Dutch Top 40 1995: Week 50

These were the new entries in the Dutch Top 40 that never made the UK Top 40:

Double Vision - All Right

To recap, Double Vision were a Spanish Eurodance act who had a big hit in Holland in 1995 with their debut "Knockin". This was the not so successful follow up which was their 2nd and final Top 40 hit in Holland. It's nowhere near as catchy.

Charly Lownoise & Mental Theo - This Christmas

Although Charly Lownoise & Mental Theo were in their prime chart wise their attempt and making a Christmas record with vocals from a Tom Jones soundalike didn't do so well only making number 19 making it their lowest charting Dutch Top 40 hit of the 90s. It also never made it's way into DJ sets at the raves here to my knowledge and I understand why. I never heard this myself until YouTube became thing, but despite that it still gives me nostalgia for 1995 and I put it only Christmas party playlists. 

Dutch Top 40 1995: Week 49

These were the new entries in the Dutch Top 40 that never made the UK Top 40:

Paul Elstak - Don't Leave Me Alone

Although this record never topped the Dutch Top 40 it gives a good indication of how big happy hardcore was in the Dutch charts at the time. Most records entered the Top 40 and climbed their way up but this entered at number 10 in it's first week. It was the 4th Top 40 hit of the year for Paul Elstak, all Top 10s and this and "Love You More" were both number 2s. 

Dune - Can't Stop Raving

A reminder it wasn't just the Dutch who were pumping out happy hardcore hits, the Germans were at it too. This is the record I'm most likely to think of when I hear the name Dune. It featured on lots of tapes well into the late 90s and I have a memory of listening to this on a Vinylgroover tape whilst driving up the A1.

Army Of Lovers - Give My Life

From a UK Top 40 perspective Army Of Lovers are a Swedish one hit wonder with their only hit being "Crucified" in 1992. They made it to 3 Top 40 hits in Holland with this being the last one of them. This was the record where band member La Camilla returned to the group. It would be short lived though as they broke up the following year. Until the reunion of course.

Frans Bauer - Verloren

I'll be honest, these male Dutch pop singers singing in Dutch are starting to merge into one now. It inevitably happens when you get much of the same thing.

Dutch Top 40 1995: Week 48

These were the new entries in the Dutch Top 40 that never made the UK Top 40:

Andre Van Duin - De Buurtsuper

As we head towards the end of the year one of my observations of the Dutch Top 40 in 1995 is the sheer quantity of novelty records. I know we have our fair share in the UK but it feels like the Dutch had many more. Here's another example, it's from a comedian in Dutch but you can tell from the lack of proper singing that it's a novelty record.

Extince - Spraakwater

We've had all sorts in the Dutch Top 40 in 1995, from happy hardcore to Eurodance, from novelty records to carnival music. One thing we're yet to have is Dutch hip hop, until now. This was the Dutch Top 40 debut for Extince and his biggest hit. Given rap has a lot to do with lyrics it's going to be extra difficult to score a hit in Dutch outside of Holland.

T-Spoon - A Part Of My Life

One thing I've learnt about T-Spoon is that you don't really know what way the record is going to go. This is very much going in the Eurodance direction, almost bordering on happy hardcore but being a bit too soft. Perhaps a bit more predictable is the male rapped verse and female sung chorus.

Dutch Top 40 1995: Week 47

These were the new entries in the Dutch Top 40 that never made the UK Top 40:

Linda, Roos en Jessica - Ademnood

I guess you could say this is the band Kylie Minogue could have been in if she was Dutch. In Holland there is a soap called "Goede tijden, slechte tijden" which had characters called Linda, Roos and Jessica who released as string of singles in the late 90s beginning with this. It was the Christmas number one of 1995, a fact I'm keen to point out to people. The actress who played Roos sadly passed away a few years later but the actresses who play Linda and Jessica are still on it, though they did leave and come back.

Nakatomi - Free

This is a happy hardcore version of the Deniece Williams record of the same name. It was one that I heard on many tapes back in the day. Whilst this never made the UK Top 40, Nakatomi did make the UK Top 40 in 2002 with "Children Of The Night" years after it first came out. Nakatomi have just 3 records to their name, all of which made the Dutch Top 40. However once the happy hardcore scene had died down in Holland they moved onto their next project, The Vengaboys.

Dutch Top 40 1995: Week 46

These were the new entries in the Dutch Top 40 that never made the UK Top 40:

De Smurfen - Knutsel Komt Zo

In 1996 The Smurfs returned to the UK Top 40 for the first time since the 70s. Just before that at the end of 1995 they bid farewell to the Dutch Top 40. This final hit from them is their own version of another record that was still in the Dutch Top 40 this week - "Het Busje Komt Zo" by Hollenboer which as a reminder is a novelty record about a bus sung in Dutch.

Alejandro Sanz - La Fuerza Del Corazon

I'm seeing conflicting information about Alejandro Sanz. When you look at his discography on his Wikipedia page I count 19 number ones in his native Spain which made me think has anyone had more? Then I looked at the list of artists with a Spanish number one and that list states he only had 4. Anyway this is about the Dutch charts so I refrained digging any further. His Dutch chart record doesn't even feature on his Wikipedia page but this was his only Dutch Top 40 hit as main artist and this only made 31 so barely worth mentioning. 

Vanessa - Lidia 

Cast your mind back to earlier on in the year you may remember Vanessa did a duet with Northern Irish musician David McWilliams with "Candlelight". To recap, she's a Dutch singer whose real name is Cornelia. This would be her final Dutch Top 40 hit after a 14 year run.

Dutch Top 40 1995: Week 45

These were the new entries in the Dutch Top 40 that never made the UK Top 40:

Marco Borsato - Kom Maar Bij Mij

This has an unusually low chart peak of 20 for Marco Borsato who's had more Dutch number ones than anyone else besides the Beatles. I can sort of see why though, whilst his other songs I've heard are quite catchy this is a pretty forgettable ballad.

Benny Neyman - Scherven Van Je Leven

Benny Neyman was a Dutch singer from the 80s who was now in the latter stages of his Dutch Top 40 career with this being his penultimate Dutch Top 40 hit. We have a pretty forgettable ballad again, not what one would expect from a country that gave us gabber.

La Bouche - Sweet Dreams (Ohla Ohla Eh)

I keep thinking this is a DJ Scott record because he had a UK Top 40 hit in 1995 with "Sweet Dreams" but this was a cover of the Eurythmics record and I keep forgetting that. La Bouche had just the 1 UK Top 40 hit with "Be My Lover" but I'd say this ones pretty well known despite it not making the UK Top 40.

Dutch Top 40 1995: Week 44

These were the new entries in the Dutch Top 40 that never made the UK Top 40:

Tineke Schouten als Lady Lachebek - De Babbelende Papegaai

I don't think you need to be able to speak Dutch to figure out that this is a novelty record. It's by a Dutch comedienne and is the sort of thing the Barron Knights would do. A translation of the title suggests this record is to do with a parrott.

Proyecto Uno - El Tiburon

Seeing the title of this record made me think of "El Trago" by 2 in a Room. The record itself sounds like it could have been done by them, it's essentially a Latin hip house record from America. They've never had a UK Top 40 hit in the UK and this was their only effort in Holland.

Melissa Etheridge - Your Little Secret

It may come as a surprise to hear that Melissa Etheridge has never had a UK Top 40 hit. The nearest she's got is reaching number 100 twice. Perhaps she's too American for the British market. She's fared better in Holland but this was her final Top 40 hit there. 

Rowwen Heze - De Neus Umhoeg

Speaking of America, it's the band from the village in Holland called America again for one final time this year. To be honest I've forgotten how their other records this year go by now but this record is ringing more bells. As usual it's sung in Dutch so I have no idea what they're singing.

Dutch Top 40 1995: Week 43

These were the new entries in the Dutch Top 40 that never made the UK Top 40:

Tokyo Ghetto Pussy - I Kiss Your Lips

Tokyo Ghetto Pussy had just the one Top 40 hit in both the UK and Holland. In the UK we'd got "Everybody (On The Floor)" in September but this failed to reach the Top 40 when released in early 1996 with it's appearance on TOTP2 seemingly not helping with the sales. It's a happy hardcore record which you may think comes from Japan based on who it's by, but it's actually German. It's an alias of Jam & Spoon.

Roxette - You Don't Understand Me

I've always thought of Roxette as being an 80s act but in the UK they only had 1 Top 40 hit in the 80s with the bulk coming in the early 90s. Prior to their last original Top 40 hit with "Wish I Could Fly" in 1999 their final UK Top 40 hit came at the end of 1994. In Holland they managed one more Top 40 hit before going the same way. 

Dutch Top 40 1995: Week 42

These were the new entries in the Dutch Top 40 that never made the UK Top 40:

Andre Rieu - Strauss Party

This was the end of the road for Andre Rieu in the Dutch Top 40. It's a record that many people would be familiar with, I'm pretty sure this has appeared on adverts before. 

Bonnie Tyler - Making Love (Out Of Nothing At All)

This is a record I'm surprised didn't make the UK Top 40 but at the same time I'm not. I remember this record very well at the time and it was played a lot on Radio 1. This was a time when Radio 1 had made a point about being a modern station and wouldn't play the likes of Status Quo. Given Bonnie Tyler was around in the 70s one might think she wouldn't make the Radio 1 playlist but she did. The fact she had been around so long and hadn't had a hit for a decade is probably why this failed to make the UK Top 40. It's a cover of a song by Air Supply and was composed by Jim Steinman whose other main artist Meat Loaf was enjoying a chart revival in the UK around this time.

Dutch Top 40 1995: Week 41

These were the new entries in the Dutch Top 40 that never made the UK Top 40:

DJ Bobo - Freedom

DJ Bobo didn't have a Top 40 hit in the UK until 2003. In Holland this record marked the end of his Dutch Top 40 career. It's a Eurodance record with DJ Bobo rapping the verses and female singers Natascha Wright and Lisa Noya singing the chorus. It's clearly the same person who did "Love Is All Around", it follows that tried and tested formula.

Club X - The Sequel (La La La)

Being a gabber record in the Dutch Top 40 one would assume this is Dutch but it's not, it's Belgian. The sample used in this is the "La La La" bit of "Self Esteem" by The Offspring. It's quite possibly the familiarity of that sample that helped this record into the Dutch Top 40.

Snap ft Summer - The World In My Hands

In terms of original hits Snap were finished in the UK Top 40 by this point. In a way it was a shame because they'd started to make records I actually liked, partly because they'd sped up. In Holland they carried on and I guess this is what could have come next in the UK. This time they've slowed down, but it's not a bad record.

The Offspring - Come Out And Play (Keep Em Separated)

I'm surprised this was never a Top 40 hit in the UK because I remember it very well at the time and it seemed to be pretty well known. It only managed to get to 98 though. Maybe by the time it was released as a single people were fed up of hearing it on MTV all the time.

Dutch Top 40 1995: Week 40

These were the new entries in the Dutch Top 40 that never made the UK Top 40:

Double Vision - Knockin

In the UK in the 90s we had Eurodance acts from several European countries hit the Top 40. One notable absent country though was Spain. In Holland we had Spanish Eurodance act Double Vision top the charts with this record. The music is very much Eurodance but the vocals sound quite gothic, a strange combination. Their Dutch Top 40 career began and ended in 1995 but we have one more record of theirs to come.

Arno Kolenbrander - Why God Why

Between 1985 and 2002 Holland had a TV show called "Soundmixshow" which was essentially their version of "Stars in Their Eyes", though they came up with the idea first. Arno Kolenbrander was the 1995 winner of the show and this was his winning song. It's a cover of a song from the musical "Miss Saigon" and the song title more or less sums up what I think of it.

Clouseau - Zie Me Graag

For the 3rd and final time this year we have a hit from Belgian band Clouseau with a song sang in Dutch. I'm listening to the song waiting for it to start and finding something to say about it, but it never happens, just plain dull.

Vaya Con Dios - Don't Break My Heart

Another Belgian band but this time one singing in English. They topped the Dutch Top 40 with their debut "What's A Woman" in 1990 but in 1991 founding member Dirk Schoufs died. The band carried on but this would be near the end for them. In 1996 singer Dani Klein quit the music business. That was until she came back and eventually reformed the band who are still going at the time of writing.

Dutch Top 40 1995: Week 39

These were the new entries in the Dutch Top 40 that never made the UK Top 40:

Ruth Jacott - Ik Ga Door

Ruth Jacott was one of Rene Froger's friends on "You've Got A Friend" which was still in the Dutch Top 40 this week. Here she is doing a record on her own but having less of an impact on the charts. She was in the latter stages of her Dutch Top 40 career at this point. It's a dance record sung in Dutch with a short rap on it.

Me & My - Dub-I-Dub

What I learned about Me & My before listening to this was that they're a female vocal duo who are sisters and from Denmark. Going off that alone tells me this is going to be a cheesy record, and it is. It was a chart topper in their native Denmark where they continued to have hits into the 21st century. In Holland though they had no more Top 40 hits.

Dutch Top 40 1995: Week 38

These were the new entries in the Dutch Top 40 that never made the UK Top 40:

C'est Tout & Anthonius Hapt - Da Tandenborstel Jive

Here's some more Dutch carnival music but this time no words are sung and it's something quite familiar. Although not exactly the same version, this used to get played on the Chris Evans Breakfast Show on Radio 1 as one of his radio jingles. I had no idea at the time that it was Dutch or even anything other than a radio jingle.

BZN - Santo Domingo

BZN were a band who were huge in Holland and virtually unknown elsewhere. Their Dutch Top 40 career spanned from 1968 to 2007 when they called it a day with the appropriately titled "Goodbye". What threw me when they started singing was that they were singing in English as I was fully expecting it to be in Dutch. It's the sort of music you'd expect to hear at a holiday resort.

Scooter - Endless Summer

This will be the last we'll see of Scooter this year. They did chart in the UK in 1995 but not with this one. Quite fitting for it to be released at the end of the summer and in my opinion this was one of their better records. 

Dutch Top 40 1995: Week 37

These were the new entries in the Dutch Top 40 that never made the UK Top 40:

Hollenboer - Het Busje Komt Zo

This Dutch duo were a genuine one hit wonder in Holland. This was their only hit and it was a chart topper. It's a novelty record and although I don't understand the lyrics you can tell from the video and sort of tell from the video that it's a record about a bus. 

2 Brothers on the 4th Floor - Come Take My Hand

The 2nd and final time we'll see 2 Brothers on the 4th Floor in the Dutch Top 40 this year. At the beginning of the video they get of the bus, but fortunately it isn't a record about a bus. It's a happy hardcore record, very much of the commercial variety. I do quite like it but can't help but think it was an influence on the crappy vocally happy hardcore that would come in the UK a few years later.

Dune - Are You Ready To Fly

More happy hardcore but this time it comes from Germany. It's the 2nd time we've seen them this year, the 1st being "Hardcore Vibes". Whilst "Hardcore Vibes" was played at the UK raves at the time I can't recall ever hearing this one on a rave tape. A shame really because I like it. We will be seeing Dune again later on in the year.

Dutch Top 40 1995: Week 36

These were the new entries in the Dutch Top 40 that never made the UK Top 40:

Rene Froger & Friends - You've Got A Friend

Rene Froger's friends here are Marco Borsatto, Ruth Jacott and the Frogettes. I get the impression that Rene Froger and Marco Borsatto were just about the biggest names in Holland at the time and this collaboration would have number 1 written all over it but it only managed number 3. Maybe because they're singing in English. As you might have guessed it's a cover of the Carole King record.

Paul Elstak - Rainbow In the Sky

Some more happy hardcore from Paul Elstak. This was played a lot at the raves at the time, one set in particular that I remember was DJ Vibes at Helter Skelter NYE 96 where he opened with this and as a result I think of what Live Lee was saying over it when I'm listening.

Henny Huisman - Snuit Je

Here we have one of many examples of a non-musician getting into the Dutch Top 40. Henny Huisman is a TV presenter most notably for Soundmixshow which is a Dutch version of Stars in their Eyes. He also presented Surpriseshow which is the Dutch version of Surprise Surprise. I gather this is supposed to be a novelty record about a horse.

Dutch Top 40 1995: Week 35

These were the new entries in the Dutch Top 40 that never made the UK Top 40:

Charly Lownoise & Mental Theo - Stars

If it wasn't for Charly Lownoise & Mental Theo I probably wouldn't be doing these posts. This was a record I first heard when a mate did a happy hardcore mix. It was also a record that DJ Vibes would play out regularly at the time. When YouTube became a thing I started discovering videos I never knew existed and I have to say I found this particular video quite disturbing.

Gordon - Omdat Ik Zo Van Je Hou

We've seen Dutch singer Gordon twice already this year and both times he was doing songs in English. This time he's singing in Dutch and it sort of makes sense why. It's a cover of "Tu M'Aimes Encore" by Celine Dion which is in French so I guess there's no point in doing it in English if it was never in English in the first place.

Gerard Joling - Zing Met Me Mee

On the basis of this video it would appear that Gerard Joling had a huge following in Holland give the number of people there and the fact they're all singing along. His Dutch Top 40 career began in 1985 and he had hits as recently as 2013. This was his final Top 40 hit of the 90s. He's also a TV presenter in Holland.

Andre Hazes - Leven Op T Plein

We last saw Andre Hazes in the first Top 40 of the year. He's a Dutch singer with 36 albums and 55 singles to his name and was almost 2 decades into his Dutch Top 40 career at this point. 

Dutch Top 40 1995: Week 34

These were the new entries in the Dutch Top 40 that never made the UK Top 40:

La Bouche - Fallin In Love

With Eurodance being as big as it was in the 90s it made perfect sense for German music mogul Frank Farian to jump on the bandwagon. The result was this Germany based American duo who managed to even crack America itself with their big hit "Be My Lover". This was the follow up single that's actually quite different. It's a cover of the Hamilton, Joe Frank & Reynolds record that was nowhere near as successful as its predecessor anywhere.

Frans Bauer - N Dag Uit Duizend Dromen

It's Dutch singer Frans Bauer again for the 3rd time this year. It's exactly what you expect it to be, a gentle song with a karaoke sounding backing track and sung in Dutch. We will be seeing him once more this year with something I expect to be similar.

740 Boyz - Shimmy Shake

In 1995 there was nobody bigger in the UK charts than the Outhere Brothers but there wasn't really anyone else making similar music. In Holland though we had this record which is similar. We did however have Porn Kings vs Flip & Fill do a version that hit the UK Top 40 in 2003.

Critical Mass - Dancing Together

Here's some happy hardcore. Critical Mass is a name I'm familiar with via "Burning Love" which hit the Dutch Top 40 in 1996 and was played at UK raves. I don't ever recall hearing this particular record though. It's not as good as "Burning Love" but it pleasant enough.

Dutch Top 40 1995: Week 33

These were the new entries in the Dutch Top 40 that never made the UK Top 40:

Marco Borsato - Je Hoeft Niet Naar Huis Vannacht

Marco Borsato was one of the most prolific artists in the Dutch Top 40 in the 90s and into the 21st century. He had 2 records in the Top 40 at the start of the year so I'm surprised it's taken till August until we see him again. This ones not as catchy as the other 2 records mentioned and the record buying public probably agreed as this failed to top the charts. He'll be back later in the year though.

Playahitty - The Summer Is Magic

I'm inclined to agree with this record given the era because 1995 is possibly the best summer there has ever been. There's a very 90s video to remind us how much better the world was back then and I can almost guarantee we'll never have a summer as good again. Playahitty were an Italian Eurodance act and their only other Dutch Top 40 effort was a 2008 version of this. I can almost guarantee that version will be shit so I'm not going to listen to it.

Michele - I Can Feel

Michele is a Dutch singer and this was her 2nd and final Dutch Top 40 hit. I guess this record is best described as a Eurodance ballad, similar in style to "Nothing Like The Rain" by 2 Unlimited which charted in Holland earlier on in the year but not the UK. These days Michele is the female vocalist for 2 Unlimited.

Dutch Top 40 1995: Week 32

These were the new entries in the Dutch Top 40 that never made the UK Top 40:

Nance - Love Is

Generally speaking the faces of Eurodance acts in the 90s were a male rapper and a female singer. In Dutch Eurodance act Twenty4Seven you famously had Captain Hollywood as the male rapper in the beginning. What wasn't so well known was who the female singer was. As you may have now guessed, that singer was Nance and she had been in the Dutch Top 40 a few months prior as part of Twenty4Seven with "Keep On Tryin". This was the beginning of her solo career which was more of the same minus the male rapper.

Marcel De Groot - Mag Ik Naar Je Kijken

Before I looked up Marcel De Groot I assumed he was Dutch and had been charting since the 80s. I was half right, he is Dutch but this was his only Dutch Top 40 hit. It's a guitar record that wouldn't of sounded out of place in the 80s.

Rowwen Heze - Zondag In 'T Zuiden

It's the band from America who seemed to only chart in Holland again. That's because it's a village in Holland called America they are from rather than the country America. It's their usual folky style but the speed of this particular record could give happy hardcore a run for it's money. Perhaps that was intentional.

Dutch Top 40 1995: Week 31

These were the new entries in the Dutch Top 40 that never made the UK Top 40:

Offspring - Gotta Get Away

Just the one record this week and quite a surprise one really. The Offspring were reasonably popular in the UK in 1995 but that didn't translate to the charts as the only UK Top 40 hit they had at the time was "Self Esteem" and even that only made number 37.