Candy Girl - Aivan ehdoton

On the flipside of the previously finnpicked Topmost 1967 single (Hän sinut jättää/Two Kinds Of Lovers, see here) was this "Aivan ehdoton" (Truly uncomparable). The song features comparatively rare Finnish falsetto singing. The Finnish lyrics were provided by Jyrki Lindström. The original song "Candy Girl" was a big hit for Four Seasons in 1963.  It was written by Larry Santos and produced by Bob Crewe, and it was the first original Four Seasons single not composed by either Bob Gaudio or Bob Crewe.  "Candy Girl" reached No. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart.

Here's the pair:

Let's hang on! - Jos näin on

Kivikasvot (see earlier entry) released "Jos näin on" (If it is so) on the B-side of their Beatles cover single "Michelle" in 1966. The lyrics were provided by band member Ismo Sajakorpi. The original song was from the hit roster of Four Seasons. "Let's Hang On!" reached number 3 in the Billboard Hot 100 chart in 1965. The popularity of the song has been attributed to the use of two fuzz guitars (one guitarist playing low notes, another playing high notes on a fuzz bass), a chorus loaded with hooks and sung in falsetto, and backing vocals giving counterpoint with Valli's lead vocals.

Here's the pair:

My Eyes Adored You - Niin aika rientää

It's hard to understand why this man wasn't a big star. Heikki Pietiläinen recorded some pop ballads in the 70's and as you can hear from this 1975 "Niin aika rientää" (So the time flies) -song, he got the vocal potential to become a great Finnish crooner. But for some reason he faded away. As far as I know he released only one single (in 1975) and contributed to several 'Various Artists' compilation albums. In 1991 he released a cassette(!) with songs primarily in the classical music vein. It would be nice to know where is he now? The original of today's Finnpick was "My Eyes Adored You", a big hit for Frankie Valli (b. Francis Stephen Castelluccio). It was originally recorded by The Four Seasons in early 1974. But after their record label did not release it, the recording was sold to lead singer Frankie Valli for 4000 dollars. After rejections by several record labels, Valli succeeded in getting the recording released on Private Stock Records, but it's owner wanted only Valli's name on the record. The single was released under Frankie Valli's name and topped the Billboard Hot 100 in March 1975.

Here's the pair:

C'mon Marianne - Marianne

"Marianne" was the first single of Tapani Kansa, released in 1967. He did not like it, but it however launched a very successful an long-lasting career for him. The original, "C'mon Marianne" was performed by The Four Seasons. The single was the last Four Seasons single to reach the Top Ten in the 1960s, At the time the lead singer Frankie Valli was already starting his solo career. The song includes a very Motown-like riff, one which The Doors also used in their 1969 single "Touch Me". A group called Grapefruit had a hit with their version of "C'mon Marianne" in UK in 1968.

Here's the pair:

Silence Is Golden - Hiljaa vain ollaan

Finntrio was one of the prominent groups in Finnish folk movement in the 60's. The original members were Vesa Nuotio, Pertti Reponen and Tapio Kyöstilä. They did their first public performance and first single in 1964. The first recordings of the group were pure folk, but after 1967 they cut mainly pop sides. Pertti Reponen left the group already in 1964 and became later one of the Finlands leading pop lyricists. Finntrio recorded "Hiljaa vain ollaan" (We're just being silent) in 1967. The song was the cover of "Silence Is Golden", a worldwide hit for the British band The Tremeloes. The original was however done by the US masters Four Seasons as the B-side of their number one hit "Rag Doll" in 1964. The song was co-written by Bob Gaudio of the band, and their producer Bob Crewe. The phrase "Silence Is Golden" is an encouragement to silence, which comes from a Swiss German inscription "Sprechen ist silbern, Schweigen ist golden" (speech is silver, silence is golden).

Here's the pair: