My Sweet Lord - Isäni mun

Tapani Kansa was bold enough to record "Isäni mun" (Father of mine) in 1971. It was on the flipside of a cover of "Proud Mary" (I guess we are about to hear also that one in the future ...) and didn't get much attention. The lyrics are done by Staffan Folk, which, I guess, is just another pseudonym for Tapani himself. It's quite peculiar, in Finland, to hear a chorus sing 'Hare Krishna' while the singer is trying to find his Father (=God). Well, it was not so peculiar in the original song "My Sweet Lord", becouse it was written by George Harrison, and we all are familiar with George's fling with the eastern religions. However, it is generally not known that George wrote the song for his friend Billy Preston (another "5th Beatle"). It was included in his album "Encouraging Words" and was a minor hit for Billy in early 1970. George himself covered his own song on his album "All Things Must Pass", and it was released as a single in November 1970. And it became a worldwide hit. Later, as we well remember, a court decision was made that Harrison was unintentionally copied an earlier song - "He's So Fine" by The Chiffons. He was ordered to surrender the majority of royalties from "My Sweet Lord". Eventually, Harrison later bought the rights to "He's So Fine" ...

Here's the triplet:


You can see a selection of some hand-picked Youtube videos of today's Finnpick song by playing my shared playlist in tuberadio.fm.

Will The Circle Be Unbroken - Herran huosta kaiken kantaa

Jussi & Boys & Friends (see earlier entry) released an album called "Kehä kaartuu" in 1975. It was an ambitious record recorded in Sweden. The "Friends" were The Wigwam legends Jukka Gustavsson (organ) and Pekka Pohjola (base) and Swedish session men (horns). One of the tracks was "Herran huosta kaiken kantaa" (Lord bears it all). The lyrics were not done by Jussi himself this time, they were written by Mats Hulden (also ex-Wigwam man). The original song is an old American country/folk song "Can the Circle Be Unbroken (By and By)" reworked by Carter Family in 1935. It is based on the hymn "Will the Circle Be Unbroken?", whose lyrics deal with the death, funeral, and mourning of the narrator's mother. The song has been versioned by many, many artists, but perhaps the most known version (and the one that inspired Jussi & Boys) was done by American country-folk-rock group, Nitty Gritty Dirt Band in 1971. The song is officially credited to the band but it was done (like the eponymous album) with collaboration from many famous bluegrass and country -artists, including Roy Acuff, Mother Maybelle Carter, Earl Scruggs, Merle Travis and others. The song reflects how the NGDB was trying to tie together two generations of musicians.

Here's the pair:


You can see a selection of some hand-picked Youtube videos of today's Finnpick song by playing my shared playlist in tuberadio.fm.

Dominique - Dominicus

Marion released "Dominicus" as one of her first singles and it resulted a minor hit in 1964. The lyrics were done by old stalwart Reino Helismaa. The original "Dominique" (Dominique was "great singing traveller who talks only of the Good Lord") was written and recorded in 1963 by Belgian singer Jeanine Deckers. As she was a nun in the Dominican Fichermont Convent in Waterloo, Belgium, she actually was Sister Luc-Gabrielle. But she performed with the stage name of Soeur Sourire (Sister Smile). The song was an international hit and even reached the first place in the Billboard Top 100 chart after it was released in the USA with the artist name 'The Singing Nun'. In 1966, a movie called The Singing Nun was made about her, starring Debbie Reynolds. In 1967, Jeanine recorded a song entitled "Glory Be to God for the Golden Pill" - a pro-contraception song - under the name Luc Dominique. It is easy to understand that it was a commercial failure ...

Here's the pair:

Himno de la Alegria - Ilon laulu

Kirka recorded "Ilon laulu" (Song of joy) in 1970. The lyrics were done by Pertti Reponen, and the arrangement by a famous Swedish producer and musician Bengt Palners. The original was called "Himno de la alegría" (Hymn of joy) and it was a single by Spanish singer and actor Miguel Ríos released in 1969. The single was enormously popular in many countries in 1970 reaching #1 on music charts in Australia, Canada, Germany and Switzerland and selling over four million copies worldwide. The arrangement was done by Osvaldo Nicolás Ferrara, better known as Waldo de lo Rios. The song borrows heavily from the final movement of the Ninth Symphony by Ludwig van Beethoven. This symphony - completed in 1824 - was the first example of a major composer using voices in a symphony. The words are sung during the final movement by four vocal soloists and a chorus. They were taken from the "An die Freude," (To joy), a poem written by Friedrich Schiller in 1785. The poem is ode to joy, "beautiful spark of Gods".

Here's the pair:


You can see a selection of some hand-picked Youtube videos of today's Finnpick song by playing my shared playlist in tuberadio.fm.

Put Your Hand In The Hand - Uskon ihmiseen

Lea Laven recorded "Uskon ihmiseen" (I trust in mankind) in 1971. It was released as a single, but the song on the flip-side "Manolito" had more success. The positive lyrics were done by Chrisse Johansson and they tell about man searching his Creator. The original song was the smash hit called "Put Your Hand In The Hand" for a one-hit-wonder group named Ocean. Ocean was a Canadian gospel rock band formed in 1970. They are best known just for this record, that sold over one million copies at the time (1971). You can see the group performing the song, here. The song was penned by Gene MacLellan, a singer-songwriter, who was also a Canuck. Another well-known song of his is "Snowbird", made famous by Anne Murray.

Updated on 21.02.2010: added the other Finnish version by Lasse Mårtenson and Seija Simola, "Iske kourasi kouraan".

Here's the triplet:

L'Arca Di Noé - Nooakin arkki

Now it's time to present a song that tells about the oldest ship in the world - the Noah's Ark. Finnish actor and singer Tapani Perttu recorded "Nooakin arkki" (Noah's ark) in 1970 and had a minor single hit with it. Perttu started his singing career already in 1962 performing schlager under pseudonym Perttu Kari. His breakthrough happened in 1969, when he recorded a cover of Gilbert Beccaud's 'Nathalie". For the most of his career, Tapani has been resident actor in the Theater of Tampere and he is often used as a voice-over artist in animations. This song is not religious or biblical, but treats Noah's Ark as a symbol for change and hope for better times. As did the original, that was written and performed by Italian Sergio Endrigo and called "L'Arca Di Noé" (Noah's ark). In the lyrics the protagonist comperes his ship to Noah's ark becouse it's manned by "dog, the cat, me and you". Sergio was among the most popular and appreciated songwriters of Italy. He won the 1968 Sanremo Festival and finished third in 1970 with this 'Ark song'.

The Lord's Prayer - Isä meidän

We begin the Finnpicks religious days with a song whose lyrics are probably the best known in the world. I guess every Christian knows them by heart. Marjo-Riitta (b. Marjo-Riitta Kervinen) & Savannah released in 1974 a single with "Isä meidän" (Our Father) on the A-side. And the lyrics were 'The Lord's Prayer' in Finnish. Marjo-Riitta released many records in the 70's but inspite of her talents ("A technically unsurpassable and daring, yet stylish singer") always stayed in the second division of Finnish female singers. She acted as a solo singer and with her group Savannah and as a member in the pop group Ernos and in the vocal group Cascade. The lyrics of today's song are truly 'traditional', but the music was created in Australia in 1973. The performer was Roman Catholic nun called Sister Janet Mead who is a living legend in the Australian music industry. In 1973 she began making professional recordings of her music for churches and schools. One of the tracks she cut was a cover of the Donovan song "Brother Sun, Sister Moon". As an afterthought, she cut a rocked-up arrangement of "The Lord's Prayer", which had been put to music by one of her parishioners and musical collaborators, Arnold Strals. And the rest is history. The song became the highest selling Australian song ever, the first Australian-made record to sell more than one million copies in the USA, widest international Top 40 hit song by any Australian artist. And Sister Jane probably has been the only artist who actually gave away all royalties to charity.

Here's the pair:

Dirty Old Town - Viiden sillan maa

Like daughter like father. Yesterday we had Kirsty MacColl covered, now we have her father. The group Vilperin Perikunta (Heirs of Vilperi) recorded "Viiden sillan maa" (Land of five bridges) on their 1992 debut album "Gloria Vilperum". It was also released as a B-side of their first big hit single "Tervetuloa länteen, Andrej" (cover of "Down Under"). Vilperin Perikunta's name is an obvious tribute to Traveling Wilburys, and - just as in Wilburys - all the band members travel with surname Vilperi. Their songs are usually infested with comic and novelty ingredients, but some are 'almost serious', like this "Viiden sillan maa". The original song "Dirty Old Town" was written by Ewan MacColl, a famous British folk singer and songwriter (and father of Kirsty). The song was written already in the 40's in reference to Salford, a city in Lancashire, and the place where Ewan MacColl was brought up. And a city where both Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels spent time, studying the plight of the British working class. It was hard to find an original version of "Dirty Old Town", so we present here a later version performed by Ewan and Peggy Seeger (another British folk legend). Additionally, we give you the perhaps most known version, done by the Irish pop/folk group Pogues.

p.s. Starting tomorrow Finnpicks goes religious (whatever that may mean), for a few days ...

Here's the triplet:


You can see a selection of some hand-picked Youtube videos of today's Finnpick song by playing my shared playlist in tuberadio.fm.