Ek Kan Weer In Liefde Glo

Believe Again, Denmarks 2009 entry by Brinck, now in Afrikaans by Heinz Winckler.

Eurocovers Summer Break part 3, Love Is Blue special.

You probably think I may be overdoing it a bit on the L'Amour Est Bleu front, but it proves to be a popular track with Eurocovers readers, so here's some more for those who can't get enough.

A version I really really love is by Super Falling Star. They're from Australia, it's all a bit indie grumpy, and was released on a Japanese EP Melbourne Holiday. If you want to find out more, I'm sure it's on the world wide net somewhere.

Even more indie and also noisy are The Pees (The ピーズ) from Japan. Their Japanese version, 恋は水色, involves shouting and a lot of haphazard guitar stroking. It's from a b-sides compilation, and so it probably was a b-side at some stage.

Love Is Blue Goes Riverdance, in Korea.
The André Popp / Pierre Cour classic Love Is Blue by a Korean operatic singer named Moony무니 in an Irish Jig Stylee from the album Whispering Of The Moon. The English lyrics were written by Bryan Blackburn btw.
An utterly cheesy 70's version by the Mighty Rhythm Machine is titled Love Is Blue '76. It's your typical orchestra disco, not really funky, but with all the necessary violin bits, synthy parts and horny breaks.


And then there's Barbara Y Dick from Argentina who do it in French .

The Document
I have updated the old Love Is Blue document with the latest finds, corrections and added info. You can download the new file here. As usual it's a word.document with all info on the original releases by Vicky and details on all the coverversions I know of.

Looking For Some Love Is Blue:
To keep my LIB language collection in shape I'm looking for the following versions of L'Amour Est Bleu:
Yvetta Simonová - Má láska je bílá (Czech) from LP At Hudba Dale Zni (Supraphon)
and a Korean one I don't know much about : It's by김행자 from a 1970 Various artists LP힛트가요 레코드전집 10
Or another Korean version by Han Seung Ki 한승기 - 우울한 사랑 from 1990
If you can help me with any of these or have any additions or suggestions, just leave a comment or e-mail me. Thanks!

Blog Tips
Merci Cherie has been updating quite a bit and Eurocovers fans should check out the cool stuff from Iceland. Especially the Icelandic version of Love Is Blue: Örlög Min by Kristín Ólafsdóttir.

Cançons En Català I Més features Un Ninot Penjat D’un Fil by Els De La Torre. Even though it was already at Eurocovers in the Year Of The Puppet series, the Catalan blog has the full EP with picture sleeve. And it's worth a visit anyway….


RE: RE: RE:RE: The Laila Kinnunen Box Set. '(post below). I hadn't noticed, but there's also a 2CD issue of the A La Laila release. It has tracks from all 8 discs from the boxset, but not as many Eurocovers / Eurovision goodies. Just that you know. (Thanks for the tip Mikael)

RE: Sprattelgumma. You probably won't remember, but there was this bit about the very first colour TV broadcast in the Siw Malmkvist Year Of The Puppet post which I was forced to remove from the blog.
Now you can see it at This Youtube link, as long as it's there.

Jazzbox - Dancing Ditty

Jazzbox is Per Ebdrup. This track is released on a digital VA compilation Welcome To Music For Dreams (available at Junodownloads).
I don't know if there will be a CD release or inclusion on any Jazzbox CD.
Oh, and Dancing Ditty is of course the 1963 Eurovision winner Dansevise by Grethe and Jörgen Ingmann (1963)

Release news: A La Laila - The collected works of Laila Kinnunen

A LA LAILA - ALKUPERÄISET 1957-1980
Legendary Finnish Songstress Laila Kinnunen's collected work finally gets the long awaited release it deserves. This project has been on the shelves for many years, already before her death in 2000.
Several different compilations, most with rare and previously unreleased tracks, have been released in the past few years, so I didn't expect the boxset to materialize anymore.
But at the end of this month an 8CD box is released by Warner Music Finland with (almost) all the Laila Kinnunen tracks you need.

