Showing posts with label Valoa Ikkunassa. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Valoa Ikkunassa. Show all posts

Saturday, March 14, 2009

50.000.000 Elvis Fans Can't Be Wrong ?

Probably it completely escaped you in your part of the world, but down in the lowlands the 2009 Belgian Eurovision entry, Copycat by Patrick Ouchène, is big news.

Now Georgia may think they're having problems with Putin on their case, Ouchène is really in trouble as he has offended Elvis and the wrath of the Elvis Army is a force to be reconed with.

Elvis fans have inundated all the Eurovision blogs and websites with their grief and the fanclub Elvis Matters has called upon the EBU (Big Giant Head of Eurovision) for the song to be banned because they are offended, hurt and deeply disturbed by the lyrics of the song.

Ouchène sings about this guy who is copying him, wearing the same clothes, eating the same sandwich etcetera. In fact Copycat is a tale about a cat. The cat being an Elvi-fied version of Le Chat, a popular cartoon figure by Philippe Geluck.

I thought is was funny, and even sweet. It's probably the F-word* that causes the biggest problem

Elvis Presley himself had to cope with similar outraged masses and the long arm of the law in his time. The good law abiding Christian society was deeply offended by his hip gyrating Hound Dog humping performances. And now it's the Elvis fans' turn to have their crusade.
I think it's a good publicity stunt for Elvis and the fans should be pleased that the King is put in the spotlight by someone else than the recordcompanies who are only re-re-releasing the 17th limited edition picture disc of Are You Lonesome Tonight because the fans will buy it anyway. But that's just my opinion.

Copycat Le Blog has all info, lyrics and the video of this years Belgian entry.
Copycat at the Moscow Collection
* - Fat

Eurocovers
Elvis Presley never recorded a cover of a Eurovision song although he came close in 1965 when he recorded, Please Don't Stop Loving Me (YouTube) which plagiarised the Italian 1964 winner Non Ho L'eta (by Gigliola Cinquetti).

Rock 'n' Roll Kids
Copycat is a Rock'n' Roll song, a rarity in Eurovision world. Except for some very light twisty jive variations in the 80's (Yugoslavia's 83 and 87 songs for example) the only real Rock 'n' Roll song was one of the German entries of 1956: So Geht Das Jede Nacht by Freddy (Quinn).
A two minute hip shaker about a girl who dates a different guy every night (for dancing only of course, it's 1956).
Freddy didn't win, and the choice for the syrupy Refrain by Lys Assia shaped Eurovision for many years to come.
How the world would have been different if Freddy would have set the Eurovision standard back then.
Freddy recorded So Geht Das Jede Nacht in German
(Youtube) and in Japanese (!).

I know of 10 coverversions of Eurovisions first Rock 'n'Roll song but none of them really catches the spirit of the Freddy original. Ralf Bendix gives the song a jazzy swing mood and is probably the best effort. (although I haven't heard them all).

Freddy himself also steered away from Rock'n' Roll, becoming one of the greatest melancholy German Schlager singers of all time, with romantic songs about sailors and heartbreak.
I don't know of any coverversions other than German or Instrumental.


So Geht Das Jede Nacht coverversions
Götz Alsmann
- details wantedRalf Bendix
- on 7" (Electrola EG 8616)

Charly
- on EP (Harmona 3D 36329)
Crazy Legs
- on CD Wir Sind Wider Wer (Bear family)
Dirk Darmstaedter u. Bernd Begemann
- on CD Tapete Unterwegs (5 track VA cd)
Wolf Gabbe u. Jonny's Boogie Band
- on VA EP SchlagerParade 2 (Opera Europäischer Phonoklub 4123)
Freddy Grün
- on 78rpm (Bertelsmann Schallplattenring 78 8632)
Die Tornados
- on CD Kaviar Statt Reis (Bear family)
Hans Arno Simon
- in medley (Piano) - details wanted
The 3 Jacksons (Accordion) part of medley
- on 10" LP Jacksons Parade No. 7 (Philips 13055 R)

Sunday, May 06, 2007

FINWEEKS: Laila Kinnunen Eurocovers discography

The Finweeks continue with a Eurocovers discography of Laila Kinnunen. Below is all the information I have collected over the years, If I missed something, please let me know.

Laila Kinnunen (Laura Annikki Kinnunen) was one of the greatest singers of Finnish popular music in the 50's and 60's.
She earned her legendary status with her smooth voice that made the sometimes harsh Finnish language sound like velvet. Her body of work is impressive and many of her recordings have been released on CD.
She sang many Italian classics but also other European and American standards, Russian songs and of course Finnish originals. She recorded in several languages including Finnish, Swedish, Hungarian, German, English, Italian and Spanish.
To most Eurovision fans Eurovision fans she is probably best known for Valoa Ikkunassa, the first ever Finnish entry from 1961 which ended only 10th.
Laila Kinnunen died in december 2000.
(Picture: Laila Kinnunen features on a Finnish postal stamp, along with Katri Helena, Marion Rung and Kirka. Of course Lordi have their own stamps in the set.)
LAILA KINNUNEN - EUROVISION & EUROCOVERS DISCOGRAPHY

Finland 1961 - Valoa Ikkunassa - Laila Kinnunen
- Valoa ikkunassa (Scandia KS 388 & EP Laila Cannes'issa)
- Ett ljus I ett fönster (Swedish) - Laila (Sonet T 7503, on 7" with a Swedish version of Sommar I Palma, red vinyl)
The Swedish records all appeared under the name Laila, without Kinnunen.

Finland 1962 - Tipi-tii - original by Marion Rung
- Tipi-tii (7" Scandia KS 423 & EP Scandia SEP 159)
- Ti-pi-ti (Swedish) - Laila (7" Sonet T 7523, red vinyl)

France 1960 - Tom Pillibi - Jacqueline Boyer
- Tom Pillibi (7" Scandia KS 358* & EP Eurovision Laulukilpailut)
- Tom Pillibi (Swedish) - Laila (EP, Sonet SXP 4023)
Germany 1960 - Bonne nuit, ma cherie - Wyn Hoop
- Yö jo on cherie (EP Scandia KS 358* & EP Eurovision Laulukilpailut)
- Bonne nuit, ma cherie (Swedish) (EP Sonet SXP 4028, blue vinyl, pictured and EP Sonet SXP 4023)
Italy 1960 - Romantica - Renato Rascel
- Romantica (7" Scandia KS 355** & EP Eurovision Laulukilpailut)
- Romantica (Swedish) - Laila (EP, Sonet SXP 4023)
Sweden 1960 - Alla andra får varann - Siw Malmkvist
- Kaiki muut saavat toisensa (7" Scandia KS 355** & EP Eurovision Laulukilpailut) (picture: The lyrics to Tipi-tii, click the pic for larger version)


1960: The EP Eurovision Laulukilpailut (Scandia SEP 120) features above 4 Finnish coverversions from 1960 by Laila Kinnunen.
The Swedish versions of Tom Pillibi, Bonne nuit and Romantica can also be found on a Swedish EP (Sonet SXP 4023)













Thanks Klaus!Thanks Erik !


Italy 1961 - Al di lá - Betty Curtis
- Kaikkialla (7" Scandia KS 390*** & EP Laila Cannes'issa)
- Al di lá (Swedish) - Laila (EP Sonet SXP 4023)
Norway 1961 - Sommer i palma - Nora Brockstedt
- Käsa Palmassa (7" Scandia KS 390 & EP Laila Cannes'issa)
- Sommar i palma (Swedish) - Laila (7" Sonet T 7503, see Valoa ikkunassa) 1961: The EP Laila Cannes'issa (The contest was in Cannes that year) features The Finnish 1961 entry, coverversions of the Italian and Swedish entries and a version of Pikku ikkuna, the song that was 4th in the 1961 Finnish National Final by Kai Lind.

Sweden 1962 - Sol och vår - Inger Berggren
- Kevätauer (7" Scandia KS 425 & EP Laila, Scandia SEP 164)
Denmark 1963 - Dansevise - Grethe & Jörgen Ingmann
- Tanssilaulu (7" Scandia KS 474)
France 1964 - Le chant de Mallory - Rachel
- Malloryn laulu (CD Muistojen kyyneleet)
Austria 1966 - Merci Cherie - Udo Jürgens
- Mercie Chérie (German) (CD Muistojen kyyneleet)
Luxembourg 1966 - Ce soir je t'attendais - Michèle Torr
- Odotin sinua (CD Kadonneet helmet)

2001 CD Muistojen kyyneleet and 2002 CD Kadonneet helmet are collections of rare recordings and previously unreleased material including several songs in English and Italian


A recommended compilation is the Finnish 2CD Kaikki kauneimmat from 2004 which features many of the Eurovision covers, her greatest hits and versions of songs like Marina, Lazzarella and Brigitte Bardot.





Source: Finnish recordings are probably the best archived in the world. If you visit Database of The Finnish Institute of Recorded Sound you can find all documented records that were ever released in Finland from 1901 to 1999.Not just Eurovision, but anything you need to find out. If anyone in Finland ever recorded a cover of your favorite song, it's there.