Loving the alien - David Bowie

The lyric of 'Loving the alien' reflects David Bowie's dislike of organised religion, and is a plea for greater unity between the faiths of the world. It was recorded as a track on David Bowie's 1984 album 'Tonight', and released as the third single from the album, but only nine months after the release of the album. Some reports say it was chosen as a single because Bowie read a review saying it would make a good single.

The single reached number 19 in the UK singles chart, number 27 in the German singles chart and number 25 in the Dutch Top 40. The single was released in a limited edition gatefold sleeve featuring stills from the accompanying music video.

My collection: 7" single no. 314
Found: Free Record Shop, Den Haag, 1985
Cost: 6 guilders
Tracks: 'Loving the alien' / 'Don't look down (remixed version)'

Stayin' alive - Bee Gees

Robin Gibb commented about 'Stayin' alive': '[It] is about survival in the big city—any big city—but especially New York.' It was written for the soundtrack of the movie 'Saturday night fever' when it wasn't even ready yet. All the producer of the soundtrack had to go on was that it was a New York story about disco-mania.

The song was not originally supposed to be released as a single, but fans called radio stations and RSO Records immediately after seeing trailers for the movie, in which part of the song was played. The single reached number 1 all over the world, including the USA and the Netherlands. In the UK singles chart, it peaked at number 4.

My collection: 7" single no. 1977
Found: October 17, 1993
Cost: 1 guilder
Tracks: 'Stayin' alive' / 'If I can't have you'

Papa Pingouin - Sophie et Magaly

The twin sisters Sophie and Magaly Gilles represented Luxembourg during the 1980 Eurovision Song Contest with the song 'Papa Pingouin'. It is often cited as an example of the strange and naff nature of the Song Contest, because the song was performed with three backing singers dressed in black and white and a man in a penguin costume. The song was written by the prolific duo Ralph Siegel and Bernd Meinunger, who are normally associated with Germany as a composer-lyricist combination.

When original singers Sophie & Magaly signed with Ralph Siegel, they were still minors and their parents were quite ignorant of business dealings in showbiz. A contract was signed between Ralph Siegel and the parents, giving only a very small percentage of the sales to the sisters. They later reported that each of the sisters only got the equivalent of 5000 euros, while more than one million singles wer sold.

Things didn't end well for the two: Magaly contracted HIV in the late Eighties and died of AIDS in April 1996. Sophie suffers from depressions and now lives in the south of France.

My collection: 7" single no. 4404
Found: Second Life Music, Amsterdam, December 30, 2009
Cost: 1 euro
Tracks: 'Papa pingouin' / 'Tous les enfants du monde'

Highly strung - Spandau Ballet

'Highly strung' was released in the autumn of 1984 as the third single from Spandau Ballet's fourth album 'Parade'.

While the first two singles from the album were top 10 hits in the UK, this single only managed to peak at number 15. In the Dutch Top 40, it fared even less well, stalling at number 32.

My collection: 7" single no. 1224
Found: April 22, 1990
Cost: 2 guilders
Tracks: 'Highly strung' / 'Highly strung (version)'

Human touch - Bruce Springsteen

'Human touch' was released in 1992 as the first single from Bruce Springsteen's album of the same name. The song topped the chart in Norway and was also a top ten hit in many countries, including the Netherlands, Sweden, Ireland, and Switzerland. In the U.S., the song reached number 16 on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart, while peaking at number 11 in the UK singles chart.

At 6 minutes and 28 seconds, it is quite a lengthy single. Strangely enough, it is actually the longest track on the album that was selected as a single.

My collection: 7" single no. 1616
Found: Melody Maker, Den Haag, April 4, 1992
Cost: 6,5 guilders
Tracks: 'Human touch' / 'Souls of the departed'

Cuts both ways - Gloria Estefan

I've always had mixed feelings about Gloria Estefan and her music. It was always bloody commercial, but then, what does 'commercial' mean? In the end, every artist wants to sell records but no-one really knows why a record sells. So the only reason why Estefan sounds 'commercial' is because her music was so very popular in the late Eighties and early Nineties.

'Cuts both ways' was the fifth and final single from the 1989 album of the same name. The ballad scored reasonably well in the UK and USA, reaching number 15 and 44 respectively. In the UK, the single was released in a limited edition poster bag, which is always a good reason for me to buy a single.

My collection: 7" single no. 1323
Found: HMV, London, October 16, 1990
Cost: 2 pounds
Tracks: 'Cuts both ways' / 'You made a fool of me'

Close encounters - Clouseau

The Belgian group Clouseau had a big hit in Belgium and the Netherlands with 'Daar gaat ze' (literally: 'There she goes') in 1990. A year later, they represented Belgium with the song 'Geef het op', while also recording an entire album in English. Their international career was never that big, but it did result in some very nice singles.

'Close encounters' is an English version of 'Daar gaat ze' with different lyrics written by Jan Savenberg from the band, who also wrote the original version. It was taken from the album of the same name, which was released all over Europe.

My collection: 7" single no. 1848
Found: January 23, 1993
Cost: 5 guilders
Tracks: 'Close encounters' / 'She's after me'