Do the Bartman - The Simpsons

I wasn't really planning on spending a lot of money on a single called 'Do the Bartman', despite the fact that I have an impressive amount of Michael Jackson singles in my collection. It is an amusing little song but songs by cartoon characters don't do very much for me. I finally found the single last month at a price that can't be beat.

There has been a lot of confusion about Michael Jackson's involvement in this song, mainly because he was under contract with Epic Records at the time of this single's release. However, the song's writer Bryan Loren has conceded that Jackson's contributions included back up vocals, providing the title "Do the Bartman" and that Jackson insisted his own name to be mentioned in the lyrics (read the story here).

My collection: 7" single no. 5852
Found: Kringloop, Leiden, May 14, 2016
Cost: 0,1 euro
Tracks: 'Do the Bartman (7" House mix/edit)' / 'Do the Bartman (LP edit)'

Listen to the song

You don't die from love - Stephanie

Princess Stephanie from Monaco appeared on this blog before with singles from her debut album, released in 1986. It was a rather successful album in some parts of Europe, so she went about recording a follow-up. Unfortunately, that took such a long time that the music scene had totally changed in the mean time.

That self-titled second album was finally released in 1991, with the lead single 'Winds of chance' failing to reach the charts. This single, 'You don't die from love' was the second and last single to be released by Stephanie. She did appear on Michael Jackson as the mystery voice on 'In the closet', but after that, her music career was over and done.

My collection: 7" single no. 5848
Found: Discogs.com, received May 2, 2016
Cost: 2 euro
Tracks: 'You don't die from love' / 'Good dreams'

Listen to the song

Gone too soon - Michael Jackson

If you look at the list of singles by Michael Jackson on this blog, it's hard to believe that I haven't got them all already. But somehow I managed to miss this one. I only discovered it recently and fortunately I was able to get a copy of this single while I was buying a few others online.

As you can hear, the vinyl isn't exactly clean but as with most Michael Jackson tracks, I've already got it on CD anyway. Which probably makes you wonder why I need to have this on vinyl anyway. Well, you either have a collection or you don't. That's a logic in itself, I guess.

My collection: 7" single no. 5850
Found: Discogs.com, received May 10, 2016
Cost: 1 euro
Tracks: 'Gone too soon' / 'Gone too soon (instrumental)'

Listen to the song

Bandido (Deep mix) - Azucar Moreno

Since this week is Eurovision Song Contest week, it shouldn't be a surprise that I have a few Eurovision singles for you, even if I depend on new acquisitions to fill this blog these days. I was particularly lucky to score this one, since I suspect it's rather rare: it's a one-sided promotional 7" single single from Spain, the country that competed in 1990 with the song 'Bandido' by Azucar Moreno.

This single contains a special remix of that song, a remix that I thought was only available on a cd-single - also promotional - which I bought a few years ago. It's great to own this track on vinyl since it is actually a nice remix.

My collection: 7" single no. 5849
Found: Discogs.com, received May 10, 2016
Cost: 3 euro
Tracks: 'Bandido (Deep Mix)'

Listen to the song

Kaupungin lapset - Make Lentonen

There are many versions of Kim Wilde's 'Kids in America', but there are also a lot of versions of 'Kaupungin lapset', the Finnish translation of that very song. The earliest version was already recorded in the same year as the original song (1981) by Mona Carita - and many other Finnish artists have had a stab at this translated version since.

Make Lentonen recorded his version in 1993. This single is hard to find; for a long time a version without the picture sleeve has been available on Discogs.com, but finding the version with its original cover proved to be more difficult. It took me a long time, but I've finally found a copy - also on that website. Once it was offered, I snapped it up within a couple of hours.

My collection: 7" single no. 5817
Found: Discogs.com, received December 19, 2015
Cost: 5 euro
Tracks: 'Kaupungin lapset' / 'Puistokatu krs. 6'

Listen to the song

Falling - D. Twins

Five years ago you met the D. Twins on this blog, with a 12" single of 'Falling', which was a cover version of Julee Cruise's theme song for 'Twin Peaks'. It turns out that besides cd-singles and this 12" single there was also actually a 7" single! And since I collect 7" singles (avidly), I had to buy this copy the first time I saw it - which was this time five weeks ago. Fortunately it came cheap, too.

My friend Puck and I have had a lot of fun about this version because of the silliness of certain versions, but I guess you had to be there to fully appreciate the fun of it. So for now, just enjoy these cover versions for yourself if you can.

My collection: 7" single no. 5812
Found: Record fair, Utrecht, December 26, 2015
Cost: 0,8 euro
Tracks: 'Falling (Peaks version)' / 'Falling (Twin Club mix)'

Listen to the Peaks version / Listen to the Twin Club mix

Dreams are made for everyone - Wind

In 1992, Wind participated in the Eurovision Song Contest with Träume sind für alle da. And as with their other two entries, there is an English version of the song. I didn't know this until I found a listing of this single on the website of Fun Records in April. It was a nice discovery, and of course I ordered the single right away.

I've always been a sucker for translations of Eurovision songs by the original artists - although I still have to find Japanese singles of Udo Jürgens and Gigliola Cinquetti that apparently exist. 'Dreams are made for everyone' is a good translation of the original, and sounds almost identical to the German studio version.

My collection: 7" single no. 5785
Found: Fun Records, Berlin, received April 24, 2015
Cost: 1 euro
Tracks: 'Dreams are made for everyone' / 'One night only'

Listen to the song

Canzone per te - Sandra Simo

Sandra Simo was born as Sandra Studer in Zurich (Switzerland) on February 10, 1969. She represented her country in 1991 with this song, 'Canzone per te'. The song ended up in fifth place in a field of 22 contestants. The B-side of this single is 'Lo so', the song with which Sandra competed in the Swiss national final for Eurovision in 1990.

The singer became a major Swiss television personality, using her real name. In recent years she has hosted the Swiss and German national heats of Eurovision and has also provided commentary of the contest for German audiences in Switzerland.

My collection: 7" single no. 5782
Found: Fun Records, Berlin, received April 24, 2015
Cost: 1 euro
Tracks: 'Canzone per te' / 'Lo so'

Listen to the song

'k Zen liever lui as muug - De Strangers

When Toto Cotugno won the 1990 edition of the Eurovision Song Contest with 'Insieme: 1992', the Belgian band De Strangers was quick to record a parody in their native language. Thus, ''k Zen liever lui as muug' was born.

The title roughly means 'I prefer to be lazy rather than tired', and is another stab at Eurovision songs done in a different way. And yes, it's another addition to my growing collection of Eurovision covers.

My collection: 7" single no. 5773
Found: Chelsea Records, Antwerpen, April 16, 2015
Cost: 2 euro
Tracks: ''k Zen liever lui as muug' / 'Den baas hee altijd gelijk'

Listen to the song

This is the way - Dannii Minogue

I haven't had any comments about the many Eurovision Song Contest singles on this blog recently (Come to think of it, I haven't had any comments at all over the last few months!) but truth is, I have been buying almost nothing else recently. But there is always the odd exception, and here is one of them: a 1993 single by Dannii Minogue. Kylie's little sister, indeed.

While Kylie has had a career with some downs but mostly ups, Dannii's career is almost the other way around. 'This is the way' is a good example of her usual chart performance: it reached number 27 in the UK charts and number 45 in Australia. The main selling point of this single is not the tune - which, frankly, is quite mediocre - but the limited edition poster bag.

My collection: 7" single no. 5757
Found: Record fair, Utrecht, April 11, 2015
Cost: 1 euro
Tracks: 'This is the way' / 'This is the way (The cool 7")

...

Nina - Stefan & Eyfi

The duo Eyjólfur Kristjánsson and Stefán Hilmarsson participated in the 1991 Eurovision Song Contest with the song 'Draumur um Nínu', representing Iceland. They appeared on stage as the second act of 22. At the close of voting, they ended up in 15th place.

Although the song did not fare too well in the contest it has remained one of Iceland's most popular songs of all time, still receiving regular airplay.

My collection: 7" single no. 5753
Found: Record fair, Utrecht, April 11, 2015
Cost: 1 euro
Tracks: 'Nina (English version)' / 'Nina (Icelandic version)'

...

Deixar de sonhar - Nucha

Like many singles on this blog lately, this single has a few connections to the Eurovision Song Contest, as Nucha performed in the 1990 edition with Ha sempre alguem, representing Portugal. This single was a follow-up to that one, and amazingly, the song was written and composed by Maarten Peters, with a lyric translation by the brothers Fransisco and Frederico Teotónio Pereira.

Maarten Peters wrote the song as 'Het zal nooit meer zo zijn' ('It will never be the same') for the national finals of the Eurovision Song Contest in the Netherlands in 1989. It was performed by Ingrid Souren and finished in third place. It was translated into Portuguese for this version by Nucha and ended up in the top 10 in Portugal. Afterwards, the original Dutch version was recorded by Willeke Alberti, who herself appeared on the Eurovison Song Contest with the embarrassing song 'Waar is de zon' in 1994.

My collection: 7" single no. 5736
Found: Kringloop Sassenheim
Cost: 0,5 euro
Tracks: 'Deixar de sonhar' / 'Se o dia nascesse'

...

Oulou tou kosmou i elpida - Cleopatra

I had to set aside my principle of not spending too much money on vinyl singles for this 1992 Eurovision Song Contest entry by Cleopatra, because it's so hard to find and the fact that I was buying this together with six other singles meant that I could save on shipping costs anyway. That's how I have to justify things sometimes.

'Oulou tou kosmou i elpida' ('Everyone's hope') is one of the best Eurovision entries ever, despite - or perhaps, because of - the fact that the lyrics are incomprehensive if one does not speak or understand Greek. The powerful song received 94 points, placing 5th in a field of 23 competitors, making it Greece's best showing in the Contest since 1977.

