Die Rose War Rot - Ruusu on punainen

Today is the 94th Independence Day of Finland. Finnpicks gives this musical birthday rose to Finland. Tauno Palo was probably the most popular Finnish male actor ever. In addition to acting he recorded several songs, of which this "Ruusu on punainen" (The rose is red) is most famous. It was released in 1967 and became a well-deserved hit. The Finniah lyrics were provided by Sauvo "Saukki" Puhtila and the arranghement was done by Aarno Raninen. The anti-war lyrics depict the various wars the Finns have been involved in. And reminds us that bloodshed has not been in vain, however, Finland being now independent country. The original song - or chanson - was of German origin and was called "Die Rose War Rot" (The rose was red). It was released in the then-day DDR in 1966 and interpreted by German TV- and film actor Gerry Wolff. You can see Gerry perform the song at the Polish Sopot Music Festival, here.

41 Finnpicks to go.

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Man kann nicht alle mädchen kûssen - Jos vielä kerran hetken verran suudellaan

In the 50's and still in the beginning of the 60's Finnish singers did frequently covers of German schlagers. After the pop revolution (i.e. Beatles e.a.) there were fewer and fewer of those. And in the 70's it was quite a rarity. So, this "Jos vielä kerran hetken verran suudellaan" (If we still kiss for awhile one more time) is one of the rare breed. It was recorded by a singer named Marco I (real name Markku Härkönen) in 1970. Marco I released only 4 singles in the years 1968-1971, using also his real name on some. Sadly, the big success avoided him. The original German song was called song was called "Man kann nicht alle mädchen kûssen". (One can not kiss all the girls). It was first mad national hit by an artist named Bernd Apitz. Bernd was a singer and a disc jockey, who had a couple of hits 40 years ago and is still active and touring today. BTW, his present road show is called "Reiner Wahnsinn" (Pure Madness).

57 Finnpicks to go.

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You Gotta Move - Kas kas, niin niin

Paula Koivuniemi recorded "Kas kas, niin niin" (Well, well so, so) in 1978. It was released on her album "Sinulle vain" and it was also released as a single, but didn't get the success it deserved. The original song "You Gotta Move" was an Europeen disco hit for Etta Cameron (b. Ettamae Louvita Coakley). Etta was born in Bahamas, but made her carerr in Denmark and Germany. The German Goldfinger songwriter and producer Ralph Siegel wrote today's finnpicked song.

95 Finnpicks to go.

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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.

Here's the pair:

Paradiso - Paradiso

Rauni Pekkala recorded "Paradiso" in 1962. This happy song became quite popular at the time. Rauni still performs the song frequently. The original "Paradiso" was of German origin. The song was composed by Werner Scharfenberger, who wrote many international hits in 60's. including the original of "Viimeinen mohikaani" (finnpicked here). The hit version of "Paradiso" in Germany was done by Connie Francis. Francis was the first American artist to regularly record in other languages. As a result, she enjoyed her greatest successes outside of the United States. In fact - in 1960, she was named the most popular artist in Europe,

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Ra-ta-ta - Ra-ta-ta

It's been a while since we last finnpicked Fredi. Well - now it's the time. He recorded a song named "Ra-ta-ta" in 1971. It was released on the B-side of his big hit "Rakkaustarina" (cover of "Love Story Theme"). Te Finnish lyrics were written by Fredi's friend and co-member in vocal group Kivikasvot, Georg Dolivo. The original "Ra-ta-ta" was a continental hit in 1970 for German studio group called Rotation. The composer of the song was Leipzig-born Chris Juwens (b. Uwe Stelzmann), who wrote a couple other light-weight hits for a.o. Joe Dassin. Some of those have been covered also in Finland, and maybe we can present them here one day ...

Here's the pair:

You're My Heart, You're My Soul - Ota kii

This song was recorded in Finnish in 7 different versions in 1985. So it must have been a ultra-popular song. Well - it was, but actually none of the Finnish covers - all titled "Ota kii" (lyrics by Chrisse Johansson) - were charted hits. The most played one was done by Meiju Suvas, but I prefer the one by Seija Simola. Alas, I present them both here.  The original "You're My Heart, You're My Soul" was performed by was a German dance pop duo Modern Talking  It consisted of Thomas Anders and Dieter Bohlen, anf they were Germany's most successful pop act of the 80's. They had several hit singles reaching the top 5 all over the world. The studio vocal line up of Rolf Köhler, Michael Scholz and Detlef Wiedeke produced the high choruses characteristic of Modern Talking, but were never credited on their albums, and eventually went to law over the matter."You're My Heart, You're My Soul" was Modern Talking's first hit single and sold eight million copies world-wide. You can see them perform the song, here.

Here's the triplet:

Denn Ich Liebe Die Welt - Mikä meidän nyt on

Katri Helena recorded "Mikä meidän nyt on" (What it is with us now) in 1972. It was the final track on her album "Lauluja meille kaikille". It was also released on the B-side of a single. The Finnish lyrics were written by Pertsa Reponen. The original song was composed by our old friend Giorgio Moroder, and there were several succesful versions recorded around Europe during the year 1972. The first one however was done in 1971 in Germany sung by Uschi Glas and produced by Moroder. In original German lyrics, it was called "Denn Ich Liebe Die Welt" (Then I love the world). The English language version "Everybody Join Hands" it was a hit for Debbie (b. Ria Schildmeyer) in Netherlands. But the version that inspired Katri Helena probably was the French one, done by Mireille Mathieu and titled "En frappant dans nos mains" (Clapping our hands). You can see Uschi's performance here , Debbie's here  and Mireille's here.

Here's the bunch:

Du bist nicht die erste liebe - Kenties viimeinen

Marjo-Riitta (real name Marjo-Riitta Kervinen) was a member in the group Ernos in the 60's and later in the 70's in the groups Marjo-Riitta & Savannah (see earlier entry) and Cascade. In the latter part of the 70's she launched a solo career and released some singles. On one of those was this "Kenties viimeinen" (Maybe the last) from the year 1977. It deserved to be a schlager hit but it wasn't. Perhaps Marjo-Riitta was too 'rock' to be valued as schlager singer. The original was performed in 1976 by Austrian-born Gilla (b. Gisela Wuchinger) and was called "Du bist nicht die erste liebe" (You are not the first love). Gilla was the discovery of German producer Frank Farian (of Boney M fame), and this song was also co-written by him. The song was on the B-side of Gilla's big European hit"Ich brenne" ("Help Help" in English version).

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Oh No No - Toisenlainen nainen

Kirka recorded "Toisenlainen nainen" (Other kind of woman) in 1981. It was on his album "Kirka" and also released as a single but did not turned out to be a hit. Kirka's second period of mega success was still some years away. The lyrics were provided by Raul Reiman. The original song "Oh No No" was co-written and performed by a German singer and producer Bernd Vonficht. He was of course better known by his stage name Bernie Paul. This "Oh No No" was mumber 2 hit in Germany and Top Ten hit in various other Middle-European countries.

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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.

Here's the pair:

Marlena - Marleena

The beauty queen and singer Armi Aavikko recorded "Marleena" in 1986. It was relesed on Danny's album "Danny Ninja" on which Armi performed as a guest artist. It wasn't a success story at the time, which is sad, becouse it got that certain kind of appeal. The original "Marlena" was of German origin. The writers of the song, Wolfgang Jass and Wolf-Eckehardt Stein wrote many hits for Geman pop and dicso artists. One of the best known of their compositios is "Sun Of The Jamaica", which was a massive hit for Goombay Dance Band. And this song "Marlena" was one of the groups lesser known singles in 1985. Goombay Dance Band was formed by German singer Oliver Berndt (b. Jörg Knoch),.The band is named after a small bay on the Caribbean island of St. Lucia., where Oliver stayed in the 70's.

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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:

Push Push Man - Pus-pus mies

Seitsemän Seinähullua Veljestä (see earlier entry) released the album "Sinne sun tänne ja takaisin" in 1978. It wastheit best-selling album and it aslo produced two hit singles. This "Pus-pus mies" (Kiss-kiss man) was one of the popular album tracks. The lyrics about the 'super-kisser' were crafted by Pertsa Reponen. The original song was called "Push Push Man" and it was a big disco hit for a group called Mafia. It ws most probably a German studio combo, becouse I have not found any information on them, and there were no further hits. The composer of the song was Howard Carpendale,, South African -born singer who made a very successful career in Germany as a schlager singer in the 60's and 70's.

Here's the pair:

Pepe - Pepe

Rauni Pekkala (see earlier entry) recorded "Pepe" in 1961. It was also covered by Brita Koivunen in the same year, but Rauni's version was more popular. Both used the same lyrics made by Kari Tuomisaari. The original song was written by German composer Hans Wittstatt in 1956 as "Andalusisches Mädchen" (Andalusian girl). Some years later it was transformed in English to "Pepe" and in 1960 it was interpreted by Shirley Jones in the film of the same name. You can see the performance here. In 1961 Caterina Valente covered the song and obtained a Top Ten hit in Germany. And I think that's where Rauni's song got it's inspiration.

Here's the pair:

Hello Mr. Business Man - Raskas työ

After presenting so many smooth female voices recently, it's now time to change into more manly rendition. Kirka recorded "Raskas työ" (Hard work) for his 1981 "Kirka" -album. The lyrics were again provided by Raul Reiman. Although this song had some single potential it remained just as an album track. The original song came from Germany. The writer was producer-songwriter Bernd Möhrle (finnpicked earlier here and here) . The performing artist was a female disco duo called Le Angeli. They had a continental disco hit with this song originally titled as "Hello Mr. Business Man" in 1981. You can see them perform their other hit "Easy Lovin', Easy Livin" here.

Here's the pair:

Mama Lorraine - On hienoa olla ihminen

Let's pick another goodie from Katri Helena's 1981 album "Kotimaa". This "On hienoa olla ihminen" (It's fine to be human) is another masterpiece of Katri and lyricist Raul Reiman. And the arrangement is also first class; done by Veikko Samuli. The original song was also this time coming from Germany. The writer was Bernd Dietrich, who also wrote earlier Finnpicks "Banaania poskeen" (see here) and "Tavataanko taas" (see here) and the performer G. G. Anderson. His real name is Gerd Günther Grabowski and he was quite successful especially as a composer, but also as a producer and performer during the Eurodisco -era of 70's and and 80's. You can see him perform this "Mama Lorraine", here.

Here's the pair:

Rio Bravo - Altaelva

Katri Helena recorded "Altaelva" in 1981. It was released on her album "Kotimaa" and also as a single, which however did not have chart success. The lyrics (by Raul Reiman) deal with the "Altaelva controversy". The river Altaelva lies in the municipality of Alta in Finnmark county, Norway. During the 1970s and 80s, the river was the site of a controversy regarding the construction of a hydroelectric power plant. The original song got also it's title from a river. "Rio Bravo" was a big hit for a Lithuanian-German schlager singer Lena Valaitis. It was a follow-up single for her 1981 Eurovision success "Johnny Blue" (also covered by Katri Helena), both written by Ralph Siegel.

Here's the pair:

Herzen haben keine Fenster - Rakkaus

This song is again one of those forgotten gems I've come across while editing Finnpicks. Fredi recorded "Rakkaus" (Love) in 1976 for his album "Laula kanssain". The lyrics were provided by Chrisse Johansson. The same song was finnpicked by Kirka in 1981 sung with different lyrics, titled "Sinuun minä luotan (I trust you). The original song was of German origin. Composer Hans Meyer wrote the song and Austrian born songstress Elfi Graf (b. Elfriede Sepp) made it a big hit in Germany in 1974. You can see her perform "Herzen haben keine Fenster" (Hearts don't hve windows), here. Later in USA, Bobby Vinton got hold of the song and made a big US and international come-back hit with it under title "My Melody Of Love". Bobby, being of Polish origin, sings it partly in Polish. This same song titled as "Don't Stay Away Too Long" was a hit for duo Peters and Lee in UK.

Here's the triplet:

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: