Sounds of the Netherlands – day one: a history of Dutch pop in 10 songs

The Netherlands might have the tallest people in the world but its pop stars have always had a tendency to blend into the crowd. With few chart acts wearing their national identity on their sleeves, the country's biggest names are frequently mistaken overseas for being British, American or German. While this might partly be the result of understated Dutch modesty, the primary reason is likely to be their uncanny ability to soak up international influences and sell pitch-perfect imitations back to where they came from.

From searing 60s psych-rock to today's dancefloor bangers, the dominant story of Dutch pop has been stealing and improving on anything that isn't firmly nailed down. It's a strategy that may have limited the development of many instantly identifiable Dutch scenes, but one that has led the Netherlands to consistently punch above its weight when it comes to international success. Here are 10 classic clips:

Boudewijn de Groot – Welterusten, Meneer de President (1966)

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With the Beatles having outgrown their early sound by the mid-60s, it was only a matter of time before the Dutch Nederbeat scene they inspired did the same – turning away from British influences and looking towards the US. For Shocking Blue and the George Baker Selection that meant raw garage rock, for Boudewijn de Groot it was the folk-pop template set by Bob Dylan. The barbed lyrics and controlled anger of Vietnam protest classic Welterusten, Meneer de President skewered Lyndon B Johnson with a surgical precision equal to anything produced on the other side of the Atlantic.

Herman Brood – I Love You Like I Love Myself (1978)

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Herman Brood, self-styled wild man of Dutch music, adopted every mannerism of the archetypal louche American rock star but lived the role with such intensity there was little danger of him being mistaken for a pastiche. His hedonistic lifestyle horrified conservatives and helped establish a cult following throughout western Europe that remains as strong as ever, 10 years after his death. Although it's impossible to separate his myth from his work, the bustling new wave chug of I Love You Like I Love Myself hints at why he's revered in the Netherlands for his music above all else.

Earth and Fire – Weekend (1979)

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The first wave of Euro disco didn't pass the Netherlands by but there were times when the rest of the continent could have been forgiven for wishing it had. One of the better efforts came from an unlikely source – Earth and Fire. Originally part of the early-70s prog-rock movement that also included Golden Earring and Focus, the group had made the transition to Caribbean-tinged synth-pop by 1979's excellent Weekend. Later covered by German rave titans Scooter, it works just as well without someone shouting "RESPECT TO THE MAN IN THE ICE-CREAM VAN!" over the top.

Doe Maar – Smoorverliefd (1981)

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With most of the Netherlands able to speak English at least as well as the English can, the temptation has always existed for artists with one eye on the export market to perform in pop's primary lingua franca. Bucking that trend may have cost Doe Maar fans overseas but they were more than compensated by phenomenal domestic popularity. Though breezy singles such as Smoorverliefd didn't take ska-punk anywhere British 2 Tone hadn't already been, the group's decision to sing in Dutch, and the overwhelming success they achieved doing so, helped spark a new native-language Nederpop scene that remains vibrant.

Digital Emotion – Go Go Yellow Screen (1983)

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With a handful of exceptions, Dutch dance producers have tended to work within the scenes created by the rest of Europe rather than develop homegrown styles. When the execution is as supremely assured as the razor-sharp Italo disco of Go Go Yellow Screen by Digital Emotion, it's easy to ignore any lack of originality. The song will be familiar to Russian schoolchildren for generations to come thanks to its appearance on the soundtrack of Nu Pogodi, the country's surprisingly modish answer to the Roadrunner cartoons.

Urban Dance Squad – Fast Lane (1989)

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Rap metal may now be used by the US army to torture suspected insurgents, and by Lil Wayne to torture unsuspecting festival audiences, but there was a point in the late 80s when the confluence of hip-hop and hard rock looked like a genuinely exciting progression. One of the reasons for that enthusiasm was Utrecht's Urban Dance Squad. Name-checked by the Beastie Boys and owed a clear debt by Rage Against the Machine, who followed the template of songs such as Fast Lane almost to the letter, they may be the most influential Dutch band in history. The fact that influence might also have led to the career of Fred Durst shouldn't be held against them.

CB Milton – It's a Loving Thing (1993)

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With 2 Unlimited helping to establish Euro dance as an international chart phenomenon in the early 90s, and the Vengaboys pushing the genre's inherent daftness past breaking point less than 10 years later, Dutch acts were central to the rise and fall of the era's defining pop sound. Offering a thousand slight variations on the same winning formula of galloping electro bassline, thumping beats and impassioned vocals, stars such as 2 Brothers on the 4th Floor and CB Milton achieved exhilarating highs that most present-day revivalists, including the Netherlands' own Afrojack, struggle to match.

Bettie Serveert – Kid's Allright (1993)

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Despite being one of the only internationally successful Dutch groups of the 90s who didn't sound like they spent most of the decade on poppers, Bettie Serveert's indie rock had an energy and immediacy that matched anything their compatriots were making with drum machines and sequencers. Their debut album Palomine was a high point for European guitar music in an era dominated by the US and UK. Subsequent releases fared less well overseas but the band still sits alongside Spinvis as one of the country's most critically acclaimed acts.

Ferry Corsten and Ayumi Hamasaki – Connected (2003)

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Mixmag's strange insistence on using its annual DJ poll to reflect what people are actually dancing to has led to a top 10 consistently dominated by unfashionable Dutch trance acts in recent years. This might be controversial in London and Berlin but serves to highlight the power of stars such as Tiësto, Armin van Buuren and Sander van Doorn around the world. That global reach was also demonstrated on Connected, a collaboration between Rotterdam producer Ferry Corsten and Japanese pop icon Ayumi Hamasaki. With Hamasaki's trademark nasal honk replacing the airy vocals that tend to dominate trance, the song has a resonance that might appeal to those who normally roll their eyes at the genre.

De Jeugd van Tegenwoordig – Watskeburt? (2005)

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Over the last 40 years, Dutch pop stars have consistently blurred the line between music and comedy. While this hasn't necessarily always been intentional, a very deliberate humour drives the electro-rap of De Jeugd van Tegenwoordig. Their slurred delivery and use of neologisms makes their lyrics almost as incomprehensible to Dutch speakers as to everyone else, but it hasn't stopped irresistibly catchy singles such as Watskeburt? from spending weeks at the top of the charts. There are echoes of their sound in the work of South African zef superstars Die Antwoord.