Caroline - Kyyneleet

This is one of Kirka's absolute classics. The song "Kyyneleet" (Tears) was released in 1981 on eponymous album. It has ever since been one of the most popular songs in his repertoire. The touching Finnish lyrics were provided by Raul Reiman. The original was called "Caroline" and it was written by famous Dutch producer, songwriter, DJ and musician Eddy Ouwens. He was the man behind the Dutch Eurovision winner "Ding-a-Dong". In 1977, following the death of Elvis Presley, he recorded and released the worldwide hit single "I Remember Elvis Presley" uber pseudonym Danny Mirror. Well, what about today's finnpicked song, "Caroline". It has been very hard to find the original recording. But (thanks to fellow blogger Magomusiikki for research) I can now present an almost original version. It was done by Dutch schlager singer Arne Jansen. It was released on his album "Zomerzon En Zuidenwind" and also as a single. As far as I know this took place in 1985 - 4 years after Kirka's "Kyyneleet". So it's not THE original, but I'm sure it's quite like it. BTW, Arne and Kirka had more in common than this song; they were born just months apart and they died just months apart. You can see Arne perform the song, here.
Here's the pair:

No Help From Me - Kellon soiton kuulla saan

Kirka recorded "Kellon soiton kuulla saan" (I'll hear the bell ring) in 1968 and it was released on the B-side of his modestly successful single "Okolona River Bottom Band". It was arranged by Jaakko Salo and the Finnish lyrics were from the pen of Pertsa Reponen. The original song was called "No Help From Me" and it was the B-side to Lemon Pipers' smash hit "Green Tambourine" (finnpicked before, see here). The song represents the 'true' Lemon Pipers, who were basically blues, hard rock and rock'n roll group, but they got labeled as psychedelic bubblegum band. The song featured lead vocals by guitarist Bill Bartlett and did not appear on either of the group's two albums.

Here's the pair:

It Never Rains In Southern California - Antaa tulla lunta tupaan

"Antaa tulla lunta tupaan" (Let the snow inside the house, for all I care) was the title (lyrics by Hector) of the song that Cay & The Scaffolds released in 1972. The Scaffolds was one of the pioneering Finnish guitar groups, founded in 1962.  For three years it was quite popular, scoring the first Finnish vocal beat group hit with self-penned "Girls" in 1963. The vocalist was at that point Cay Karlsson, and the group's name was changed to Cay & The Scaffolds. The band broke up in 1965, but was briefly re-united in 1972, when they recorded today's finnpick, with the cover of Don McLean's "Vincent" on the flipside. Hector later re-wrote the lyrics for Kirka, who recorded this song in 1983 for his album "Täytyy uskaltaa" with the title "Viikon verran sankareina" (Heroes for a week). The original song "It Never Rains In Southern California" was a big hit for Albert Hammond in 1972. It was written by Hammond and his songwriting partner Mike Hazlewood. You can see Albert perform the song, here.  BTW - you can monitor the weather in Southern California here.

Here's the triplet:

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.

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:

Saturday Night at the Movies - Lauantai on yhtä rautaa

The opening track of Kirka's 1983 album "Täytyy uskaltaa" was this "Lauantai on yhtä rautaa" (Saturday is just super). It was also released as a single but failed to make the charts. The lyrics were done by Raul Reiman under pseudonym Pyry Lunden. The original song was written by professional songwriter duo Cynthia Weill and Barry Mann and performed by another professional combo, The Drifters. The song "Saturday Night at the Movies" was a Top 20 hit in USA in 1964, when it was first released, but when re-issued in 1972 in UK, it became an even bigger hit and revived Drifters' career in UK and Europe. You can see the group perform the song in 1964, here.

Here's the pair:

Sister Jane - Siskosein

This is the last entry in our Finnpicks ChinniChap Week volume 1. Kirka recorded "Siskosein" (Sister of mine) in 1973 for his album "Rautaa ja kettinkiä". The lyrics were provided by Pertsa Reponen. This nice song is sadly forgotten. The original song "Sister Jane" was a minor hit for the Australian pop group New World in 1972. They are best known for their Top 10 hit "Tom-Tom Turnaround", which was released in 1971 and was the first hit for writers Nicky Chinn and Mike Chapman. They also recorded a ChinniChap song called "Living Next Door to Alice" (hear it here) 1972, but it was a was a flop. This song of course would become a worldwide hit for Smokie in 1976. You can see New World perform the "Sister Jane" song in a rare promotional film, here.

Here's the pair:

Little Willy - Pikku veli

Kirka got a big hit with his recording of "Pikku veli" (Little brother) in 1972. The lyrics were provided by Pertsa Reponen. You can see Kirka in action, performing this song, here. The original "Little Willy" continued the ChinniChap line of hits for The Sweet. This was the first ChinniChap single the band actually played on. This was also their first big US hit. The lead vocals were - as always at the time - done by Brian Connolly. You can see Sweet perform the song, here.

Here's the pair:

I Can See Clearly Now - Nyt menee kaikki hienommin

The original version of this song has always been one of my favourite summer tunes. It's s perfect song to listen to, when summer rain has gone and the sun comes shining through. Kirka recorded "Nyt menee kaikki hienommin" (Now all things go better) for his 1983 album "Täytyy uskaltaa". The original song "I Can See Clearly Now" was a big 1972 hit for American pop singer-songwriter Johnny Nash. Johnny was not Jamaican, but born in Houston, Texas. But he was the first non-Jamaican to record reggae music in Kingston. BTW, Johnny just turned 70 last week (on the 19th of August).

Here's the pair:

Back to the City Again - Nyt maistuu elämä taas

I've been five weeks on vacation and out of this blogworld. Now Finnpicks is back on and perhaps it's appropriate to re-start with this Kirka's song from 1979 - "Nyt maistuu elämä taas" (Now the life tastes good again). It was a modestly successful single with lyrics by Pertsa Reponen and arrangement by Veikko Samuli. The original song called "Back To The City Again", was written and performed by French superstar Jean-Jacques Goldman. Jean-Jacques abandoned his classical music studies in 1968 for "American Rock & Roll" and it really paid off, because since 2003 he has been the second-highest-grossing French living pop singer, after Johnny Hallyday.

Here's the pair:

Conquistador - Mahtava mies - Valloittaja

Kisu became popular largely by his two Santabarbara covers (presented in Finnpicks earlier, here and here), but he did also some rockier stuff. This "Mahtava mies" (Mighty man) was recorded for his album 1973 "Kun Paljon Antaa" to the lyrics of Chrisse Johansson. Kirka, on the other hand was the definitive Finnish rocker. He recorded "Valloittaja" (Conqueror) for his album "Kaksi puolta" in 1977 to the lyrics of Juha Vainio. These both song cover - in their respective mood - the same song, "Conquistador" by Procol Harum. It became a hit when Procol Harum recorded it live with the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra. Procol Harum's lyricist Keith Reid has told about this song: "... before we formed Procol Harum, Gary Brooker had been working on a tune. He said, 'What does this sound like to you?' And I said, 'Oh, conquistador.' It had a little bit of a Spanish flavor to it. I went into another room and started writing the words there and then. 99 out of 100 of those Procol Harum songs were written the words first, and then were set to music. But that particular one, the words hadn't existed before he had the musical idea." We present here rarely heard studio version of the song. Conquistadors were Spanish soldiers who set out to conquer the Americas after their discovery by Christopher Columbus in 1492.

Here's the triplet:

Abracadabra - Abrakadabra

Kirka recorded "Abrakadabra" for his 1983 album "Täytyy uskaltaa". Kirka's popularity was at the time temporarily waned, and the album was not such a big seller, nor the singles culled from it. This was one of the better tunes, not released as a single. The original was "Abracadabra", a big hit for Steve Miller Band. Released as the main single from the album Abracadabra in 1982, it became a number one hit in USA, and also hit number two on the UK charts. The song is said to have been inspired by Diana Ross with whom the band met filming TV shows in the 1960's. Abracadabra is an incantation used as a magic word in conjuring tricks that historically was believed to have healing powers when inscribed on an amulet. The word stems from the Aramaic language "Ahbra Kedahbra", which translates to "I will create as I speak".

Here's the pair:

Only One Woman - Viimeiseen mieheen

The single "Viimeiseen mieheen" (To the last man) was a big hit for Kirka in 1969. The remarkable lyrics were from the pen of Pertti Reponen,and the fine arrangement by Esko Linnavalli. The original song was written by the Gibb brothers Barry, Robin and Maurice, better known as Bee Gees. The song became a smash hit for another Brithish rock duo The Marbles in 1968. The duo consisted of Graham Bonnet and Trevor Gordon, who were cousins. Trevor grew up in Australia where he met the Gibb brothers. Subsequently they wrote six songs for the Marbles and provided some background vocals. The Marbles were typical one-hit wonders because "Only One Woman" became their one and only major hit. After the group broke up in 1969, Bonnet started a lengthy solo career. From 1978 to 1980 he was the lead singer with Ritchie Blackmore's Rainbow.

Here's the pair:

Cindy - Cindy

Kirka recorded several songs with another members of Babitzin family. In 1977 he joined forces with little sister Anna, and as Kirka & Anna they cut single "Cindy", which also a was minor hit for the duo. The original song was also called "Cindy" and was the biggest hit (1977) for Swiss pop trio Peter, Sue & Marc. The song was written by the group member Peter (Reber). P, S & M were came from Bern, consisting of Peter Reber , Sue Schell and Marc Dietrich. Stylistically, the group is hard to classify, becouse their songs combine elements of rock, pop, folk, country and chanson. Peter, Sue & Marc are the only participants in the Eurovision Song Contest in four different languages (1971-French, 1976-English; 1979-German; 1981-Italian) for their country.

Himno de la Alegria - Ilon laulu

Kirka recorded "Ilon laulu" (Song of joy) in 1970. The lyrics were done by Pertti Reponen, and the arrangement by a famous Swedish producer and musician Bengt Palners. The original was called "Himno de la alegría" (Hymn of joy) and it was a single by Spanish singer and actor Miguel Ríos released in 1969. The single was enormously popular in many countries in 1970 reaching #1 on music charts in Australia, Canada, Germany and Switzerland and selling over four million copies worldwide. The arrangement was done by Osvaldo Nicolás Ferrara, better known as Waldo de lo Rios. The song borrows heavily from the final movement of the Ninth Symphony by Ludwig van Beethoven. This symphony - completed in 1824 - was the first example of a major composer using voices in a symphony. The words are sung during the final movement by four vocal soloists and a chorus. They were taken from the "An die Freude," (To joy), a poem written by Friedrich Schiller in 1785. The poem is ode to joy, "beautiful spark of Gods".

Here's the pair:


You can see a selection of some hand-picked Youtube videos of today's Finnpick song by playing my shared playlist in tuberadio.fm.

10 O'Clock Postman - Kesällä kaikki on toisin

The sixth entry in our Finnpicks Disco Week series is one from the singer that was more of a rocker. Kirka (see previous entry) released "Kesällä kaikki on toisin" (In the summer everything is different) on B-side of a single in 1980. It fared a little better than the A-side but wasn't a big hit. The original this time originated fron Sweden. The song "10 O'Clock Postman" was performed by Secret Service in 1979. The Swedish group was led by Ola Håkansson (the 'Ola' from Ola and the Janglers) and Tim Norell. The song was groups second smash hit, the first being "Oh Susie". For some reason Norell, who penned along with Håkansson most songs of the band, however, did not appear with them on stage or on the album covers.

Here's the pair:

It's Alright - Olen syytön

Kirka (see previous entry) was a singer of many talents. His repetoire covered pop and rock songs as well as heart-breaking ballads. A fine example of that is his single in 1969 that combined his covers of "Put Your Head My Shoulder" and this "Olen syytön" (I'm not guilty). It's a pure pop song that was later in 1995 successfully covered also the legendary retro-band Agents with Jorma Kääriäinen as vocalist (see previous entry). We present both of those versions here. The original song was recorded 1965 by an obscure British Brumbeat group called The Ugly's. It was written by the members of the band. Ugly's released 5 singles in 1965-1967, but perhaps their choice of moniker was the reason why they didn't ever really make it. This "It's Alright" -song (2nd single) was an 'almost hit' for them. The vocalist Steve Gibbons, however, achieved success later in the 70's with his own group Steve Gibbons Band. Those familiar with SGB will undoubtedly recognize Steve's voice in this song. Pay also attention to the prominent use of a harpsichord.

Here's the triple:

Beat The Clock - Hetki lyö

The breakthrough song for Kirka was "Hetki lyö" (The moment strikes), published as a single in the autumn of 1967. It was officially done by the group D'Islanders, but the song was chosen espcially for Kirka to sing, and today it's solely remembered as Kirka's song. In those times D'Islanders was working as the backing group for Danny. And in fact it was Danny who picked up this song for Kirka. The original one was a small hit (and one of their last ones) for The McCoys in the spring of 1967 and was called "Beat The Clock". It was written by the band's producer, Richard Goettehrer.

Here's the pair:

Mamy Blue - Mamy Blue

Kirka (real name Kirill Babitzin) made his breakthrough in 1967 with a big hit called "Hetki lyö". His extraordinary use of his voice kept him apart from other contemporary male singers. One of his hits in '70's was "Mamy Blue" released in 1971. The eponymous original song was recorded by a French singer Joel Daydé in June 1971. There has been much debate over what really was the original version, but it seems that the first one with English lyrics was Daydé's gospel version. The lyrics were written by Phil Trim, who was the leader of the Spanish pop group Pop Tops, whose version is probably the most famous one. The song was composed by Hubert Giraud, a well-known French composer since 1950's, who wrote several entries for Eurovision Song Contest.

Here's the pair: