You're the one that I want - John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John

I was never a fan of 'Grease' in 1978, when everyone in my class was. The girls were in love with John Travolta and the boys were in awe of him. Meanwhile, I preferred the singing qualities of Olivia Newton-John but thought the whole madness about one movie was a bit silly. I was always a bit sceptical of manias anyway.

'You're the one that I want' did stand the test of time, however. The single was a number 1 hit in most countries and it is still the sixth best-selling single ever in the UK, where it has sold over 1,975,000 copies.

My collection: 7" single no. 4504
Found: Any old time, Amsterdam, January 30, 2010
Cost: 0,1 euro
Tracks: 'You're the one that I want' / 'Alone at a drive-in movie (instrumental)'

Summer nights - John Travolta, Olivia Newton-John and cast

So I go to this second hand shop I've seen on a website. The website says that there are bargain singles for 1 euro each. That's a reasonable price - if the singles are good. When I get there, the man says 'I am just getting rid of some stuff, so shall we say 10 cents each?'. It's like I'm suddenly a kids in a candy store with loads of cash to spend. So I buy literally everything that is vaguely interesting.

This was my first find: the 'Grease' single 'Summer nights' as performed by John Travolta, Olivia Newton-John and the cast of this 1978 movie that took the world by storm. The single reached number 5 in the US Billboard Hot 100 chart, number 2 in the Dutch Top 40 and number 1 in the UK singles chart, where it stayed for seven weeks.

My collection: 7" single no. 4503
Found: Any old time, Amsterdam, January 30, 2010
Cost: 0,1 euro
Tracks: 'Summer nights' / 'Rock 'n' Roll party queen' (Louis St. Louis)

Hopelessly - Rick Astley

Rick Astley's fourth album 'Body & soul' is considered a flop, as both singles from the album stranded in the lower regions of the UK singles chart and the album itself never made it into the albums chart. Released in November 1993, 'Hopelessly' was the last of the two, scoring a little higher than the first one, peaking at number 33.

The B-side of this single features a live version of 'Hopelessly', recorded in Milan, Italy for the programme Night Express.

My collection: 7" single no. 4502
Found: Record fair, Amsterdam, January 30, 2010
Cost: 1 euro
Tracks: 'Hopelessly' / 'Hopelessly (live)'

Instinction - Spandau Ballet

'Instinction' was taken from Spandau Ballet's 1982 album 'Diamond'. It was released as the fourth and last single from the album and it reached number 10 in the UK singles chart. In Australia, the single peaked at number 30. In other territories, the single did not chart.

My collection: 7" single no. 4501
Found: Record fair, Amsterdam, January 30, 2010
Cost: 1 euro
Tracks: 'Instinction' / 'Gently'

Shannon - Henry Gross

Henry Gross was born on April 1, 1951 in Brooklyn, New York. Encouraged by his mother, he moved into music at a young age, starting to perform in local clubs when he was only 14 years old. While at college, he was a founder member of the band Sha Na Na, which he left in 1970 to pursue a solo career.

In 1976, he recorded what was to become his signature song, 'Shannon'. The lyric was about the death of Beach Boy Carl Wilson's Irish Setter of the same name. The single reached number 6 in the US Billboard Hot 100 chart, number 25 in the Dutch Top 40 and number 32 in the UK singles chart. The song was picked as a favourite by Kim Wilde during her radio show 'Secret Songs' on Magic FM last year, which is how I first heard it. I'm glad to have located a copy, as the song grabbed me right away.

My collection: 7" single no. 4500
Found: Record fair, Amsterdam, January 30, 2010
Cost: 1 euro
Tracks: 'Shannon' / 'Pokey'

Some people - Belouis Some

'Some people' is the title of Belouis Some's debut album, and also the title of the third single release from that album. This limited edition double single set features two bonus live tracks, recorded for Capital Radio in the UK.

The single reached number 33 in the UK singles chart.

My collection: 7" single no. 4499
Found: Record fair, Amsterdam, January 30, 2010
Cost: 1 euro
Tracks: 'Some people' / 'Walk away' // 'Have you ever been in love (live)' / 'Jerusalem (live)'

Knocked out - Paula Abdul

'Knocked out' was originally Paula Abdul's debut single, released in February 1988. The song was written by Babyface, Daryl Simmons and LA Reid. In the UK, 'Knocked out' was released three times. It originally charted on September 24, 1988, peaking at a lowly number 98. Following the success of 'Straight up' and its follow-up 'Forever your girl', 'Knocked out' was re-issued and peaked at number 45 on 19 August 1989, just missing out on the top 40.

This single is a copy of the third and last re-release. This limited edition is housed in gatefold sleeve with a competition to win a week in California for two. All the owner had to do is send in the answer to three questions about Paula Abdul (this is before the Wikipedia age, remember!) and send in a postcard. The disc features a remix of 'Knocked out' by Shep Pettibone. The track finally cracked the UK top 40, peaking at number 21 in July 1990.

My collection: 7" single no. 4498
Found: Record fair, Amsterdam, January 30, 2010
Cost: 1 euro
Tracks: 'Knocked out (Pettibone edit)' / 'Knocked out'