Soul Dance - Hippojen jälkeen

As the New Year parties should now be over, this song "Hippojen jälkeen" (After the party) is well in place, And at the same time we start the 2011 Finnpicks Year with style. This 1964 song was recorded by a group of the Finnish finest 60's singers. Eino Grön, Vieno Kekkonen, Laila Kinnunen, Brita Koivunen and Kai Lind - all presented in the earlier Finnpicks entries - sing this song with immacukate style. The original tune was called "Soul Dance" and was performed by Tommy Leonetti (b. Nicola Tomaso Lionetti). Tommy was an American pop singer-songwriter and actor of the 1950s, 1960s and 1970, who had no big hits.. This "Soul Dance" bubbled under Billboard Hot 100 in the beginning of 1964.

Here's the pair:

Alley Cat - Meidän katti

There have been quite a few finnpicks that were covers of an originally instrumental tune. This is one of those. Vieno Kekkonen (see earlier entry) recorded "Meidän katti" (Our kitty) in 1962. It was released as a single (not a hit), on an EP and on an compilation album, with music targeted to children. The lyrics were done by Sauvo "Saukki" Puhtila. The original tune "Alley Cat" was a worldwide hit for Danish composer and pianist Bent Fabric (b. Bent Fabricius-Bjerre). The story of the tune started in 1961, when Bent's instrumental music piece "Omkring et Flygel" (Around a Piano) became a hit in Denmark. The song was re-released worldwide under the name "Alley Cat" the following year, and hit the charts all over, reaching number 7 on the US Billboard Hot 100. "Alley Cat" also won a Grammy Award for Best Instrumental.

p.s. I'm taking a Holiday Trip, so no Finnpicks for about a week ...

Here's the pair:

Le Grand Tour De L'Amour - Rakkauden kiertokulku

This time another old Finnpick artist Vieno Kekkonen (see previous entry). Her 1957 recording of "Rakkauden kiertokulku" (The circulation of love) has well stood the test of time and has later been versioned for example by Finnish legend Rauli "Badding" Somerjoki (of whom we will be hearing more in future Finnpicks). The original song is a rare 1954 recording of Teresa Brewer, an American pop and jazz singer who was one of the most popular female singers of the 1950s.

Here's the pair:

Ta pedia tou Pirea - Ei koskaan sunnuntaisin

The previous entry contained a song about Melina Mercouri. So it is most appropriate now to present a song sung by her. Vieno Kekkonen started her recording career in 1955 with the Finnish version of "Mr. Sandman". She was very active performing and recording in the 50's, being among the most popular Finnish artists for a long time. She recorded "Ei koskaan sunnuntaisin" (Never on sundays) in 1960. It was naturally a big hit, becouse of the success of the movie the song came from. And the movie was "Pote Tin Kyriaki") a 1960 Greek film which tells the story of Ilya, a prostitute who lives in the port of Piraeus in Greece, and Homer, an American tourist. The film starred Melina Mercouri who sang also this signature song "Ta pedia tou Pirea" (The children of Piraeus). The song and the bouzouki theme of the movie became hits of 1960s and Manos Hadjidakis, the composer, got an Oscar. The movie got an English title "Never on sundays" and the signature song was recorded by a multitude of artists. The English language version made by Connie Francis (b. Concetta Rosa Maria Franconero ) in 1961 became an international hit.
Here's the triple: