Sing, Sing, Sing - Musta Pekka

Today Brita Koivunen turns 80. To honour her birthday we now present her wonderful rendition of "Musta Pekka" (Black Peter). It was released in 1957 on the B-side of a 78-rpm single. Maybe that's why this song has been largely forgotten. The Finnish lyrics were crafted by Sauvo "Saukki" Puhtila. The original song, the swing classic "Sing, Sing, Sing" was first recorded (1936) by Louis Prima, who als wrote the tune. The original name was "Sing, Bing, Sing" - referring to Bing Crosby - but it was later adjusted to be more general expression. The song became big orchestral hit in 1937, when adapted by Benny Goodman's Orchestra. And the tune has since been the very emblem of the swing era.

Here's the triplet:

Glendora - Ikkunaprinssi - Ikkunaprinsessa

This is a familiar song, but I wasn't aware of the first Finnish version - sung from the female point of view - until recently. Seija Lampila (see earlier entry)  recorded "Ikkunaprinssi" (Window prince) in 1957. It was not a hit and remained a forgotten gem. However, the same song became more popular when released by Olavi Virta in 1958 on the B-side of his mega-hit "Poika varjoisalta kujalta". But the biggest Finnish breakthrough came in 1982, when Rauli Badding Somerjoki released his classic version as "Ikkunaprinsessa" (Window princess). The original song "Glendora" was a great succes for Perry Como in 1956. The song deals with a man's unusual attraction to a department store mannequin, and his disillusionment when, at the end of the song, he happens to see it disassembled during the store's renovation.

Here's the bunch:

Boy On A Dolphin - Delfiinipoika

Seija Karpiomaa recorded "Delfiinipoika" (Dolphin Boy) in 1957. It was the A-side of her first single that included our earlier finnpick "Maruzzella" (see previous entry) on the B-side. Both songs were great successes and launched her career in a good foot. Her career although remained short as she took singing only as a hobby. The original song "Boy On A Dolphin" was from a sountrack for the movie of the same name. The film was set in Greece and starred Sophia Loren and it was Sophia's American film debut. The plot of the movie revolves retrieving an ancient Greek statue of a boy riding a dolphin from the bottom of the Aegean Sea. Loren plays a Greek sponge diver who accidentally found the statue. The title song can be heard in the opening credits. It was performed in smoky, sensual voice delivered by the famous songstress Julie London (b. Gayle Peck), in her famous style of singing intimately close to the microphone accompanied only by a guitar.

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:

Maruzzella - Maruzella

Italian songs became especially popular in Finland in the latter part of the 50's. The reason for that was probably the success of Italian movies at the same time. In 1957 altogether FOUR Finnish singers recorded "Maruzella", a song made famous in finalnd by Italian Umberto Marcato. One of those 4 was Seija Karpiomaa. Seija was known for her dark alto voice. She also played harmonica and guitar. Her singing career was a short one, lasting only until 1962. "Maruzella" was the B-side of her first record which was a great success. The original song titled "Maruzzella" was composed and first performed by the Neapolitan singer legend, Renato Carosone. The song was dedicated to his wife Marisa, and is sometimes referred as 'the official song of Naples'. There was also a movie (directed by Luigi Capuano) in 1956 called "'Maruzzella' in which Renato played a part.

Here's the pair: