First Hello Last Goodbye - Alku jäähyväisien

As the Finnish title of today's finnpick says - this is the start of goodbyes. Only one week left for new entries in Finnpicks blog. Danny recorded "Alku jäähyväisien" (The start of goodbyes) in 1992 and it was released on his album "Tämä taivas tämä maa". The Finnish lyrics were provided by Turkka Mali. The original song was called "First Hello Last Goodbye" and it was co-written and performed by Roger Whittaker. It was released in 1975. The song was not a big hit at the time, but considered by many to be one of the Whittaker's best.

Only 6 Finnpicks to go.

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Many Moons Ago - Kaikki entinen

As I have noted before, Danny had an uncanny habit to pick up obscure - but good - songs to cover. This "Kaikki entinen" (All that was before) was an early example of those. It was released in 1964 on Danny's first single as a solo artist. Prior to that he had cut a couple of singles under "Danny & The Islanders" moniker. It was also his first recorded song sung in Finnish. The original song was performed by a Canadian teen rocker Bobby Curtola in 1964 and was titled "Many Moons Ago". Bobby was a 60s rock'n roll legend in Canada creating even 'curtolamania' when touring. However he was largely unknown outside his home country, except for one song, "Fortune Teller", that became a moderate international hit. Today's finnpick was a track on his "12 Tickets to Cloud 9" album.

Just 16 Finnpicks to go.

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Brasilia Carnaval - Brasilian karnevaalit

We started this Finnpicks Disco Week from Africa and we end it in Brazil. Both locations have contributed a lot to development of disco music. Danny recorded "Brasilian karnevaalit" (The Brazilan carnaval) in 1976. It was released on his album "Elämän maku". The original song "Brasilia Carnaval" was a hit for disco group Chocolat's, whom we have met before, see here. Chocolat's (a.k.a Chocolate Boys) was a a latin-flavoured disco/soul/funk group originating from Belgium, I guess.

94 Finnpicks to go.

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Baby - Baby

Perhaps the four most-used words in song titles are 'i', 'love', 'you' and 'baby'. Today's finnpick is an example of the last one. Danny recorded his "Baby" in 1976 for his album "Elämän maku". The Finnish lyrics (yes, most of the lyrics are in Finnish ;-)) were this time provided by Chrisse Johansson. The original "Baby" was written (under pseudonym J. Garko) and performed by 60's and 70's Italian singer and songwriter Alberto Anelli. I don't know anything about him, but it's my guess that as a singer he used the pseudonym "El Tigre" (The Tiger). And this "Baby" was a Top 20 hit in Italy for him under that name.


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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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Far Far Away - Tie kauemmas vei

Danny recorded "Tie kauemmas vei" (The road took me farther away) in 1976 and it was released only as a track on a compilation album. The song was arranged by Veikko Samuli and the Finnish yrics were written by Pertsa Reponen. The original song "Far Far Away" was a big hit for Slade in 1974. It appeared on the album "Slade in Flame" and as a single it peaked at number 2 in the UK. The single was released to promote their upcoming film, also titled "Slade in Flame". There's also a newer Finnish version performed by group Miljoonasade as "Tie tiettömään". You can hear it, here.


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Nina, Pretty Ballerina - Nina, pikku balleriina

This is the B-side to yesterday's 1977 finnpick. Yes, it's "Both Sides Now" back again. Danny's "Nina, pikku balleriina" (Nina, tiny ballerina) is one of the lesser known Finnish Abba covers. The lyrics were by Pertsa Reponen. You can see a video of the song, here. Abba's "Nina, Pretty Ballerina" was recorded in 1973 for their "Ring, Ring" debut album. The album was full of potential hit singles and this song was released on single in Austria and France to promote the album. It reached number 8 on the singles chart in Austria.

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You Belong To Me Baby - Hyvä mun on niin

This song was on Danny's 1977 hit album "Tahdon olla sulle hellä", whose title track was a smah come-back hit for Danny (and guest artist Armi Aavikko). "Hyvä mun on niin" (I feel so good) was also later culled as a single, and it also fared well, reaching Top 10. Also Jarmo "Jamppa" Tuominen released his version in that same year, but it didn't chart. The original song was 1976 hit for often-finnpicked Irishman Joe Dolan. The authors of "You Belong To Me Baby" were the same as on most of Joe's hit records. Roberto Danova (music) and Peter Yellowstone (Lyrics).

