Je t'aime moi non plus - Jane Birkin avec Serge Gainsbourg

It's getting late in the evening, so it's time for the ultimate moan and groan track of all times. 'Je t'aime... moi non plus' is one of those songs almost everyone with a minor interest in pop music knows. It achieved some notoriety because of its extensive inclusion of heavy breathing.

The lyrics are written as a dialogue between two lovers during sex. Phrases include: 'I go and I come between your loins', 'You are the wave, I the naked/deserted island', 'Physical love is a dead end'. Gainsbourg claimed the song was actually an "anti-fuck" song about the desperation and impossibility of physical love. That message somehow got lost a bit, as the single reached number 1 in many countries mostly on the strength of its face value: it sounded very sexual. Well, I hope you will have a good night after listening to this single.

My collection: 7" single no. 5601
Found: Velvet Vinyl Outlet, Leiden, January 16, 2015
Cost: 1 euro
Tracks: 'Je t'aime moi non plus' / 'Jane B.'

Imagine - Joan Collins

Okay... So we've had many Dallas actors and actresses singing tracks, such as Audrey Landers, Charlene Tilton, Victoria Principal, Patrick Duffy and even good old Larry Hagman, so I guess a single by a Dynasty actor or actress was to be expected. But I never imagined it would be the preposterous proposition of Joan Collins reciting the lyric of John Lennon's 'Imagine'!

This single was released in 1982 to promote the album 'The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra plays The Beatles'. You have to marvel at the sheer strangeness of records sometimes. The B-side is slightly less bizarre, with Roy 'I wish it could be Christmas every day' Wood singing 'Happy Christmas (War is over)'.

My collection: 7" single no. 5602
Found: Velvet Vinyl Outlet, Leiden, January 16, 2015
Cost: 1 euro
Tracks: 'Imagine' (Joan Collins) / 'Happy Christmas (War is over)' (Roy Wood & Honor Hefferman)

L'amour est bleu - Paul Mauriat and his Orchestra

'L'amour est bleu' was the 1967 Eurovision entry by Vicky Leandros, representing Luxembourg that year. She actually won the contest with the song, prompting chart success all over Europe - and a flurry of cover versions.

The most famous cover version is the one by Paul Mauriat and his Orchestra, although his version was entirely instrumental. It didn't bother the audiences in Europe, where it became a hit in 1968. Amazingly, his version became the best known version in the United States, where it ranked as the second best sold song of the year.

My collection: 7" single no. 5603
Found: Velvet Vinyl Outlet, Leiden
Cost: 1 euro
Tracks: 'L'amour est bleu' / 'A banda'

Can we still be friends - Robert Palmer

'Can we still be friends' was written and originally recorded by Todd Rundgren. It appears on his 1978 album 'Hermit of Mink Hollow'. It was the only hit single from that album, reaching number 29 in the US Billboard Hot 100 singles chart.

Robert Palmer was quick to cover the song, releasing it just a year later. He included it on his album 'Secrets'. Despite the fact that this is a very decent version, the single didn't chart.

My collection: 7" single no. 5601
Found: Velvet Vinyl Outlet, Leiden, January 16, 2015
Cost: 1 euro
Tracks: 'Can we still be friends' / 'Too good to be true'

Being boiled - Human League

It's hard to believe that this single was released in the summer of 1978, because the Human League's 'Being boiled' sounds a lot like early Eighties synthpop. But actually, it was one of the first pieces of electronic pop music produced in the UK. It was recorded on a domestic tape recorder, in mono, in an abandoned factory at a cost of £2,50.

The song was written by Martyn Ware and Ian Craig-Marsh before Philip Oakey joined the band. They gave him the music to listen to, and he returned two days later with lyrics for the track. Ware and Marsh liked the lyrics, and the song was born. The song was re-recorded in 1980, but this single contains the original version.

My collection: 7" single no. 5600
Found: Velvet Vinyl Outlet, Leiden, January 16, 2015
Cost: 1 euro
Tracks: 'Being boiled' / 'Circus of death'

Alors je chante (and then I sing) - Dimitri Dourakine and his orchestra

The title 'Alors je chante' may only seem familiar to those who have read about Rika Zarai's single on this blog almost six years ago. It is a cover of the 1969 Eurovision song Vivo cantando, one of four winners that year.

Dimitri Dourakine recorded this - instrumental - version of the song in 1969, not long after his single 'Casatchok' became a number one hit in France. It's kitsch, but Eurovision-related kitsch is always worthwhile of course.

My collection: 7" single no. 5599
Found: Velvet Vinyl Outlet, Leiden, January 16, 2015
Cost: 1 euro
Tracks: 'Alors je chante (and then I sing)' / 'Haifa'

The man who sold the world - Lulu

'The man who sold the world' was written by David Bowie and recorded as the title track of his third album in 1970. The song was covered by the Scottish singer Lulu in 1974. Bowie invited her to a concert he gave after which he met her in his hotel room saying: "I want to make an MF of a record with you [because] you're a great singer." She didn't think Bowie would follow up, but a short time later she was actually in the studio, recording tracks with David Bowie and Mick Ronson producing.

When 'The man who sold the world' was released as a single, it reached number 3 in the UK singles chart, and also top 10 in the Netherlands and Ireland.

My collection: 7" single no. 5698
Found: Velvet Vinyl Outlet, Leiden, January 16, 2015
Cost: 1 euro  
Tracks: 'The man who sold the world' / 'Watch that man'