Out of touch - Daryl Hall and John Oates

'Out of touch' was the lead single from Daryl Hall & John Oates' 1984 album 'Big Bam Boom'. It was their last Billboard Hot 100 number one, topping the Billboard Hot 100 for two weeks in December 1984. The single also reached number 33 in the Dutch Top 40 and number 48 in the UK singles chart.

John Oates wrote the refrain, 'You're out of touch, I'm out of time but I'm out of my head when you're not around.' He and Hall collaborated on the music and the rest of the lyrics.

My collection: 7" single no. 2890
Found: Beanos, East Croydon, London, October 29, 1997
Cost: 1 pound
Tracks: 'Out of touch' / 'Dance on your knees'

Pink cashmere - Prince

'Pink cashmere' was written by Prince for his then-girlfriend, Anna Fantastic (Anna Garcia), for her 18th birthday. The song references the actual gift he presented to her, a coat made of pink cashmere with a black mink collar and cuff, the name Anna Fantastic embroidered on the sleeve, and '89' on the back. The coat was valued at $15,000, being custom made by his personal staff designer.

The single reached number 50 in the US Billboard Hot 100 chart, but failed to chart in Europe.

My collection: 7" single no. 2438
Found: August 19, 1995
Cost: 3 guilders
Tracks: 'Pink cashmere' / 'The future (Mark Moore remix)'

Have a little faith in me - John Hiatt

Sailing safely between beautiful and downright irritating, John Hiatt's 'Have a little faith in me' would never have become part of my collection if it wasn't played on the radio so often after it came out. The first few dozen times I heard it, I couldn't listen to the song, but in time I gradually warmed to it. When I listen to it now, I still don't know whether to keep listening or to throw the single out the window.

The song appears on John Hiatt's 1987 album 'Bring the family' and was released as a single over a year later. It reached the Dutch Top 40 in April 1989, peaking at number 11.

My collection: 7" single no. 773
Found: Free Record Shop, Den Haag, March 18, 1989
Cost: 6 guilders
Tracks: 'Have a little faith in me' / 'Lipstick sunset'

32 jaar - Doe Maar

Nobody in 1981 could foresee the enormous popularity the Dutch band Doe Maar would have later on in their career, when they had their first hit single with this, '32 jaar' ('32 years'). The unassuming song about a man who is in love at the age of 32 reached number 29 in the Dutch Top 40 when it was first released in May 1981.

The band would later have six hit singles, four of which reached the top 10, sold out concerts and girls screaming from the first moment they took to the stage until the very last one.

My collection: 7" single no. 89
Found: Disco Market, Den haag, 1983
Cost: 2 guilders
Tracks: '32 jaar' / 'Mis'

Träume sind für alle da - Wind

'Träume sind für alle da' ('Dreams are there for everyone') was the German entry in the 1992 Eurovision Song Contest, performed by Wind. This was Wind's third Eurovision entry, they had previously represented Germany at the 1985 and 1987 contests with 'Für alle' and 'Lass die Sonne in dein Herz', both times finishing in 2nd position.

This sog was less successful, as it finished 16th in a field of 23 competitors. The song is in the schlager style made famous by composer-lyricist team Ralph Siegel and Bernd Meinunger and consists of a series of sketches of characters who are dreaming of a change in their lives. The first of these, for example, is a young girl waiting on a platform for a train which she believes will take her to success.

My collection: 7" single no. 1680
Found: Deutschlandsberg, Austria, July 2, 1992
Cost: 54 Schilling
Tracks: 'Träume sind für alle da' / 'Freitagabend'

Never let me down - David Bowie

David Bowie's 'Never let me down' is seen as a homage to Bowie's late friend John Lennon, and is one of the more respected songs on a much-maligned album. The track is often complimented for its simple, straightforward arrangement. Despite comparisons to Lennon, Bowie at the time dedicated the track to his long-serving personal assistant Corinne 'Coco' Schwab.

Released as the third single from the album of the same name in August 1987, it reached number 34 in the UK singles chart. It would be Bowie's last solo single until 1992's 'Real cool world', barring a remix of 'Fame' in 1990.

My collection: 7" single no. 1372
Found: Concerto, Amsterdam, January 3, 1991
Cost: 5 guilders
Tracks: 'Never let me down' / ''87 & cry'

Too much love will kill you - Brian May

'Too much love will kill you' was written by Queen guitarist Brian May, Frank Musker and Elizabeth Lamers. The lyric is about May's feelings during his divorce, and the choice one must make between two women that one loves equally.

The song was recorded around 1988 or before, and was intended to be on Queen's album 'The Miracle' in 1989. In 1992, Brian May performed it at the Freddie Mercury Tribute Concert after the death of Mercury in late 1991. It also was on his solo album 'Back to the light' that same year and released as a single, charting in the top 10 in the UK at number 5 and reaching number 1 in the Dutch Top 40. Unheard by most Queen fans with Freddie Mercury on vocals, 'Too much love will kill you' appeared on the 1995 Queen album 'Made in heaven', released four years after Mercury's death.

My collection: 7" single no. 1700
Found: Melody Maker, Den Haag, August 29, 1992
Cost: 6 guilders
Tracks: 'Too much love will kill you' / 'I'm scared'