Hoe Lang (Kuula) - Henny Thijssen

2020: Congratulations to Henny Thijssen for winning The Voice Senior.

To celebrate, I have moved this slightly updated 2013 post about his Eurovision cover Hoe Lang (Kuula) up.  

A Dutch version of Ott Leplands Kuula is recorded by Henny Thijssen. The song is titled Hoe Lang (How long) and is out on TwentieRecords (digital)

The januari 2013 release is available from digital sources like iTunes, Spotify, Apple music. (updated)

Update 2020: Hoe Lang was released on CD in 2016. You can find it on the album Henny Thijssen Zingt (Twentierecords) as a bonus track. (at moment of writing still available here, here, here)

In March 2013 the song enters the Dutch top 100 at 86.
Update: After five weeks the track makes an unexpected jump to #20 in the Dutch charts. Total chart run: 86, 72, 59, 50, 53, 20, 85 

Henny 'de snik' Thijssen is a Dutch folk-schlager* singer-songwriter who wrote several songs and lyrics for some of the Dutch greats like André Hazes, Koos Alberts, Renée De Haan and Eurovision host Jan Smit.

He's been a prolific solo singer since the late 90's but Hoe Lang is his first solo hit to reach the top 40. (and his biggest hit to date).

Henny Thijssens Youtube.

Henny Thijssen Website

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Ott Leplands Kuula reached 6th place in the Baku Eurovision Song Contest for Estonia. He performed the song in Estonian but has also recorded English, Spanish and Russian versions.

All details about that one here at the Baku Collection.

*Dutch folk-schlager: Not sure how to translate the word volksmuziek, so it's folk-schlager and I hope you get the gist.

2013: PeR from Latvia from behind.

Eurovision 2013
The Malmö Collection features the latest news on the CD releases, versions and artists of the 2013 Eurovision Song Contest held in Sweden and soon on a TV set near you.

Here's the quick links to each country's 2013 page.
Albania, Austria, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Macedonia, Malta, Moldova, Montenegro, the Netherlands, Norway, Romania, Russia, San Marino, Serbia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Ukraine and United Kingdom

Hüpiknukk: Heli Lääts 1932 - 2018

This week, on February 16, Estonian singer Heli Lääts passed away.

Avid Eurocovers readers may have noticed I'm a bit of a fan since I discovered her impressive list of Eurocovers.

Most of this article is from Januari 2007 from the Year Of The Puppet series (About coverversions of Sandie Shaws Puppet On A String).
 I changed a few things and moved it up as a little tribute to the legendary Estonian singer.
Heli Lääts was 85.

from the 2007 post: 
Hüpiknukk
Puppet On A String comes with a variety of titles in different languages. There's Sprellemann and Sprattelgumma, Paprikajancsi and Sätkynukke, and they will all be featured here in the Year Of The Puppet.

My favorite title for Puppet On A String is Hüpiknukk. Try saying it 10 times in a row, and fast.

Hüpiknukk is the Estonian version of Puppet On A String and this one is by Heli Lääts, one of the most popular Estonian singers from the 60's and 70's.

Heli Lääts has recorded many coverversions of international hits since the late 50's and most of her work has been released on cd in the past years. Another singer that would have graced the Eurovision stage very well if only…..

So it's not a surprise some Eurovision songs found their way to Heli Lääts' repertoire. So far I have located 19:
Sweden 1962 - Keväd ja paike (Sol och vår)
United Kingdom 1967 - Hüpiknukk (Puppet On A String)
France 1968 - Allikas (La Source) - update: Thanks Frank
Germany 1969 - Kaunid Balleriinid (Primaballerina) *
Monaco 1971 - Tänav, pink ja puu (Un banc, un arbre, une rue)
Netherlands 1975 - Ding-dinge dong (Ding a dong)*
France 1977 - Lind ja laps (L'oiseau et l'enfant) *

These sevens song can be found on 3CD Heli Lääts - Eesti Kullafond (Hitivabrik, rel 2004), still available from Apollo.ee
Kaunid Ballerinid and Tänav Pink Ja Puu can be also found on the 1979 LP Поет Хели Ляэтс (Poet Heli Lääts) on the USSR state owned Melodia label (Мелодия label). I nicked the picture from discogs.
Allikas was released on a mixed artists 4-track EP (also on the Melodia label)

In addition to the ones mentioned above there are a few that have been released digitally in recent years.

Netherlands 1969 - Trubaduur (De Troubadour)
Luxembourg 1972 - Pärast sind (Après Toi)
UK 1974 - Maailm on suur  (Long Live Love)
Luxembourg 1974 -Head Teed!  (Bye, Bye, I Love You)

And these have been recorded but I haven't found many details yet
France 1958 - Valss kaunil kevadpäeval [kevad on käes] (Dors Mon Amour) (excerpt here)
Netherlands 1967 - Mu ümber on kevad (Ring Dinge Ding)
Germany 1971 - See maailm (Diese Welt)
Ireland 1971 - Ühe päeva armastus (One Day Love)
Finland 1973 - Päikese Trummid (Tom Tom Tom)
Spain 1978 -Tule, tantsime koos (Bailemos Un Vals)
Germany 1980 - Teater (Theater)
Germany 1982 - Et oleks rahu (Ein Bisschen Frieden)

Tracks marked * can also be found on the CD Unustamatu Eurovisoon, a compilation CD from 2002. It features 22 Eurovision songs covered in Estonian, dug up from the vaults to celebrate the Contest being held in Tallinn. (Hitivabrik, 2002)

Kaunid Balleriinid was also released in a remixed version by DJX on a 12"inch vinyl and DJX CD Tähesadu DJX Episood 1. He mixed the song with Spillers Groovejet minus Sophie Ellis Bextor

Links and sources
ERR/ETV news
Heldur Karmo net - A website which lists all songs translated by Estonian lyricist Heldur Karmo
Unfortunately no Heli Lääts at Spotify, but you can find some Audio's at Youtube.

Estonia - Hylene for Belgrade!

Estonia, look no further, your singer for Eurovision 2008 is Hylene. I have no clue who she is (Idol?), but her album Täna Rikun Ma Reegleid is stuffed with high tempo pop-disco-techno (think Cascada) that wouldn't be out of place on the Eurovision stage. Highly danceable but also a good collection of Tunes.
I have a feeling that going Pop the big way is the way forward for Eurovision which more and more drowns in ethnic drum parades and pseudo rock balladry. Hylene will do the job for Estonia.

Although her dress-code won't be acceptable for the EBU (Big Giant Head of Eurovision) but that's nothing that can't be handled with.

The album is a collection of 11 songs in Estonian plus You Came, a Kim Wilde cover in English. Add a few remixes as a bonus and it's 15 tracks in total.
And this is Eurocovers, so there's a Eurovision song too. It's Keelatud Maa (Forbidden land), originally sung by Estonian Pop Angel Maarja (Maarja-Liis Ilus), the best pop voice in the world. It's a fitting tribute to the 10th anniversary of the song, which reached the 8th place in the Eurovision Song Contest in Dublin in 1997.
Another coverversion on the album is Taevas Ja Maa, a fine pop song we all know and love as Heaven Is A Place On Earth (Belinda Carlisle's signature tune).

At Hylene's homepage you can listen to some more songs (Click Laulud) including the titletrack which is also the new single.
If you want to hear the original version try this videoclip at Youtube.



UPDATE 01-12-07: Estonia has announced the shortlist for the national selection and there's no Hylene. tssss...., they just don't wanna be in the final do they?

Another Eurocovers album: Star Sisters from Estonia

Another album stuffed with Eurovision coverversions was just released in Estonia.
The album is titled Star Sisters and features Meribel Müürsepp (pictured below) , Elina Toompuu, Ketlin Hoel and Elina Eilonen.
Müürsepp's own national final song Mr. Right (2006) opens the album in its previously unreleased Estonian version and then nine Eurovision covers follow.
Three of them are versions of Estonian entries that have so far only been recorded in English, but now got the Estonian makeover. The other six tracks are some of the Eurovision greats like France Gall's Gainsbourg classic Poupee de cire, poupee de son, Teach In's Ding A Dong and ABBA's Waterloo. All tracks are sung in Estonian.
Tracklist Star Sisters CD:
1. Mr.Right - Meribel Müürsepp (Estonian version of 2006 Preselection song)
2. Tähevalguse tee - Elina Toompuu (Runaway - Sahlene - Estonia 2002)
3. Et oleks rahu - Meribel Müürsepp (Ein bisschen Frieden - Nicole - Germany 1982)
4. Diggi-Loo Diggy-Ley - Ketlin Hoel (Herreys - Sweden 1984)
5. Säde mu silmis - Elina Toompuu (Once in a lifetime - Ines - Estonia 2000)
6. Õnnesoovid - Meribel Müürsepp (Congratulations - Cliff Richard - UK 1968)
7. Mu päiksepoolne aken - Elina Toompuu (Through my window - Sandra Oxenryd - Estonia 2006)
8. Vahanukk - Meribel Müürsepp (Poupee de cire… - France gall - Luxembourg 1965)
9. Ding a dong - Elina Eilonen (Teach In - Netherlands 1975)
10. Waterloo - Meribel Müürsepp (Abba - Sweden 1974)

The album is available at a snip at CDMarket, a shop from Estonia I personally have good experiences with.
They also stock the must have CD Unustamatu Eurovision, a compilation of Eurovision covers recorded in the 60's and 70's in Estonia. (The CD was released in 2002).

P.S.: Blog TipThe El Rincón Del 45 (The 45's corner) blog features a Miguel Ramos EP with Eurocovers from 1968 and a Vladimir Zaroff single from 1969.