Nickels and Dimes - Lantteja vain

Katri Helena recorded "Lantteja vain" (Nickels and dimes only) for her album "Sydämeni tänne jää" in 1980. Katri had very good company with this; the arranger was Veikko Samuli and the Finnish lyrics were provided by Juice Leskinen. The original song "Nickels and Dimes" was co-written and performed by Dolly Parton. It was released on her 1978 album "Heartbreaker". It was her 20th solo studio album and released following the huge pop crossover success of "Here You Come Again". Heartbreaker was designed as an even more direct aim at the pop charts, but this finnpicked song was pure country.

Just 23 Finnpicks to go.

Here's the pair:

Under Fire - Retkussa on meidän Meikkis

Mona Carita recorded the song with an odd name, "Retkussa on meidän Meikkis" (Our Meikkis is tied up in love), in 1980 and it was released as a track on her "Soita mulle" album. The Finnish lyrics were from the pen of Raul Reiman, and the arrangement of the song was in the capable hands of Veikko Samuli. The original song was called "Under Fire" and it was a 1979 Euro -hit for the South African all-girl band Clout.  The song was written by songwriting duo Brian Robertson and Terry Britten. Robertson did some succesful records as a singer under name B. A. Robertson and Britten wrote some of the Tina Turner's biggest hits. You can see Clout perform "Under Fire", here.

42 Finnpicks to go.

Here's the pair:

Il Tempo Se Ne Va - On aika mennyt menojaan

In 1980 Kai Hyttinen recorded an eponymous album, on which he covered songs from all over the world. This "On aika mennyt menojaan" (The time has gone by for good) originated from Italy. The original "Il Tempo Se Ne Va" (The time goes by) was performed by Adriano Celentano, who scored hit with it all over Europe. The song was co-written by Toto Cutugno. You can see Adriano perform it live, here.

87 Finnpicks to go.

Here's the pair:

Jealousy - Rakastaa

The second Finnpicks Disco Week entry is a tune called "Rakastaa" (To love). It was recorded by a singer named Anne in 1980. I unfortunately don't know anything about Anne. This might have been her only single. The most of her output was on budget compilation albums. The Finnish lyrics were provided by old stalwart Vexi Salmi. The original song "Jealousy" was performed by Amii Stewart (b. Amy Paulette Stewart). She had her breakthrough with discofied versions of "Knock On Wood" and "Light My Fire" in 1979 and this one was one of her follow-up singles, taken from her second album "Paradise bird".
99 Finnpicks to go.
Here's the pair:

Weekend - Viikonloppuheila

Yup - it's weekend, and this is a song to go with it. Mona Carita recorded "Viikonloppuheila" (Weekend lover) in 1980 for her album "Soita mulle". The finnish lyrics were provided by Pertsa Reponen. The original song called "Weekend" was performed in 1979 by a group named Earth and Fire It wa a progressive rock group formed in the Netherlands in the end of 60's by brothers Chris and Gerard Koerts. It was most popular in the 1970s,  Though their massive success in the Netherlands, their music never quite made it to England or the Americas. Their biggest international hit was just this "Weekend", number one in many Eupean countries. The lead vocalist Jerney Kaagman later had a short solo career and she also appeared in the Netherlands edition of Playboy magazine. You can see the band perform "Weekend" here.

Here'a the pair:

Atomic - Painimaan

We now commence a mini-series of Finnish rock groups not-yet-presented-here-in-Finnpicks. These 3 groups are/have been among the most popular Finnish artists, but as they have almost exclusively recorded their own material, their Finnpicks debut has been in the waiting. The first one we present is Sleepy Sleepers, legendary punk-orientated fun-rock band, active from 1974 to the end of 80's. Later in was evolved to internationally famed group Leningrad Cowboys. In 1980 they released album "Metsäratio", and one of the tracks was "Painimaan" (Wrestling). Even if the lead vocalist Tiina Tiikeri wasn't Debbie Harry, the performance was recognizible as a cover of Blondie's "Atomic". It was released on Blondie's 4th studio album "Eat To The Beat" in 1979. "Atomic" was composed by band members Jimmy Destri and Debbie Harry, and the arrangement gave it a spaghetti western treatment. The guitar riff is directly influenced by the one in the Neil Diamond song "Girl, You'll Be a Woman Soon". You can see the band perform the song, here.    

Here's the pair:

Four Letter Words - Tule juttelemaan

"Tule juttelemaan" (Come and talk to me) was on Mona Carita's 1980 album "Soita mulle". It was also released as a single but to no greater succes. The lyrics and the arrangement were done by professionals, Raul Reiman and Veikko Samuli respectively. The original Chinnichap -penned tune was called "Four Letter Words" and it was an album track on Suzi Quatro's Mike Chapman -produced 1979 album "Suzi... And Other Four Letter Words". The phrase "four-letter word" refers to a set of English-language words written with four letters which are considered profane, including common popular or slang terms for excretory functions, sexual activity and genitalia.

Here's the pair:

Stumblin' in - Kompastuttiin

Berit (see earlier entry) recorded an album called "Rakkauden jälkeen" in 1980. On one of the tracks she was teamed up with Matti Esko (see earlier entry) and they performed the song "Kompastuttin" (We stumbled). It was also released as a single, but didn't succeed chartwise. The original song was a Chinnichap composition called "Stumblin' in" and it was performed by Smokie's lead singer Chris Norman and Suzi Quatro. The song was included in Quatro's album "If You Knew Suzi" (US version). It was released as a single, and it went all the way to number 4 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1979. It's quite extraordinary, that this song was Quatro's ONLY US Top 40 hit.

Here's the pair:

El Lute - El Lute

We have presented recently various Finnish female artists whose recording careers were short and unsuccessful. Well, here's another one. Jaana (real name Jaana Hermunen) recorded a couple of singles and although this "El Lute" was played frequently on the radio in 1980, the chart success avoided her. The excellent lyrics were written by Vexi Salmi. The original "El Lute" originated from Germany. The song that Jaana covered was a worldwide hit for Boney M in 1979, but the original German language version was sung by Michael Holm. You can see him perform the song, here. The "El Lute" of the song was a Spanish criminal Eleuterio Sánchez Rodríguez, who at one time was listed as Spain's "Most Wanted" criminal (much like *Ma Baker' in another Bomey M hit). He became a legendary outlaw who escaped several times from prison after being convicted and sentenced to 30 years for murder. While in prison, he learned to read, earned a law degree, and wrote a best-selling book. He was pardoned and released in 1981, at the age of 39. Although this happened in Spain under Franco regime, he was not a freedom fighter and his crimes were not of political nature. So, the lyrics in all of the song versions are over-romanticized in large scale. During a promotional visit in Spain, Boney M met him and gave him a golden record for the sales of the single. You can see Boney M perform the "El Lute" song, here.

Here's the pair:

Can I Reach You - Voinko luottaa

It's not Frederik Friday, it's Fredi Friday - for a change. Fredi recorded "Voinko luottaa" (Can I trust) in 1980. It was released only as a single, and it was not a hit, so it it's become quite a rare collector's item. The song was put into Finnish words by Vexi Salmi. The original, called "Can I Reach You", was of German origin, as the name of the performer and composer Drafi Deutscher implies. Drafi however released this song under pseudonym Jack Goldbird. The song was hit in Euro-discos in 1978-79. Drafi has been finnpicked (and covered by Fredi) before, see here.

Here's the pair:

Gypsy Woman - Mustalainen

On her debut album "Satu" (1980), Satu Pentikäinen (see earlier entry) sang about "Mustalainen" (The Gypsy). Raul Reiman provided the lyrics for this song, that was released only as an album track. The original song "Gypsy Woman" was co-written by rockabilly/rock'n roll legend Dorsey Burnette who wrote several other tunes for teen legend Ricky Nelson ((b. Eric Hilliard Nelson). This song was released by Nelson on the B-side of his 1963 single "String Along". The other co-writer of the song was Joe Osborn, who at the time was the bass player in Ricky's backing group. Joe was also a member of the famous "Wrecking Crew", nickname for an unofficial collection of first-call studio musicians in Los Angeles. You can see Ricky Nelson perform "Gypsy Woman", here.

Here's the pair:

Ballade pour Adeline - Laulu menneille vuosille

By coincidence, the following 5 finnpicks share the same theme - the concept of TIME (in the Finnish versions, that is). We start with a very rare recording (sorry for the inferior quality) titled "Laulu menneille vuosille" (A song for years gone by), made by a singer named Camilla (b. Camilla Ståhle) in 1980. Camilla started her career in the 70's as a schlager singer, later turning into jazz singing (collaborating with e.g. Finnish jazz legend Heikki Sarmanto), and presently she's performing troubadour songs. The original tune, an intrumental called "Ballade pour Adeline" ("Ballad for Adeline) was composed by the Frenchmen Paul de Senneville and Olivier Toussaint as a tribute to Paul's newborn daughter, Adeline. The first recording was done by famous French pianist Richard Clayderman (b. Philippe Pagès) For the recording, the then 23 year old Clayderman was auditioned along with 20 other pianists and got the job, becouse "he was an interesting musician with a soft touch and good technique, and he looked good, too (Olivier Toussaint)". You can see Richard perform the tune, here.

Here's the pair:

Girls Talk - Anna lämpösi loistaa

Our frequent Finnpick artist Taiska recorded "Anna lämpösi loistaa" (Let your warmth be shining) in 1980. It was on her album "Villi vapauden kaipuu" and it was also released as a single, on the b-side of her original hit song "Hiroshima". This finnpicked song came UK and was written by Elvis Costello and it was a big hit for another British rocker Dave Edmunds (actually he was Welsh) in 1979. The hit single was culled from his album "Repeat When Necessary". You can see Dave with his group Rockpile perform the song, here.

Updated on 03-10-2010: Added Kontra's version "Flipperirakastaja" (Flipper lover).

Here's the triplet:

Boat On The River - Aamulla yksin - Joki

This is one of those songs that are timeless. It still pleases the musical ear and will be doing so in the decades to come. Taiska recorded "Aamulla yksin" (Alone in the morning) in 1980 for her album "Villi vapauden kaipuu". The lyrics were provided by Raul Reiman. It did not cause much commotion at the time, being only an album track. But when Riki Sorsa (see earlier entry) recorded the same song under new title "Joki" (The river) and with different lyrics in 1993, the song became an istant hit - and a pop classic. The original song was called "Boat On The River", and it was performed by American rock group Styx. This Chicago band was known for melding their progressive rock with hard rock guitar, strong ballads, and the flair of a Broadway musical. This folkish "Boat" song was one of the hit singles culled from their best selling 1979 album "Cornerstone". It was written by band's guitarist Tom Shaw.

Here's the pair:

The Sea-Fare Folk - Hei oo mennään taas

Juhamatti (see earlier entry) recorded this catchy disco romp "Hei oo mennään taas" in 1980 to the lyrics of Raul Reiman. It was released as a single and was a minor hit. The song uses (as does the original) extracts from the familiar song "Drunken Sailor". The original song was a 1979 disco hit from Germany, titled "The Sea-Fare Folk". It was performed by Cherry Laine and written by her producer Bernt Möhrle. We have presented the works of this couple before, here and here.

Here's the pair:

Ay Ay Sailor - Tartu käteen ja tykkää vähän

This is the last in our line of Baccara covers. Maisa Tammi recorded "Tartu käteen ja tykkää vähän" (Take my hand and love a little) in 1980. It was released as a single and on some compilation album, but never received the attention it should have deserved. Also Meiju (see earlier entry) recorded a version of this song, but it didn't fare any better. Unfortunately there's nothing to tell about Maisa Tammi. She recorded four songs in 1980-81 and one more in 1986. But the singer has been buried in oblivion. The original song "Ay Ay Sailor" was the original Baccara's last big international hit. You can see them perform it live, here. BTW, "ay" is in English an alternative spelling of aye ("yes"), and in Spanish an interjection, meaning something like "ooh". So, the song title can be interpreted as "Yes Yes Sailor" and "Ooh Ooh Sailor".

Here's the pair:

Don't Stop The Music - Soi soi

Satu Pentikäinen (see ealier entry) l recorded "Soi soi" (Playing playing) for her album "Satu" in 1980. It was also released as a single, on the B-side of "Pienen tytön täytyy", which was a minor hit. But this B-side is a very good disco pop tune, too. And compares well with the original, which was called "Don't Stop The Music" and of US origin. American actres, TV comedienne and singer Vicki Lawrence (b. Vicki Ann Axelrad) recorded it in 1979 on her disco album "Newborn Woman". It was released also as a single, no-charter in USA, but fared better on Europe disco scene. Vicki is remembered as one-hit-wonder for his sole worldwide smash hit "The Night the Lights Went Out in Georgia" (1973) which was composed by her husband Bobby Russell.

Here's the pair:

Gorrión - Varpunen

Kai Hyttinen has made a couple of successful songs about birds. "Varpunen" (Sparrow) was one of those and recorded in 1980. It has become a little classic and one of the most requested songs in Kai's repertoire. The touching lyrics were made by Veikko "Vexi" Salmi. The original song "Gorrión" (Sparrow) was written and performed by Miguel Gallardo, who had a hit with it in 1978. Miguel was a Spanish singer and composer, born in in Granada, Andalucia. He was one of the most successful Spanish singers in the seventies and early eighties, making waves especially in Latin America.

Here's the pair:

Most Wanted Man in the USA - Merkitty mies

Markus (see earlier entry) released "Merkitty mies" (Marked man) as a single in 1980, but it failed to get any attention. His career was already fading, but this song was catchy and despite the odd lyrics (By Veli-Pekka "VeePee" Lehto) it should have been even a little hit. The original "Most Wanted Man in the USA " was a minor hit for often finnpicked Irishman Joe Dolan in 1974 reaching number 14 in Irish charts, but was not bigger international success. The song was written by Peter Yellowstone, a known producer and songwriter, who often collaborated with Joe Dolan, together with Roberto Danova.

Here's the pair:

She Was Too Young - Lauantai

The song of the day is - literally - "Lauantai" (Saturday). It was recorded in 1980 by Satu Pentikäinen, who started in 1977 as a backing singer for Tapani Kansa, when she was only 14 years old. Her first record “Menolippu” - disco cover of earlier Finnpick “One Way Ticket” - was released in 1978 and was an instant hit. "Lauantai" was on her first album "Satu".The original song was called "She Was Too Young" anf petformed by Dutch pop group The Cats, succesfull in the Netherlands and Germany from the late 60's to the mid 80's. This song, a minor European hit, was written by band member Cees Veerman.

Here's the pair: