went back to Rogers' apartment and started jamming. The song was originally entitled 'Fuck off', but during the night they decided to change that into 'Freak out', and subsequently named the song 'Le freak'.

The track with the now-famous Chic riff reached number 1 in the US Billboard Hot 100 chart and was the highest-selling single on Warner Bros. records until it was replaced in 1990 by Madonna's 'Vogue'. The single also reached number 7 in the UK and number 2 in the Netherlands.

I bought the single in 1992, years after its original release, because for a decade I didn't actually like the song. The second time I bought the single was in 1998 when I thought that I didn't have it - but of course I did. Fortunately I now have two different versions of the single, with the second one I bought having the most beautiful sleeve of the two (pictured below).

My collection: 7" single no. 1792 / no. 3043
Found: All that music, Leiden, November 25, 1992 / Disco Market, Den Haag, December 11, 1998
Cost: 3,5 guilders / 1 guilder
Tracks: 'Le freak' / 'Savoir faire'