String Along - Iltaseuraa

Johnny's debut single in 1963 as a solo artist and first big hit was "Hymyhuulet" (finnpicked here), and on it's flipside was this rarely heard "Iltaseuraa" (Company for the evening). The arrangements were done by Jaskko Salo and the Finnish lyrics by Saukki. The original "String Along" was originally a Top 40 US hit for Fabian (b. Fabian Forte) in 1960. But it gained greater success in 1963 when versioned by Rick Nelson. It peaked number 25 in Billboard Hot 100 Chart and it was surely the inspiration for Johnny's recording. You can see Rick perform it, here.

80 Finnpicks to go.

Here's the pair:

Hi, Hi, Hi - Ai, jai, jai

It's a long time since we last presented Johnny. Well, here's Johnny! ... He recorded "Ai, jai, jai" in 1973 for his album "Jonglööri" It was released also as a single, on the flipside of his version of "Coconuts From Congoville" (finnpicked earlier, see here).  The Finnish lyrics were crafted by Vexi Salmi. The original song was called "Hi, Hi, Hi" and it was a smash hit in 1972 for Paul McCartney & The Wings. It was banned by the BBC because of "unsuitable lyrics." The song still managed to be a hit, reaching number 5 in the UK and number 10 in the US. BTW, the name "Wings" is said to have come to McCartney as he was praying in the hospital while Linda was giving birth to their eldest child Stella.

Here's the pair:

Funny Funny - Meillä hyvin on

This marks the start of Finnpicks ChinniChap Week (volume 1, there will be others ...). ChinniChap is the abbreviation for the songwriter duo Nicky Chinn and Mike Chapman. Since we move on in chronological order, this first week is eventually Finnpicks Sweet Week ;-). Johnny recorded "Meillä hyvin on" (We've got it alright) in 1972. It was released on the B-side of his big hit single "Amarillo" (see earlier Finnpick, here) The original ChinniChap tune was called "Funny Funny" and it was the first in long line of their hits for the British pop and rock group The Sweet, reaching number 13 in the UK charts.

Here's the pair:

Cuando calienta el sol - Kun aurinko polttaa

Johnny recorded "Kun aurinko polttaa" (When the sun heats up) in 1966. It was not the first Finnish version of the song. Matti Heinivaho had made his version already in 1963. But that I don't have. So we present here Johnny's interpretation. The original song "Cuando calienta el sol" (When the sun heats up) was recorded by a Cuban group Los Hermanos Rigual in 1961 and it quickly became a smash hit all over Latin America and eventually in the rest of the world. The composition is usually credited to group members Carlos Rigual and Carlos Martinoli, but actually the song was writtem by the Nicaraguan trombonist Rafael Gastón Perez in the late 50's. The theme was originally named "Cuando calienta el sol en Masachapa". Masachapa is a beach in the Pacific ocean some 30 miles from the capital of Nicaragua, Managua. Los Hermanos Rigual picked up the song while touring through Nicaragua. The song has been recorded by many artists in English with the title "Love Me with All Your Heart".

Here's the pair:

Step Into A Dream - Onnen maa

Johnny recorded "Onnen maa" (Land of happiness) in 1973 for his "Jonglööri" album. It was also released as a single but was put on the B-side and sunk without a trace. It's a pity becouse the song is absolutely and definitely a pop classic. Sorry about the poor sound quality. The song was written by master songwriter Roger Cook and the original version was recorded by UK pop group White Plains. The group evolved from the Flower Pot Men (featured in Finnpicks, here) and the lead singer on most of their hits was Tony Burrows The band's material was mostly provided by their producers - the two Rogers, Cook and Greenaway. This song "Step Into A Dream" was their last hit in 1973. The song is light-weight equipped with a charming melody line and string arrangement reminiscing classical minuets.

Here's the pair:

Bread And Butter- Kaikki ruoka maittaa

Johnny recorded "Kaikki ruoka maittaa" (All the food tastes good) in 1965, and it was released on the B-side of his single (on the A-side was a Cliff Richard cover) . The original song was debut single called "Bread And Butter" for a Nashville pop vocal trio The Newbeats, which teamed singer Larry Henley and brothers Dean and Mark Mathis. The distinctive feature of the band was Henley's falsetto voice, and that helped "Bread And Butter" climb number two on the US pop charts in 1964. You can see the trio perform the song, here.

Here's the pair:

Coconuts From Congoville - Ihanaa Elämää

Where's Danny, there's Johnny - at least when it comes to covering 60's & 70's pop. Johnny recorded "Ihanaa elämää" (Wonderful life) in 1973 and it was one of the last big successes for him. The original song was called "Coconuts From Congoville", and it was a big Euro-continental hit for the group Soulful Dynamics. The group was founded in the mid-1960's as Dynamic Club in Liberia, Africa. In 1969 they moved to Hamburg Germany and recorded several Euro hits with the concept "funny pop songs from the black continent".

Here's the pair:

Dum Dum - Dum dum

We start now a mini-series that will pop up every now and then. It's called "Both Sides Now" and in it we present both sides of a particular single. On the flip side of yesterday's Finnpick "Piiri pyörii" Johnny performed another early disco song "Dum dum". The lyrics were done by Pertti Reponen and arrangements by another 'old-timer' Esko Linnavalli. The original came all the way from Argentina. An Argentinian beat group called Kingston Karachi had South American hit with "Dum Dum" in 1971. The song became also a hit in Spain, both in original and in Spanish cover versions. I guess it was frequently played in tourist resorts and gradually the popularity of the driving song spread all over Europe. The song has Afro influences and at least partly sung in some African language.

Here's the pair:

Mighty Mighty and Roly Poly - Piiri pyörii

Johnny - our old buddy - released "Piiri pyörii" (It goes around) as a single in 1973. It was a modest hit for him, but his popularity was already waning at that point. The song was an early disco tune and the original was called "Mighty Mighty and Roly Poly". It was of Italian origin and released in 1972, charting in Italy, Germany and even "bubbled under" the Billboard Hot 100 in USA. The performimg artist was called Mal (b. Mal Ryder), a British native who became an Italian pop superstar when his group, The Primitives, started charting in 1966. Mal went on to star in films and sell millions of discs through the 1980s, and he still resides in Italy.

Here's the pair:

Sunny Girl - Hymyillen

Whereas Danny built his career in the 60's and 70's almost entirely on cover songs, so did his rival Johnny. In 1966 he recorded "Hymyillen" (Smiling) which was released as a single. The single was practically a double A-sided one, becouse on the flipside was the cover of Kinks' "Sunny Afternoon" and both sides did very well. The original of "Hymyillen" was one of the biggest hits for the Swedish group Hep Stars, and was called "Sunny Girl". It was written by band's keyboard player Benny Anderson. And even if this was only his second composition you can hear this master of melody was blooming already, long before the Abba days. "Sunny Girl" became Bennys break-through as composer and the song made him believe on himself as a songwriter.

Funny Familiar, Forgotten Feelings - Kauniit kuolleet tunteet

Johnny recorded "Kauniit kuolleet tunteet" (Beautiful dead feelings) in 1973 on his "Kotidisco" (Home dsico) -album. Johnny's career was already going downhill at this point, so neither the album nor this track caused much commotion. The original song called "Funny Familiar, Forgotten Feelings" was written by Nashville songwriter Mickey Newbury and originally recorded by another Nashville artist Don Gibson in 1966. However the international hit-, and much better version was made by Tom Jones (b. Thomas Jones Woodward) in 1967. It was not the first time that Tom made a succesfull country cover, his "Green Green Grass of Home" was even bigger hit in 1966. Tom is a Welsh born singer and should now be addressed as Sir Thomas Jones Woodward, OBE. He has sold over 100 million records worldwide.

Here's the pair:

Judy Min Vän - Judy-ystäväin

It's six days to Eurovision Song Contest Final. We began our journey with past years' Eurosong covers from the year 1969. Johnny recorded "Judy-ystäväin" (My friend Judy) which was a version of Sweden's Eurovision entry of that year. It was called "Judy Min Vän" (Judy my friend) and performed by Tommy Körberg. Tommy has been finnpicked before, see entry here. He made also an English version called "Dear Mr. Jones", and you can hear it here. In ESC the song got three votes from Norway and Finland, and 9 votes in total. It was enough to tie the 9th position with Siw Malmkvist's "Prima Ballerina" (this one already finnpicked, see previous entry).

Here's the pair:

Lo Mucho Que Te Quiero - Et vielä tiedä

Johnny recorded over 20 singles in the 60's. "Et vielä tiedä" (You don't know yet) was single number 29, in the summer of 1969. It wasn't such a big hit at the time but the simple and beautiful song has lived through the years. The original song "Lo Mucho Que Te Quiero" (The More I Love You) was a hit in the USA in spring 1968. It was performed by a duo that was a pioneer of Tejano/Tex-Mex music - Rene y Rene. The two Renes - Rene Ornelas and Rene Herrera - were fron Laredo, Texas and very popular in Latin music circles. The group scored two hit singles in the U.S. in the 1960s and this was the bigger pne (reached number 14 in Hot 100). The song has frequently used as wedding music, which is easy to understand. I think the Finnish version - with new lyrics - would also be a sure bet in Finnish weddings ...

Here's the pair:

Pretty Belinda - Pikku Belinda

Johnny released "Pikku Belinda" (Little Belinda) as a single in 1970. It was a little hit, but Johnny's popularity was somewhat diminishing at this point. This upbeat number has however remained one of his most requested tunes. The original song "Pretty Belinda" was written and performed by Chris Andrews in 1969. Chris started in the show business already in 1959 making his UK television debut, performing on the "Oh, Boy!" show. Later he gained success as a songwriter writing a string of hits for Sandie Shaw, our finnpicked artist from yesterday. Andrews cut also some hits as solo artist and had chart topping success in mainland Europe, particularly in Germany. "Pretty Belinda" was one of those continental hits.

Here's the pair:

Pied Piper - Pillipiipari

Johnny (see previous entry) released "Pillipiipari" (Pied Piper) as a single in 1966. It was quite popular tune at the time, but not of Johnny's greatest. The original song "Pied Piper" was written and performed by Steven Duboff and Arthur 'Artie' Kornfeld. They released this very dylanesque song in 1965 under band name "Changin' Times" (undoubtedly taken from Dylan, too). This was their only hit, but later the couple also wrote The Cowsills' smash hit song "The Rain, the Park and Other Things." 'Artie' Kornfeld was later one of the producers of Woodstock music festival. A cover version of "Pied Piper" by British Crispian St. Peters was a number one hit all over Europe in 1966. The song is based on the ancient legend of The Pied Piper of the town of Hamelin (Hameln), Germany . In 1284, while the town of Hamelin was suffering from a rat infestation, a man dressed in pied (pied = having patches of two or more colors, as various birds, especially magpie (black and white)) garments appeared, claiming to be a rat-catcher. He played a musical pipe to lure the rats with a song into the Weser River, where all of them drowned. The towns-people refused to pay the rat-catcher, and he left the town angrily, but returned some time later, seeking revenge. On Saint John and Paul's day while the inhabitants were in church, he played his pipe again, this time attracting the children of Hamelin. They followed him out of the town, where they were lured into a cave and never seen again.

Here's the pair:

Amarillo - Amarillo

Johnny (see previous entry) sang about "Amarillo" 1972. It was a big hit in Finland and has grown up to be a cult classcic. The original "Amarillo" -song was recorded by Tony Christie and released in the UK in 1971, initially reaching number 18 in the UK Charts. However, it was a bigger hit at that time across Continental Europe, notably in Germany and Spain. In Germany, the song's chorus is widely adapted as a chant by football and hockey fans even today. When it was re-issued in 2005 to raise money for the Comic Relief charity, it reached number 1 in the UK. Tony was subsequently being given the freedom of Amarillo by this Texan city's mayor. The song is written by Neil Sedaka and Howard Greenfield. It is about a man travelling to Amarillo to find his fiancée. The reason that Amarillo was chosen for the song was because it was the only place name that Sedaka could think of that rhymed with "willow" and "pillow". We present here also Sedaka's own - a bit different - version of this classic.

Here's the triple:

Lucky Lips - Hymyhuulet

Perhaps the biggest hit for Johnny was "Hymyhuulet" (Smiling lips) in 1963. It was his break-through as a solo artist after playing drums in the legendary Finnish guitar combo The Sounds. The song of course covered Cliff Richard's "Lucky Lips", but the original was done in the 50's by the US songwright stalwarts Leiber and Stoller and recorded by Ruth Brown in 1957. It was a minor hit for her and peaked at 25 in charts. Ruth Brown was a R&B singer and actress noted for bringing a popular music style to rhythm and blues. She earned nickname 'Miss Rhythm' and later when inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame 'The Queen Mother of the Blues'.

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Flowers on the Wall - Hyvin menee kuitenkin

In the wake of folk music boom, the US American bluegrass and country music also became more known in Finland. One of the first pop C&W covers was Johnny's "Hyvin menee kuitenkin" (It's going fine, anyway), released as a single in 1966. The original, "Flowers on the Wall" was a song made famous by country music group The Statler Brothers. Written by the group's original tenor, Lew DeWitt, the song reached No. 4 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in January 1966. In the following years, "Flowers on the Wall" became one of the trademark songs of the Statler Brothers'. The song gained new exposure when it was used by Quentin Tarantino in Pulp Fiction.

Here's the pair:

It's Gonna Be Alright - Ei se kesää tee

Johnny recorded "Ei se kesää tee" (It doesn't make it summer) in 1966 and the song was published in his first album "Johnny". It has irrestistible drive and beat while telling that it does not make it summer if the girl smiles ... The original song was Gerry & the Pacemakers' 6th single "It's Gonna Be Alright" in 1964 and was written by Gerry Marsden himself.

Here's the pair:

Felicia - Sanoit liian paljon

One of the lesser known Johnny's hits is "Sanoit liian paljon" (You said too much). It was released as B-side of a single in 1967. This beautiful ballad and lyrics seemed to suit well for the not-so-talkative people of Finland. The original was an instrumental tune called 'Felicia' and recorded in 1965 for their 5th album 'Going Places' by Herb Alpert & The Tijuana Brass. It was written by TB's guitarist John Pisano and named after Herb Albert's maid (!).

Here's the pair: