Ievan Polkka
Encyclopedia
"Ievan Polkka" or "Ievan Polokka" (Savo Finnish
for "Eva
's Polka
") is a popular Finnish
song with lyrics written in the early 1930s by Eino Kettunen to a traditional Finnish polka
tune. The name is commonly misspelled Levan polkka, due to the similarity of lower-case L and upper-case i in sans-serif
fonts. It is also known as "Loituma's Polka" (or "Loituma's Polkka").
the Ievan Polkka is also known as "Savitaipaleen polkka". The melody is also very similar to a folk dance from the area of Smolensk
in Western Russia
, which is known as Smolenski gusačok ("смоленский гусачок"/"Small Gander in Smolensk").
The melody can be traced back to the Viipuri Province
in the 18th century when the border with the Kingdom of Sweden
ran west of the province. The number of Russian soldiers stationed in the border area outnumbered the locals for many decades. At the beginning of the 19th century collectors of Finnish folk dances and folk songs all mention that the dances in the area of Luumäki
-Savitaipale
were Russian dances only and didn't write them down. Locals who are well-versed in folk music agree the melody is very old and likely to have been known back in the early 19th century and therefore probably of even older origin. However, the polka
genre is of much later date. Polka was introduced in northern Europe during the late 19th century, which implies that the actual tune as it is known today originates from this era.
. It differs in many aspects radically from Standard Finnish.
The Loituma
version of the song includes an intermezzo
of phonetically inspired gibberish
containing only a few Finnish words; it is not part of the original song written by Eino Kettunen. The content of the intermezzo varies from one performance to another and is not listed on most lyrics. It is similar to scat
in jazz
.
), but her mother won't let him. They sneak away to someone else's house, where everyone is dancing to a polka
, and dance all night. When he follows her home, her angry mother is waiting for them, but he tells her straight out that Ieva and he will be together no matter what.
performance by the Finnish
quartet Loituma
, which was first released on their debut album, Loituma
, in 1995. The album was released in the United States as Things of Beauty
in 1998.
The a cappella version of the song acquired greater international popularity as part of an Internet meme
in the spring of 2006. The flash animation "Loituma Girl
" (also known as "Leek Spin") which starred the character Orihime Inoue
from the Japanese anime
Bleach
, twirling a leek
and singing along to the song. For the animation, only the second half of the fifth stanza
(four lines) and the complete sixth stanza (eight lines) are used.
The song is also very popular in the Czech city of Brno
, where it is played after home victories by the city's hockey club HC Kometa Brno in honor of the team's star Finnish goalkeeper, Sasu Hovi.
The song has also been sung by Vocaloid
Hatsune Miku
, whose version is more popular among her fans. As a nod to "Loituma Girl", she waves a leek back and forth in the video.
Furthermore, mobile ringtones based on various mixes of "Ievan Polkka" gained a wide popularity among Russia
n and Commonwealth of Independent States
mobile subscribers in late 2006. The tune is also the theme song to the Internet sitcom Break a Leg
.; it was remixed by DJ Basshunter
of Sweden, DJ Sharpnel
of Japan, and Beatnick of Poland; and a version of the song was part of a Ready Brek
television advert aired in the United Kingdom
. Also, some videos show a Farfetch'd
spinning a leek.
The "Dolly Song" by Holly Dolly is used as the theme song of a Greek TV series called "I oikogeneia vlaptei" shown by Mega Channel
.
A version of the song was used in a commercial of Dutch energy giant Eneco
in 2008 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=68Ephntzlw8)
Savo Finnish
The Savonian dialects are forms of Finnish language spoken in Savonia and other parts of Eastern Finland. It belongs to the eastern Finnish dialects and it is divided to more specific dialect groups....
for "Eva
Eva (name)
Eva is a female given name, the Latinate counterpart of English Eve, derived from a Hebrew name meaning "life" or "living one." It can also mean full of Life or mother of life. It is the standard biblical form of Eve in many European languages.-Popularity:...
