Get on your feet - Gloria Estefan

'Get on your feet' was one of the singles released by Gloria Estefan while she was recovering from a fractured spine, as a result of a car crash with her tour bus in March 1990. Recovery took ten months, but singles were still released. This limited edition of the single features a posterbag.

The single reached number 12 in the Dutch Top 40 and number 23 in the UK singles chart.

My collection: 7" single no. 1240
Found: Free Record Shop, Den Haag, 1990
Cost: 6 guilders
Tracks: 'Get on your feet' / 'Don't let the sun go down on me'

Body talk - Imagination

'Body talk' was Imagination's debut single, released in April 1981. It was this song the trio Leee John, Ashley Ingram and Errol Kennedy took to producers Steve Jolley & Tony Swain on a demo tape. They recorded the track, and a hit was born.

The single reached number 4 in the UK singles chart and number 11 in the Dutch Top 40. Their debut album, also titled 'Body talk', was released a few months later and yielded two more hit singles: 'In and out of love' and 'Flashback'.

My collection: 7" single no. 1822
Found: Record Palace, Amsterdam, January 13, 1993
Cost: 2 guilders
Tracks: 'Body talk' / 'Body talk (instrumental)'

Geef het op - Clouseau

After having conquered the charts in Belgium and the Netherlands, the Belgian band Clouseau tried to launch their career in the rest of Europe with an appearance in the 1991 Eurovision Song Contest. The Netherlands were not participating, so both Belgium and the Netherlands were of course hoping for a good result for the group.

'Geef het op' was a dynamic song, performed with conviction in Italy, where the show was hosted, but unfortunately the result was disappointing: they finished 16th in a field of 22 competitors. They did, however, end up with another hit in the Netherlands: the single reached number 17 in the Dutch Top 40.

My collection: 7" single no. 1506
Found: Free Record Shop, Den Haag, August 10, 1991
Cost: 6 guilders
Tracks: 'Geef het op' / 'Geef het op (instrumentale versie)'

The king and queen of America - Eurythmics

Released as the third single from their album 'We too are one', the Eurythmics' 'The king and queen of America' was written by band members Annie Lennox and Dave Stewart. The song's music video showed Lennox and Stewart in a variety of costumes and settings which parodied various aspects of American pop culture, including a game show host and hostess, singing cowboy and cowgirl à la Roy Rogers and Dale Evans, and Ronald and Nancy Reagan.

The single reached number 33 in the Dutch Top 40 and number 29 in the UK singles chart. It was not released in America.

My collection: 7" single no. 1204
Found: Melody Maker, Den Haag, April 7, 1990
Cost: 6,5 guilders
Tracks: 'The king and queen of America' / 'See no evil'

Something happened on the way to heaven - Phil Collins

'Something happened on the way to heaven' was written by Phil Collins and Daryl Stuermer for the movie 'War of the roses', but was ultimately not used. Instead, Collins recorded it on his album 'But seriously'.

The single reached number 5 in the Dutch Top 40, number 4 in the US Billboard Hot 100 chart and number 15 in the UK singles chart. This copy is part of a limited edition featuring a booklet with photographs from Phil Collins' live tour.

My collection: 7" single no. 1246
Found: Free Record Shop, June 14, 1990
Cost: 7 guilders
Tracks: 'Something happened on the way to heaven' / 'I wish it would rain (demo)'

The downeaster Alexa - Billy Joel

Taken from Billy Joel's eleventh studio album 'Storm front', 'The downeaster Alexa' is the story of an impoverished fisherman in the Outer Lands and the surrounding waters who, like many of his fellow men, is finding it increasingly hard to make ends meet and keep ownership of his boat.

Alexa, the name of the fishing boat in the song, is the name of Billy Joel's daughter, Alexa Ray Joel. Joel does in fact own a Downeaster lobster/swordfish hybrid boat by the name Alexa, built on a Maine lobster boat hull.

My collection: 7" single no. 1263
Found: Disco Market, Den Haag, July 14, 1990
Cost: 2 guilders
Tracks: 'The downeaster Alexa' / 'And so it goes'

Scandalous - Prince

After all the messy tracks from the soundtrack of 'Batman', 'Scandalous!" was the first single from that soundtrack that was actually a pleasure to listen to. It's a smooth, sexually charged ballad, performed by Prince in falsetto voice.

The single did not chart in the UK and USA, but did reach number 18 in the Dutch Top 40. A 19 minute version entitled the Scandalous Sex Suite was released as a 12" single and cd-single. It featured a seductive conversation between Prince and Kim Basinger with various lyrics from the song interspersed.

My collection: 7" single no. 1144
Found: January 13, 1990
Cost: 7 guilders
Tracks: 'Scandalous' / 'When 2 R in love'