In Summer - On lämmin

As the heatwave is catching up us Finns again, this song suits just well in the mood. And it has 'summer' written all over it. Markku Salo recorded "On lämmin" (It is warm) in 1965. I'm afraid I don't know anything about Markku Salo. He recorded three unsuccesful singles in 1964-65 and was never heard of since. Which is kind of pity, becouse at least this song shows that he would have got some potential. The original summer song was called "In Summer" and it was performed by Billy Fury, (b. Ronald William Wycherley).  Billy was a successful British singer from the late 50's to the mid 60's. Fury's Elvis Presley -influenced, hip-swivelling, and at times highly suggestive stage act contributed to his popularity. He never had number one UK hit, but this "In Summer" reached as high as number 5 in 1963.

Here's the pair:

This Ole House - Torppavanhus - Seiska

Kipparikvartetti ("Skipper Quartet") was the father of all Finnish vocal groups. It's heyday was in the 50's and at the time it was one of the most popular entertaining acts in Finland, doing radio- and TV shows, movies and recording a wealth of good music. Like this "Torppavanhus" (Old cottage) that was released in 1955 on a 78 rpm record. The lyrics were provided by Sauvo Puhtila. Puhtila did also a modernized version of the lyrics and Ismo Kallio (see earlier entry) recorded "Seiska" (Seven) in 1965, scoring a medium-size hit with it. The original song originated from the US country scene. "This Ole House" was written in 1954 by Stuart Hamblen, one of American radio's first singing cowboys. The version by Rosemary Clooney, featuring bass vocals by Thurl Ravenscroft, reached number 1 on the Billboard chart, but we present here the writer's version. There's a (non-verified) story behind the song. Hamblen was on a hunting expedition with his fellow hunter, actor John Wayne, when they came across a old hut in the mountains, many miles from civilization. They went into the hut and there, lying amongst the rubbish and rubble of a crumbling building, was the body of a dead man. This inspired Hamblin to write "This Ole House", an epitaph for a mountain man.

Here's the triplet:

Jak to dziewczyna - Varjojen yö

For his 1965 album "Lasse Mårtenson" Lasse Mårtenson recorded the song "Varjojen yö" (Night of the shadows). The excellent moody lyrics were done by Reino Helismaa. The original song was of Polish origin. It was called "Jak to dziewczyna" (Like a girl) and it tells a story about a poor piano player who one day created a girl out of the notes played on his piano, and fell in love with her. The song was made popular by singer and actor Jerzy Polomski (real name Jerzy Pajak), who scored many pop and schlager hits in Poland in the 60's and 70's. You can see a rare promotional film of the song, here. Another popular version was done by Polish songstress Irena Santor. You can see her perform the song, here. This dark eerie song has also been versioned several times in Finnish. Here is one popular one, performed by Topi Sorsakoski and Agents.

Here's the pair:

La chanson orientale - Yhdet ainoat autonvalot

This song is strangely enchanting. Ritva Palukka recorded only two singles, and this "Yhdet ainoat autonvalot" (Only one pair of headlights) was on the B-side of the first one. On the B-side was Ritva's version of the 1965 Eurovision song contest winner "Poupee de cire poupee de son". This B-side is unfairly forgotten, becouse it is far better than the A-side (at least in my opinion). The original song "Le chanson oriental" (The oriental song) was a European hit for French singer and crooner Sacha Distel (b. Alexandre Distel). Besides being a singer he also was an exceptional jazz guitarist. Sacha was a romantic icon who in France became a latterday Maurice Chevalier. The song tells a story of a man who meets a strange beautiful dancer while holidaying in the Orient.

Here's the pair:

Ti Guardero Del Cuore - More - Taas

It seems that this mini-series of "Finnpicks Goes To Movies" is also a series of lesser known Finnish 60's female singers. Lilja Luukkanen is one of them. She recorded only one single (in 1965) and this "Taas" (Again) was on it. For some reason this song has in Finland been versioned instrumentally far more times than vocally. Perhaps the reason for this is, that the original version was an instrumental tune. It was on the soundtrack of 1962 Italian 'documentary' film "Mondo Cane" (Dog's World). The film was directed by Paolo Cavara, Franco Prosperi, and Gualtiero Jacopetti, and it consisted glimpses of various odd cultural practices around the world with the intention to shock film audiences. Despite it is claimed to be genuine documentation, certain scenes in the film are either staged or creatively manipulated in order to enhance this effect. The movie's theme song "Ti Guardero Del Cuore" (translated in English version to "More") was written by famous scorewriters Riz Ortolani and Nino Oliviero. The song was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Song, but it didn't win the Oscar. "More" was made an instrumental hit for Kai Winding's Orchestra in 1963,but it has since become an evergreen with many vocal interpretations. We present here the original soundtrack version.

Here's the pair:

Home of the Brave - Miks hän ei olla saa niinkuin haluaa

Iris Rautio started her career in the 50's. Although being primarily jazz-singer, she did record seven pop singles in the 60's. This "Miks hän ei olla saa niinkuin haluaa" (Why can't one be as one wants to be) was one of those, released in 1965. It didn't have any great success, but it's a good example of Iris' talent in deploying her deep, dark voice. The original song was called "Home of the Brave" and it - as well as the Finnish version - told about those basic human rights; equality and liberty (hence the title reference to lyrics in US National Hymn) from the perspective of one human . It was written by famous US songwriter combo Cynthia Weill and Barry Mann (featured in Finnpicks before, here). The artist who made the first recording is debatable; either it was the girl group Bonnie & Treasures or pop & country singer Jody Miller. For the sake of equality (;-)) I present here both of their versions. Bonnie's (b. Charlotte Ann Matheny) record was produced by Phil Spector, as you might hear, but Jody's version fared better chartwise.

Here's the triplet:

Bread And Butter- Kaikki ruoka maittaa

Johnny recorded "Kaikki ruoka maittaa" (All the food tastes good) in 1965, and it was released on the B-side of his single (on the A-side was a Cliff Richard cover) . The original song was debut single called "Bread And Butter" for a Nashville pop vocal trio The Newbeats, which teamed singer Larry Henley and brothers Dean and Mark Mathis. The distinctive feature of the band was Henley's falsetto voice, and that helped "Bread And Butter" climb number two on the US pop charts in 1964. You can see the trio perform the song, here.

Here's the pair:

Hush Hush Sweet Charlotte - Tuuli kuiskaa sen

On the flipside of Eija Merilä's 1965 single "Ei ajatella huomispäivää" (finnpicked here) was another song from a movie soundtrack. It was called "Tuuli kuiskaa sen" (That's whispered by wind) and it is one of Eija's finest. Also Juha Vainio's lyrics are abound to touch your heart. The original song was "Hush Hush Sweet Charlotte" from the 1964 Richard Aldrich movie of the same name, superbly starred by Bette Davis. The song was written for the movie by Frank DeVol. The song was recorded by Patti Page and became one of her last Top 10 hits, reaching number 8 on the Billboard charts.

Here's the pair:

My Boy Lollypop - My boy lollipop

On the flipside of yesterday's Finnpick by Marion was "My boy lollipop". Instead of that we present a rare version of the song by Laila Kinnunen (see earlier entry) recorded in 1965, but only just recently released. The original "My Boy Lollipop" was written in the 50's and was originally recorded by an American singer Barbie Gaye (only 15 year old at the time). It became a minor r&b -hit in late 1956, with spelling "My Boy Lollypop" used. Of course the most famous version is the one recorded in 1964 by Jamaican singer Millie Small. Millie's version was recorded in a ska/bluebeat-style and this is considered to have been the first international ska hit. We present here the rarely heard original r&b -version. However, you can see Millie Small perform the song in TV, here.

Here's the pair:

Forget domani - Ei ajatella huomispäivää

Eija Merilä (see earlier entry) recorded "Ei ajatella huomispäivää" (Let's not think about tomorrow) in 1965. It was not a big hit, but definitely worth of re-listening. The melody and the hook line is bound to be stuck in your head. The original song was called "Forget Domani" and was introduced on the soundtrack of the movie "The Yellow Rolls-Royce", starrring Ingrid Bergman, Rex Harrison and Shirley MacLaine. The perky song was written by famous Italian composer Rizero "Riz" Ortolani. The english lyrics were made by Norman Newell and the late great Frank Sinatra recorded it 1965, making it one of his biggest hits in the 60's. The song tells us to take each day as it comes and to be in love, because when you're in love, tomorrow never comes.

Here's the pair:

That's the Way - Kaiken saan

Now is the time to keep an old promise of mine. Marion Rung recorded "Kaiken saan" (I'll get everything) in 1965. The original was "That's the Way"'. a song performed by The Honeycombs and produced by legendary Joe Meek. The Honeycombs were a London band with a female drummer, Ann "Honey" Lantree. The group's founder Martin Murray had worked as a hairdresser - Ann being his assistant. They decided to combine his profession with the nickname of the drummer, and changed their name to The Honeycombs. Previously they were known as the Sheratons. This song was written by Alan Blaikley, the other half of the famous songwriting team of Howard - Blaikley. And it's somewhat exceptional, as Honey is the lead singer alongside Dennis Dell, who usually was taking the lead.

Here's the pair:

Norma - Pikku Nina

Kari Kuuva (see previous entry) wrote himself nearly all of the songs he recorded. One of the rare covers that he did, in the beginning of his career in the 60's, was "Pikku Nina" (Tiny Nina) in 1965. It was the follow-up to his big break-through single "Tango Pelargonia". The tongue-in-cheek approach is not so eminent as in it's predecessor, but anyway, a subtle pastiche it is. The original tune was originally written by a Chilean composer Sergio Fernandez Garay. The original title was "Norma" (also frequently called "Norma Mia") and it was covered in many countries and in many languages. Most likely the version that Kari covered was done by an Italian singer Tony Dallara (b. Antonio Lardera). All in all, he's famous for two songs only; his 1958 hit "Come Prima", and the 1960 Sanremo Festival winner "Romantica". Both were international hits. This "Norma" was on the B-side of his 1963 single. BTW, our earlier finnpicked (here) Turkish lady Ajda Pekkan did an interesting Turkish version of this song in 1964 (when she was only 18). See and hear it here.

Fröken fräken - Pikku neiti porvoolainen

Matti Heinivaho (see previous entry) had a big hit with "Pikku neiti porvoolainen" (Little Miss from Porvoo) in 1965. The song is a tribute to that year's Miss Finland, Virpi Miettinen, who's home town was Porvoo. Virpi was a runner-up in both Miss Europe and Miss Universe Paget. The original song originated from Sweden and was called "Fröken fräken" (Miss freckles). It was written and performed by a Swedish singer, composer, lyricist, actor and musician, Thore Skogman in 1963, and was a tribute to beauties of Värmland. He got an idea of the song while reading a magazine and spotting a picture of red-haired girl with freckles. (no, it wasn't Pippi Longstocking). The song became smash hit in Sweden in 1964 when performed by pop group Sven-Ingvars.

Here's the triplet:

Donna Donna - Dona Dona

Seppo Hanski was for a short time one of the most popular Finnish singers in the 60's. He was actually a saxophonist and was more into jazz music, but started his recording career in 1965 cutting a tango tune. Later in the same yea´r his breakthrough came with the "Dona Dona", a song that became the biggest selling record for the latter part of 1965. Seppo had a couple of other big hits but unfortunately he lost his voice in tonsils operation and had to withdraw from the pop scene. The first popular English language version of the song titled as "Donna Donna" was done by Joan Baez on her debut album "Joan Baez" 1960. The original song was written as "Dana Dana" in Yiddish, for the musical play "Esterke" (1940-1941). It was composed by Sholom Secunda, a Jew living in the USA, and the song was written in days of Nazism. The original lyrics tell a story of how "calves are born and soon are slaughtered with no hope of being saved, only those with wing like swallow will not ever be enslaved". Undoubtedly describing the moood of the Jews under Nazis' rule. So quite a long shot from the Finnish version's beautiful poetic verses. I guess a few Finns knew about this background of the song at the time it was a hit.

Here's the pair:

Eve Of Destruction - Tuhon partaalla

It's a New Years Eve. Since we're living times of ominious signs in economics, it might be appropriate to listen this song :-). Kivikasvot was a vocal group that was formed in 1965 while the members were all serving in the Finnish Army. It consisted of Ismo Sajakorpi, Ilkka Hemming, Matti "Fredi" Siitonen ja Georg Dolivo. It was not primarily a recording group, but a group of entertainers that could sing in harmony. They had very succesful TV Show in the beginning of 70's. All individual members have established solo careers, especially Fredi, who has many times been presented in Finnpicks (see for example this entry). The quartet recorded "Tuhon partaalla" (On the brink of disaster) in 1965. The original is the well-known "Eve Of Destruction" sung by Barry McGuire on the crest of the 60's folk- and protest movement. Barry had been in the singing group New Christy Minstrels and co-wrote their first and biggest hit single: "Green, Green." He left the group in 1965 and continued as a solo folk rock singer. His one and only big hit was "Eve of Destruction" that went to #1 on charts. According to McGuire, it was recorded in one take on a Thursday morning and then he got a call from the record company at 7:00 the next Monday morning, telling him to turn on the radio - his song was playing.

