Thought I'd died and gone to heaven - Bryan Adams

'Thought I'd died and gone to heaven' was the fourth single taken from Bryan Adams' 1991 album 'Waking up the neighbours'. The song was written by Jim Vallance and Bryan Adams and is a rock song of the type Adams has recorded several times during his career.

The single reached number 13 in the US Billboard Hot 100 chart, number 8 in the UK singles chart and number 1 in Canada.

My collection: 7" single no. 1589
Found: Melody Maker, Den Haag, February 29, 1992
Cost: 6,5 guilders
Tracks: 'Thought I'd died and gone to heaven' / 'Somebody (live)'

EDIT (April 5, 2010): I received a notice from Blogger that two posts about Bryan Adams got a complaint. I trust it's from the same people who posted a reaction on this post. They are obviously terrified that anyone should hear any Bryan Adams music, even if it's any good. The message these people are sending is: don't listen to music, you might get inspired to buy it yourself. And they wonder why the music industry is in such terrible shape...
Anyway, I'm taking down all of Bryan Adams' music. I don't need this. The divshare box is gone, all I can do now is write the following:

DON'T BUY BRYAN ADAMS MUSIC.

I hope they're satisfied now.

Star - Time Bandits

I can recall I was jealous as hell when I saw that my cousin had this single, whereas I'd been searching high and low for it for years and still didn't own it. 'Star' by the Time Bandits did not chart in the Dutch Top 40, but the single was unavailable in shops and even in the years that followed I couldn't locate a copy.

In the end, of course, it all turned out alright: I found the single during a record fair and as it was almost a decade later, I wasn't quite as passionate about it anymore. Still, it's a nice song.

My collection: 7" single no. 1817
Found: Record fair, January 13, 1993
Cost: 2 guilders
Tracks: 'Star' / 'Star (instrumental version)

Put your love in me - Hot Chocolate

I first heard 'Put your love in me' on a compilation double LP which I got as a present in the summer of 1979. The double LP contained hits from the year 1978, and 'Put your love in me' was one of two Hot Chocolate tracks on that album. The track sounded very, er, erotic, which at the time I thought was rather funny. The tension of the track and the - at the time - futuristic synthesizer sounds always stuck in my mind. I finally bought the 7" single twenty years after its original release.

The single reached number 28 in the Dutch Top 40 and number 10 in the UK singles chart.

My collection: 7" single no. 3014
Found: All that music, Leiden, September 5, 1998
Cost: 3 guilders
Tracks: 'Put your love in me' / 'Let them be the judge'

What have you done for me lately - Janet Jackson

Michael Jackson's little sister Janet made her worldwide breakthrough with this single, 'What have you done for me lately'. The song was written by her with Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis, and produced by Jam & Lewis. The single reached number 1 in the Dutch Top 40, number 3 in the UK singles chart and number 4 in the US Billboard Hot 100 chart.

Rapper King MC recorded a track called 'What have I done for you lately' ('...Well what have you done for me baby') that same year in response to this track.

My collection: 7" single no. 2010
Found: Record Exchange, London, October 18, 1993
Cost: 1 pound
Tracks: 'What have you done for me lately' / 'Young love'

The king of wishful thinking - Go West

It may not have made a big impression on you if you've seen the movie 'Pretty woman', but Go West's 'King of wishful thinking' was featured in it. The movie has become a bit of a classic amongst movie fanatics, but Go West has not profited too much from that legacy.

Still, they did get a reasonable hit out of it. The single reached number 18 in the UK singles chart and number 8 in the US Billboard Hot 100.

My collection: 7" single no. 1337
Found: Record Exchange, London, October 17, 1990
Cost: 1 pound
Tracks: 'The king of wishful thinking' / 'Tears too late'

Leuchtturm - Nena

While Nena was becoming a household name in all of Europe with English versions of her earlier singles '99 Luftballons' and 'Nur geträumt' ('99 red balloons' and 'Just a dream' respectively), she also released a German single from her debut album 'Nena'.

In July 1983, she reached the Dutch Top 40 with 'Leuchtturm', a beautiful pop song, which reached number 13.

My collection: 7" single no. 467
Found: Disco Market, Den Haag, October 20, 1986
Cost: 1 guilder
Tracks: 'Leuchtturm' / 'Kino'

Kiss of life - Sade

'Kiss of life' was the third single taken from Sade's fourth studio album 'Love deluxe' (1992). Released in May 1993, it was a minor hit in the USA, where it peaked at number 78. In the UK, the single reached number 44.

I've actually got two different copies of this single: one copy is the commercial 7" single as sold in the UK, the other is a Spanish promotional 7" single, with only one side actually containing music, i.e. the track 'Kiss of life'.

My collection: 7" single no. 1954 / no. 1999
Found: Record fair, Amsterdam, September 25, 1993 / Virgin Megastore, London, October 18, 1993
Cost: 3 guilders / 1 pound
Tracks: 'Kiss of life' / 'Room 55' (not on no. 1954)