Updated on 15.01.2011: addded Jamppa Tuominen's version (1977).

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Anak - Lapselle

As the second entry in our "Finnpicks for Kids" series we present a touching song performed by Danny. He recorded this "Lapselle" (For the child) in 1997 to the lyrics of Pertsa Reponen. The original song came all the way from Philippines. Folk musician Freddie Aguilar (b. Ferdinand Pascual Aguilar) wrote and performed the song "Anak" (The child) in 1978. Freddie recorded both the Tagalog and the English versions of “Anak”, but it was the Tagalog version that brought him international success. This song, with its haunting melody and poignant story about a parent’s love for a wayward child, is recorded in 27 languages with more that 100 cover versions and released in 53 countries worldwide with a 30 million copies sold.

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I Ain't Got Time Anymore - Ei Aikaa Enempää

Let's continue with another classic 70's pop ballad. Danny recorded "Ei aikaa enempää" (No more time) in 1970 to the lyrics by Pertsa Reponen. Also the group Agents ft. Jorma Kääriäinen has made a good Finnish version of the song. The original one "I Ain't Got Time Anymore" was written by famous British arranger and producer Mike Leander and performed by Cliff Richard, who had a hit with it in UK in 1970. Perhaps the most known version, however, is by an American group called The Glass Bottle. This song about about bitterness and heartbreak reached Top 40 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in September 1971. Band's producer had an advertising deal with a PR firm that was trying to save the glass industry from losing soda pop clients to plastic bottles. Therefore he named the group "The Glass Bottle".

Music samples removed due to alleged copyright infringement.

To Love Somebody - Kun yksin kulkee

Danny recorded "Kun yksin kulkee" (When you're going on your own) in 1968 for his "Danny" album. It was released as a single, but it turned out to be one of the rare non-hit singles for Danny at the time. The original was a Bee Gees classic "To Love Somebody". The song was written in 1967 by Barry and Robin Gibb and it was originally meant to be a soul song for Otis Redding to record. Redding died in a plane crash before he could record it. So the Bee Gees decided to record their own version of the song with Barry taking the lead and the result was a pop classic. We present here a live performance of the song.

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The Witch Queen Of New Orleans - Noita

Well, now it's the Holy Week, the week before Easter. In addition to religious annotations, Easter is in Finnish folklore tightly connected with witches and trolls. And now it's the right time to present THIS song. Danny recorded "Noita" (The Witch) in 1972 for his album "Käärme". The lyrics were written by Pertsa Reponen. The original song "The Witch Queen Of New Orleans" was one of the biggest hits for US rock group Redbone in 1971. The band was formed in 1969 in Los Angeles by the brothers Patrick and Lolly Vasquez (aka Pat and Lolly Vegas). The name Redbone is a joking reference to a Cajun term for a mixed-race person,"half-breed", the band's members being of mixed blood ancestry. The song was written in honor of Marie Laveau, who was a renowned practitioner of Voudou (i.e Voodoo) in New Orleans in the 19th century. You can see the group perform this song, here.

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Nathalie - Toivon niin

Danny recorded "Toivon niin" (I hope so) in 1973 for his album "Mentävä on". It was also released as a single, but it didn't hit the charts. The original song about the girl named "Nathalie" originated from Netherlands. George Baker Selection had a hit with it in 1971. The song was written by the band's leader Hans Bouwens (aka George Baker). The song reached number 11 in Dutch charts. The group was still four years away of hitting really big with "Paloma Blanca".

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Angelica - Angelica

As we are today one week away from International Women's Day, I thought it would be appropriate to spend this preceding week with the songs about women. We start with "Angelica", a song that Danny recorded and released as a single in 1968. The lyrics were done by Pertsa Reponen. The song was written by famous songwriting duo Cynthia Weill and Barry Mann. The first recording of the song was done by Gene Pitney and it was released on his album "Backstage" in 1966. It was not released as a single. Which is, "Angelica" being such a wonderful piece of music, quite odd. Also Scott Walker recorded a fine version of the song on his debut album in 1967; you can listen to it, here.

