Die schönsten Blumen blühen auf dem Land - Michèle Torr

Michèle Torr certainly knew her languages. When she represented Monaco at the Eurovision Song Contest in 1977 with 'Une petite Française', she wasted no time in recording different versions of the song with completely different lyrics. The English title became 'I'm just (a simple country girl from France)', and for the German market she recorded 'Die schönsten Blumen blühen auf dem Land'. 

The German lyrics were provided by Werner Schüler-Steger, a German bassist, songwriter, producer and founder of Daxhill Studio in Munich, Germany. 

My collection: 7" single no. 8350
Found: Discogs.com, received 20 July 2026
Tracks: 'Die schönsten Blumen blühen auf dem Land' / 'Le mal de mal'

Live in Japan '86 - Heart

This single was exclusively released in Japan. It features two live tracks, recorded at the NHK Hall in Tokyo in June 1986. It was released as a companion to the album Bad Animals in Japan, but fortunately I was able to buy the single on its own. (I don't collect LP's anymore, since they take up so much space.)

In recent interviews Nancy Wilson described how the band were pushed towards a certain style by the record company during the Eighties. 'I think we felt like we have to wear these clothes, and we need to make these videos, and we have to take the suggestion of the record company and try out these songs. We listened to stacks of demo songs by all these hit songwriters. Some obviously were a great fit, but when we went into rehearsals and tried to learn all these songs, it felt like we were giving up our territory as artists, because it was someone else's style.'

My collection: 7" single no. 8349
Found: Discogs.com, received 16 July 2026 
Tracks: 'Magic man (live)' / 'Barracuda (live)'

 

 

Voodoonight - Boney M

'Voodoonight' was a track from the Boney M album Nightflight to Venus. It was released as a single in Japan only (although a South African single also exists, with the A- and B-sides flipped). The single also features the album track 'Heart of gold', which is a cover version of the Neil Young song. 

The sleeve of this single proudly proclaims 'Disco No. 1 hit!!', but I have no way to verify this claim. Perhaps it was indeed such a big hit in Japan, but more probably it was a way to promote this single to buyers.

My collection: 7" single no. 8347
Found: Discogs.com, received 16 July 2026
Tracks: 'Voodoonight' / 'Heart of gold' 

Sunny - Boney M

Bobby Hebb wrote 'Sunny' and recorded it in 1963. Hebb wrote the song after his older brother, Harold, was stabbed to death outside a Nashville nightclub. Hebb was devastated by the event and many critics say it inspired the lyrics and tune. According to Hebb, he merely wrote the song as an expression of a preference for a "sunny" disposition over a "lousy" disposition following the murder of his brother.

Boney M turned the song into a disco hit in 1976. It became a huge hit all over Europe, But it also made the charts in Australia, New Zealand and Argentina. Whether the song was a hit in Japan I don't know, but the single was released there with a totally different sleeve.

My collection: 7" single no. 8346
Found: Discogs.com, received 16 July 2026
Tracks: 'Sunny' / 'New York City' 

Head over heels - Abba

It's been a while since I last bought an Abba single, but here we are again. This is the Japanese single for 'Head over heels', which amusingly has a different B-side: 'Lay all your love on me' from the band's preceding album Voulez-vous. Perhaps the original B-side, 'The visitors', was too dark for the Japanese record company. 

There aren't many variants of the 'Head over heels' single. It wasn't a big hit for the Swedish quartet, and it signalled the end for them. Fortunately they recorded two more singles after this, before they disappeared from the scene for many decades in 1982.

My collection: 7" single no. 8345
Found: Discogs.com, received 16 July 2026
Tracks: 'Head over heels' / 'Lay all your love on me' 

Save your kisses for me - Brotherhood of man

The United Kingdom won the Eurovision Song Contest a few times, but the best known song is probably Brotherhood of Man's 'Save your kisses for me', which provided the country's victory in 1975. The UK pressing of the single can be found in thrift shops all over Europe, but this Japanese single is pretty rare.

In an interview the band explained: 'We wanted something cheerful, it had to be catchy, and thematically, of course, it had to be something everyone could identify with. Lee came up with the melody quite quickly, but what should the lyrics be about? We could sing about animals; everyone loves animals, right? But then we decided to make it about a child, and that decision was probably the right one.’ 

My collection: 7" single no. 8344
Found: Discogs.com, received 16 July 2026
Tracks: 'Save your kisses for me' / 'Let's love together' 

What do I do - Sandra & Andres

I got 'What do I do' in 2000 as a present from Puck, and since I had all the other versions of 'Als het om de liefde gaat' I wrote that I probably wouldn't post any other Sandra & Andres singles on this blog anymore because I had all the versions after I bought 'C'est pour demain' in 2021.

But of course, I didn't know then that 'What do I do' had already been released in Japan. And Japanese singles, as we all know, are in a league of their own. Of course, I had to order this copy.

My collection: 7" single no. 8343
Found: Discogs.com, received 16 July 2026
Tracks: 'What do I do' / 'Gypsy man' 

愛のおとずれ - Katja Ebstein

Katja Ebstein represented Germany at the Eurovision Song Contest in 1970 with 'Wunder gibt es immer wieder'. While I was searching for some Japanese singles online, I found this Japanese copy on red vinyl. It was beautiful, if slightly on the expensive side. I had it on my wish list for a year or so, and recently I found a French seller who had a copy. Well, the shipping costs are certainly lower than if I'd ordered it from Japan.

I was pleasantly surprised when I found out that this single contains the Japanese version of the song. (This is actually shown on the sleeve, in the green banner - but unfortunately my Japanese isn't good enough that I could read 'Japanese versions' in those characters.) Katja certainly made an effort: she also recorded the song in English, French, Italian and Spanish. The first three will probably appear on this blog at some point.

My collection: 7" single no. 8342
Found: Discogs.com, received 16 July 2026
Tracks: '愛のおとずれ' / 'Der draht in der Sonne (Wichita Lineman)'

You light up my life - Debby Boone

Debby Boone was born in Hackensack, New Jersey, the third of four daughters born to singer-actor Pat Boone and Shirley Foley Boone, daughter of country music star Red Foley. When Boone was 14 years old, she began touring with her parents and three sisters: Cherry, Lindy, and Laury. The sisters first recorded with their parents as The Pat Boone Family and later as the Boones or Boone Girls. They primarily recorded gospel music, although the sisters also released singles that were remakes of secular pop music featuring Debby as the lead vocalist.

With her older sisters married and younger sister Laury in college, Boone was actively encouraged by producer Mike Curb to launch a solo career. Boone released her first solo effort, 'You light up my life' (which had been featured in the film of the same name), in 1977. The song became the biggest hit of the Seventies, lasting ten consecutive weeks at No. 1 on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart – longer than any other song in the Hot 100 history to that point. The B-side of the single features a cover version of the Abba song 'Hasta mañana', which was the main reason for me to buy this single. 

My collection: 7" single no. 8341
Found: Gaga Music, Goch (Germany), 15 July 2026
Tracks: 'You light up my life' / 'Hasta mañana' 

Rock me - Riva

'Rock Me’ was composed by Rajko Dujmić, with lyrics by Stevo Cvikić. Dujmić performed with his own band Novi Fosili in 1987 and composed both the Yugoslav entries ‘Ja zam sa ples’ in 1987 and ‘Mangup’ in 1988. His entry from 1989 would turn out to be a winner. Dujmić recalled: ‘Back then, the songs were sung in the language of the country you represented. There was no option to choose the English language, so I suggested to Cvikić to put two or three words in the lyrics in English.’ 

Emilija Kokić was only 21 years old. With Dalibor Musap (keyboards and vocals), Nenad Nakic (bass and vocals), Zvonimir Zrilic (guitar and vocals), and Boško Colic (drums), she formed Riva, the act that would win the Eurovision Song Contest this year. They were young and inexperienced, and certainly nervous during rehearsals. But after the rehearsals in the days leading up to the broadcast, those nerves slowly disappeared. Just like ‘La det swinge’ four years earlier, the juries were likely captivated by the song's retro feel. Riva was, despite being the winners of the competition, quite unpopular in Europe. ‘Rock Me’ did not sell in many countries and was not even released in some. Terry Wogan, the commentator for the United Kingdom, called it ‘the death knell’ for the competition.

My collection: 7" single no. 8340
Found: Gaga Music, Goch (Germany), 15 July 2026
Tracks: 'Rock me (English version)' / 'Rock me (Original version)' 

Head up to the sky - Spargo

'Head up to the sky' was Spargo's second hit in the Netherlands after 'You and me'. That first single was a good start for the band, because it topped the Dutch Top 40. Compared to that, this single was slightly disappointing, as it only made it to number 5. And while 'You and me' was a hit all over Europe, 'Head up to the sky' only made the charts in Belgium and Germany. 

I bought the single a long time ago, but I also culled it from my collection when I grew up, because I felt the song was not good enough. In fact, I threw away a lot of Dutch productions during the mid- to late-Eighties. It's good to have this single back again.

