To know someone deeply is to know someone softly - Terence Trent d'Arby

I haven't written about Terence Trent d'Arby in ten years, I just found out, and there's a reason for that: I think I have all the singles I want from him. Even 'To know someone deeply is to know someone softly' was already in my colleciton, but I couldn't resist buying this UK edition with a gatefold sleeve, because it is different from that German version: it features two of his previous hits, 'Wishing well' and 'Dance little sister' on the B-side.

Musically, it's nothing new, but a beautifully designed limited edition EP is something I just have to have.

My collection: 7" single no. 6192
Found: Record fair, Utrecht, November 17, 2019
Cost: 1 euro
Tracks: 'To know someone deeply is to know someone softly' / 'Wishing well', 'Dance little sister'

She kissed me - Terence Trent d'Arby

'She kissed me' was the third single taken from Terence Trent d'Arby's third album 'Symphony or damn'. It was a more rock-oriented track than any of his previous singles. The B-side features a rather bad remix of the album's first single 'Do you love me like you say'.

The single reached number 16 in the UK singles chart.

My collection: 7" single no. 2041
Found: HMV, London, October 22, 1993
Cost: 2 pounds
Tracks: 'She kissed me' / 'Do you love me like you say (Masters at work 12" mix)'

Delicate - Terence Trent d'Arby featuring Des'ree

Terence Trent d'Arby returned to form in 1993, when he released his third album 'Symphony or damn'. The songs were certainly more accessible than his work on the second album 'Neither fish nor flesh' and he also managed to reach the higher regions of the UK singles charts again.

The best single from the album in my opinion was the second one: 'Delicate', a duet with Des'ree. Just like the previous single 'Do you love me like you say?' this reached number 14 in the UK singles chart, but it also managed to scrape in the Billboard Hot 100 chart, although it stalled at number 74.

My collection: 7" single no. 1993
Found: HMV, London, October 18, 1993
Cost: 2 pounds
Tracks: 'Delicate' / 'She's my baby', 'Dance little sister'

To know someone deeply is to know someone softly - Terence Trent d'Arby

Whenever I play this song, I'm very curious what drove the record company to release this as a single. The quirky song with its strange title was not exactly chart material and anyone with one ear could easily admit that. After the commercial failure of 'This side of love', this single was sure not to improve matters much.

Still, the single did manage to reach number 55 in the UK singles chart. It is a success of sorts, since 'This side of love' only managed number 83. I didn't think this single was released on 7" single, until I found it five years after its release.

My collection: 7" single no. 2520
Found: Beanos, East Croydon, London, November 1, 1995
Cost: 1 pound
Tracks: 'To know someone deeply is to know someone softly' / 'Loose variations on a dead mans vibe in C# M'

This side of love - Terence Trent d'Arby

When you see the picture here, you would almost think there's been a mistake. But it's true: I bought this single in a completely white sleeve. And that's because this copy of 'This side of love' is a promotional single, with a white CBS sleeve and the warning 'For promotion only - Not for sale' on the label. This is slightly surprising, because I always thought CBS dropped Terence Trent d'Arby like a stone the minute they heard his second album 'Neither fish nor flesh'.

The album was precisely what the title described. A collection of songs with pretentious titles that weren't particularly radio-friendly. 'This side of love' did not chart in any territory. On the upside: the B-side of this single (a non-album track) sounds a bit like an Eric Satie piano improvisation.

My collection: 7" single no. 3290
Found: Disco Market, Den Haag, February 24, 2001
Cost: 1 guilder
Tracks: 'This side of love' / 'Sad song for Sister Sarah Serenade'

Dance little sister - Terence Trent d'Arby

From the sleeve of this single I can trace its travels. After it was made it ended up in the music library of Capital radio in the UK. One day, it was taken to a Music & Video Exchange in London, where it sat in the racks for some time. It was bought by a Dutch record dealer, who sold it on the Parkpop festival in Den Haag - and that's where I got it.

'Dance little sister' was the second single from Terence Trent d'Arby's debut album, released the autumn of 1987. The single peaked at number 30 in the US Billboard Hot 100, number 20 in the UK singles chart and number 3 in the Dutch Top 40. For me, the song was an acquired taste - initially I didn't like it at all.

My collection: 7" single no. 1252
Found: Parkpop, Den Haag, June 24, 1990
Cost: 2 guilders
Tracks: 'Dance little sister' / 'Dance little sister part 2'

Sign your name - Terence Trent d'Arby

Although I hated the first few singles by Terence Trent d'Arby, I had to admit that 'Sign your name' was actually a very good ballad. It was taken from his debut album 'Introducing the hardline according to Terence Trent d'Arby', released in 1987.

It was a big hit in countries around the world, peaking at number 2 in the UK singles chart and the Dutch Top 40, and number 4 in the US Billboard Hot 100.

My collection: 7" single no. 1331
Found: Record Exchange, London, October 17, 1990
Cost: 50p
Tracks: 'Sign your name' / 'Greasy chicken'

Let her down easy - Terence Trent d'Arby

Like many artists before him, Terence Trent d'Arby started making beautiful music when commercial success eluded him. Or is that the other way around? Whatever... 'Let her down easy' is a beautiful introspective ballad that should have been the biggest hit of his career. It still became a respectable top 20 hit in the UK, but in other countries, it failed to reach the charts.

My copy of the 7" single was pressed as a limited edition on white vinyl. I was happy to find a vinyl single at all, because in 1993 they became increasingly rare, with only the UK still producing them.

My collection: 7" single no. 2066

Found: January 29, 1994

Cost: 6 guilders

Tracks: 'Let her down easy' / 'Turn the page'

Download: here