Telephone - Lady Gaga featuring Beyonce

Gaga originally wrote 'Telephone' together with Rodney Jerkins, for Britney Spears. however, Spears' label rejected it and Gaga recorded the song as a collaboration with Beyoncé Knowles for her own album 'The fame monster'. According to Gaga, the telephone addressed in the lyric of the song is not a physical phone, but a person in her head telling her to keep working harder and harder.

This single was released yet again as a picture disc on vinyl. Released in February 2010, 'Telephone' reached number 1 in the UK singles chart, number 20 in the Dutch Top 40 and number 3 in the US Billboard Hot 100 chart.

My collection: 7" single no. 4735
Found: La La Land, Den Haag, March 25, 2010
Cost: 6 euro
Tracks: 'Telephone' / 'Telephone (Passion pit remix)'

Lovely day - Bill Withers

Although I've known Bill Withers' 1978 hit single 'Lovely day' pretty much since it came out, I never actually bought the single. While I did own the 1988 remix by Ben Liebrand on this single, I can't say that I actually saw this original single very often.

Although this single doesn't add very much (the original version of 'Lovely day' appeared on the B-side of the 1988 remix), it's still very interesting to own the original version in its original appearance. After all, this is what record collecting is all about.

My collection: 7" single no. 4673
Found: All that music, Leiden, March 13, 2010
Cost: 1 euro
Tracks: 'Lovely day' / 'It ain't because of me baby'

We'll be together - Sting

'We'll be together' was originally written by Sting for a beer commercial for Kirin Brewery Company. The original recording included Eric Clapton on guitar, while other takes feature Brian Loren instead. The original version would surface on Sting's 1994 greatest hits album. Near the end of the song, Sting sings a snippet of his earlier hit, 'If you love somebody set them free'.

The single reached number 7 in the US Billboard Hot 100 chart, number 41 in the UK singles chart and number 31 in the Dutch Top 40.

My collection: 7" single no. 4708
Found: Velvet Vinyl Outlet, Leiden, March 13, 2010
Cost: 1 euro
Tracks: 'We'll be together' / 'Conversation with a dog'

If looks could kill - Transvision Vamp

Released in 1991, 'If looks could kill' was the final single by Transvision Vamp, the second to be taken from their third album 'Little magnets versus the bubble of babble'. This album took on a more mellow sound which was the reason that their record company at one stage refused to release it - it was eventually released in the USA but never in the UK.

Although released in a variety of formats, this single only managed to reach number 41 on the UK singles chart. The band subsequently broke up 'unofficially' before Christmas 1991 and officially with a statement through their label in February 1992.

My collection: 7" single no. 4659
Found: All that music, Leiden, March 13, 2010
Cost: 1 euro
Tracks: 'If looks could kill' / 'My friend the tom cat', 'Puppy dogs tails'

You can't hurry love - Phil Collins

Unlike many of the earlier Supremes records, 'You can't hurry love' has inspired many different cover versions. The most notable of these was released in late 1982 as a single by Phil Collins from his second solo album, 'Hello, I must be going'.

Sounding rather retro, his version was immensely popular and reached number 1 in the UK and the Netherlands. Although Collins had previously done covers as album tracks (of Genesis' 'Behind the lines' and the Beatles' 'Tomorrow never knows' on his debut album 'Face value'), 'You can't hurry love' was the first cover he released as a single.

My collection: 7" single no. 4703
Found: Velvet Vinyl Outlet, Leiden, March 13, 2010
Cost: 1 euro
Tracks: 'You can't hurry love' / 'I cannot believe it's true'

Chicano - Pussycat

'Chicano' was released in 1983 as a single by Pussycat. It was taken from their album 'After all', also released that year. The song was written by Werner Theunissen, who was also responsible for the band's early successes.

However, this Latin-tinted track couldn't match those successes, as it failed to chart even in the Netherlands.

My collection: 7" single no. 4678
Found: All that music, Leiden, March 13, 2010
Cost: 1 euro
Tracks: 'Chicano' / 'It's over'

Heart attack - Olivia Newton-John

'Heart attack' was one of two new tracks on the 1982 compilation album 'Olivia's Greatest Hits Vol. 2'. It was released as the first single of the two to promote the album.

The single reached number 46 in the UK singles chart, but fared much better on the other side of the Atlantic: it reached number 3 in the US Billboard Hot 100 chart and number 2 in Canada.

My collection: 7" single no. 4698
Found: Velvet Vinyl Outlet, Leiden, March 13, 2010
Cost: 1 euro
Tracks: 'Heart attack' / 'Recovery'