Lovely one - The Jacksons

Released as the first single from the Jacksons' album 'Triumph', 'Lovely one' was the followup to their 1979 hit, 'Shak your body (down to the ground)'. Lead vocals in this song were performed by Michael Jackson, while his brothers Jackie, Tito, Randy and Marlon performed backing vocals.

The single reached number 12 in the US Billboard Hot 100 chart, number 29 in the UK singles chart and number 13 in the Dutch Top 40.

My collection: 7" single no. 102
Found: Wouters, Den Haag, 1980
Cost: 3 guilders
Tracks: 'Lovely one' / 'Bless his soul'

Say it isn't so - Daryl Hall and John Oates

'Say it isn't so' was released as one of two new tracks on their greatest hits album 'Rock 'n' Soul part 1'. The song is about a love gone wrong and a fellow who asks his girl to "Say it isn't so".

When it was released as a single, it reached number 2 in the US Billboard Hot 100 chart at the turn of the year 1983/1984. In the UK, it did considerably less well, peaking at number 69. In the Netherlands, where the single was played on the radio regularly, it didn't chart at all.

My collection: 7" single no. 2498
Found: London, October 30, 1995
Cost: 1 pound
Tracks: 'Say it isn't so' / 'Did it in a minute'

What's going on - Cyndi Lauper

'What's going on' was written by Renaldo 'Obie' Benson, Al Cleveland, and Marvin Gaye. It was the title track of Gaye's groundbreaking 1971 album. A meditation on the troubles and problems of the world, the song was released as a single to worldwide success.

The song has been covered by multiple artists, notably Cyndi Lauper, whose version was released as the third single from her 1986 album 'True colours'. On the album version, the song starts off with a series of gunshots in reference to the Vietnam war, while the single release is a remix with an alternate vocal used in the intro. The single reached number 12 in the US Billboard Hot 100 chart and number 30 in the Dutch Top 40.

My collection: 7" single no. 531
Found: Free Record Shop, 1987
Cost: 3 guilders
Tracks: 'What's going on' / 'One track mind'

Boom! There she was - Scritti Politti

Roger Troutman was well known for his use of the talkbox, a device that is connected to an instrument (frequently a keyboard) to create different vocal effects.After scoring a hit with 'I want to be your man' in 1987, he collaborated with Green Gartside from Scritti Politti on the single 'Boom! There she was'.

Released in November 1988, 'Boom! There she was' reached number 55 in the UK singles chart. Scritti Politti then disappeared from the scene for three years.

My collection: 7" single no. 809
Found: May 6, 1989
Cost: 3 guilders
Tracks: 'Boom! There she was' / 'World come back to life'

This is not America - David Bowie and Pat Metheny Group

Taken from the soundtrack for the movie 'The falcon and the snowman', 'This is not America' was a collaboration between David Bowie and the jazz fusion band the Pat Metheny Group.

The single reached number 14 in the UK singles chart, number 32 in the US Billboard Hot 100 chart and number 1 in the Dutch Top 40.

My collection: 7" single no. 366
Found: Bruxelles, January 11, 1986
Cost: 105 Belgian Francs
Track: 'This is not America' / 'This is not America (instrumental)'

Paradise by the dashboard light - Meat Loaf

Although the label on this single claims that 'Paradise by the dashboard light' has a running time of 7 minutes and 55 seconds, it is actually only 5 minutes and 25 seconds - which means it is a single edit of the epic album version, excluding the lengthy baseball commentary and some minor musical bits. I would regret this if I was actually planning on listening to this song ever again - which I won't for another decade or two.

Still, I have to concede that 'Paradise by the dashboard light' is a classic track, one that is forever synonymous to Meat Loaf and Jim Steinman's brilliant collaboration. I wish it wasn't played so damn often though.

My collection: 7" single no. 378
Found: Disco Market, Den Haag, 1985
Cost: 1 guilder
Tracks: 'Paradise by the dashboard light' / ''Bat' Overture'

Bloedend hart - De Dijk

The Dutch band De Dijk ('The Dike') released the single 'Bloedend hart' ('Bleeding heart') in the summer of 1982. The amusing tale of the Christian broadcaster NCRV always stuck with me: they took offence to the line 'Ik kijk wat door de ramen / en ik krab wat aan mijn kont' ('I'm looking through the windows / and I'm scratching my ass') and through some clever manipulation they managed to change the line to '...en ik krab wat aan mijn hond' ('...and I'm scratching my dog'). Personally, I think scratching your dog is a lot nastier than scratching your own ass.

This minor controversy didn't help the single: it failed to reach the Dutch Top 40 when it was released.

My collection: 7" single no. 158
Found: Den Haag, 1982
Cost: 6 guilders
Tracks: 'Bloedend hart' / 'Geldgebrek en rock & roll'