Hey now, whatcha gonna do - José

Released in 1983, 'Hey now, whatcha gonna do' was another single by José that failed to chart in the Dutch Top 40. The song was written and produced by Pim Koopman and stayed faithful to the uptempo, major key popsongs that José was known for even when she was still a member of the girl trio Luv'. Still, the single failed to become a success.

I bought the single when it came out, and always wondered about the photograph on the sleeve: for a woman, the upper body looks decidedly, er, flat.

My collection: 7" single no. 219
Found: Disco Market, Den Haag, 1983
Cost: 3,5 guilders
Tracks: 'Hey now whatcha gonna do' / 'Hey now whatcha gonna do (instrumental)'

Enséñame a cantar - Micky

Micky was born as Miguel Ángel Carreño Schmelter in Madrid in 1943. He began his music career in 1962 leading the band Micky y Los Tonys, which released 30 singles and 5 albums. He started a solo career in the Seventies. After his single 'Bye bye fräulein' (1976) entered the charts in Germany, Luxembourg and the Netherlands, he was chosen to represent Spain during the 1977 Eurovision Song Contest.

The song 'Enséñame a cantar' ('Teach me to sing') was written by Fernando Arbex. On the night of the Contest, it finished ninth in a field of 18 competitors.

My collection: 7" single no. 4458
Found: Fun Records, Berlin, received January 28, 2010
Cost: 1,5 euro
Tracks: 'Enséñame a cantar' / 'Profundamente'

Young Turks - Rod Stewart

'Young Turks' is a track on Rod Stewart's 1981 album 'Tonight I'm yours'. It was released as the second single from the album. In English slang, a 'Young Turk' is a rebellious kind of teenager who would go against the grain.

The single reached number 5 in the Billboard Hot 100 chart and number 11 on the UK Singles chart. In the Dutch Top 40, the single reached number 9.

My collection: 7" single no. 445
Found: Disco Market, Den Haag, August 9, 1986
Cost: 1 guilder
Tracks: 'Young Turks' / 'Tora tora tora'

Little bit of heaven - Lisa Stansfield

The last single taken from Lisa Stansfield's 1993 album 'So natural' was the dance track 'Little bit of heaven'. Written by Lisa Stansfield and her husband Ian Devaney, it was one of the few uptempo tracks on the album, and a bit of a return to form.

The single reached number 32 in the UK singles chart during a 4 week chart run. After this, Stansfield's career went into a nosedive, as subsequent albums failed to impress the recordbuying audiences.

My collection: 7" single no. 2091
Found: April 16, 1994
Cost: 10 guilders
Tracks: 'Little bit of heaven' / 'Gonna try it anyway'

Queen of rain - Roxette

'Queen of rain' was originally written and recorded for Roxette's highly successful album 'Joyride' and considered as the closing track. When it was replaced by another ballad called 'Perfect day', the song reappeared on Roxette's next album, 'Tourism'.

It was released as the second single from that album in the autumn of 1992. It reached number 12 in Sweden, number 19 in Germany, number 28 in the UK singles chart and number 26 in the Dutch Top 40. The B-side was recorded live at the Entertainment Centre in Sydney, Australia in December 1991.

My collection: 7" single no. 1781
Found: Melody Maker, Den Haag, October 31, 1992
Cost: 6,5 guilders
Tracks: 'Queen of rain' / 'It must have been love (live)'

Empty garden - Elton John

'Empty garden' was written by Elton John after his friend John Lennon was murdered by an obsessed fan in front of his New York City apartment on December 8, 1980. He first performed the song live at Madison Square Garden in 1982, with Lennon's widow Yoko Ono and their son Sean in the audience.

The 'Empty garden' referred to in the song is Madison Square Garden, where John Lennon did a duet with Elton in 1974 during his last stage performance. Elton has since performed the song several times at Madison Square Garden. The single was released in the summer of 1982, reaching number 13 in the US Billboard Hot 100 chart and number 51 in the UK singles chart.

My collection: 7" single no. 2435
Found: All that music, Leiden, August 19, 1995
Cost: 2 guilders
Tracks: 'Empty garden' / 'Take me down to the ocean'

Adieu sweet Bahnhof - The Nits

'Adieu sweet Bahnhof' is the title of the Nits' 1984 album, which they recorded with producer Jaap Eggermont, who became famous internationally thanks to his 'Stars on 45' project. The song was the title track of that album.

It is also the title of a single, which the Nits released five years later. The single version was recorded live and included on their 3LP box 'Urk', a collection of live recordings made in Amsterdam, Utrecht and Moscow in the winter of 1988. The single reached number 26 in the Dutch Top 40 and was their last hit single until 1992's 'Soap bubble box'.

My collection: 7" single no. 1124
Found: Free Record Shop, Den Haag, 1989
Cost: 6 guilders
Tracks: 'Adieu sweet Bahnhof (live)' / 'In the Dutch mountains (live)'