The Last Waltz - Viimeinen valssi

Thia ia the last waltz in Finnpicks. Harri Haka (real name Stig Hagström) recorded "Viimeinen valssi" (Last waltz) in 1967 but didn't succeed chartwise with it. It was the A-side to "Peltipurkki", finnpicked earlier, see here.  The Finnish lyrics were done by Jyrki Lindström, who was a popular lyricist and translator especially in the 60's, but his career as a lyricist was quite short. Pasi Kaunisto (see earlier entry) recorded the same song two years later for his debut album. The original song, "The Last Waltz", was written by English sonqwriers Batty Mason and Leslie Reed and it was s smash hit for Engelbert Humperdinck (b. Arnold George Dorsey) in 1967. You can see him perform the song, here.

Only 4 Finnpicks to go.

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Morningtown Ride - Matka aamun kaupunkiin

Erkki Liikanen started his recording career in the 60's, but his single releases were not very succesful at the time. This "Matka aamun kaupunkiin" (The ride to morningtown) was his 6th single and was released in 1967. The Finnish lyrics were done by Jussi Raittinen, a popular pop/rock artist, and the arrangements by Aarno Raninen, also a singing artist in his own right. The original song was a lullaby written by American folk legend Malvina Reynolds (finnpicked earlier, see here) in 1957. However she didn't record it herself until 1970. The first recording was made by the folk group Limeliters in 1962 for their live album "Through Children's Eyes". It was later recorded by The Seekers and released on their 1964 album "Hide and Seekers". For some reason, it wasn't released as a single until 1966, when it became international hit for them. You can see them perform the song, here.

Just 25 Finnpicks to go.

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Walk With Me - Päivän vain

Anki Lindqvist recorded "Päivän vain" (For only a day) for her album "Sateen jälkeen" in 1967. For some reason the song was never released as a single. Two other Finnish versions of the same song were released in that same year. But none of those became a hit. The Finnish lyrics (used by all three) were provided by Juha Vainio. The original song "Walk With Me" was written by singer-songwriter and producer Tom "Dusty's Brother" Springfield. The Seekers had a big hit with it in 1966. It peaked at 10 in the UK and at 31 in Australia in October of 1966. In January 1967 The Seekers achievements were recognised at the highest level in their homeland when they were named Australians of the Year, becoming the first popular musicians to be so honoured.

37 Finnpicks to go.

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Die Rose War Rot - Ruusu on punainen

Today is the 94th Independence Day of Finland. Finnpicks gives this musical birthday rose to Finland. Tauno Palo was probably the most popular Finnish male actor ever. In addition to acting he recorded several songs, of which this "Ruusu on punainen" (The rose is red) is most famous. It was released in 1967 and became a well-deserved hit. The Finniah lyrics were provided by Sauvo "Saukki" Puhtila and the arranghement was done by Aarno Raninen. The anti-war lyrics depict the various wars the Finns have been involved in. And reminds us that bloodshed has not been in vain, however, Finland being now independent country. The original song - or chanson - was of German origin and was called "Die Rose War Rot" (The rose was red). It was released in the then-day DDR in 1966 and interpreted by German TV- and film actor Gerry Wolff. You can see Gerry perform the song at the Polish Sopot Music Festival, here.

41 Finnpicks to go.

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The Day I Met Marie - Kun taas tavattiin

Erkki Pohjanheimo (see earlier entry) recorded "Kun taas tavattiin" (When we met again) in 1967. but, sadly, no hit for Erkki. The original song "The Day I Met Marie" was a hit in 1967 for Cliff Richard. It reached number 10 in the UK Singles Chart and some consider it to be the quintessential summer hit, due to its summery nature. Cliff has told that this is one of his own favourites. It's written by Shadows guitarist Hank Marvin. You can see Cliff perform the song, here.

69 Finnpicks to go.

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Candy Girl - Aivan ehdoton

On the flipside of the previously finnpicked Topmost 1967 single (Hän sinut jättää/Two Kinds Of Lovers, see here) was this "Aivan ehdoton" (Truly uncomparable). The song features comparatively rare Finnish falsetto singing. The Finnish lyrics were provided by Jyrki Lindström. The original song "Candy Girl" was a big hit for Four Seasons in 1963.  It was written by Larry Santos and produced by Bob Crewe, and it was the first original Four Seasons single not composed by either Bob Gaudio or Bob Crewe.  "Candy Girl" reached No. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart.

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Sunshine. Lollipops and Rainbows - Peltipurkki

Stig Hagström used the pseudonym Harri Haka and recorded five unsuccessful singles in 1966-1968. Perhaps he got fed up with the success avoiding him, and quit his recording career so early. The talent he had, for sure. This "Peltipurkki" he recorded in 1967. The original song "Sunshine, Lollipops, and Rainbows" was performed by US songstress Lesley Gore. It was released on Gore's 1963 album "Lesley Gore Sings of Mixed-Up Hearts". When released as as a single it peaked at number 13 on the Billboard Hot 100. The song was composed by future star, then 19 years old Marvin Hamlisch and produced by Quincy Jones. BTW, this song must be one of the shortest in hit history, just over a minute and a half long.

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Massachusetts - Muistan valon vain

Finnpicks Grand Tour of USA heads to North. Martti Koskimo (see earlier entry)  recorded "Muistan valon vain" (I remember only the light) in 1967. Unfortunately it faced the same destiny as all his few recordings; it was not a hit. Even if the original song was quite popular in Finland. "Massachusetts" was a big worldwide hit for Bee Gees in 1967. The state of Massachusetts (or "Commonwealth of Massachusetts", as it's officially called) has got it's name from the original people of a region, the Massachusett, which can be traslated as people living "near the great hill". When the Bee Gees wrote the song, they had never been to Massachusetts. The boys simply loved the word. It was originally intended to be recorded by The Seekers, but they didn't. The Seekers finally recorded it after Maurice Gibb's death in 2003, as a tribute to him.
  
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I Dig Rock'n Roll Music - Jos sais kerran reissullansa

The First had a couple of hits in the 60's. The biggest of those was "Meni hermot" (finnpicked earlier, see here) but this 1967 release of "Jos sais kerran reissullansa" (If I could once get lucky) was also popular. The original song was a a hit for folk group Peter, Paul and Mary in 1967, peaking at number 9 on the Billboard Top 100. The song was co-written by Paul (Stookey). It includes several lyrical and musical references to contemporary artists, including The Mamas & the Papas, Donovan, and The Beatles. The final verse suggests that socially conscious messages CAN be included in rock and roll songs, but they must be hidden "between the lines" in order to make them suitable for commercial radio airplay. You can see P,P&M's free-spirited live performance of the song here.

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Alternate Title - Voitko lopettaa

Arto Sotavalta recorded "Voitko lopettaa" in 1967 and it was released on the B-side of his big hit single "Löysin rantein" (finnpicked here) The lyrics were written by Arto himself. The original song was written by Monkee Micky Dolenz as "Randy Scouse Git" while visiting England and after partying with Beatles. The nonsense title is a modern day English idiom (deriven from a popular TV show) meaning something like 'sexually aroused Liverpudlian jerk'. So, we can easily spot some odd reference to Beatles. The record company refused to release the song under that title and asked Micky to come up with an alternate title, And he did just what was requested. Hence the title "Alternate Title". The song was a Top 5 hit for The Monkees in UK, but was not released as a single worldwide. However, it was the last track on their "Headquarters" album. You can see them perform the song here in unfortunatle badly off-sync video clip.

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Malaika - Malaika

One of unknown, unsung Finnish pop singer heroes in the 60's was Martti Koskimo. He was the founding member of the group Ernos, but soon went solo, and recorded a couple of singles in the latter part of the decade, but his imminent breakthrough never realized. In 1967 he released "Malaika", with backing by the orchestra of Rauno Lehtinen and to the lyrics by Juha Vainio. The original song came from Kenya, Africa. It was written and first performed by Kenyan musician Fadhili William Mdavida. It has been said that Fadhili and this song "Malaika" put Kenya on the International music map. In the 50's Fadhili served as a session musician and arranger playing second guitar on many recordings. He was among the first in East Africa to use an electric guitar. In 1959, he created the band Jambo Boys, with whom he recorded the legendary "Malaika" in 1963. The song has been versioned by many international stars. We present here one of the most popular versions done by Miriam Makeba and Harry Belafonte.

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Too Late My Love - Liian myöhään

Fredi recorded "Liian myöhään" (Too late) in 1967 .It was released as a single, on the B-side of his Eurovision Song Contest entry "Varjoon suojaan". It's a shame that this fine piece of music has been shadowed by that contest song. The original song was called "Too Late My Love". It was also a B-side (far from being a hit), in 1965 for a British band called A Band Of Angels. They were a mid 1960s pop group, featuring Mike d'Abo on vocals. D'Abo also wrote this song. He subsequently moved to Manfred Mann, when lead vocalist Paul Jones was replaced by him in July 1966, So, Mike's singing lead on this finnpick.

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I Can't Control Myself - Sua varten rakkautein ei ollutkaan

In our recurring series "Both Sides Now" here's the B-side to yesterday's Kai Hyttinen finnpick. "Sua varten rakkautein ei ollutkaan" (My love was not for you, after all) is one of those songs that obviously have never been published in any other form that on that particular single in 1967. Well, I'm not saying it's a crying shame, but nevertheless this is an interesting example of Kai's pop years. In addition, we present another Finnish version done by Moog Konttinen (see earlier entry) in 2000. The original song "I Can't Control Myself" was a controversial hit in 1966 for British band The Troggs, written by band's leader Reg Presley. The suggestive lyrics restricted it's airplay in some places, but it did not stop the song going up to number 2 in UK charts. Here's a promotional film for the song.

