Bring out the rain - Maarten Peters

'Bring out the rain' was the third and last single taken from Maarten Peters' third and most successful album 'White horses in the snow'. The single included a special version of the album track 'Who's dreaming (on your pillow)'; the album version of that track had been the B-side of the first single from the album, 'White horses in the snow' (yes, the title track).

This single was the least successful of the three, as it failed to chart even in the Netherlands.

My collection: 7" single no. 1170
Found: Melody Maker, Den Haag, February 9, 1990
Cost: 6 guilders
Tracks: 'Bring out the rain' / 'Who's dreaming (on your pillow) (special version)'

Wilde and exciting - Earth and Fire

In August 1970, Earth & Fire had their third top 5 hit in the Netherlands with 'Wild and exciting'. It earned them a performance in the first ever screening of the Dutch television show Toppop, the chart show that started in September 1970 and remained a prime time hit until well into the Eighties.

'Wild and exciting' delivered exactly what the title promised - at least in those days, when rock was still something relatively new. The track sounded a lot like Earth & Fire did in those days, a far cry from the much tamer pop hits they would produce a decade later.

My collection: 7" single no. 4766
Found: Record fair, Utrecht, April 10, 2010
Cost: 1 euro
Tracks: 'Wild and exciting' / 'Vivid shady land'

Find the time - Five Star

'Find the time' was written by Nick Trevisick and Paul Gurvitz who had previously written the single 'R.S.V.P.' for Five Star the previous year. Released in June 1986, it was the second single from their second album 'Silk and steel'.

The single reached number 20 in the Dutch Top 40 and number 7 in the UK singles chart.

My collection: 7" single no. 1386
Found: All that music, Leiden, February 22, 1991
Cost: 3 guilders
Tracks: 'Find the time' / 'Sky'

Going to the run - Golden Earring

'Going to the run' was the first single taken from the Golden Earring's 1991 album 'Bloody Buccaneers'. The single reaches number 3 in the Dutch Top 40 and their last big hit before they start to repeat themselves.

In 1992 they record 'The naked truth', an album of 'Unplugged' tracks. From then on, the main body of their work is covers and re-recorded versions of their old hits.

My collection: 7" single no. 1496
Found: Free Record Shop, Den Haag, July 25, 1991
Cost: 3 guilders
Tracks: 'Going to the run' / 'Time warp'

Sign o' the times - Prince

'Sign o' the time' was constructed by Prince almost entirely on the Fairlight sampling synthesizer, which provides the primary keyboard riff and sampled electronic bass sounds heard on the track. Unlike some artists, Prince did not program new sounds for this song. He simply used the stock sounds the Fairlight offered, including the famed "orchestra hit" towards the end of the track.

The lyric of the song addressed various socio-political problems including AIDS, gang violence, natural disasters, poverty, drug abuse, the Space Shuttle Challenger disaster and impending nuclear holocaust. Prince famously refused to make a video for the song, so the record company made a video that showed the lyric of the song instead. The single reached number 10 in the UK singles chart and number 6 in the Dutch Top 40.

My collection: 7" single no. 2326
Found: June 3, 1995
Cost: 2 guilders
Tracks: 'Sign o' the times' / 'La la la, he he hee'

The one - Elton John

'The one' is the first single from Elton John's 1992 album, also called 'The pne'. Elton said that he felt an intense connection to Taupin's lyrics for 'The one' in light of his personal circumstances around the time of making the album, in particular the line 'for each man in his time is Cain until he walks along the beach.'

The single reached number 10 in the UK singles chart, number 11 in the Dutch Top 40 and number 9 in the US Billboard Hot 100 chart.

My collection: 7" single no. 1664
Found: Melody Maker, Den Haag, June 13, 1992
Cost: 6,5 guilders
Tracks: 'The one' / 'Suit of wolves'

Love takes time - Mariah Carey

Mariah Carey's debut album for the label was completed and being mastered when she wrote 'Love takes time' with Ben Marguiles. According to Marguiles: 'It was just a piano vocal demo - I played live piano, and she sang it.' During a meeting with the people from her record company, she played the demo. She was told that the song was a 'career-maker', and that it had to go on the first album. Within a few weeks, the song was recorded and included last-minute on the album.

Released as the second single from the album, it reached number 1 in the US Billboard Hot 100 chart, number 24 in the Dutch Top 40 and number 37 in the UK singles chart.

My collection: 7" single no. 1599
Found: Record fair, Amsterdam, March 28, 1992
Cost: 2 guilders
Tracks: 'Love takes time' / 'Sent from up above'