I put up a post the other day with a dead link. Tradgardmastare Alan pointed out that it didn't work and in my ham-fisted attempt to correct it I deleted the post. Apologies Alan. So as not to deny you of my exposition on this most important of current issues, I'll re-post the link and offer up a couple more in the same vein.
What I was trying to say before is that there is a fundamental cultural gulf between Britain and the Continent which might be explained by our resistance to the delights of Schlagermusik*. When it is enjoyed, it is regarded as something of a guilty pleasure for us in this Sceptered Isle.
* supposedly it has nothing to do with lager, although come to think of it, the nations that like ale are relatively immune to it. Given my inability to ever find real ale in Cork, that might explain a few things.
The link I attempted to post before is below. My 'discovery' of the lady's oeuvre has been one of my 'Guilty Pleasures' of recent months (though I'm not cool enough to feel any guilt about enjoying this). I don't think you need a word of the language to appreciate it, but by the end you will have picked up enough Finnish to sing 'laiii lai lai lai lai lai laiiii lai'.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gc_pVBAVzlk&list=RDTUVcCTpkyZg&index=7
FYI Karjala means Karelia and through my extensive research, I have discovered that it is virtually compulsory to sing about it in the Finnish version of the genre. It pops up in the above song (Viipuri is the city of Viborg) and countless others. Like this one. And if you don't like extra cheese on your cheese toastie, it's best to avoid it. Me, I love it.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vZD8s-9wEQE
And then there's this video which fascinates me, despite not being able to find any reference to Karelia. I think it must be because the roof appears to have an alarming leak above the singer's left shoulder.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5pwSwcLptow
Incidentally, I was led to Ms Tuupnanen's videos through my love of the song Josef Josef referred to last March.
Enjoy!
A delightful post I enjoyed over my coffee this morning . Thanks for the you tube video links , delightful musical entertainment. The article has lots of material I will explore in the coming days, a whole cornucopia of European delights.
ReplyDeleteMy guilty musical pleasures during Lockdown have come from tv binge watching. In the first case Breaking Bad got me to listen to Tex Mex music in all its glories. Secondly Babylon Berlin has given me a taste for Weimar Swing and popular songs. We are blessed these days by Spotify. Finally due to a talk given by a Danish academic at a Tolkien Society Zoom thingy I have been listening to Tolkien inspired Symphonic metal.
Glad you enjoyed it. Cheese at breakfast. Very Continental.
DeleteI must look up Weimar Swing. The only music I’m anyway familiar with from that era is Mackie Messer.
My son was on at me to watch Breaking Bad but I don’t have any pay TV. He loves his Tolkien too so I’ll pass on the Symphonic Metal link. My brother-in-law gave him his Tolkien LPs (inc one with the great man reciting his poetry) when he got rid of his vinyl the other year.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=THLQt8kNiX0
ReplyDeleteThanks. I have to be in the right mood for this. Probably when I can lie on the sofa with my headphones on.
DeleteMuch nicer Karelia inspired music ==> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=adKwG9ZuzFw :o))
ReplyDeleteVery nice Steve, but you can’t jig around the living room like a lockdown loon to it 😁.
DeleteI seem to remember it being used as the theme tune for a current affairs programme in the 70s. Any ideas?
I vaguely remember it.. "This Week" on ITV...
DeleteSpot on! Well remembered.
DeleteNot to be confused of course with the signature tune from "Farming Diary" : : essentially viewing before "Songs of Praise". Wasn't '70s Sunday TV great!
ReplyDeletehttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UAwSHZfIAL8&ab_channel=UnitedStatesMarineBandh
Tony S
The one bright spot in the whole decade being the World at War.
DeleteFully concur.. but let us not also forget Monty Python.. :o)
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