Why Can't I Cry - Hän mennyt on

We haven't finnpicked with Tapani Kansa lately. Now is the time. He recorded "Hän mennyt on" (She has gone) in 1968. It was included on his debut album, and released also as a single. But it was only a minor hit - perhaps this was too much of a power ballad for Finnish taste. The lyrics were done by Pertsa Reponen,. The original song was called "Why Can't I Cry" and the version that Tapani covered must have been the one on Tom Jones' 1968 album "Delilah" (Kansa covered also the title song). Tom's rendition might have been the original one, but let's also take account on the woman's view by listening to Petula Clark's interpretation from the same year 1968.

Here's the triplet:

Oh Sheriff - O'sheriff

This is one of those 60s' songs that you haven't heard for ages, but when you hear it you recall it instantly. Finnish girl group (on eof the very rare breed) Go-Go tytöt (Go-Go Girls) redorded "O'sheriff" in 1966, and as far as i know, it was their one and only single. It was played a lot at the time, but not much has been left to tell about Go-Go tytöt. I don't even know their names, but it's quite possible that they were the early encarnation of Koivistolaiset (see earlier entry). Why? Becouse a) they really made later career as singers b) they were the 'official' go-go girls of Finland in the 60's. But, this is just a hunch. The original song was from the French catalog of Petula Clark. She had a continental hit with it, but the song is, however, very obscure, and omitted from most of Petula's compilations. The composer of the song is one Serge Gainsbourg (b. Lucien Ginsburg). You can see Petula perform this song in the "proper environment", here.

Here's the pair:

My Love - Rakkauteni

Laila Kinnunen was the female pop artist most in demand, in the end of 50's and in the first half of the 60's. In addition to recordings she appeared in numerous TV shows performing songs that never were released on record. Fortunately some of those TV Show appearances have been recorded and restored, and have been recently published on CD. The song "Rakkauteni" (My love) was one of those (probably from the year 1966). One can only wonder why it was never released as a single at the time, becouse it certainly would have been worth it. The original "My Love" was penned by Tony Hatch and sung by Petula Clark. It was released in 1965 and eventually went all the way to number one in USA. Petula was initially a British child star. During World War II she became known as "Britain's Shirley Temple" and a mascot for the British Army, whose troops plastered her photos on their tanks for luck as they advanced into battle. Later in the 60's she of course became an international pop superstar.

Here's the pair:

You're the One - Sinä vain

The Raittinen brothers - Eero and Jussi - are the icons of Finnish rock'n roll. Their career spans from 1960 till the present day and they are still going strong. Their group Eero, Jussi & The Boys has been the longest-standing active rock'n roll band in Finland. The backing group The Boys has over the years included a major part of Finnish rock musicians, and therefore sometimes it's called 'The Academy of Finnish Pop Music'. The song "Sinä vain" (Only you) was recorded in 1966 when Jussi was serving in the Army. And thus the performing group is just Eero & The Boys. However, Jussi wrote the Finnish lyrics. The original song was written by Tony Hatch and co-written by Petula Clark who (of course) also performed it. The original recording was made in 1965. Although it only reached number 23 in UK charts, the song had evidently some strong qualities, hitting Top 10 in USA (versioned by The Vogues), and doing well in Finland when re-recorded by Jorma Kääriäinen & The Agents in 1997.

Here's the pair: