Everybody Knows - Alusta mä kaiken alkaisin

This time I'm presenting a requested song. Jormas (see earlier entry) was for a short period of time the most popular pop band in Finland. In 1968 they recorded "Alusta mä kaiken alkaisin" (I would begin the all from the start). It was released as a B-side on a single that fared quite well, aided by the popularity of the A-side's Beatles cover (Hello Goodbye). The Finnish lyrics were written by Juha Vainio. The original song "Everybody Knows" was witten by famous British songwriters/producers Barry Mason and Les Reed. It was a big hit for Dave Clark Five in 1967 reaching number 2 in UK charts. Uncharacteristically, the lead vocals were done by Lenny Davidson, instead of Mike Smith. You can see the band perform the song, here.

Just 22 Finnpicks to go.

Here's the pair:

To Make A Big Man Cry - Saat miehen kyyneliin

Jormas was perhaps the biggest pop and rock group in Finland in the 60's. Originally called as the Beatmakers, they were renamed after their manager Jorma Weneskoski. The song "Saat miehen kyyneliin" (You make a man shed tears) was recorded in June of the year 1966. The song became their 5th single, and first one to be sung in Finnish. It was at the time exceptional production, adding strings and horns to the rock sound of Jormas. This combination and the powerful vocals of the lead singer Pepe Willberg and harmonies of the group made the song a big, big hit and it has remained popular ever since. The original was recorded by P. J. Proby (real name James Marcus Smith) in his 1965 album 'P.J. Proby ... In Town'. The song was written by Les Reed and later recorded also by Tom Jones.

Here's the pair: