Merci Cherie - Johnny White

Sometimes record company strategies can be mystifying. Why would 'Merci Cherie', a song from 1966, become a hit in 1992? Still, they gave Johnny Winter the chance to record this old song in two languages (Dutch and French) and went with it. 

Johnny White was Johnny Wittevrouw, the Belgian singer (born 13 June 1946) who had a career  in the Seventies, until success eluded him and he went AWOL for most of the Eighties. He came back in 1989 and released singles until 2006. After White suffered a heart attack he was admitted to the hospital for laparoscopy, but this proved fatal as he would never wake up after his anesthesia. He passed away on 13 January 2014.

My collection:  7" single no. 7335
Found: Discogs.com, received 18 September 2024
Tracks: 'Merci Cherie (Dutch)' / 'Merci Cherie (French)'

San Remo Hits - Various

The 'Populaire Platen Kring' ('Popular Records Circle') was a Dutch phenomenon from the early Sixties. The labels do not bear dates. It is completely unknown how often a new edition appeared on the market. What is known is that most items contain imitated songs, a bit like the later English Top of the Pops albums.

This edition features hits from the San Remo festival - and indeed the Eurovision Song Contest. Of particular interest for me was the version of 'Addio Addio', performed by one Jean Couroyer and 'Romantica' by Togliani. Modugno himself appears with 'Nel blu dipinto di blu'.

My collection: 7" single no. 7333
Found: Discogs.com, received 18 September 2024
Tracks: 'Quando quando quando' (Jean Couroyer), 'Nel blu dipinto di blu' (Modugno), 'Gondoli' Gondola'' (Jean Couroyer), 'Le mille bolle blu' (Renatino) / 'Addio addio' (Jean Couroyer), '24 milla baci' (Rondinella), 'Tango Italiano' (Jean Couroyer), 'Romantica' (Togliani)

The woman in me - Heart

'The woman in me' was a hit for Donna Summer. Heart probably thought they could also have a hit with the song (or were they pushed by their record company?) and so they recorded the song on their 1993 album Desire walks on. The single was released on CD-single only - plus a 7" single for jukeboxes only. It represents the last ever 7" single by Heart, because subsequent releases were never released on this format again.

As for 'The woman in me', it wasn't a big hit for the band. It reached number 13 in Canada after just missing the US Billboard Hot 100.

My collection: 7" single no. 7332
Found: Discogs.com, received 18 September 2024
Tracks: 'The woman in me' / 'Risin' suspicion'

Eres tu - Young family

Although this EP doesn't really have a title, I bought it especially for the cover version of 'Eres tu', the Spanish entry to the Eurovision Song Contest in 1973. 

This EP was released in 1974 and was an initiative of the German Youth Red Cross. Young Family is a group formed by the Youth Red Cross in Nettersheim, not far from Aachen. They recorded four songs for this EP, which besides 'Eres tu' also contains the big hit 'Non, non rien n'a changé', a European hit for the French group Les Poppys around that time.

My collection: 7" single no. 7331
Found: Discogs.com, received 18 September 2024
Tracks: 'Non, non rien n'a changé', 'Soolaimon' / 'Eres tu', 'Rock my soul'

Addio, addio (Good-bye) - Lou Monte

In 1962, Claudio Villa represented Italy at the Eurovision Song Contest with 'Addio, addio', a song composed by Domenico Modugno and lyrics by Franco Migliacci. The Italian American singer Louis Scaglione, better known as Lou Monte, was quick to jump on the bandwagon: his version of the song, translated into English by Carl Sigman, was released in May 1962.

Lou Monte (2 April 1917 – 12 June 1989) was an Italian American singer best known for a number of best-selling, Italian-themed novelty records which he recorded for both RCA Victor and Reprise Records in the late 1950s and early 1960s, most famously 'Lazy Mary' (1958) and the 1962/63 million-selling US single 'Pepino the Italian Mouse', plus the seasonal track 'Dominick the Donkey'.

My collection: 7" single no. 7330
Found: Discogs.com, received 18 September 2024
Tracks: 'Addio, addio (Good-bye)' / 'Please mr. Columbus (Turn the ship around)'

Mammie waar is pappa - Anny & Tosca

Tosca Verkooyen was born in 1969. She recorded her first single in 1979 together with Anny van de Ruit, the singer who would go on to record solo singles as Annie. I bought this single mostly as a curiosity, because it predates Annie's slightly legendary solo work.

Of course, there is an element of tragedy in this single as well: Tosca wonders where her dad is in this song, and Anny replies that he ran away with another woman. And so it fits in wonderfully with the repertoire we've come to know so well from Annie.

My collection: 7" single no. 7329
Found: Discogs.com, received 18 September 2024
Tracks: 'Mammie waar is pappa' / ''s Nachts langs de straat'

Romantica - Dalida

After recording 'Ciao ciao bambina (Piove)' in 1959, Dalida continued the next year with another cover version of an Italian Eurovision song: 'Romantica', originally performed by Renato Rascel. The version on this single was recorded in German, although a version in French also exists.

The other A-side (yes, this single actually has two A-sides) is the song 'Milord', which was another big hit around 1960. That song was recorded by a number of Eurovision artists, including Corry Brokken. 

My collection: 7" single no. 7328
Found: Discogs.com, received 17 September 2024
Tracks: 'Romantica' / 'Milord'