Laila Kinnunen (Laura Annikki Kinnunen) was one of the great singers of Finnish popular music in the 50's and 60's.
To most Eurovision fans Eurovision fans she is probably best known for Valoa Ikkunassa, the first ever Finnish entry from 1961 which ended 10th. Eurocovers readers know her from her many versions of 60's Eurovision classics.

Her work in Finnish is collected on the first six cds of the boxset including:
1-19. Lemmenaika koittaa - Dags igen att vara kär (Sweden pre 1959)*
2-11. Kaikki saavat toisensa - Alla andra får varann (Sweden 1960)
2-12. Romantica (Italy 1960)
2-13. Yö jo on cherie - Bonne nuit ma cherie (Germany 1960)
2-14. Tom Pillibi (France 1960)
3-8. Valoa ikkunassa (Her own Finnish entry, 1961)
3-9. Pikku ikkuna - cover preselection 1961
3-10. Kaikkialla - Al di la (Italy 1961)
3-11. Kesäyö Palmassa - Sommer i Palma (Norway 1961)
4-1. Tipi-tii (Finland 1962)
4-3. Kevätauer - Sol och vår (Sweden 1962)
5-4. Tanssilaulu - Dansevise (Denmark 1963)
6-3. Muistojen Bulevardi - (Finland) preselection 1966)
Other tracks include Finnish originals but also covers of standards like The Girl From Ipanema, From Russia With Love, Fever, Walk On By, Bei Mir Bist Du Schön and many others.
The set opens with her great cover of one of my favorite Modugno songs Lazzarella from 1957.

CD 7 is a collection of songs in Swedish
7-1. Tom Pillibi
7-2. Romantica
7-3. Bonne nuit, ma chérie
7-8. Ett ljus i ett fönster (Valoa Ikkunassa)
7-9. Sommar i Palma
7-13. Ti-Pi-Ti
If I'm not mistaken it's the first CD release of rare single Ett Ljus I Ett Fönster. Which is great.

CD 8 has rarities in several languages like German, Russian, Hungarian, English and even Afrikaans (Saries Mareis)
This cd also includes Vårvalsen and Ding Dong Ding, two songs she recorded with the Nordic singers of the 1961 Eurovision Song Contest (Dario Campeotto, Nora Brockstedt and Lill Babs).
The CD closes with a previously unreleased version of Tipi Tii.

What's missing?
I'm no one to complain of course as this collection is nothing short of fabulous.
But you won't find Unohdusta Ei Ole (preselection 1967) on this box set.
Absent Eurocovers are Merci Cherie, Malloryn Laulu (Le chant de Mallory) & Odotin Sinua (Ce Soir Je T'attendais). But these have been released on other cds.

There's a full Laila Kinnunen Eurocovers discography with picture sleeves in the 2007 Finweeks post about Laila Kinnunen.
Here are all Laila Kinnunen related Eurocovers items.

The 8CD box A La Laila is released by Warner Music Finland (release date 26-08-09) and has 160 tracks plus a 168 page booklet. The retail price is around 70 euros at various webshops.
* Thanks Mikael, see comments

Milana Misic
Milana Misic is the daughter of Laila Kinnunen. Her 2008 CD release Laulumme, with two Eurocovers (Al Di La & Dansevise), was already featured in this Eurocovers post.

Earlier this year (april) she released another album with songs made popular by her mom.
The album is Valoa Ikkunassa - 12 Laila Kinnusen Ikimuistoista Laulua (Columbia 74912323) and the first Finnish Eurovision song is one of the tracks. And it also has Modugno's Lazzarella.

http://www.milanamisic.com/

Thank You India

I've been browsing for Eurocovers from India off & on for quite some time now, never with any Eurocovers worthy results. But I always came across all kinds of 'inspired' songs, where known melodies are spiced up with some new notes and the song is credited to the Indian composer.
It turns out that's not uncommon, and Eurocovers doesn't really care. Whichever way you listen, below are three versions of andré Popp's L'Amour Est Bleu / Love Is Blue (you know, Luxembourgs 1967 Eurovision entry originally by Vicky.)


Indian Movies
Composer Saluri Rajeshwara Rao wrote Ee Reyi Teeyanidi for the 1971 Tollywood* movie Chitti Chellelu.
He used a large part of L'Amour Est Bleu / Love Is Blue and added another melody line to the song.
The song is sung in Telugu (Indian language spoken mainly in Andhra Pradesh) by S.P. Balasubrahmanyam and P. Susheela but in the movie you see actors Haranath and Vanisri miming to their voices. (See Youtube in below post). It was common practice to hire professional singers to supply the voices for actors with lesser vocal talents.
Balasubrahmanyam is said to have recorded over 40.000 songs in 40 years.

In 1990 Calcutta born composer Bappi Lähiri created a song in Hindi with the same melody. Hum Dono Akele Hon featured in the film Aaj Ke Shahenshah.
Vocals are by Bappi Lähiri and Anuradha Paudwal. The female role in the song is by Kimi Katkar, the male role is for Chunkey Pandey. Lähiri also stars in the film, but not in this track.
Bappi Lähiri pioneered the use of disco music in Bollywood films (but not in this song). His songs borrow heavily on international hits like Lambada, Hasta Mañana, Karma Chameleon and Billy Jean.

Somewhere in the dark depths of my record vault lurks a vinyl from Mr. Bappi Lähiri. It was 1988, we were all screaming acieeeed, and Lähiri released a house tune called Habiba. I really should dig it up some day.

Ee Reyi Teeyanidi was re-recorded (again in Telugu) in 2003 for the movie Johnny where it was sung by Hariharan and Nanditha with Ramana Gogula producing. They lent their voices to the actor Pawan Kalyan and his wife Renu Desai (Youtube clip).

*Tollywood = Cinema of Andhra Pradesh, Bollywood is the film industry of Mumbai (formerly known as Bombay). Dollywood however, is not the cinema of Dehli.
I know the soundtrack to Johnny (2003) was released on CD (the film on DVD), but for the others I don't have any release details except that the films were released on video. The soundquality isn't very good, but the songs surely make up for that.
I've patched the info together from many sources, so please forgive me if there are inaccuracies in this post.



Brimful Of Asha
And then there's Volare. In Hindi it became Aajare, Aaja re na jaa re laage na mora jiya saajan tere bina soona, or some variation on that title. It's from the movie Sarhad from 1960 and the vocals are by no one else than the queen-mother of Indian film music, Asha Bhosle.
I haven't been able to track down a full recording of the song so that's bad luck, But there is proof, check out this patchy compilation of scenes from the film (Youtube). If anyone happens to have the track, I await your e-mail. Thanks.

Note: Salma & Sabina Agha recorded an LP of Abba songs in Hindi back in the 80's. Unfortunately for Eurocovers, Waterloo isn't on it, but the LP is still a must have. It was released in India, Sweden and the U.K. (at least) and later it was re-issued on CD several times. So if you want your ABBA hits in Hindi, shop around. (although you probably already have this amazing record in your collection).

Chitti Chellelu - Ee Reyi Theeyanidi (Love is blue)

Love Is Blue, Bollywood style. 1970 version sung in Telugu, language of Andhra Pradesh, India.

Eurocovers Summer Break - part 2

Here's a few more Eurocovers Summer Break classics.

Okkar Eina Nótt - Erla Þorsteinsdóttir
Lovely Icelandic version of Dors Mon Amour, the 1958 winner for France (by André Claveau).
Find some great Argentine Tango versions of Dors Mon Amour in this Eurocovers post.

Aldila Ciptaan Dunya - Lilis Suryani
Indonesian version of Al Di La, the Italian 1961 entry originally by Betty Curtis. Lilis Suryani was a famous singer in Indonesia (she died in 2007). Her career was riddled with politics and controversy but most of all adoration from the Indonesian fans.

Al Di La in the top 10 most covered Eurovision songs.
The (other) Indonesian version of Al Di La by Sandra Reemer is here.
An Indonesian version of the 1973 winner is in this post.

BLOG TIP: While browsing for some more info on Lilis Suryani I came across an interesting blog with music from Indonesia. Madrotter. Hours of browing fun guaranteed.
I found two Eurocover related posts: Indonesian singer Ernie Djohans LP La Novia has Daar Bij De Rivier (Dutch version of Belgium 1964, Robert Cogoi's Près De Ma Rivière). And there's a wonderful Indonesian cover of everybodies favorite Love Is Blue (L'amour Es Bleu) in the post about the Reynettes. Go check it out, you know you want to.

Met Sint Jan - Lize Marke
Yugolavia's 1968 entry Jedan Dan in Flemish by Lize Marke who herself sang for Belgium in 1965. More Jedan Dan fun in the Eurocovers post Men In Tights.

La La La - Leelo Karp
Estonian version of the 1968 winner by Massiel (Spain)

Ek Sien 'n Ster - Barbara Veenemans
Afrikaans version of I See A Star (Ik zie een ster) by Mouth & MacNeal. #3 in the 1974 contest and a European hit for the Dutch Duo. Barbara Veenemans is a celebrated opera singer (soprano).

Eurocovers Summer Break part 1

2009: The Moscow Collection
Even though the 2009 contest is way behind us, The Moscow Collection blog still keeps you updated with the latest news on the 2009 Eurovision Song Contest. Versions, Releases, Charts, Coverversions, it's all there.
Some of the latest updates:
Bulgaria: Krassimirs Illusion, cdsingle & album out now
Turkey: Hadise Big In Japan, Japanese cdsingle & hit
Spain: Soraya, remix, mutant coverversion
Netherlands: Toppers In Concert CD & DVD imminent
Russia: Anastasiya's Mamo remixes online
Norway: Alexander Rybak wins the 54th Eurovision Song Contest and scores a European hit (& # 67 in Australia!), New remix on Russian CD.
Denmark: Brinck in the charts, promo release, Afrikaans coverversion

La Industria Es Para Mi - Baila El Chiki Chiki

Baila El Chiki Chiki, the controversial Spanish entry from 2008 is probably the most covered song of last years contest. Original singer Rodolfo Chikilicuatre recorded the song himself with various artists. So his sort of semi-coverversions were recorded with Tata Golosa, King Africa and Pablo Uno.

And there's also a bunch of so called Cheap Covers. These are quite straightforward copies appearing on holiday / summer / fiesta / playa compilations released in Spain by ensembles like the imaginatively monickered Harmony Group. These albums are plain cash in compilations with all the summers hits covered by the great unknown and their mothers. (It's how Sir Elton started his career, so it's nothing to be snuffed at. And let's not forget Tina Charles)

There's also some nice'n'loud versions of the Chiki anthem. The Blackstreetboys and Operacion Mutante can always be trusted with a Spanish Eurovision entry and a chainsaw.
Check out their MySpaces for their noisefests. The BSB MySpace also has a video of the massacre of the 2003 Spanish entry Dime (originally by Beth)
I was just re-checking the Operacion Mutante Myspace and much to my delight they have also recorded the Spanish 2009 entry La Noche Es para Mi (Soraya). It's titled La Industria Es Para Mi, so I guess there's a message somewhere in that racket. Their Chiki Chiki is in the player too.

Meanwhile in El Salvador
Papa A.P., Reggaeton star from El Salvador has also recorded Baila El Chiki Chiki. Two versions are now available as digital releases at several download outlets whatevers like Napster, MusaKauppa (Finland) and Amazon.
In 2005 he had two hits in Europe with Gasolina and with Entre Tu Y Yo.


Oh yes, Baila El Chiki Chiki is the only Eurovision entry mentioning Michael Jackson, ánd it was a top 20 hit in France and Sweden, even thought it only ended 16th.

Here's a list of all the Chiki covers I know of.
Tata Golosa with original singer Rodolfo Chikilicuatre
- CD Baila El Chiki Chiki (VA Italy) and other compilations
King Africa with original singer Rodolfo Chikilicuatre
- CD Disco Estrella 2008 (VA Universal) and other compilations
Pablo Uno with original singer Rodolfo Chikilicuatre (part in French)
- Original Rodolfo cdsingle, French issue (Sony)El Raton
- CD Ritmo De La Noche (VA)
Papa A.P. (El Salvador) - 2 versions on promo cds & digital
- also on CD Revolucion Reggaeton vol 1 (VA)D.J. Abuelo ft Los Reggaetronics
- CD Thalassa 2008 / ΘΑΛΑΣΣΑ 2008 (Greece, VA)Daniel Vela
- CD Playa Total 2008 (VA)The Harmony Group
- CD El Primero Del Verano (VA)Ouikidi  - On DJ 12"inch,
- also digital on Men's Health Playlist, remixed by Judge Jules
Blackstreetboys
- listen at their Myspace
Operacion Mutante
- listen at their Myspace
Update: Thanks Frank! (Youtube)
Christos Vamos - Chiki Chiki (Pitsiriki) in Greek
- on CD Ρομπέν των Δασών - Χρήστος Βάμος

Eurocovers Summer Break part 1.

It's summer, post Moscow Eurovision and I'm too lazy / tired / occupied→ to make interesting posts for Eurocovers. The perfect time to offload a few Eurocovers without any particular stories, far fetched links, shocking tragedies or other interesting trivia. Maybe there'll even be a part 2 later.

Love Is Blue - Ann Margret
You know about the original (This Eurocovers post). This one is supposed to be by Ann Margret, but I haven't found any info on her actually recording it, so it could easily be someone else. It's fabulous though, and she did things with Elvis. And you can find out where 2 unlimited got their No Limit riff.
Any release info welcome.

One Good Reason - Sandra Van Reys
Acclaimed Dutch country singer covers the Dutch 1999 entry One Good Reason by Marlayne (9th in the Jerusalem contest). It's from the same year and quite good actually.

Quien Maneja Mi Barca - Hidrogenesse
The ultimate nil-pointer was Quien Maneja Mi Barca by Remedios Amaya in 1983 (Spain).
An unlikely pairing of Flamenco vocals with electronic music. It all looked a bit odd, scary woman, blue kaftan, bare feet, but the LP Luna Nueva, with more songs in the same style is a must have classic and a great LP to score on your Spanish flea market holiday trip (if you haven't got it already)
Hidrogenesse made an even electrononicker version for a coverversions project. Find out about that yourself.

Nog een kind - Mieke
Probably one of Malta's cheesiest, the 1992 entry Little Child by Mary Spiteri (3rd place). Not my cuppa cheddar, but many people like it. Mieke is a Dutch / Belgian artist with a great voice, who enjoyed popularity as a child singer. Her "A child without a mother is like a vase without flowers" song is still a seminal tear jerker in Dutch culture (in Dutch it almost rhymes). And she worked with father Abraham too.

Jag Eun Pyeong Hwa - Lee Ye Rin
이예린 -작은평화 Bouncy gabba house pop from South Korea, on helium and/or pills. It's Ein Bisschen Frieden (Nicole's German 1982 winner) but you hardly notice that.

Oh and this: You got to get the Boaz Mauda CD as it has a great coverversion in Hebrew of Olta Boka's Albanian 2008 entry Zemrën E Lamë Peng.

Rocky Roberts - Yes Yes My Love

Reply Songs are (obviously) songs that reply to a big hit and it was Michael Jackson untimely departure that got me thinking. Bear with me, I'll explain.
Back in the days I loved Off The Wall and Billie Jean just as much as anyone else, and I still do. Just like any other popmusic fan I have been swept along in the Michael Jackson craze and I am fascinated by the charts being stuffed with Michael Jackson hits. All the sad events transported me back in time and had me reliving the 80's, which were pretty fantastic times for me.

Of course there's no Eurocover by Michael Jackson and it's not really possible to celebrate the King Of Pop within the confines of Eurocovers.

Reply Songs
In those Thriller days I used to DJ and a favorite cliché of mine was mixing Billie Jean with the reply song Superstar by Lydia Murdock (I'm Billie Jean And I'm Mad As Hell).
The question arose, has there ever been a reply song for a Eurovision song? (Any excuse for a Eurocovers post with a Michael Jackson tie).

I actually found one, and even though it's a song heavily featured in some recent Eurocovers posts it's here again. Researching it of course lead to finding more about the singer etcetera, Eurocovers style. And incidentally there turned out to be more Michael Jackson links than I expected.


Rocky Roberts (1941 - 2005)
An interesting CV for Rocky Roberts. Born in Miami, spent some time in the U.S. navy, was a welter weight championship boxer and got his first musical cudo's with the Airedales, recording in the U.S. and in France. In the second half of the sixties he moved to Italy where he recorded most of his songs (as a solo artist) and he was a guest in every other popular TV music show. His American accent didn't stop him from having a great hit with Stassero Mi Butto (amazing YouTube link restored), watch the footwork MJ fans) and he was well known for his energetic Italian language coverversions of Motown and Atlantic soul hits, live and on record. Reach Out I'll Be There (Four Tops, also recorded by the Jackson 5), Chain Of Fools (Aretha Franklin) and Same Old Song (Four tops)

Yes Yes Dear Dear, Perhaps Next Year, Or maybe even never…

It's with the Airedales that Rocky Roberts recorded a reply song (in English) to Gigliola Cinquetti's Non Ho L'eta (Per Amarti).
Yes Yes My Love from the French 10"inch LP Rocks Et Slows - T.Bird from 1964 (BARCLAY 92.107)

The original track by Gigliola Cinquetti is about being too young to love and Rocky Roberts, always a gentleman, is prepared to wait. I don't know if they ever got together…

Here's some lyrics excerpts from both songs:
Non ho l'eta (from Italian)
"I don't have the age to love
I don't have the age to go out with you
I wouldn't know what to say as you know so much more than me
If you want to wait for me one day all my love will be for you".

Yes Yes My Love (original is in English)
"Yes Yes My Love, I know you're too young.
I'll wait for you
These tender years, I'll think of you
when the waiting is through, no more can I do
I'll watch the moon and the stars when I think of you
I'll wait with all my heart to be standing by you".

The track and album are from Rocky Roberts time in France where he mostly recorded French and American classics in English.
This Is My Prayer, the 'original' English version of Non Ho L 'Eta didn't have the being too young theme, which was just as well, as Vera Lynn from the previous Eurocovers post was well into her 40's when she recorded her version.

Volare
Yes Yes My Love is not the only Eurocover by Rocky Roberts. In 1970 he recorded Volare as an amazing soul ballad. Accept my apologies for overlooking that one in last years Anno Domenico posts, it's a Eurocover that is not to be missed.
Volare was a b-side to I Won't Think Hard Of You, released in the U.S. on the Chess label (Chess 2096). It can also be found on the compilation CD I Grande Successi Originali.

In 1969 Roberts entered the San Remo contest with La Belle Donne and in 1970 with Accidenti (together with Il Super-gruppo).
Rocky Roberts died in 2005, but his son Randy Roberts continues the family tradition, and hey presto, his MySpace features some nice acoustic Michael Jackson coverversions.


Rocky Roberts MySpace tribute.

One final link for the anoraks: The Airedales continued in the late 60's and 70's with band member (bassist) Wess Johnson as the new lead singer who took over from Roberts in 1967. And Wess is of course known from the 1975 Eurovision entry Era by Wess and Dori Ghezzi, which ended third for Italy and was a reasonable European hit. Contrary to popular myth only Dori is a Ghezzi.