Nickels and Dimes - Lantteja vain

Katri Helena recorded "Lantteja vain" (Nickels and dimes only) for her album "Sydämeni tänne jää" in 1980. Katri had very good company with this; the arranger was Veikko Samuli and the Finnish lyrics were provided by Juice Leskinen. The original song "Nickels and Dimes" was co-written and performed by Dolly Parton. It was released on her 1978 album "Heartbreaker". It was her 20th solo studio album and released following the huge pop crossover success of "Here You Come Again". Heartbreaker was designed as an even more direct aim at the pop charts, but this finnpicked song was pure country.

Just 23 Finnpicks to go.

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Here Comes the Dawn - Jään ikkunaan

Katri Helena recorded "Jään ikkunaan" (I'll stay by the window") in 1973. It was released on the B-side of her big success "Anteeksi suo" (presented in Finnpicks earlier, see here). It was released also on her album "Kun kohdattiin". The Finnish lyrics were made by Pertsa Reponen. The original song was called "Here Comes the Dawn" and it was co-written and performed by Bob Azzam (b. Wadih George Azzam). This Lebanese-at-birth singer and musician made it big with "Mustapha" (finnpicked here), but this is his 70's material, a track on his album "Garden Of Love".

49 Finnpicks to go.

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All We Need Is Love - Voitko rakastaa

One of the forgotten and overlooked Katri Helena songs is this "Voitko rakastaa" (Can you love) that was released as a single in 1978. On the flipside was Katri-Helena's cover of the Monegasque entry in the Eurovision Song Contest 1978. This "Voitko rakastaa" really deserved to be a hit (but wasn't). The Finnish lyrics were done by Pertsa Repoonen. The original song "All We Need Is Love" was written by our old friends Roberto Danova and Peter Yellowstone. And it was performed by British disco songstress Kelly Marie (of the  1977 "Feels Like I'm In Love" fame). We have finnpicked Kelly Marie before, see here.  For some reason this "All We Need Is Love" was released only in France and Germany, not in UK. You can see Kelly Marie  perform this song live, here.

85 Finnpicks to go.

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Broken Blossoms - En saata ymmärtää

This is one of Katri Helena's lesser known songs, but at the same time one of her most beautiful.  "En saata ymmärtää" (I can't understand) was recorded in 1969 and was released on the B-side of her hit single "Maailman pihamaat". Perhaps surprisingly, the Finnish lyrics were made by Katri Helena herself.  The original song "Broken Blossoms" was recorded by Dusty Springfield and it appeared on her 1967 album "Where Am I Going". The song was a traditional song with anti-war theme adapted by Dusty's brother Tom Springfield.

92 Finnpicks to go.

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Without Love - Lapsuuskesät

One of the hidden treasures of Katri Helena can be found on the B-side of her smash hit "Katson autiota hiekkarantaa" in 1979. There was this song "Lapsuuskesät" (The summers of childhood). Besides Katri, there were two Veikko's involved: Veikko Samuli did the arrangement and Veikko "Vexi" Salmi the Finnish lyrics,  The original "Without Love" was weitten by South African musicisan John Kongos, who had a couple of worldwide hits as an artist in the 70's - e.g. "Tokoloshe Man". Today's finnpick was performed by another South African act, Clout. They were an all-girl pop/rock combo, who had several hits in Europe in the end of 70's.

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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.

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Morning Sky - Aurinkoon

Katri Helena recorded "Aurinkoon" (To the sun) in 1976. It was released on the B-side of her smash hit "Syysunelmia". The Finnish lyrics were from the pen of Chrisse Johansson.. The original song was of Dutch origin. George Baker Selection had a international hit with "Morning Sky" in 1975. The song was written - as all the groups hits - by George Baker aka. Johannes "Hans" Bouwens. You can see the group perform the song, here.

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Brasilero - Brasilero

Katri Helena recorded "Brasilero" in 1977. It was released on the B-side of her Top 10 hit, the Finnish version of that year's Eurovision winner "L'oiseau et l'enfant". Katri herself wrote the Finnish lyrics for "Brasilero". Also Frederik released a version of that in the same year, using Katri's lyrics. The original "Brasilero" was - again - written by hitmakers Roberto Danova and Peter Yellowstone. There are about 30 Finnish version of their songs of which we have already presented quite a few, and there's more to come. The original performer was called Roberto Montecristo. Roberto was in the 70's a successful producer of various artists like Kelly Marie, Mungo Jerry and Joe Dolan. In 1976 he released this song "Brasilero", which broke out in Europe and established him also as a singer.

