The elephant song - Kamahl

Kandiah Kamalesvaran was born in Malaysia on November 13, 1934. He grew up as Kandiah Kalamesvaram (King of Lotus flowers) in Kuala Lumpur. In 1953 he moved to Adelaide, Australia with his family. It is where he got to know pop and classical music. During a concert by Nat King Cole he had the opportunity to meet the singer. It made him determined to start his own career as a singer.

He debuted in 1959, but only achieved fame in the Netherlands in 1975 thanks to 'The Elephant song'. The track appeared in a TV documentary about the World Wildlife Fund. The song was written by Dutch producer Hans van Hemert with lyricist Gregor Frenkel Frank. The single topped the Dutch Top 40 for five weeks in the summer of 1975. The B-side is an English version of a song that was a hit for Conny van den Bos the year before as 'Ik geef je 'n roosje m'n roosje'.

My collection: 7" single no. 2722
Found: Record fair, September 2, 1996
Cost: 1 guilder
Tracks: 'The elephant song' / 'A daisy a day'

Only women bleed - Julie Covington

'Only women bleed' was written by Alice Cooper and Dick Wagner. It is a ballad about a woman in an abusive marriage. It became one of Alice Cooper's biggest hits, reaching number 12 on the US Billboard Hot 100 singles chart in 1975. It was the first of several ballads by Cooper that got into the top 20.

Julie Covington recorded her cover version for her 1978 self-titled album. It reached number 12 in the UK singles chart. In the UK, Cooper's version did not chart while Covington's version did not chart in the USA.

My collection: 7" single no. 861
Found: All that music, Leiden, June 2, 1989
Cost: 3 guilders
Tracks: 'Only women bleed' / 'Easy to slip'

American English - Wax

After the success of 'Building a bridge to your heart', Wax released the title track of their second album 'American English' as the second single from that album. While the single was just as upbeat and a little more dynamic than the previous one, it did not make a dent in the charts anywhere.

I don't even remember how I got to hear this track, but I do know I liked it so much that I bought it quickly.

My collection: 7" single no. 582

Found: Disco Market, Den Haag, February 1, 1988

Cost: 2 guilders

Tracks: 'American English' / 'Marie Claire'

Spark - Tori Amos

While all the singles from Tori Amos' 1996 album 'Boys for Pele' were not released on 7" vinyl, I was very surprised to find this 7" single in 1998. 'Spark' was the first single taken from Tori Amos' fourth solo album 'From the choirgirl hotel'. The single was also released on cd-single and a promotional 12" single in America, which is where this single also was made.

'Spark' reached number 16 in the UK singles chart and number 49 in Australia.

My collection: 7" single no. 3013

Found: Record fair, August 29, 1998

Cost: 10 guilders

Tracks: 'Spark' / 'Purple people'

Fleurs du mal - Stephanie

While elsewhere in Europe the single 'Live your life' was released, French-speaking countries preferred the track 'Fleurs du mal' as a single. It was a hit in France, peaking at number 16.

Meanwhile, the album 'Besoin' sold more than 2,5 million copies. That same year, Stephanie released the single 'Young ones everywhere' to benefit UNICEF.

My collection: 7" single no. 3772

Found: eBay.fr, received June 17, 2009

Cost: 3 euro

Tracks: 'Fleurs du mal' / 'Rendez-vous'

Un premier amour - Isabelle Aubret

Isabelle Aubret was born as Thérèse Coquerelle on July 27, 1938 in Lille, France. Before starting a career in music, she won the French national gymnastics championship in 1952. Ten years later, she represented France during the Eurovision Song Contest, singing 'Un premier amour'. With sixteen countries participating, she was the one who won the competition with 26 points. The runner-up only had 13 points, so it was a convincing win.

When I decided I wanted to have all the winning songs of Eurovision as a single, the early years were of course the hardest to find. I'm still searching for 'Refrain' (1956) for instance....

My collection: 7" single no. 3771

Found: eBay.fr, received June 17, 2009

Cost: 3 euro

Tracks: 'Un premier amour', 'La-bas' / 'Petit bonhomme', 'Ces deux la'

Mamma mia - Abba

While never released as a single in their native Sweden, Abba's 'Mamma Mia' (1975) was the band's first song to make a breakthrough in Australia, even reaching number one for no less than 10 weeks. At the time, it was rumoured that every third citizen of the country owned an Abba record.

It was almost entirely due to this overwhelming success that the single was subsequently released in the UK and other territories. It took the single nearly two months after it was released to top the UK charts. "Mamma Mia" also reached No.1 in Ireland, Switzerland and West Germany. In 1999 the musical 'Mamma Mia', featuring songs by Abba opened in London's West End. Since then, production has spread to many other countries, with over 1500 performances on Broadway alone.

My collection: 7" single no. 2724

Found: Record fair, September 2, 1996

Cost: 2 guilders

Tracks: 'Mamma mia' / 'Intermezzo no. 1'

All for a reason - Alessi

'All for a reason' sounds a bit like a telephone conversation set to music - although you can only hear one side of the conversation and the other one hanging up at some point. Besides this technical innovation, the rest of the song sounds a lot like other Alessi songs: in other words, laidback Seventies fare.

In the Netherlands, this was the Alessi brothers' second and last hit, peaking at number 22. The track was taken from the album of the same name, which reached number 27 in the albums chart.

My collection: 7" single no. 683

Found: All that music, Leiden, 1988

Cost: 2 guilders

Tracks: 'All for a reason' / 'Make it last'

Libertine - Mylene Farmer

Although the music video of 'Libertine' cannot be found on YouTube, I'm certain there is one. It was one of the videos that made me interested in the Canadian-born singer in the first place. When she had a hit in the Netherlands with 'Désenchantée', I started buying her records and I was glad to find 'Libertine' quite quickly.

I have no record of its chart position of France, but I am pretty sure that this one was her first big hit there. After this, her superstar status continued to rise.

My collection: 7" single no. 1900

Found: Record fair, Amsterdam, May 2, 1993

Cost: 10 guilders

Tracks: 'Libertine' / 'Greta'

Chalk dust (The umpire strikes back) - The Brat

Roger Kitter is a British actor and comedian. He is best known for his role as Captain Bertorelli in the seventh season of the comedy series ''Allo 'Allo'.

In 1982, Kitter released a single as The Brat, entitled 'Chalk dust (The umpire strikes back)'. In the track, he parodied John McEnroe, who was famous for his verbal fights with umpires during tennis matches. 'The ball's in, everyone can see that the ball's in! Chalk dust!' was one of the most famous expressions of the year 1982, when this single reached third place in the Netherlands. In the UK, the single reached number 19.

My collection: 7" single no. 1094

Found: All that music, Leiden, November 11, 1989

Cost: 2 guilders

Tracks: 'Chalk dust (The umpire strikes back)' / 'Moody mole'

Rattlesnakes - Lloyd Cole and the Commotions

'Rattlesnakes' was the title track of Lloyd Cole and the Commotions' debut album, released in 1984. While it only peaked at number 65 in the UK, the single was the band's only hit in the Netherlands, peaking at number 31.

The repeated mention of Simone de Beauvoir in the lyric gave the band their literary, slightly geeky image. Cole cites Bob Dylan and Booker T. & the MGs as major influences, but also notes the impact of his studies in English and philosophy on both the album's title, a reference to the novel 'Play it as it lays' by Joan Didion.

My collection: 7" single no. 3360
Found: Record fair, Utrecht, 2002
Cost: 1 euro
Tracks: 'Rattlesnakes' / 'Sweetness'

What kind of fool - All about Eve

'What kind of fool' was the last single to be released from All about Eve's self-titled debut album. It was a new version of the track, backed with a version of 'Gold and silver', a track that would reappear on All about Eve's second album 'Scarlet and other stories', released a year later. The single did worse in the UK singles chart than 'Martha's harbour', peaking at number 29.

I bought this single while on holiday in London. I wasn't aware of its release, so it was a happy find. I was very impressed with the beautiful sleeve, but only became a real All about Eve fan when I bought the new single that same week... It was 'Road to your soul'.

My collection: 7" single no. 1004

Found: Record Exchange, London, October 19, 1989

Cost: 1 pound

Tracks: 'What kind of fool' / 'Gold and silver'

Touch - Noiseworks

Noiseworks formed in Sydney in 1985. The original lineup of Noiseworks was Jon Stevens, Stuart Fraser, Steve Balbi, Justin Stanley and Kevin Nicol. Their self-titled debut in 1987 had a series of successful singles, such as 'No lies', 'Take me back' and 'Welcome to the world.' The album sold more than 200,000 copies in Australia.

The band's second album, 1988's 'Touch', proved to be another big hit going Top 10 on debut. From this album, the title track was released as a single. It peaked at number 9 in Australia. The video was televised in Europe, and when I saw it, I decided to buy the single. However, I can't say I've played it often since then... The single was not a hit in Europe.

My collection: 7" single no. 802

Found: Disco Market, Den Haag, April 21, 1989

Cost: 2 guilders

Tracks: 'Touch' / '5 more days'

I need your loving - Human League

Back in the Eighties, I used to buy the UK music magazine Smash Hits regularly. One of the features of that magazine was the song lyrics from recent singles. Some of them weren't successful in the Netherlands at all, but mostly I did hear them despite that fact. In the case of the Human League's 1986 single 'I need your loving', I didn't hear the track until I bought the single in 1989.

Why did I buy the single? Mostly because the Human League released more than a few good singles during their career. But also because the song lyric I read in Smash Hits intrigued me. The whole lyric was basically a repeat of 'I need your loving / I need your kissing baby'. I'm pretty sure this is why the single only had a one week chart run in the UK, at number 72.

My collection: 7" single no. 848

Found: Disco Market, Den Haag, May 27, 1989

Cost: 2 guilders

Tracks: 'I need your loving' / 'I need your loving (instrumental)'

Don't come around here no more - Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers

'Don't come around here no more' is a track from Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers' 1985 album 'Southern accents' and one of Tom Petty's biggest hits. The track was co-written and co-produced with David A. Stewart of Eurythmics. The original inspiration was a romantic encounter that Stewart had with Stevie Nicks of Fleetwood Mac.

The single peaked at number 13 in the US Billboard Hot 100 and number 50 in the UK singles chart.

My collection: 7" single no. 2764

Found: House of Rhythm, London, October 29, 1996

Cost: 40p

Tracks: 'Don't come around here no more' / 'Trailer'

Did you see me coming - Pet Shop Boys

A very recent release for a change. 'Did you see me coming?' was released on June 1, 2009 as the second single from the Pet Shop Boys' tenth studio album 'Yes'. It entered the UK singles chart at number 21 a week later - only the third Pet Shop Boys single ever to miss the top 20 in Britain.

The single was released on two different cd-singles and this 12" single, which featured two remixes not on the cd-singles.

My collection: 12" single no. 498

Found: Recordstore.co.uk, received June 16, 2009

Cost: 2 pounds

Tracks: 'Did you see me coming? (PSB Possibly more mix)', 'Did you see me coming? (Unicorn Kid mix)' / 'The way it used to be (Richard X mix)'

Bedsitter - Soft Cell

After the phenomenal international success of Soft Cell's 'Tainted love', the band struggled to find equal success. While they continued to be a hot act in the UK and Ireland, they would never revisit the charts in most other countries.

That's not to say that their singles were bad. The follow-up 'Bedsitter', for instance, is a beautiful melancholic synthpop song. The single peaked at number 4 in the UK and number 10 in Ireland.

My collection: 7" single no. 3249

Found: House of Rhythm, London, October 20, 2000

Cost: 1 pound

Tracks: 'Bedsitter' / 'Facility girls'

Skandal im Sperrbezirk - Spider Murphy Gang

The German new wave movement was not only a success in Germany itself: other European countries caught on quickly. Nena was one of the most successful bands in the genre, but the Spider Murphy Gang was quick to cash in on international success with their unlikely hit 'Skandal im Sperrbezirk'.

The Spider Murphy Gang was founded in 1977 by Günther Sigl, together with Gerhard Gmell, Michael Busse and Franz Trojan. Their name is a reference to Elvis Presley's 'Jailhouse rock', in which a 'Spider Murphy' played the tenor saxophone. 'Skandal im Sperrbezirk' peaked at number 5 in the Netherlands - however the band had no further hits in this country.

My collection: 7" single no. 2936

Found: January 31, 1998

Cost: 2 guilders

Tracks: 'Skandal im Sperrbezirk' / 'Vis-a-vis'

Footsteps - The Motels

The single 'Footsteps' was taken from The Motels' 1983 album 'Little robbers', just like previous single 'Suddenly last summer'. While that single was a top 10 hit in various countries, this single did not chart in any territory.

My buying the single was the direct result of hearing it over and over on the radio, until one day I recorded it. Eight years later, I found the single. I have to say I spent a long time searching for it, but it wasn't widely available.

My collection: 7" single no. 1463
Found: Parkpop, Den Haag, June 27, 1991

Cost: 2 guilders

Tracks: 'Footsteps' / 'Into the heartland'

Come into my life - Joyce Sims

Joyce Sims was born on August 6, 1959 in Rochester, New York. Her debut album, 'Come into my life', was largely mixed and produced by Kurtis Mantronik of the hip hop/electro funk crew Mantronix.

The title track was released as a single in early 1988 and became a number 7 hit in the UK and the Netherlands. It has become quite a wellknown soul/dance ballad since then.

My collection: 7" single no. 2856

Found: June 21, 1997

Cost: 2 guilders

Tracks: 'Come into my life (radio version)' / 'Come into my life (dub version)'