Daniel was born as Milan Popovic on October 29, 1955 in Titograd, Yugoslavia. In 1977 he moved to Zagreb, to try and forge a career in pop music. In 1983, he was elected to represent his country in the Eurovision Song Contest with the song 'Džuli'. He finished on fourth place, equalling the country's best placing in the Contest in 1962.
The English version of the song, entitled 'Julie' was an international hit. In the Netherlands, the song peaked at number 3, outperforming that year's winner Corinne Hermes, who only made number 19.
My collection: 7" single no. 3218 Found: Record fair, Utrecht, October 12, 2000 Cost: 1 guilder Tracks: 'Julie' / 'Come to my Adria'
Like previous singles 'Man in the mirror' and 'Heal the world', Michael Jackson's second single from the album 'Invincible', 'Cry', addresses problems in the world, such as war, loneliness, lying and depression and suggests that if everyone pulls together as one, then we can all make a change to the world. Written by R. Kelly, who also sang backing vocals on the track, this single was a relative failure as it only reached number 25 in the UK and number 39 in the Netherlands. Although this single was made in the USA, it was never released commercially. Promotional activities were abandoned when the events of September 11, 2001 took place, and the single was replaced with the more optimistic and innocent track 'Butterflies'.
At the time of its release, Michael Jackson had fallen out of favour with the press and audience. How different it is today: the King of Pop is being buried, millions of people around the world are watching the events taking place in Los Angeles. 'We all cry at the same time', though some are less sincere about it than others. Come back Michael, all is forgiven. I can't help but being slightly cynical. But today has been great, remembering all these great singles that I have in my collection. And I will be filling in the gaps in the weeks and months to come...
My collection: 7" single no. 3827 Found: 45toeren.nl, received July 3, 2009 Cost: 3 euro Tracks: 'Cry' / 'Cry'
As far as I know, 'You are not alone' is the last single from Michael Jackson's album 'History' that was released on 7" vinyl. The R&B ballad was officially written by R. Kelly in response to difficult times in his personal life. He sent a bare demo tape to Jackson, who liked the song and decided to co-produce it with Kelly. Jackson's interest in the song was also linked to recent events in his personal life; the highly publicized allegations of child sexual abuse and his recent marriage to Lisa Marie Presley. The single was a number 1 in the UK and the USA, peaking at number 6 in the Netherlands.
In 2007, a Belgium court ruled that R. Kelly had plagiarized the 1993 song 'If we can start all over' when composing 'You are not alone'. The court transferred rights of Jackson's hit to the Belgian twin composer brothers, Eddy and Danny Van Passel. The judgment is only recognized in Belgium and airplay of the hit has been banned in that country.
My collection: 7" single no. 2740 Found: Record fair, Amsterdam, April 21, 1996 Cost: 10 guilders Tracks: 'You are not alone (radio edit)' / 'Scream louder (Flyte Tyme remix)'
In 1993, the relationship between Michael Jackson and the press soured entirely when he was accused of child abuse. Although never charged with a crime, Jackson was subject to intense media scrutiny while the criminal investigation took place. Jackson commented: 'I will say I am particularly upset by the handling of the matter by the incredible, terrible mass media. At every opportunity, the media has dissected and manipulated these allegations to reach their own conclusions.'
Michael's sister Janet wanted to become involved in the recording of 'Scream' as a show of sibling support. 'Scream' was written, composed and produced by the Jackson siblings, with Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis. It was the first time Michael Jackson had worked with Jam and Lewis, although Janet had worked with them successfully on numerous occasions. The single went top 10 around the world. In the UK, this limited edition single with a postersleeve was released.
My collection: 7" single no. 2333 Found: HMV, London, June 26, 1995 Cost: 2 pounds Tracks: 'Scream (Def radio mix)' / 'Scream (single edit)'
How big is the chance that Michael Jackson would have been inspired by an Italian song? Italian singer Al Bano thought it was very possible when he heard 'Will you be there', so he sued Michael Jackson, accusing him of plagiarising his song 'I cigni di Balaka'. Italian judges ruled that the two songs, both being very similar, are inspired by a traditional Indian song.
'Will you be there' was released as a single in July 1993. It was taken from the 1991 album 'Dangerous', and also appeared on the soundtrack of the movie 'Free Willy'. My copy of the single came in a limited edition posterbag. The single reached number 3 in the Netherlands, number 9 in the UK and number 7 in the USA.
My collection: 7" single no. 2390 Found: London, July 5, 1995 Cost: 2 pounds Tracks: 'Will you be there (edit)' / 'Girlfriend'
To be honest, I would never have bought this single if it hadn't come in a posterbag. Limited editions just have this fatal attraction on me. Jackson commented in 2001 that 'Heal the world' is the song he is most proud to have created. To many - including myself - it is a rather sappy ballad, including the odd platitude or two. But at the same time it shows that Jackson was really concerned about the fate of children.
During the same time as the release of this single, Jackson also created the Heal the World Foundation, a charitable organization which was designed to improve the lives of children. The organization was also meant to teach children how to help others. This concept of 'betterment for all' would become a centerpiece for the Dangerous World Tour. The single only reached number 1 in Spain, but peaked at number 2 in the UK, number 4 in the Netherlands and number 27 in the USA.
My collection: 7" single no. 2941 Found: Record fair, Amsterdam, January 31, 1998 Cost: 8 guilders Tracks: 'Heal the world (edit)' / 'She drives me wild'
'Jam' was released as the fifth single from Michael Jackson's album 'Dangerous'. The song features a rap performed by Heavy D, while the music video also starred professional basketballer Michael Jordan and the short-lived hiphop duo Kris Kross. It all concealed how great the song 'Jam' actually was. The single reached number 12 in the UK singles chart and number 26 in the US Billboard Hot 100.
This single packaged featured a couple of square 7" portraits and could be used as a frame. I discovered it almost by accident and was really happy to buy this limited edition UK release.
My collection: 7" single no. 3267 Found: London, October 2000 Cost: 2 pounds Tracks: 'Jam (7" edit)' / 'Beat it (Moby's sub mix)'
Daniel was born as Milan Popovic on October 29, 1955 in Titograd, Yugoslavia. In 1977 he moved to Zagreb, to try and forge a career in pop music. In 1983, he was elected to represent his country in the Eurovision Song Contest with the song 'Džuli'. He finished on fourth place, equalling the country's best placing in the Contest in 1962.
