60 jaar Top 40

Since its first broadcast on January 2, 1965, on Radio Veronica, the Dutch Top 40 has grown into the most influential music chart in the Netherlands. To celebrate the Top 40’s sixtieth anniversary in 2025, three books will be released, each covering twenty years of Top 40 history. This first volume in the trilogy focuses on the period from 1965 to 1984. Numerous artists and musicians share the stories behind the hits they scored on the Top 40: from Petula Clark, Otis Williams (The Temptations), and Barry Hay (Golden Earring) to Liz Mitchell (Boney M.), John Illsley (Dire Straits), and Robin Campbell (UB40).

This anniversary book also includes several new and remarkable anecdotes. Matthew Fisher reveals the true inspiration behind his famous organ solo in A Whiter Shade of Pale, and Melanie explains why Lay Down (Candles in the Rain) became the salvation for an American helicopter unit in Vietnam. Andy McCluskey discloses how the Texan blues-rockers of ZZ Top were inspired by the synthpop of OMD, and Steve Porcaro explains why Africa was added as the final track on the album IV.

Enriched with personal memories from Top 40 creator Willem van Kooten and Top 40 DJ Lex Harding, exclusive interviews with producer Hans van Hemert and songwriter Billy Steinberg, year-end lists, and numerous photos, this first part of 60 Years of Top 40 is not only a must-have for Top 40 fans but for all music lovers in the Netherlands!

“On January 2, 2025, it will have been exactly sixty years, and we’re still talking about it. To my own surprise. And with a certain degree of pride.” – Willem van Kooten

“Nine out of ten people listening to the radio on Friday afternoon were tuning into the Top 40. Unprecedented.” – Lex Harding

Godfried Nevels (1973) is a freelance journalist, writer, and music critic. Previously, he published the books ‘Forever 27’, ‘I Love 80’s Music’, ‘Op zoek naar Elvis’, and ‘George Michael’. He also writes articles and reviews for various music magazines.