Markita Mattson (see earlier entry) recorded "Vartiomies" (The guardsman) in 1964 together with vocal group Four Cats. It was released on the B-side her second - which turned out to be her last - single. Unfortunately it was as unsuccessful as the first single. The original song "Please Don't Talk To The Lifeguard" was a minor hit (charted at number 31) in USA in 1963 for pop and rock and roll singer Diane Ray (not to be confused with another songstress Diane Renay). This was her one and only charted record.
Here's the B-side to yesterday's finnpick, and it continues the theme 'Finnpicks Goes To Movies'. Markita Mattson's "Yksin oon mä vain" was not a hit, which is a bit odd, becouse the song was very popular worldwide in it's English language version and Markita's Finnish rendering is of quite good standard. The original song, however, was of Greek origin. "Min ton rotas ton ourano" (Don’t ask the sky) was included in the movie "To nisi ton gennaion" (Island of the Brave) and was performed by actor and singer Tzeni (Jenny) Karezi. It was composed by Manos Hadjidakis and for Greeks it is one of the most beloved songs ever played in a movie. You can see the performance, here. This song became an international smash hit under the title "All Alone Am I" in 1962 when interpreted by Brenda Lee (b. Brenda Mae Tarpley).
We conclude this year with the theme 'Finnpicks Goes To Movies'. We present some songs that were included in the various film soundtracks. These movies were quite obscure, but this first one is an exception. A songstress named Markita Mattson made two singles in the 60's. This "Kuunpimennys" (Eclipse of the moon) was the A-side of her first single released in 1963. Unfortunately I don't know much about Markita. She appeared in 1963 in several TV-shows and even in one film ("Lauantaileikit" directed by Maunu Kurkwaara). But after that - no trace of her, except one further single in 1964. This "Kuunpimennys" was arranged by Jaakko Salo and the lyrics were provided by Sauvo Puhtila under pseudonym Solja Tuuli. The original song "L'eclisse Twist" appeared in the soundtrack of the 1962 Italian movie "L'eclisse" (The Eclipse). It was directed by the legendary Michelangelo Antonioni, who also wrote the original lyrics for this song! The score was done by Giovanni Fusco, who scored many of the Neorealist films of Antonioni. The song was made popular by Italian pop singer Mina (b. Anna Maria Mazzini). The song was on the flipside of her Top 10 Italian chart hit "Renato". Mina was known for her three-octave vocal range, and her image as an emancipated woman. Mina's TV appearances in 1959 were the first for a female rock and roll singer in Italy. Her loud singing earned her the nickname "Queen of Screamers". The public also labeled her the "Tiger of Cremona" for her wild gestures and body shakes.
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