Bella - Bella

When this guitar combo changed its name from "The Punks" (sic) to "The Roosters" in 1964, their career was airborne. They had their first gig in The Chistmas Party of The English Embassy in Helsinki! Roosters - like many of its contemporaries - lived through the 60's with ever-changing line-ups, and finally called it a day in 1969. The band resurrected in the 90's and keeps still rockin' - a couple of times per year ;-)."Bella" was their second single and was recorded in 1965. And I can honestly say it is better than the original. The original was written and performed by Jack Scott in 1959. Jack was a US singer of Italian origin (his real name was Giovanni Dominico Scafone Scott), but born in Canada (!). He is better knwown as rockabilly singer, but this "Bella" is definitely not rockabilly. And as I already said, the Finnish version beats Jack's anytime.

Updated on 16.04.2010: added the first Finnish version by Tuula ja Paula.

Here's the pair:

Il Peperone - Tyttö niin pieni

For some reason Italian songs have always (well, at least in the 50's, 60's and 70's) been near to the Finnish heart. It's in a way quite peculiar, becouse Italians and Finns are quite far a part as people. But I guess the magic of melodic and rhythmic songs overpowers both slavic and latin people. A fine example of this is Katri Helena's (see previous entry) "Tyttö niin pieni" (A girl so tiny), a single and a small hit for for her in 1965. The original song "Il Peperone" (Pepper) was composed and performed by a lesser known Italian star Edoardo Vianello in 1965. Edoardo's heydays as a pop singer were in the beginning of the 60's and this song was one of his last commercial successes.

Here's the pair:

Lui - Lui

Katri Helena (b. Katri Helena Koistinen) is the Finnish icon for the female singers. She has recorded over 400 songs, published some 30 albums and the sales of her records has exceeded 1 million units many years ago - for those she has earned 14 Gold Records, Katri Helena started her recording career in 1963 and is still making succesful albums. She has represented Finland in ESC twice - in 1979 and 1993. In 1965 she recorded "Lui". It is quite representative of her style at the time. The rhythmic song became favourite among the youth. The original song "Lui" (He) was performed by the Italian songstress Rita Pavone. Rita's tomboy looks and acts were quite a novelty in those days. She had chart success in the 60's all over Europe and even in the USA.

Update: On 27th of March, 2009 I added Finnish rock version done by the group 'Se'.

Here's the triple:

Yeh Yeh - Yeh Yeh

Lars 'Lasse' Mårtenson was among the most popular Finnish pop- and jazz singers in the 1960's. He started his career in 1950's with the group Lasse Mårtenson Trio, in which he sang lead and played keyboards. Later he went solo and recorded several pop hits and appeared in many TV Shows. He represented Finland in Eurovision Song Contest 1964 performing his own composition "Laiskotellen". Since the 70's Lasse has concentrated in composing music for movies and television. In 1965 he recorded the jazzy "Yeh yeh" that suited very well for Lasse's laid-back singing style. The original - almost instrumental - tune was recorded in 1963 by Latin Jazz legend Ramón 'Mongo' Santamaria. It was written by Mongo's pianist Rodgers Grant in collaboration with saxophone player Pat Patrick. Jazz vocalist Jon Hendricks later added original lyrics and recorded the song at the Newport Jazz Festival 1963.In 1965 the song became international hit as a vocal version by British rhythm and blues and jazz singer Georgie Fame (real name Clive Powell).

Here's the pair:

Universal Soldier - Palkkasoturi

Folk music took Finland by the storm in the beginning of the sixties. Hector (real name Heikki Veikko Harma) was one of the forerunners in the Finnish folk movement. Later in the 70's he really made his breakthrough, first in the group Cumulus and later as a prominent singer-songwriter on his own. Hector's first single was "Palkkasoturi" (The Mercenary) recorded in 1965. The Finnish lyrics were also done by him. The original is the classic folk anthem "Universal Soldier" written by a canadian folk singer Buffy Sainte-Marie. The song was in her first album (1964) 'It's my way!'. It became internationally known in 1965 when Donovan made it a hit.

Here's the pair: