He's An Indian Cowboy In The Rodeo - Oikea Cowboy

A singer named Paula (not to be confused with Paula of vocal duo Tuula ja Paula) recorded a couple of non-successful solo singles in the 70's and contributed several covers in cheap compilation albums. And that's all I know of her, really. This "Oikea cowboy" (A real cowboy) was on one of those singles in 1973. It's lyrics were done by Chrisse Johansson. The original song was written and performed by Buffy Sainte Marie ((b. Beverly Sainte-Marie) - finnpicked before, see here and here. The song was originally called "He's An Indian Cowboy In The Rodeo" It was a big country hit single in USA in 1971. It also appears on her compilation album "Native North American Child: An Odyssey" released in 1974.

Here's the pair:

I'm Gonna Be a Country Girl Again - Mä meidän maalle tahdon takaisin

Next few days Finnpicks Goes Country! Although country music has not been so popular in Finland as in other Scandinavian countries (especially Norway), there are quite a few of Finnish country covers to choose from. Here's one of them - "Mä meidän maalle tahdon takaisin" (I want to go back to our countryside). It was recorded by Eija Merilä (see previous entry) in 1971. It was the last big hit for Eija, who in the mid-70's found religion and stopped recording pop songs. In addition to Eija's singing, the lyrics (by Pertti Reponen) and the arrangement (by Jaakkko Salo) have contributed in making this song into one of the rare Finnish country classics. The original song "I'm Gonna Be a Country Girl Again" was written and sung by an artist who is known primarily for her folk songs - Buffy Sainte-Marie. The album of the same name was the 5th album (released in 1968) by this native American singer/songwriter. As the title suggested, it saw her, following Joan Baez, adopting Nashville country music with the help of session veterans such as the Jordanaires and Floyd Cramer. The album was not as well received critically or even commercially as her previous albums. The title track, however, became a minor UK hit.

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: