Hiroshima - Sandra

'Hiroshima' was originally recorded by the band Wishful Thinking. Sandra recorded her cover version as a track on her fourth album 'Paintings in yellow'. It was released as its first single in 1989.

Sandra's version reached number 4 in three different countries: Germany, Israel and Switzerland. Additionally, it peaked at number 16 in the French singles chart.

My collection: 7" single no. 2095
Found: Record fair, April 16, 1994
Cost: 2 guilders
Tracks: 'Hiroshima' / 'La vista de luna'

Lords of the new church - Tasmin Archer

The lyrics of 'Lords of the new church' are not primarily religious. Tasmin Archer commented about the song: 'It's about the modern breed of politicians and it was written in the very early Nineties even before things became has bad as they are now.'

The song was released as the third single from Archer's debut album 'Great expectations'. Released in May 1993, it did not perform as well as previous releases from Archer. Although it debuted inside the UK top 40 unlike previous releases, it stalled at number 26 and completely dropped off of the charts three weeks later.

My collection: 7" single no. 2388
Found: Newcastle, July 5, 1995
Cost: 2 pounds
Tracks: 'Lords of the new church' / 'Hero'

I do, I do, I do, I do, I do - Abba

Personally I was never too fond of this Abba track. The most amusing thing about it was the title. The song was written by band members Benny Andersson, Björn Ulvaeus and their manager Stig Anderson.

The song's release came shortly after their previous single, 'So long', performed disappointingly in terms of charts and sales. (Although the B-side of 'I do, I do, I do, I do, I do' was 'Rock me' in most cases, this Dutch pressing has 'So long' as the B-side.) After the success of 'Waterloo', Abba were having difficulty establishing themselves as an act with longevity. 'I do, I do, I do, I do, I do' became a significant improvement on the international charts. It peaked at number 3 in the Dutch Top 40 and topped the charts in Australia, New Zealand, South Africa and Switzerland.

My collection: 7" single no. 1862
Found: All that music, Leiden, January 30, 1993
Cost: 2 guilders
Tracks: 'I do, I do, I do, I do, I do' / 'So long'

België - Het Goede Doel

Most people in the Netherlands remember the song 'België' ('Belgium') by het Goede Doel. The song asks that eternal question: 'Where can I go? / I can't go to Germany / They are so stern / Where can I go? / I can't go to China / They act so scary there'. An English version actually exists, it was released as 'Luxembourg' in 1984. However, that one lost a lot of its edge in translation.

'België' was the band's biggest hit, peaking at number 4 in the Dutch Top 40. The track was also quite lengthy, clocking in at 6'20.

My collection: 7" single no. 3766
Found: Marktplaats.nl, received June 3, 2009
Cost: 1 euro
Tracks: 'België' / 'Vechten'

Is it a crime - Sade

I think 'Is it a crime' is Sade's 'Bohemian rhapsody', in that it features a few different pieces of music, once loud, then more intimate. The dynamic range of this song is quite unbelievable, although the style is unmistakably Sade.

'Is it a crime' was the second single from Sade's 1985 album 'Promise'. It wasn't a big hit, peaking at number 49 in the UK singles chart and number 32 in the Dutch Top 40. The highest placing was in Ireland, where it reached number 21.

My collection: 7" single no. 364
Found: Free Record Shop, Den Haag, 1986
Cost: 6 guilders
Tracks: 'Is it a crime' / 'Punch drunk'

Money love - Neneh Cherry

'Money love' was the first single from Neneh Cherry's second album 'Homebrew'. Both the single and the album disappointed in commercial terms: after the multimillonselling 'Raw like Sushi', everyone involved expected more of the chart performance of both.

The single reached number 23 in the UK singles chart and number 22 in the Dutch Top 40. I bought the single at discount price after it left the chart.

My collection: 7" single no. 1788
Found: Melody Maker, Den Haag, Nvoember 14, 1992
Cost: 4 guilders
Tracks: 'Money love' / 'Twisted'

A hard rain's a gonna fall - Edie Brickell and the New Bohemians

'A hard rain's a gonna fall' was originally written by Bob Dylan in the summer of 1962. He recorded it in December of that year for his second album 'The freewheelin' Bob Dylan'. Some people have suggested that the refrain of the song refers to nuclear fallout, however Dylan disputes that this was a specific reference. Dylan responded to this in 1963: 'No, it's not [about] atomic rain, it's just a hard rain. It isn't the fallout rain. I mean some sort of end that's just gotta happen... In the last verse, when I say, 'the pellets of poison are flooding the waters', that means all the lies that people get told on their radios and in their newspapers.'

Edie Brickell and the New Bohemians recorded a cover version of the song in 1989 for the soundtrack of the Oliver Stone movie 'Born on the fourth of July'. Their version was released as a single, which did not chart in Europe.

My collection: 7" single no. 1194
Found: Melody Maker, Den Haag, March 14, 1990
Cost: 6 guilders
Tracks: 'A hard rain's a gonna fall' / 'The early days, Massapequa, 1957' (John Williams)