My collection: 7" single no. 5617
Found: eBay.com, received February 12, 2015
Cost: 5 euro
Tracks: 'Oulou tou kosmou i elpida' / 'Song for love'

Donne moi une chance - Modern Times

In 1993, Luxembourg participated in the Eurovision Song Contest for the very last time. Despite regular rumours of their return to the Contest, the country has not made an appearance in the last 22 years so it seems likely that this song by Modern Times, a duo consisting of Simone Weis and Jimmy Martin, will remain their last.

'Donne moi une chance' is sung partly in Luxembourgish. It starts off with a strong intro but becomes a bit dull after that. Apparently the juries thought the same: at the end of the voting, the song had acquired 11 points, finishing as 20th in a field of 25 competitors.

My collection: 7" single no. 5611
Found: eBay.com, received February 12, 2015
Cost: 2 euro
Tracks: 'Donne moi une chance' / 'Heaven only knows'

Un baiser volé - Sarah Bray

In the early Nineties, vinyl singles were becoming increasingly scarce. For some reason, singles from that era have become rather collectible. As a result, a single like this commands prices upwards of 8 euros on the internet. If they are offered at all, that is. Imagine my surprise when I found this copy in a big store filled with singles at 1 euro!

Sarah Bray represented Luxembourg in 1991 with 'Un baiser volé', a song composed by Patrick Hippert with lyrics by Mick Wersant and Linda Lecomte. At the close of voting, it had received 29 points, placing 14th in a field of 22 competitors.This single presents both the French and English versions.

My collection: 7" single no. 5595
Found: Velvet Vinyl Outlet, Leiden, January 16, 2015
Cost: 1 euro
Tracks: 'Un baiser volé' / 'One stolen kiss'

Never-ending dream - Atlantis 2000

Atlantis 2000 competed in the 1991 Eurovision Song Contest with Dieser Traum darf niemals sterben. I bought the single of that song five years ago, as you can see here. I didn't know, however, that an English version was also released. That version appears here, on a single which contains both the English and German version. The lyric of the English version was written by Richard Palmer-James.

It was a nice try, but this single didn't chart in any territory. And so, the never-ending dream came to a premature end.

My collection: 7" single no. 5626
Found: Fun Records, Berlin, received August 29, 2014
Cost: 2 euro
Tracks: 'Never-ending dream' / 'Dieser Traum darf niemals sterben'

Light my fire - The Doors

The double LP and double CD collection 'The best of the Doors', originally released in 1985, can still be seen as the ultimate introduction to the American band's output. The album was re-released in 1991 and promoted by this single, featuring an edit of 'Light my fire' and the classic 'People are strange'.

At the time of release, there was also a 12" single featuring the full length version of 'Light my fire' and the additional track 'Soul kitchen'. And, to top it all off, a CD-single featured all four tracks. Although it isn't particularly inspiring to hear both the edit and full length version of 'Light my fire' side by side, I'd have to say.

My collection: 7" single no. 5386
Found: unknown
Tracks: 'Light my fire (edit)' / 'People are strange'

Oh girl - Paul Young

Written by Eugene Record, 'Oh girl' was originally a hit for the Chi-Lites in 1972. The song centers on a relationship on the verge of break-up. The narrator expresses concern that the break-up may prove unbearable for him, while knowing that staying will be no better. The song became their first and only number one hit in the USA.

Paul Young recorded a cover of the song in 1990 on his album 'Other voices'. It was released as the second single from the album. It reached number 25 in the UK singles chart, while climbing to number 8 in the USA.

My collection: 7" single no. 5421
Found: unknown
Tracks: 'Oh girl' / 'You're the one'

Smells like Nirvana - "Weird Al" Yankovic

Somehow, the music press and media were taking guitar bands from Seattle very seriously at the beginning of the Nineties. The previous obsession with drugs-fuelled dance music was forgotten, everyone suddenly had to listen to screaming bipolar maniacs who'd just come from rehearsal studios without ever seriously studying things like melody or lyrics.

It was refreshing, therefore, that 'Weird Al' Yankovic came with his parody on Nirvana's 'Smells like teen spirit'. Entitled 'Smells like Nirvana', it pokes fun at the socalled 'grunge' band from Seattle and their largely atrocious music. The single reached number 35 in the US Billboard Hot 100 singles chart, number 48 in Canada, number 38 in Sweden, number 24 in Australia and a rather surprising number 4 in New Zealand!

My collection: 7" single no. 5417
Found: unknown
Tracks: 'Smells like Nirvana' / 'Waffle king'

Always on the run - Lenny Kravitz

'Always on the run' was the first single released from Lenny Kravitz's 1991 album 'Mama said'. by Lenny Kravitz. It features a contribution from former Guns N' Roses guitarist, Slash. Slash had written the music for the song with the original intention of releasing it on a Guns N' Roses studio album but since former drummer Steven Adler had difficulty playing the song, he saved it for this eventual collaboration with Kravitz.

This limited edition 7" single pack features a hand written lyric sheet (well, Lenny's handwriting printed on a piece of paper, that is), a postcard and a European Tour Map. It didn't help sales in the UK: the single only reached number 41 in the singles chart.

My collection: 7" single no. 5434
Found: unknown
Tracks: 'Always on the run' / 'Always on the run (instrumental)'