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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.

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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.

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Can't Give You Anything (But My Love) - Hei jos mentäis naimisiin

We honor today the birthday of Katri Helena by presenting her recording "Hei jos mentäis näimisiin" (Hey let's get married) from the year 1976. It was one of Katri's rare soul covers, and was released on her album "Lady Love". The original tune was written (and produced) by famous American songwriting cousins Luigi Creatore and Hugo Peretti in collaboration with George David Weiss (another famous songwriter). The song "Can't Give You Anything (But My Love)" was a massive hit in 1975 for the Philadelphia soul group The Stylistics. Their sound was graced by the soaring falsetto of Russell Thompkins, Jr. and the lush production of Thom Bell, which helped make the Stylistics one of the most successful soul groups of the first half of the 1970s. You can see Stylistics perform this finnpicked song, here.

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La sai troppo lunga - Tiedät aivan liikaa

It's a long time since we finnpicked with Katri Helena. Now is the time. She recorded "Tiedät aivan liikaa" (You know way too much) in 1966. It was released as a single but for some reason it was not a such big hit as would be expected from Katri Helena. This song was clearly an attempt to duplicate the success of "Lui" in the previous year. That's becouse the song was again a cover of Rita Pavone's (the original performer of "Lui") song. It was called "La sai troppo lunga" ("You know too much"), and the single it was on, was a sizeable hit in Italy, although this song was on the B-side. You can see Katri perform his version on a TV show, here.

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Starship 109 - Avaruuslaiva 109

Katri Helena sang about "Avaruuslaiva 109" (Spaceship 109) on her album "Katson sineen taivaan" in 1979. Also Eini recorded the song in the same year and it was relased on her album "Laululintunen". They both used Chrisse Johansson's lyrics. We present here Katri Helena's version. The original "Starship 109" was a hit 1978 especially in Germany and Holland. The song was written by Dutchman Robbie Van Leeuwen. Robbie is of course famous for his legendary group Shocking Blue, which was very popular around the world in the first part of the 70's. When the group split, Robbie experimented with something like 'space disco' and formed a studio band called Mistral. They had a few hits in Holland, but all the songs have different vocalists. The vocals in this "Starship 109" are done by Marjan Schattelijn. You can see her and the band perform the song, here.

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La riva bianca, la riva nera - Äänesi mä kuulen

Katri Helena - our old friend - recorded "Äänesi mä kuulen" (I hear your voice) in 1971 and it was released as a single. It was in a bit different format that was to be expected from Katri. But anyhow, it became very popular song, and it still belongs to her most requested songs. The earnest anti-war lyrics were done by Hector. The original was an Italian song called "La riva bianca, la riva nera" (White river, black river) and performed by famous Italian songstress, actor and TV personality Iva Zanicchi in 1971. This song was one of her big hits. and tells a story about 2 soldiers tired of fighting and basically deciding not to go on any longer. Iva Zanicchi, was also known as "L'aqila di Ligonchio", "The Eagle of Ligonchio" (her birth place). Later years she has been active in many fields, posing for Playboy and becaming politically active. She's presently attending in The European Parliament as Italian representative.

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Pardonne-moi ce caprice d'enfant - Anteeksi suo

Katri Helena (see previous entry) released "Anteeksi suo" (Forgive me) in 1973. It was one her biggest hits, and the song has become a definite karaoke favourite. The original song was called "Pardonne-moi ce caprice d'enfant" (Forgive me this childish whim), and it was an early hit for French superstar Mireille Mathieu in 1970. This song is composed by Patricia Carli, a successful singer herself.

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Ma Jalousie - Kun kohdattiin

Katri Helena covered several French songs. Perhaps more than other Finnish singers. So it's quite appropriate that we end our round-trip in France. Katri recorded "Kun kohdattiin" (When we met) in 1973. And the song was released as a single in the same year. It is still one of the the favourites among her audience. The tune was written by French songwriters and producers Jean Kluger and Daniel Vangarde. In 70's they wrote many disco hits for Ottawan, Gibson Brothers, Amii Stewart a.o. This song was originally called "Ma Jalousie" (My jealousy) and was performed by a French singer with a famous non-French name - Ringo (aka Ringo Willy Cat). His real name was Guy Bayle and he had some national hits in the 70's, but didn't really make it internationally. This "Ma Jalousie" seems to be rare recording to catch, so the example here is not of best quality.

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Alle Porte Del Sole - Vasten auringon siltaa

The third stop in our around-the-world trip is Italy. We seem to end up there ever so often. Katri Helena recorded "Vasten auringon siltaa" (Against the bridge of the sun) in 1975, and it was releasd as a single. It has become one of her most popular songs ever. And that's no wonder, since the melody, the lyrics (by Chrisse Johansson) and the prensentation are perfect. The original was performed in 1973 by famous Italian songstress Gigliola Cinquetti, and was entitled "Alle Porte Del Sole" (To the door of the sun). Gigliola is best remembered as the young teenage girl winning the Eurovision Song Contest in 1964 with "Non ho l'eta", and 10 years later finishing second - after Abba. "Alle Porte del Sole" was recorded in English by Al Martino in 1975 and made US charts. Gigliola Cinquetti has nowadays become a professional journalist and a respected TV presenter.

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Dancing all night - Olet ystäväin

The second stop in our round trip around the world with Katri Helena is Japan. Katri recorded "Olet ystäväin" (You're my friend) in 1980 and it was released as a B-side to her single "Johnny Blue" in 1981. There's something unexplicably fascinating about this simple song. The original one was written by a Japanese singer/songwriter Monta Yoshinori, and entitled "Dancing All Night". Only the refrain was in English, the rest was sung in Japanese. This record was the debut single for Monta, and it was released in 1980 under the name "Monta & Brothers". The single went quickly to Number 1 in Japanese charts and stayed there for 10 consecutive weeks. It was the most popular song in Japan that year. And has become a great karaoke favourite. It's very rare that a Japanese pop song gets covered in Finland, but this was a well-deserved exception. Monta Yoshinori has since made a succesful career also in movies.

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Sadie (The Cleaning Lady) - Äiti kuin äidinäiti

Let's now take a round trip around the world with Katri Helena. Well at least a half way around ... And we start from Australia. In 1968 Katri recorded "Äiti kuin äidinäiti" (Mother like mother's mother). It might well have been the first Finnish feminist song proclaiming emancipation of women. Although in humorous manner. The original song "Sadie (The Cleaning Lady)" was performed by Australian pop star John Farnham. He was born in Essex, UK, but emigrated to Australia in 1959. His first commercially-successful recording was this novelty song entitled "Sadie (The Cleaning Lady)". When released in 1967, it hit No. 1 on the Australian charts. Selling 180 000 copies in Australia, it was the largest-selling single by an Australian artist of the decade. John Farnham has remained one of Australia's best-known performers over a career spanning 40 years. He is the only Australian artist to have a number one record in five consecutive decades. During the 80's he for a while fronted Little River Band. And had a worldwide hit as solo artist with "You're The Voice" in 1986.

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Mediterranee - Palman mainingit

In her long career, Katri Helena (see previus entry) has so far released 44 albums and compilations and for those, awarded with 4 platinum records and 1 double platinum record! One of the albums that went platinum was "Lady Love" in 1976. It included the song "Palman mainingit" (The sea waves of Palma), that was aso released as a single. The original tune came from France. It was called "Mediterranee" (Mediterranean) and recorded by a Turkish songstress Ajda Pekkan. It was sung in French, as Ms Pekkan at the time tried to make international breakthrough in France (and partly succeeded). The writers of the song were famous French songsmiths Claude Morgan (see previous entry for El Bimbo) and Eddy Marnay (co-writer of "Manchester Liverpool; see this entry). Ajda Pekkan was a superstar in Turkey and wanted very much to be also a worldwide pop star. She was Turkey's representative in 1980 Eurovision Song Contest, but when the song didn't win the contest (as was expected in Turkey) she almost gave up singing and performing. Well, she has since made several come-backs, and is still a popular artist in Turkey.

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