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Dead End Street - Pieleen!

Well, let's make this weekend to a Kuju Weekend, by presenting another of Kai "Kuju" Hyttinen's classic covers from the 60's. He recorded "Pieleen" (Missed!) in 1967. It was released as Kai's 4th single following up the "Susi Pekka", yesterday's finnpick. It was a modest hit, but Kai's career really boomed following year when he recorded more schlager-type material. The original "Pieleen" was Kinks' big hit "Dead End Street" in 1966. This song is about the hopelessness of the British unemployed lower class, and the difficulty for many of getting away from the desperate situation they find themselves in. You can see a rare promotional film of the song, here.

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Two Kinds of Lovers - Hän sinut jättää

This is to my mind one of the finest moments in the Finnish 60's pop music. Topmost (see earlier entry) recorded "Hän sinut jättää" (She will be leaving you) in 1967. It is superbly arranged and sung harmony pop, and - in my opinion - beats the original, whatever it is. The original song was called "Two Kinds of Lovers" and it was written by American songwriter duo Kasha and Hirschhorn. The song was included in the first album (1966) by Spanish pop group Los Bravos, and I guess Topmost picked it up from there, becouse they also covered the "Black Is Black" from the same album. Probably it is not the original version, but I have not found any other, of which the one by Australian/British group The Gibsons is a strong contender. Los Bravos was by far the most popular (internationally) Spanish pop group in the 60's. The band originally were an amalgamation of two Spanish pop groups, Los Sonor and The Runaways. Their lead singer, Mike Kogel (aka Mike Kennedy), was from Germany.

Updated on 18.09.2010: added The Gibsons' version, which clearly is the one that Topmost brilliantly covered.

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C'mon Marianne - Marianne

"Marianne" was the first single of Tapani Kansa, released in 1967. He did not like it, but it however launched a very successful an long-lasting career for him. The original, "C'mon Marianne" was performed by The Four Seasons. The single was the last Four Seasons single to reach the Top Ten in the 1960s, At the time the lead singer Frankie Valli was already starting his solo career. The song includes a very Motown-like riff, one which The Doors also used in their 1969 single "Touch Me". A group called Grapefruit had a hit with their version of "C'mon Marianne" in UK in 1968.

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I'm Going Out - Kun lähden pois

Ringa ja Kaksoset (see earlier entry) recorded "Kun lähden pois" (When I'm going away) in 1967. It was the A-side of their first single. It didn't sell much but got them into a television program and subsequently into touring with Johnny. The original song was performed by American pop singer Lesley Gore (b. Lesley Sue Goldstein) and it was called "I'm Going Out (The Same Way I Came In)". It was the B-side of her 1967 Top 20 single "California Nights", and it was versioned in UK that same year by Helen Shapiro.

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Making Memories - Näin tehdään muistoja

This could be the theme song for Finnpicks. Lasse Mårtenson (see earlier entry) recorded "Näin tehdään muistoja" (That's the way to make memories) 1967. It was not such a big success at the time, but it has become some sort of 'Mårtenson classic'. The lyrics were made by Lasse himself, using pseudonym 'L. Vaajakorpi'. There was also a popular TV Show of the same name, starring Lasse Mårtenson. The original song was a 1967 hit for 50's singer legend Frankie Laine. Frankie has been finnpicked before; look here and here. About this theme song thing - well, actually the theme of Finnpicks should be 'Remaking Memories' ;-).

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24 Sycamore - 8 Kesäkuuta

Topmost (see earlier entry) recorded only 6 singles. One of those and one of their biggest hits was the cover of Procol Harum's "A Whiter Side Of Pale" released in 1967. On the B-side of that single was an often forgotten Topmost song "8. kesäkuuta" (8th of June), which was their version of Gene Pitney's hit "24 Sycamore". In the late 60's and in the 70's Gene was more popular in Europe (especially in UK) than in USA, and perhaps that's why this song was written for him by British songwriter duo Less Reed and Barry Mason. The lyrics are a bit ambiguous, and you might wonder if the "girl, the one that I just left behind at 24 Sycamore" was dead or alive ...

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The Letter - Pienet Kirjeet

"Pienet Kirjeet" was the B-side of the 1967 single of Robin. The A-side was earlier finnpicked (see it here) "Ei se pelaa joka pelkää". The A-side was a big hit, but this flipside is long forgotten. The original song "The Letter" was written by Wayne Carson Thompson, an American country musician, songwriter and producer. But the song is not a country tune, but as a superb pop rock piece made by the group Box Tops. It was released in 1967 and reached number one on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100. The record, produced by Dan Penn, sold over four million copies and even received two Grammy awards nominations. The band Box Tops was headed by then-16-year-old Alex Chilton . The composer Thompson played guitar on the recording and he didn't like the Chilton's singing, believing the lead vocal was too husky ... You can see and hear the husky Alex here.

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