My collection: 7" single no. 8339
Found: Gaga Music, Goch (Germany), 15 July 2026
Tracks: 'Head up to the sky' / 'Inside your heart'

Mana mana - M.O.B.

Piero Umiliani wrote and recorded 'Mah-na mah-na', but the best known version was recorded by The Muppets. That wasn't the end of the song, however: many different cover versions exist, recorded by, amongst others, Hot Butter, Cake and Carlos Perón. 

This version by M.O.B. went unnoticed by most, because the title underwent a change: this version is called 'Mana mana' and includes some rapping and a steady Nineties beat. It was their only release.

My collection: 7" single no. 8338
Found: Gaga Music, Goch (Germany), 15 July 2026
Tracks: 'Mana mana' / 'Perfect move' 

Girls just want to have fun - Cyndi Lauper

In 1983, 1984 and beyond, Cyndi Lauper's 'Girls just want to have fun' was unavoidable. It was on the radio, on Music Box and Sky Channel, and everywhere else, so it seemed. I became sick of the song.

It's taken four decades, but I can finally listen to the song again. It's odd that I have quite a bit of Cyndi Lauper singles, but not her biggest hit. I finally got the chance to rectify that, because this copy popped up and I didn't even have to pay much for it. 

My collection: 7" single no. 8337
Found: Gaga Music, Goch (Germany), 15 July 2026
Tracks: 'Girls just want to have fun' / 'Right track, wrong train' 

Amiga Quartett - Ofra Haza

Readers of this blog will be familiar with the formula of the Amiga Quartett EP's: a collection of hits from a certain artist, like A-ha, Nena or Sandra. In the case of Ofra Haza, there was only one hit that really counted: the remixed version of 'Im nin' alu'. Three other tracks were added on this disc, but they were never chart hits in most territories - although 'Galbi' actually reached number 20 in the West German singles chart. 

Amiga, of course, was the state-owned record company of East Germany, before the Berlin wall fell. These days it's not too difficult to get your hands on these EP's, but obviously before the Nineties they were strictly available in the German Democratic Republic only.

My collection: 7" single no. 8336
Found: Gaga Music, Goch (Germany), 15 July 2026
Tracks: 'Im nin' alu', 'Galbi' / 'Eshal', 'Love song'

The runner - Three Degrees

'The Runner' was taken from the album New Dimensions by the Three Degrees. The single would be their penultimate hit in the Netherlands: only 'The heaven I need' in 1985 would reach the Dutch Top 40 after this. 

 

One of the members of the trio, Sheila Ferguson, wrote 'The Runner', together with Giorgio Moroder, who also produced the track. The German single came in this colourful picture sleeve.

 

My collection: 7" single no. 8335
Found: Gaga Music, Goch (Germany), 15 July 2026
Tracks: 'The runner' / 'Woman in love' 

My number one - Luv

The trio Luv released their first album with Patty Brard in 1980 and 'My number one' was the first single to be taken from that album. The German pressing of the single had a slightly different picture sleeve, compared to the Dutch version. 

The song was a top five hit in the Netherlands and in Flanders (Belgium). It was Luv's last chart entry outside Dutch-speaking countries, ending the group's succession of export hits. It reached number 60 in Germany. 

My collection: 7" single no. 8334
Found: Gaga Music, Goch (Germany), 15 July 2026
Tracks: 'My number one' / 'The show must go on' 

A-ba-ni-bi - Izhar Cohen & the "Alpha-Beta"

It's not difficult to find a copy of 'A-ba-ni-bi' in the Netherlands. It seems that thousands of copies have been left in record shops and thrift shops all over the country, in that simple sleeve containing just the title and artist. 

The version that was made in Germany is a lot harder to find. I think I've only seen it a couple of times through the years - but never for the 1 euro that I paid for it this week. This version is, of course, attractive because of the picture sleeve, on which you can actually see Izhar Cohen's face. The song remains the same: I don't think a Hebrew version was ever released on record.

My collection: 7" single no. 8333
Found: Gaga Music, Goch (Germany), 15 July 2026
Tracks: 'A-ba-ni-bi' / 'Illusions' 

The fool on the hill - Shirley Bassey

In 1970 Shirley Bassey released this cover version of the Beatles' 'The fool on the hill'. In his authorised biography, Many Years from Now, Paul McCartney says he first got the idea for the premise from the Dutch design collective the Fool, who were the Beatles' favourite designers in 1967 and told him that they had derived their name from the Tarot card of the same name. According to McCartney, the song possibly relates to a character such as Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, the Beatles' meditation teacher. 

'"Fool on the Hill" was mine and I think I was writing about someone like Maharishi. His detractors called him a fool. Because of his giggle, he wasn't taken too seriously. It was this idea of a fool on the hill, a guru in a cave, I was attracted to ... I was sitting at the piano at my father's house in Liverpool hitting a D 6th chord, and I made up "Fool on the Hill"'.

Shirley Bassey's version peaked at number 48 in the UK singles chart.  

My collection: 7" single no. 8332
Found: Gaga Music, Goch (Germany), 15 July 2026
Tracks: 'The fool on the hill' / 'What are you doing the rest of your life'

Cross your heart - Tina

I bought Tina's 'Cross your heart' in 2014, in a downright ugly sleeve. I was glad to have the opportunity to buy a better version this week; the German pressing of the single with a colour picture sleeve.

Tina was born Philomena Quinn and won a talent contest in Butlins Skegness. She then sang with the Mexican showband between 1966 and 1968. Ireland was a poor country with bad roads, and Tina was involved in two serious traffic accidents that nearly meant the end of her career. In 1972, Tina made her first attempt to participate in the Irish national selection by singing 'Don't Need Your Sympathy', but she finished in a tie for third place behind Sandie Jones. The winner of the 1974 national final, in which Tina sang all the songs, was 'Cross Your Heart', written by Paul Lyttle. 'Cross Your Heart' was a big hit in Ireland. Expectations were high when she arrived in Brighton. In the end, she ended up in seventh place.

My collection: 7" single no. 8331
Found: Gaga Music, Goch (Germany), 15 July 2026
Tracks: 'Cross your heart' / 'What would I be' 

What is love / New song - Howard Jones

The Old Gold series were quite popular at the end of the Eighties. It was a way to buy old hits as new singles - even if there was no picture sleeve. For completists, it was a nightmare of course, because if you wanted to have all the singles of a certain artist, you had to buy this Old Gold release as well.

Howard Jones's first singles 'New song' and 'What is love' ended up on one of these Old Gold singles. As a collector of Howard Jones singles, I couldn't pass on this one. Fortunately, it was just 1 euro in this shop.

My collection: 7" single no. 8330
Found: Gaga Music, Goch (Germany), 15 July 2026
Tracks: 'What is love' / 'New song' 

Sing Conny Sing - Conny Froboess

Conny Froboess represented Germany at the Eurovision Song Contest with 'Zwei kleine Italiener' in 1962. Her career went on until 1967, when she married theatre director Hellmuth Matiasek. Instead, she focused on a career as an actress. Between 2013 and 2021 she appeared in the Ostwind series of movies.

Meanwhile, 1992 saw the released of 'Sing Conny Sing', a curious Nineties-style remix/medley of her biggest hits. Among them was, of course, 'Zwei kleine Italiener', and so this single ended up in my collection - even if this remix is a slightly embarrassing piece.

My collection: 7" single no. 8329
Found: Gaga Music, Goch (Germany), 15 July 2026
Tracks: 'Sing Conny Sing' / 'My dear Conny (instrumental)' 

On the road again - The Catch

The Catch were an English new wave duo active in the 1980s whose members were Don Snow and Chris Whitten. They released two albums and several singles and had chart success in Europe, most notably with the single '25 Years'.

In 1984 they released 'On the road again', a cover of the Canned Heat song, written by Floyd Jones and Alan Wilson and released in 1968. Don Snow wrote the B-side, 'Understood', which is a catchy reggae-style piece. And then, of course, there's the sleeve. Arty.

My collection: 7" single no. 8328
Found: Gaga Music, Goch (Germany), 15 July 2026
Tracks: 'On the road again' / 'Understood'

Mariana - Gibson Brothers

I have a few singles by the Gibson Brothers, but so far, every single I bought were songs that I was familiar with. Not so with 'Mariana', my latest catch. The single was released in 1980 and became a hit in Germany, Finland and the UK only. In the UK it was actually their third biggest hit, peaking at number 11. ('Ooh, what a life' reached number 10 and 'Que sera mi vida' no. 5.) 

'Mariana' was the lead single from the brothers' fifth album On the riviera. It is a repetitive track. In my opinion, the soulful 'All I ever want is you' is more melodious and engaging.

My collection: 7" single no. 8327
Found: Gaga Music, Goch (Germany), 15 July 2026
Tracks: 'Mariana' / 'All I ever want is you' 

Love enough for two - Prima Donna

The sleeve of this German version of the single 'Love enough for two' is a vast improvement over the Dutch version, which I bought in 2009. It's full colour! How wonderful! 

The group was formed around former New Seekers member Danny Finn. Sisters Kate Robbins and Jane Robbins (nieces of Paul McCartney), Sally Ann Triplett, Alan Coates, and Lance Aston (brother of Jay Aston, who performed with Bucks Fizz, the winners of the contest the following year) completed the lineup. Two days before the Eurovision Song Contest 1980 in The Hague, Kate Robbins lost her voice due to a bout of flu. She was ordered to rest her voice until the performance on Saturday evening. The song ended up in third place in the competition.

Triplett returned to the Eurovision Song Contest in 1982 as half of the group Bardo. Danny Finn passed away after a short illness on February 22, 2016, at the age of 71. 

My collection: 7" single no. 8326
Found: Gaga Music, Goch (Germany), 15 July 2026
Tracks: 'Love enough for two' / 'Missing out on love' 

Let me be the one - The Shadows

Originally, the BBC asked then-superstar Gary Glitter to represent the United Kingdom at the Eurovision Song Contest. He was willing to comply on the condition that he would write his own song. This went against the wishes of the BBC, which wanted to rely on experienced songwriters. Apparently, requests were also made to David Essex and the band Slade, who refused. And so they turned to The Shadows. The band had broken up in 1968 but reunited shortly thereafter. For their Eurovision performance, original members Hank Marvin, Bruce Welch, and Brian Bennett were joined by John Farrar, who took the place of John Rostill, who had died on November 26, 1973.

It wasn't the first time the British entry finished in second place – and it certainly wouldn't be the last. I bought the French pressing of 'Let me be the one' in December 2009. This week I added the German one!

My collection: 7" single no. 8325
Found: Gaga Music, Goch (Germany), 15 July 2026
Tracks: 'Let me be the one' / 'Stand up like a man' 

 

Time to let go - Eddy Grant

Much to my surprise, I already owned both tracks on this single - but both as B-sides of other singles. 'Time to let go' was released in 1984 as the B-side of 'Boys in the street' and 'California style' became the B-side of 'Till I can't take love no more' in 1983.

However, this single was released in 1981 and was never a hit. The album Can't Get Enough, from which the track was taken, was actually the first of his albums to chart in the UK. It was actually his sixth studio album.

My collection: 7" single no. 8324
Found: Gaga Music, Goch (Germany)
Tracks: 'Time to let go' / 'California style' 

I wantcha' back - Delegation

While I was going through hundreds of singles, the title '12th house' leapt out at me. I am, of course, familiar with that title, because it is a track by New Musik from the early Eighties. And I am also familiar with the version by Delegation, because I bought it four years ago.

However, this single is a bit more interesting because it actually has a picture sleeve and a different A-side. 'I wantcha' back' is a good example of the sort of 'soul/dance' track that was popular in the Eighties. It's actually fun to add this single to my collection. 

My collection: 7" single no. 8323
Found: Gaga Music, Goch (Germany), 15 July 2026
Tracks: 'I wantcha' back' / '12th house' 

Hold me now - Thompson Twins

A long, long time ago I bought the picture disc of the Thompson Twins' 'Hold me now'. When I saw the regular single - a German pressing - a few days ago I realized that I never bought it, and for just 1 euro, I couldn't pass it up. It was also the start of a "crate digging" session, if I can call it that. I visited a shop just across the border in Germany with the aim of buying as much singles as I wanted to buy, and this was a good start. 

'Emotionally, it was written as the result of some argument that was resolved between Alannah and myself', explained Tom Bailey in an interview. 'We actually decided, well, this is an interesting emotional subject. What it feels like to get back together again after separation and the kind of ideas that come up and the way that emotion and physicality somehow are brought together.'

My collection: 7" single no. 8322
Found: Gaga Music, Goch (Germany), 15 July 2026
Tracks: 'Hold me now' / 'Let loving start'

Stand up - Howard Jones

For the first time since 1998, Howard Jones has released a single on 7" vinyl! The single came out last week and landed in my mailbox on Saturday. 'Stand up' is a short track but with a very long intro. As usual, the song comes with an uplifting message from its writer.

'Stand up' draws from Rev. Jesse Jackson’s 1972 poem 'Stand up, black man', which Jones read after Jackson passed away in February. 'I wasn’t familiar with the poem', he explained in a recent interview, 'so I looked it up online and was very inspired to write something along those lines: "Stand up. You are somebody. Don’t let no one put you down".'

My collection: 7" single no. 8321
Found: Cherry Red website, received 11 July 2026
Tracks: 'Stand up' / 'The prisoner (live)'