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Parce que je t'aime mon enfant - Pojalleni

Danny recorded "Pojalleni" (To my son) in 1976 for his album "Elämän maku". The lyrics were this time crafted by Chrisse Johansson. It was released as a single and on the flip side was fittingly a song called "Isä" (Father). The original song was sung and co-written by French superstar Claude Francois (finnpicked before, see here). Claude's song was called "Parce que je t'aime mon enfant " (Because I love my child ), and it was a hit for him in France, but the song became world famous when Elvis Presley recorded it in 1974 as "My Boy".

Nothing rhymed - Ei mitään uutta

On the B-side of Danny's 1971 single "Hän on lady" (cover of "She's A Lady") was this "Ei mitään uutta" (Nothing new). The Finnish lyrics were - as with yesterdays's Finnpick - written by Pertsa Reponen. The original song "Nothing Rhymed" was the breakthrough single for the Irish-born singer-songwriter Gilbert O'Sullivan (b. Raymond Edward O'Sullivan) in 1970. Gilbert at first performed under his born name, but in 1967 changed it to 'Gilbert O'Sullivan', a play of words on Gilbert and Sullivan (refers to the British Victorian era librettist W. S. Gilbert and composer Arthur Sullivan, who collaborated on 14 comic operas 1871-1896, of which H.M.S. Pinafore, The Pirates of Penzance and The Mikado are among the best known). Much of Gilbert's early success was predicated on his unusual image, unusual haircut, short pants and flat cap. You can see Gilbert boy perform the song, here.

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Six Ribbons - Vain kaksi nauhaa

Danny recorded "Vain kaksi nauhaa" (Only two ribbons) in 1981. There were 3 other Finnish versions of the same song recorded in that year. bur Danny's version turned out to be the most successful. The popularity of the song was based on the TV-series "Vastatuuleen" (Against the wind), that was hugely popular in Finland at the time. The main theme in this series was the original "Six Ribbons". It was written and performed by Jon English, who also played leading role. Jon came to fame in Australia in the stage musical "Jesus Christ Superstar" in the mid 1970s. "Against the Wind" was a 1978 Australian television mini-series. It was a historical drama portraying both the British occupation of Ireland, and the development of New South Wales and Australia.

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Une aquilone - Kuin filminauhaa

Here's one quick one in our series "Both Sides Now". On the B-side of Danny's "Se eikö todista että muutuin" was a song called "Kuin filminauhaa" (Like a movie reel). This one was originally an Italian song called "Une aquilone" (A kite), composed and performed by a singer, guitarist and composer Ricky Gianco (real name Ricardo Sanna). He began his career in the late fifties, and is sometimes called as the Italian "Pete Seeger". He was one of the forerunners of guitar rock and roll in Italy. This "Une aquilano" was on his 1968 album "Ricky Gianco special".

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If I Promise - Se eikö todista että muutuin

Danny had number 1 hit in Finland in 1969 with "Se eikö todista että muutuin" (Doesn't it prove that I've changed). The song that Danny covered was probably the one on Tom Jones' 1968 album "Help Yourself", but the original was written and performed by Jerry Reed (b. Jerry Reed Hubbard). Jerry was an American country music singer, country guitarist, session musician, songwriter, and actor who appeared in over a dozen films. Most may remember hin from "Smokey and the Bandit". This "If I Promise" was on his first album (1967) "The Unbelievable Guitar and Voice of Jerry Reed". The same album included two other famous Jerry Reed -originals "U.S. Male" and "Guitar Man", both successfully covered by Elvis.

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Che male t'ho fatto - Täytyy jotain yrittää

Danny recorded "Täytyy jotain yrittää" (I must try something) in 1969 and it was a modest size hit for him. The arrangement was done - as the rule was in Danny's recordings - by Jaakko Salo. The original song was an Italian tune called "Che male t'ho fatto" (What I have done wrong). It was performed by our, and Danny's, old friend Little Tony (see earlier Finnpick here) . It is one of the lesser known Little Tony -songs, becouse it was on the b-side of his 1969 Italian Top 20 -hit "Solo per te". But somehow it found its way to Finland and became a part of Finnish pop song heritage.

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