Goodbye Girl - Jos yksin nyt jäät

Kari Tapio recorded "Jos yksin nyt jäät" (If you now are left alone) in 1979 for one of his many "Kari Tapio" -named albums. The Finnish lyrics were crafted by Pertsa Reponen. Kari's interpretation is easily on a par with the original. The original song "Goodbye Girl" was the title song for the 1977 movie "The Goodbye Girl". It was written and performed by American singer-songwriter David Gates. (perhaps best known as the lead singer of the group Bread). The song hit number 15 on the Billboard Hot 100. BTW, Richard Dreyfuss won a Best Actor Oscar for his performance in this romatic comedy film directed by Herbert Ross.

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Hollywood - Hollywood

Mona Carita recorded "Hollywood" for her debut album "Mona Carita" in 1979. The Finnish lyrics were - again - provided by Raul Reiman. We seem to have - purely by coincidence - a "Raul Reiman Week" now. The arrangement was done by Esa Nieminen. The original "Hollywood" was done by a Dutch group called Dingo. (not to be confused with the Finnish group of the same name). This disco combo had a modest hit with it in 1978. The song was written by famous Dutch songwriting duo Janschen & Janschens. Their real names were Hans van Hemert and Piet Souer, respectively. Hans also produced this song and Piet arranged it.

34 Finnpicks to go.

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Wanted - Nuori kuolemaan

Jukka Raitanen recorded "Nuori kuolemaan" (Too young to die) in 1979. It was released on the B-side of the single "Keikka Ouluun" (cover of Marty Robbins' "El Paso"). Jukka made his breakthrough in 1970 with self-written "Vangin toive" (Prisoner's wish). He had written it while doing time in Konnunsuo prison. Raitanen was quite succesful schlager artist throughout the 70's and is still active in performing. The Finnish lyrics for today's finnpick were written by Raul Reiman, who himself died too young ... The original song "Wanted" became known in Finland when it was played as signature tune in a popular radio morning show. The original name of the tune was "Wanted" and it was performed by Italian group Doogy degli Armorium. Doogy was a guest artist (the whistler?) for this one and a follow-up single. But Armonium was a rock group formed 1975 and still active today. The "Wanted" song was written by Armonium's keyboardist Franco Zulian and guitarist Vincenzo Stavolo. 

37 Finnpicks to go.

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Honesty - Rehellisyys

Yesterday we presented a song that told about friendship ("Ystävyys"). Today follows a song that deals with honesty, the base of all in friendship. The group ELF (Eric Lars Four) (see earlier entry) recorded "Rehellisyys" (Honesty) in 1979 for their album "Tarantella Joe". The Finnish lyrics were written by Raul Reiman.  The original song was also called "Honesty" and it written and performed by Billy Joel, who had a worldwide hit with it in 1979. It was the third single from his album "52nd Street", and it reached number 24 on the US Billboard Hot 100. Phil Ramone was responsible for the production. For some reason the song was especially popular in japan and Korea. You can see Billy perform the song, here.

45 Finnpicks to go.

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Emotion - Sua tarvitsen niin

Bon Bon (see the earlier entry) recorded "Sua tarvitsen niin" (I need you so) in 1979. It was released on the B-side of their cover of Blondie's "Heart Of Glass". Both sides, however, failed to cause any action chartwise. The Finnish lyrics for today's finnpick were (again) done by Chrisse Johansson. The original song "Emotion" originated from the pens of Gibb brothers Barry and Robin, who wrote it in 1977 for the Australian songstress Samantha Sang (b. Cheryl Lau Sang) while she was visiting Bee Gees in France, where they were recording songs for the Saturday Night Fever soundtrack. The recorded song featured backing vocals by Barry, and in 1978 it became a major hit worldwide. In USA, it reached number 3 on the US Billboard Hot 100. You can see Samantha perform the song, here.

59 Finnpicks to go.

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Mexican Girl - Kyyneleet nuo

Some months ago we had a couple of weeks run of Chinnichap covers. Here's one leftover.  Vesa Enne recorded "Kyyneleet nuo" (Those tears) in 1979. It was released only on a budget compilation album of contemporary hits. Who knows, perhaps it could have succeeded as a single. Vesa was an early starter. When he was 12 years old (in 1959) he won a talent contest as a rockn'roll singer and made two appearences as a film actor in the same year. However, he did his musical career mainly in pop/country groups, and as a backing singer, not as a solo artist. The original version of today's finnpick was done by Smokie as "Mexican Girl" in 1978. And it was - as already hinted - written by Nicky Chinn and Mike Chapman. You can see the band perform the song, here.

76 Finnpicks to go.

I Can See Right Thru You - Naisen haluan

The third disco tune of the week is one by duo Jakke & Jokke. The duo consisted of brothers Seppälä; Jarmo and Jorma. They released several recordings in 70's and 80's as a duo and with their backing band Seikkailijat. Jokke Seppälä also ventured solo career. This "Naisen haluan" (I want a woman) was released as a single in 1979. It failed to hit the charts. The original song "I Can See Right Thru You" was performed by a Britsih rock group called Supercharge. The band was founded in 1974 in Liverpool, and had success in the latter part of the 70's especially in Australia. Their pruducer was the famous Robert "Mutt" Lange", who also wrote today's finnpicked song. 


98 Finnpicks to go.

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Tu Sei L'unica Donna Per Me - Jos sinäkin tahdot

Danny & Armi (Armi = Armi Aavikko) were a hugely popular vocal duo in the mid-70's. Danny was already established pop star and Armi was the freshly appointed Miss Finland. They had several big hits, and most of them were written by Veikko Samuli. They did also some covers and this "Jos sinäkin tahdot" (If you want it too) is an example of those. It was released in 1979 on the B-side of a less successful Veikko Samuli -written single. This might have fared better as an A-side. It was also included in their second album. The Finnish lyrics were by Raul Reiman.  The original song was Italian. "Tu Sei L'unica Donna Per Me" (You are the unique woman for me) was written and performed by Alan Sorrenti. The song was very big hit in Italy in 1979 and was 22 consecutive weeks in the Italian Top Ten.

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Hallo Bimmelbahn - Gotta go home - Kotia päin

Here's another artist I know nothing about. Meiju (real name Meiju Laine) recorded several cover songs for budget hit compilation albums, and also a couple of singles. This "Kotia päin" (Homebound) appeared on one of those singles (on the flipside was her version of Blondie's "Sunday Girl"), released in 1979. The original was a German song "Hallo Bimmelbahn" released in 1973, performed by a group called Nighttrain andf written by the brothers Heinz and Jürgen Huth. It was later re-written by Frank Farian anf Fred Joy in 1979 and It became the lead single off Boney M's fourth album "Oceans of Fantasy" The song was the group's eighth and final number 1 single in the German charts.

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Without Love - Lapsuuskesät

One of the hidden treasures of Katri Helena can be found on the B-side of her smash hit "Katson autiota hiekkarantaa" in 1979. There was this song "Lapsuuskesät" (The summers of childhood). Besides Katri, there were two Veikko's involved: Veikko Samuli did the arrangement and Veikko "Vexi" Salmi the Finnish lyrics,  The original "Without Love" was weitten by South African musicisan John Kongos, who had a couple of worldwide hits as an artist in the 70's - e.g. "Tokoloshe Man". Today's finnpick was performed by another South African act, Clout. They were an all-girl pop/rock combo, who had several hits in Europe in the end of 70's.

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Hard Luck Woman - Nainen kaataa

Two weeks ago we presented a Kiss cover (by Frederik), and this Friday we present another - a completely different one. The short-lived rock group Tries recorded only 3 singles and 2 albums. This "Nainen kaataa" (A woman knocks you down) was their second single and released in 1979. The Finnish lyrics were provided by master of rock poetry, Juice Leskinen. However, it was no success, nor were the other recordings. The Kiss original was called "Hard Luck Woman" being a very atypical Kiss song. Rumour has it that Kiss member Paul Stanley wrote it for Rod Stewart, but after he turned it down, Kiss themselves recorded it, with drummer Peter Criss in lead vocals. And he sounds very, very much like Stewart on this. The song was the lead single from their 1976 album "Rock and Roll Over", and peaked at number 15 in Hot 100 Billborad chart.

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Mary Ann - Mary Ann

One more ESC finnpick after last nights ESC 2011 ... Seppo Närhi recorded "Mary Ann" for his album "Vieraat huoneet" in 1979. It wasn't released as a single and it is one of the lesser known Närhi songs. The Finnish lyrics were provided by Juha Vainio. The original "Mary Ann" was the British entry in the Eurovision Song Contest 1979, performed by pop group Black Lace. It placed 7th in a field of 19. The writer of "Mary Ann", Peter Morris wanted the group to sound like chart-topping band Smokie. And obviously they did, because Smokie's publishers, RAK Music, insisted that Mary Ann was a rip-off of Smokie's song "Oh Carol" and threatened to take legal action. You can see Black Lace's ESC performance, here. 


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Down by The Water - Kuin ennen vanhaan

Anneli Pasanen (see earlier entry) recorded "Kuin ennen vanhaan" (Like in the old days) in 1979 for her album "Rakkaus jää". Although the song may have had some hit potential, it was not released as a single. The Finnish lyrics were written by Chrisse Johansson. The original song "Down By The Water" came from Germany. It was co-written by Mats Björklund, who although being a Swede, was a member of the Munich Machine. It was a Disco project based in Munich, Germany, lead by Giorgio Moroder. Munich Machine was the German answer to Motown's Funk Brothers, a group of session musicians that played on the large majority of disco records that came out of Munich in the latter half of the 70s. They wrote music for and backed many of disco's most popular artists at the time, like Claudja Barry (finnpicked before, see here). who had a Euro-hit with this song in 1978.

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Casanova - Voi mikä Casanova!

Mona Carita's first album in 1979 was also called " Mona Carita". One of the album tracks was this "Voi mikä Casanova!" (Oh, what a Casanova"). It was a typical disco dance tune with lyrics by Chrisse Johansson. The original song "Casanova" was one of the several hits written by Dutch producer Hans van Hemert for pop/disco girl trio Luv'. The song's arrangements were inspired by Flamenco, Latin American music and 1970s Europop, making it a smash hit in Benelux, the German speaking countries and Denmark. Van Hemert and his songwriting/producing partner Piet Souer were also known as "Janschen & Janschens". You can see Luv' perform "Casanova", here.


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Diridonda - Diridonda

Now, this song will put you in a happy mood. Berit (see earlier entry) recorded "Diridonda" in 1979 and it was a minor hit for her. The song was also included in her album "Kerro tunteesi ääneen" released in that same year. The song was of Croatian (part of Yugoslavia at the time) origin. It was performed by one of the most popular Croatian groups Novi Fosili. The group represented Yugoslavia n 1987 Eurovision Song Contest in Brussels, faring very well with the song "Ja Sam Za Ples" and placing 4th in the final results. You can see them perform "Diridonda", here.

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Don't Stop - Pelkkää elämää

For his eponymous 1979 album Kari Tapio recorded "Pelkkää elämää" (Just life). The arrangement was done by Veikko Samuli. This just might be the one and only Fleetwood Mac cover made in Finnish. The original song "Don't Stop" was one of Mac's greatest hits. It was written by the keyboard player Christine McVie and sung by her and guitarist Lindsey Buckingham.,The song was culled as a single from the band's 1977 album "Rumours". The album has sold about 50 million copies worldwide and is one of the biggest-selling albums of all time.

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A-I-E-A-O-A - A.i.e

Well, here's another treat from Daniel Vangarde. Paula Koivuniemi recorded "A.i.e" in 1979. It was released as a single but it was not a hit. The nonsense lyrics were from the lyrics factory of Chrisse Johansson. The original song "A-I-E-A-O-A" was part of a project called "Yamasuki". It was the brainchild of French pop composers Jean Kluger and Daniel Vangarde. In 1971 they released a concept album "Le Monde Fabuleux Des Yamasuki". It included a renowned black-belt Judo master to introduce the tracks, which were all sung in Japanese by a school choir. This "A-I-E-A-O-A " -track was also released as a single. However, the song did not break through, until it was re-worked by Belgian disco group Black Blood in 1975, with Swahili lyrics and a more African vibe. In 1981, "Aie a Mwana" became the first single released by English girl group Bananarama.

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Fattie Bum Bum - Lihava on lämmin

More of the reggae style ... Easy was a short-lived Finnish soft rock group in the latter part of 70's. It was led by singer and songwriter Roni Kamras, who'se first band was Musakatit. Musakatit made a couple of singles and they were re-recorded along with some other songs and made to an album called "Easy" in 1979. This "Lihava on lämmin" (Fat is warm) was one of those Musakatit singles (from 1976), but the version here is from that "Easy" album. It's an excellent piece of laid-back reggae and should have been a big hit. The lyrics were done by Juha Vainio. The song was at first offered to Petri and Petterson Brass, but they turned it down, and in fact was one of the reasons why Petri decided to leave Brass and concentrate start solo career with totally different kind of music. The original version of this song was done by a Jamaican reggae singer and percussionist Carl Malcolm, who also wrote it. It was called "Fattie Bum Bum" and reached number 8 on the UK Singles Chart in 1975. It was the only chart success for Malcolm.

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Back to the City Again - Nyt maistuu elämä taas

I've been five weeks on vacation and out of this blogworld. Now Finnpicks is back on and perhaps it's appropriate to re-start with this Kirka's song from 1979 - "Nyt maistuu elämä taas" (Now the life tastes good again). It was a modestly successful single with lyrics by Pertsa Reponen and arrangement by Veikko Samuli. The original song called "Back To The City Again", was written and performed by French superstar Jean-Jacques Goldman. Jean-Jacques abandoned his classical music studies in 1968 for "American Rock & Roll" and it really paid off, because since 2003 he has been the second-highest-grossing French living pop singer, after Johnny Hallyday.

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Eeny Meeny Miny Moe - Kuti kuti kultasein

Mona Carita recorded "Kuti kuti kultasein" (Koochie koo my darling) in 1979 and it was released as a single,backed with cover of "Then He Kissed Me" on the flipside. The lyrics were again provided by Chrisse Johansson. The single was, however, not very succesful chartwise. The original song was called "Eeny Meeny Miny Moe" and it was major European hit for Dutch girl group Luv' . It was their 7th single and it's bouzouki and balalejka -theme is highly inspired by Boney M.'s "Rasputin". You can see them perform the song, here. "Eeny Meeny Miny Moe" is a children's counting rhyme, used to select a person to be "it" for games and similar purposes. The rhyme has existed in various forms since the 1850s, and is common in many languages, with similar-sounding nonsense syllables. In Finland the corresponding rhyme would be "Entten tentten teelika mentten" (of German origin).

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