Don't Go Down To Reno - Älä lähde rakkain

Now we go west ... Markku Aro recorded "Älä lähde rakkain" (Don't go darling) in 1972. It was released on the "Oo mikä nainen" -album and on the flipside of "Täyttä totta" (cover of Slade's "Look wot you dun") single. The Finnish lyrics this time were made by Vexi Salmi. The original song "Don't Go Down To Reno" was written by famous songwriting duo Mitch Murray and Peter Callander and performed by Tony Christie ((b. Anthony Fitzgerald). Christie is best remembered by his rendition of "Amarillo" (see earlier entry). Reno, Nevada is known as "The Biggest Little City in the World", ant it's famous for its casinos and liberal divorce laws. Like the lyrics say: "In Reno town for a few dollars down, you can buy yourself a separation". You can see Tony perform a live version in 1979, here.

Here's the pair:

I Did What I Did For Maria - Tein mitä tein vuoks Marian

Kristian Jernström aka Kisu, recorded "Tein mitä tein vuoks Marian" (I did what I did for Maria) in 1971 and it was released as a single, but received no greater attention. As far as I know, it has never been released on any of Kisu's albums. The lyrics were provided by Chrisse Johansson. The original song was a worldwide hit for Tony Christie. "I Did What I Did For Maria" was written by two successful British songwriters Peter Callander and Mitch Murray (b. Lionel Stitcher). The duo is perhaps best known for their collaboration in "The Night Chicago Died" and "Billy Don't Be A Hero". This "Maria" -song is thematically like the other famous murder and revenge ballad "Delilah". You can see Tony Christie perform the song here. BTW, on the other side of Kisu's single was another Tony Christie cover, "Las Vegas".

Here's the pair:

Amarillo - Amarillo

Johnny (see previous entry) sang about "Amarillo" 1972. It was a big hit in Finland and has grown up to be a cult classcic. The original "Amarillo" -song was recorded by Tony Christie and released in the UK in 1971, initially reaching number 18 in the UK Charts. However, it was a bigger hit at that time across Continental Europe, notably in Germany and Spain. In Germany, the song's chorus is widely adapted as a chant by football and hockey fans even today. When it was re-issued in 2005 to raise money for the Comic Relief charity, it reached number 1 in the UK. Tony was subsequently being given the freedom of Amarillo by this Texan city's mayor. The song is written by Neil Sedaka and Howard Greenfield. It is about a man travelling to Amarillo to find his fiancée. The reason that Amarillo was chosen for the song was because it was the only place name that Sedaka could think of that rhymed with "willow" and "pillow". We present here also Sedaka's own - a bit different - version of this classic.

Here's the triple: