Snowbird - Lumilintu

Now that major part of Finland has finally been covered with snow, I find it appropiate to present this song. Päivi Paunu released "Lumilintu" (Snowbird) in 1971 as a single. It was arranged by Rauno Lehtinen and the Finnish lyrics were written by Chrisse Johansson. The original song "Snowbird" came from Canada, It was written by Gene MacLelland, who wrote also "Put Your Hand in the Hand" (finnpicked here)  and made popular by Anne Murray. The song was on her second studio album "This Way Is My Way" issued in 1969. In 1970 the song reached number 8 on the US pop singles chart. You can hear Gene perform his version of the song, here.

38 Finnpicks to go.

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Dancing And Drinking - Lisää vodkaa

Like Irishmen, the Finns have a reputation to be heavy drinkers. Well I don't know if that's true today, but in the 70's it might have been. So, in the spirit (;-)) of that era, we present "Lisää vodkaa" (More vodka), performed by the group Rolf Bergström & Pyhimykset from the year 1971.  It was released as a single, but failed to hit the charts. The group's claim to fame was their version of "Rock Your Baby", which was a hit in 1974. The original song, titled "Dancing And Drinking", originated not from Ireland but from Netherlands. There's not much info on the performing artist, the group Plastic People. They were a four-piece band from Amsterdam, and this was probably their only Top 20 hit in Netherlands. It reached number 14 in 1970, and the single was released also in UK, but went unnoticed there. But the Finns picked it up ...   

50 Finnpicks to go.

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Sadness of a Summer's Afternoon - Uskon päivään kauniimpaan

Päivi Paunu recorded "Uskon päivään kauniimpaan" (I believe in a more bautiful day) in 1971 for her album of the same name. The Finnish lyrics were made by Vexi Salmi. I coukd see hit potential in the song, and it was released as a single, but only on the B-side to her cover of Band's "The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down". The original version of today's finnpick "Sadness Of A Summer's Afternoon" is quite a rare song, and I apologize of the inferior quality of the recording. But that's the only version I found. The performer is called James Horne, and the song was released on the UK RAK label in 1971. I don't know anything about James Horne, but the composers of the song are familiar (finnpicked before) - Alan Blaikley and Ken Howard.

54 Finnpicks to go.

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Mama Packed A Picnic Tea - Miten olis pienet teet

Let's present another one from Marco I, or Markku Härkönen. He used his real name when releasing this "Miten oli pienet teet" (How about a cuppa tea) in 1971. Of his recorded out of 8 songs this song was most close to be a hit . It has become some kind of 'underground classic'. The finnish lyrics were provided by Chrisse Johansson. The original song was called "Mama Packed A Picnic Tea". It was one of the lesser known Matt Monro singles, released in 1971.  The song tells about an English family, who made it their Sunday picnic to go to see different kind of accidents and nature disasters. And one day they apparently met their destiny in a similar kind of accident. An odd story, it is ... The producer of the record was the one and only George Martin and in deed you can hear some familiar beatles-que elements in the production.

56 Finnpicks to go.

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Menina - Menina

Since this blog is going to be past it's lifetime when the next Eurovision Song Contest takes place, there will not be the traditional ESC Countdown Week next spring. So here's one song that would have been included in that countdown. Mimmi Mustakallio recorded "Menina" in 1971. Sadly, it was no hit. The original was an excellent song, also called "Menina" (a.k.a  "Menina do alto da serra", meaning something like "The high ridge girl"). It was the Portuguese entry in the 1971 ESC in Dublin. It was performed by songstress named Tonicha (b. Antónia de Jesus Montes Tonicha Viegas), and placed 9th, which was the best result for Portugal in ESC up to that point. You can see Tonicha present the song live in Dublin, here. BTW, this is the first song of Portuguese origin in Finnpicks.

71 Finnpicks to go.

Las Campanas del Olvido - Vuoriston kellot

After a long time, we meet Carola again. Upon entering in the 70's she changed record company and in 1971 on the B-side of the first single was this "Vuoriston kellot" (The bells of the mountain range). The A-side song "Herrojen kanssa pellon laidassa" became a hit, but the B-side has also become one of Carola's classics. The Finnish lyrics were this time written by Tuula Valkama. The original song was an old Colombian folk song "Las Campanas del Olvido" (The bells of oblivion), that has of course been versioned several times. I have chosen the legendary Colombian duo Garzon y Collazos. Dario Garzon and Eduardo Collazos began their collaboration in the end of thirties in the town of Ibague, the capital of the Tolima province. Their golden age was in the latter part of the 40's and in the 50's. Garzon wrote their songs, but their most precious legacy was performing the traditional Colombian folklore music, in the genres like 'bambuco', 'guabina' and 'pasillo'. Today's finnpick is an example of 'bambuco' music.

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Ra-ta-ta - Ra-ta-ta

It's been a while since we last finnpicked Fredi. Well - now it's the time. He recorded a song named "Ra-ta-ta" in 1971. It was released on the B-side of his big hit "Rakkaustarina" (cover of "Love Story Theme"). Te Finnish lyrics were written by Fredi's friend and co-member in vocal group Kivikasvot, Georg Dolivo. The original "Ra-ta-ta" was a continental hit in 1970 for German studio group called Rotation. The composer of the song was Leipzig-born Chris Juwens (b. Uwe Stelzmann), who wrote a couple other light-weight hits for a.o. Joe Dassin. Some of those have been covered also in Finland, and maybe we can present them here one day ...

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Cracklin' Rosie - Aikansa kutakin

Kisu recorded "Aikansa kutakin" (There's a time for everything) in 1971 for his album "Sinulle". It was not released as a single, although the original song was quite popular in Finland. The Finnish lyrics for this one were made by Chrisse Johansson. The original was from the composing pen of Neil Diamond and he also had a big hit with the song. "Cracklin' Rosie" was Diamond's first American number 1 hit. The single version released in 1970 was in mono, while the album version (from "Tap Root Manuscript") was in stereo. We present here the album version. You can see Neil perform the song, here.

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What Is Life - Mikä saa ihmisen elämään

Oliver (real name Veikko Laiho) ventured in pop singer career during the first his years of the 70's, and made a couple of singles. None of them were hits, so I guess Oliver called it quits. However, he has recorded several songs in other music genres, e.g. schlager and Christmas music. This "Mikä saa ihmisen elämään" (What makes a man to live) was released as a single in 1971 and the Finnish lyrics were witten by Chrisse Johansson. The original song "What Is Life" was on George Harrison's 1970 album "All Things Must Pass" and was the second single culled from the album, the first one being "My Sweet Lord" (finnpicked here). The album was recorded just after the break-up of Beatles and was co-produced by Phil Spector. As "My Sweet Lord", also "What Is Life" was actually written for Billy Preston, but Harrison decided not to ask Preston to record the song, seeing the song as too much of a "catchy pop tune".

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I Did What I Did For Maria - Tein mitä tein vuoks Marian

Kristian Jernström aka Kisu, recorded "Tein mitä tein vuoks Marian" (I did what I did for Maria) in 1971 and it was released as a single, but received no greater attention. As far as I know, it has never been released on any of Kisu's albums. The lyrics were provided by Chrisse Johansson. The original song was a worldwide hit for Tony Christie. "I Did What I Did For Maria" was written by two successful British songwriters Peter Callander and Mitch Murray (b. Lionel Stitcher). The duo is perhaps best known for their collaboration in "The Night Chicago Died" and "Billy Don't Be A Hero". This "Maria" -song is thematically like the other famous murder and revenge ballad "Delilah". You can see Tony Christie perform the song here. BTW, on the other side of Kisu's single was another Tony Christie cover, "Las Vegas".

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La Pioggia - Mä aurinkoon jään

Matti Esko released his first, eponymous, album in 1971. This "Mä aurinkoon jään" (I'll stay in the sun) was on it and it was also released as a single, however failing to create any chart action. Matti's breakthrough was still some years away. The original song did not tell about sun, in fact the lyrics dealt with rain, "La Pioggia" in Italian, and how the love conquers it; "... rain does not exist if you look at me". The song was was performed in 1969 San Remo music festival by Gigliola Cinquetti, and it became a deserved hit for her. You can see the performance, here. Gigliola is of course best remembered by being the Eurovision Song Contest winner in 1964.

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Mr. Monday - Huomispäivään - Maanantai

This is a song for today. Markku Aro recorded "Maanantai" (Monday) in 1974. It was never released as a single, and it was not on any of Markku's own albums. It was released only on the compilation album "Soitellaan 4". The original Finnish version was, however, done by a singer named Simon Scott (b. Veikko Salonen) (see earlier entry) in 1971, released on his sole album "Simon Scott". It was titled "Huomispäivään" (Till tomorrow) and the lyrics were provided by Chrisse Johansson. The original song "Mr. Monday" was witten by songwriter duo Dennis Lambert and Brian Potter. Their works have been finnpicked before, here and here . The song was a big hit in 1969 in Japan and Canada for the Canadian folk-pop group The Original Caste. The groups style was characterized by rich tight vocals and a clean sound not unlike The Carpenters and the Mamas & The Papas.

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Marinai donne e guai - Merimiehet nainen tuska

Today is the 83rd birthday of Italian singer and composer Domenico Modugno. His songs have been frequently covered in Finnish. Here's one of the lesser known examples. Tuulikki Eloranta (who has earlier made a 'guest appearance' in Finnpicks, see here) recorded "Merimiehet nainen tuska" (The sailors, the woman, the pain) in 1971. The lyrics were written by a famous Finnish poet Jarkko Laine. It was released as a single, but sunk without a trace. It was most unfortunate, becouse it was an excellent beat version of the original one. And it was a song called "Marinai donne e guai" (Sailors, women and troubles) from the Italian 1958 movie of the same name, It was written and performed by Domenico Modugno. In that same year he did his major international breakthrough with "Nel blu dipinto di blu", better known as "Volare".

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Il mare in cartolina - Huulet huulia on

We have met Kössi Härmä once before (see earlier entry) . He released several singles and one album in 70's, but never achieved any great success with any of those. This song "Huulet huulia on" (Jokes are just jokes) was released as a single in 1971, on the flipside of that earlier finnpick of his. The lyrics were written by Vexi Salmi. The original song was called "Il mare in cartolina" (The sea in postcard) was a modest hit for Italian singer Isabella Iannetti, after faring well in the RAI Television's popular song contest "Un disco per l'estate" (A record for the summer) in 1970.

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Le Rossignol Anglais - On jo yö

Hortto Kaalo was once the most popular vocal group in Finland, and it specialized in Romany Music. They released their first single "Miksi ovet ei aukene meille" in 1970. It was an instant hit. Their first two albums went gold. This "On jo yö" (It's already night) was the B-side to their another hit "Ei kenenkään lähimmäinen" in 1971. The original song "Le Rossignol Anglais" (English nightingale) was a big hit in French-speaking countries in 1964 for French singer and guitarist Hugues Aufray. The troubadour Hugues wrote his own music (including this finnpick), but also covered in French several Bob Dylan songs. In 1964 Aufray represented Luxembourg in the Eurovision Song Contest placing 4th with his song "Dès que le printemps revient".

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Get Out of the Kitchen - Alahan tulla

Well. this is a requested song, and I'm happy to be of help. Kisu recorded "Alahan tulla" (Come on) in 1971. It was released on his album "Sinulle" as well as a single, but it went unnoticed, The original song "Get Out of the Kitchen" was a minor hit in 1970 for Peter Gordeno (b. Peter Godenho), who was born in Rangoon, Burma (presentt day Myanmar)., but made his career in Great Britain. He was a dancer, singer and actor but most successful as a choreographer. This "Kitchen" song was written by famous songwriting duo Albert Hammond and Mike Hazlewood.

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Oh Lady Mary - Voi pikku Meeri

Simon Scott (real name Veikko Salonen) was an aspiring new singer talent at the start of 70's. Following the tracks of Tapani Kansa, Markku Aro etc., he tried to establish himself as a pop star. Well, he got the voice and the looks, but he never succeeded. One of his single releases was this "Voi pikku Meeri" (Oh little Meeri) in 1971, sung to the lyrics of Chrisse Johansson. The covered song "Oh Lady Mary" was made popular in Europe by a Dutch-born singer named David Alexandre Winter (b. Leon Kleerekoper), who - under the name John van Doorn - was once a DJ at legendary pirate station Radio Veronica. After moving to France his debut single, "Oh Lady Mary", sold over million copies and it was number one for five weeks in 1969. Winter sung for Luxembourg at the 1970 Eurovision Song Contest (The song, "Je suis tombé du ciel", came last with zero points).

Updated on 26.08.2010: added the original 1967 Turkish song "Samanyolu" (Milky Way) performed by Berkant.

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Here Comes That Rainy Day Feeling Again - Taas päivän pilvisen eessäni nään

After weeks of hot and dry spell we now have clouds and freshening rain. So, it's about time to listen to this song. Three drummers and aspiring singers Vesa Enne, Erkki Liikanen and Timo Tervo (real name Timo Tervomaa) got together and made two singles. On the first of those - recorded in 1971 - was this "Taas päivän pilvisen eessäni nään" (I see a cloudy day ahead of me again), Although being a very good song and a good interpretation by the the trio, it went unnoticed. And it is very hard to find these days. Vesa Enne was some kind of teen movie star in the beginning of 60's, acting and singing rock'n roll in in 4 films. Erkki Liikanen (see earlier entry) had started his career in the 60's but made it big as a solo singer in the 70's. Timo Tervo made also several solo records in the 70's, but his destiny is to be remembered by being father to pop and rock starlet Jonna Tervomaa. The original song "Here Comes That Rainy Day Feeling Again" was written by the two famous Rogers - Cook and Greenaway, this time collaborating with Tony Macaulay. And it was made hit in 1971 by the British pop harmony group The Fortunes.

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La Golondrina - Kun kesä on

This song has been discussed a while back in the Finnpicks comments (see ealier entry). Now it is a suitable time to present it here. Susanna Nio (real name Susanna Lönnberg) sung "Kun kesä on" (When it is summer) in 1971. As you can hear from her voice she was quite young and in deed she was a some kind of child star at the time. She's still in the music business, doing gigs as a singer fronting the dance orchestra DozenBeat. The "Kun kesä on" song has become a classic summer song, both for children and adults. The original song "La Golondrina" (The Swallow) has been versioned in Finnish by several artists, with at least 4 or 5 different lyrics. The lyrics for Susanna's song were made by famous female lyricist Tuula Valkama. The song was written by a Mexican composer Narciso Serradell Sevilla alreay in 1883. The first recording with Spanish lyrics was done by Mexican singer Carlo Francisco in 1906, and we are proud to present it here. The lyrics of "La Golondrina" the image of a migrating swallow to describe sentiments of longing for one's homeland. In 1961 the American songwriter duo Felice & Boudleaux Bryant provided the English lyrics, and the song got the title "She Wears My Ring". The original version with these lyrics was recorded by a Canadian country singer Jimmy Bell (real name Jimmy Sweeney). It has since been recorded by many famous artists and Solomon Burke got a big hit with it in 1968. The tune has widely been used as a wedding song.

Updated on 17.01.2011: added the first Finnish version "Pääskynen" (The swallow) in 1960 by Seija Lampila.

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Pink Lemonade - Kuin kukka sä oot

Psychedelia was not very popular genre in Finnish music. I was quite surprised to discover a song that was recorded by Markku Suominen (not much psychedelia in him), the origin of which was in the psychedelia/sunshine pop genre. Markku recorded "Kuin kukka sä oot" (You're like a flower) in 1971 for his first album. It was perhaps a bit out-of-date as the days of the Flower Power were already long gone. But the song is still pleasent to listen to. The original song "Pink Lemonade" was written by Paul Leka. He is best known for writing the two smash hits "Green Tambourine" (finnpicked here) and "Na Na Hey Hey Kiss Him Goodbye". This "lemonade" song was the first single by a group called Peppermint Rainbow, but didn't chart at all. PR was an American sunshine pop group from Baltimore, Maryland. They did couple of singles and a mildly succesful album and folded in 1970.

Here's the pair: