Give Me Hope Jo'anna - Toivotaan Jo'anna

Arja Saijonmaa (see earlier entry) recorded this "Toivotaan Jo'anna" (Let's hope Jo'anna) in 1989. It was released just as an album track on his album "Yhteinen taivas ja maa". The original song "Give Me Hope Jo'anna" was written and performed in 1984 by Eddy Grant. Eddy was the founder and leader of the beat pop group The Equals in the 60's and 70's and later launched a successful solo career. He often wrote songs with openly political tendencies, especially against the then-current apartheid regime of South Africa. And this 'Jo'anna' -song is the anthem amongst all those. "Jo'anna" stands for Johannesburg, and as one might guess, the song was banned in South Africa. In UK, it became a Top Ten hit, and in Netherlands it hit number one.

55 Finnpicks to go.

Here's the pair: