Pour être vraiment sincère - Ben Cramer

When Ben Cramer represented the Netherlands in 1973 with 'De oude muzikant', he must have believed that he was on to an international hit. He recorded several other versions: in English as 'The old street musician' and in German as 'Der alte Musikant'. Both these versions were relatively faithful translations of the Dutch original - which is why it's a bit puzzling that the French version is called 'Pour être vraiment sincère', a title that doesn't resemble these other versions in any way.

The French version is very rare, and as a result singles are hard to find these days. The only copy I could get my hands on for a reasonable price was this one - but unfortunately it doesn't come with the original sleeve. But pour être vraiment sincère, it is the music that I was after most of all in this case.

My collection: 7" single no. 6637
Found: Discogs.com, received 22 February 2022
Cost: €5
Tracks: 'Pour être vraiment sincère' / 'Je t'emmene a la fête'

One day love - Angela Farrell

Angela Farrell was born in 1952 in Donegal, Ireland. She represented her country in 1971 with the song 'One day love', written by Donald Martin and Ita Flynn.

The lyrics of the song are addressed to a former lover, who apparently enjoys duping women and breaking their hearts. The singer hopes he will get a taste of his own medicine one day. Angela earned her wages by working at a chemist’s shop in Portadown, County Arnagh during the day and singing in cabarets in various Northern Irish clubs at night. She intended to stop her day job if she would win the Eurovision Song Contest – but that didn’t happen. She finished in 11th place in a field of 18 competitors.

My collection: 7" single no. 6636
Found: Ebay, received 16 February 2022
Cost: €5
Tracks: 'One day love' / 'How near is love'

Penso em ti, eu sei - Adelaide

Even the biggest Eurovision fans may not remember Adelaide, who represented Portugal in 1985 with the song 'Penso em ti, eu sei'. At least, that's what I think, because I have no recollection of this song at all - and by 1985 I was already watching the Contest for six or seven years.

Maria Adelaide Mengas Matafome Ferreira was born on 23 September 1959 in Minde, Alcanena (Portugal) and started as a rock singer with the hit 'Baby Suicida' in 1981. When she competed in Eurovision, she ended up in 18th place in a field of 19 competitors. Since then, she became an actress on television having roles in many Portuguese soaps. In 2015, she competed in the Portuguese national final for Eurovision for the second time, with the song 'Paz'. On this occasion she did not win.

My collection: 7" single no. 6634
Found: Discogs.com, received 14 February 2022
Cost: €4
Tracks: 'Penso em ti, eu sei' / 'Vem no meu sonho'

E depois do adeus - Paulo

Sometimes I get my hands on a Eurovision song in a different version some time before I get my hands on the original version. It happened back in 2014 with Paulo, who recorded 'E depois do adeus' in English as '(And then) After love'. 

I recently found the original Portuguese version of this song - and the bonus on this single is a beautiful instrumental version of that song on the B-side. 'E depois do adeus' ended up in 14th place in a field of 17 competitors in the Eurovision Song Contest in 1974, but it hit the history books when the song became one of the two signals to launch the Carnation Revolution in Portugal just weeks later. 

My collection: 7" single no. 6635
Found: Discogs.com, received 14 February 2022
Cost: €4
Tracks: 'E depois do adeus' / 'E depois do adeus (versão por orquestra e coros)'

Neste barco a vela - Nevada

Portugal was never very successful in the Eurovision Song Contest, even if they managed to send in some beautiful songs through the years. Undoubtedly part of their problem was the language: Portuguese isn't exactly a language that is understood all over Europe, and then the inclination to employ their national fado and saudade as their strategy hasn't worked to their advantage either.

The song 'Neste barco a vela', performed by Nevada in the 1987 edition, is a praise of Portugal itself. The two singers describe their "overfull boat" which apparently has a "childish look" as travelling on a "path of hope". It sounded slightly modern at least, but it didn't help: they finished in 18th place in a field of 22 competitors.

My collection: 7" single no. 6633
Found: Discogs.com, received 14 February 2022
Cost: €€
Tracks: 'Neste barco a vela' / 'Neste barco a vela (instrumental)'

Love is blue - Al Martino

I remembered (correctly) that I already owned a single by Al Martino; it was his version of Volare, which I bought over 12 years ago. While that was a hit for him in 1970, his version of 'Love is blue', which he released in 1968, was less successful. At least: it didn't chart in the Netherlands, but he still managed to reach number 57 in the US Billboard Hot 100 with it. 

The back of this sleeve is a real gallery of stars: it features an advert for singles by the Dave Clark 5, Ray Charles, the Beach Boys and the Beatles. Back in those days, big stars were all over the place, and they would endure for decades. Compare that to nowadays, and you'll be blue in an instant.

My collection: 7" single no. 6632
Found: Discogs.com, received 9 February 2022
Cost: €3
Tracks: 'Love is blue' / 'I'm carrying the world on my shoulder'

Aprite le finestre - Willy Alberti

I have yet to find a copy of 'Aprite le finestre' by Franca Raimondi. She performed the song during the first ever edition of the Eurovision Song Contest, after having won the Italian national final. The single is, of course, extremely rare, being over 65 years old.

In the meantime, I found this EP by Willy Alberti, featuring his version of the song. The EP, simply titled 'Willy Alberti', features four different Italian songs, and it marks the first time Willy recorded a Eurovision song. This EP is as old as the Italian single, but apparently it's much less sought after. I was quite pleased with the state it's in, it's a beautiful copy.

My collection: 7" single no. 6630
Found: Discogs.com, received 9 February 2022
Cost: €3
Tracks: 'Aprite le finestre', 'La vita e' un paradiso di bugie' / 'Mia cara Carolina', 'Ricordate Marcellino?'