's Polka
Polka
The polka is a Central European dance and also a genre of dance music familiar throughout Europe and the Americas. It originated in the middle of the 19th century in Bohemia...
") is a popular Finnish
Finland
Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...
song with lyrics written in the early 1930s by Eino Kettunen to a traditional Finnish polka
Polka
The polka is a Central European dance and also a genre of dance music familiar throughout Europe and the Americas. It originated in the middle of the 19th century in Bohemia...
tune. The name is commonly misspelled Levan polkka, due to the similarity of lower-case L and upper-case i in sans-serif
Sans-serif
In typography, a sans-serif, sans serif or san serif typeface is one that does not have the small projecting features called "serifs" at the end of strokes. The term comes from the French word sans, meaning "without"....
fonts. It is also known as "Loituma's Polka" (or "Loituma's Polkka").
Origin
The melody of "Ievan Polkka" is very similar to Savitaipaleen polkka, and in South KareliaSouth Karelia
South Karelia is a region of Finland. It borders to the regions of Kymenlaakso, Southern Savonia, North Karelia and to Russia. The term "South Karelia" might also be used to refer to the southern parts of the entire Karelia — the Region of South Karelia is termed "South" because it is the...
the Ievan Polkka is also known as "Savitaipaleen polkka". The melody is also very similar to a folk dance from the area of Smolensk
Smolensk
Smolensk is a city and the administrative center of Smolensk Oblast, Russia, located on the Dnieper River. Situated west-southwest of Moscow, this walled city was destroyed several times throughout its long history since it was on the invasion routes of both Napoleon and Hitler. Today, Smolensk...
in Western Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
, which is known as Smolenski gusačok ("смоленский гусачок"/"Small Gander in Smolensk").
The melody can be traced back to the Viipuri Province
Viipuri Province
The Viipuri Province was a province of independent Finland from 1917 to 1947 but had already been founded in 1743.-History:The province was established in 1743 by separating the city of Viipuri and territories ceded from the Swedish Empire to Russia by the Treaty of Nystad in 1721, from the Saint...
in the 18th century when the border with the Kingdom of Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
ran west of the province. The number of Russian soldiers stationed in the border area outnumbered the locals for many decades. At the beginning of the 19th century collectors of Finnish folk dances and folk songs all mention that the dances in the area of Luumäki
Luumäki
Luumäki is a municipality of Finland. Its seat is in Taavetti.It is located in the province of Southern Finland and is part of the South Karelia region. The municipality has a population of and covers an area of ofwhich is water...
-Savitaipale
Savitaipale
Savitaipale is a municipality of Finland.It is located in the province of Southern Finland and is part of the South Karelia region. The municipality has a population of and covers an area of of which is water. The population density is ....
were Russian dances only and didn't write them down. Locals who are well-versed in folk music agree the melody is very old and likely to have been known back in the early 19th century and therefore probably of even older origin. However, the polka
Polka
The polka is a Central European dance and also a genre of dance music familiar throughout Europe and the Americas. It originated in the middle of the 19th century in Bohemia...
genre is of much later date. Polka was introduced in northern Europe during the late 19th century, which implies that the actual tune as it is known today originates from this era.
Language
The song is sung in very heavy Eastern Savonian dialects spoken in North KareliaNorth Karelia
North Karelia is a region in eastern Finland. It borders to the regions of Kainuu, Northern Savonia, Southern Savonia, South Karelia and to Russia.The city of Joensuu is the centre of the North Karelia region.- Municipalities :...
. It differs in many aspects radically from Standard Finnish.
The Loituma
Loituma
Loituma is a Finnish quartet whose members combine the Finnish vocal tradition with the sounds of the kantele. Loituma were selected Ensemble of the Year at the 1997 Kaustinen Folk Music Festival.-History:...
version of the song includes an intermezzo
Intermezzo
In music, an intermezzo , in the most general sense, is a composition which fits between other musical or dramatic entities, such as acts of a play or movements of a larger musical work...
of phonetically inspired gibberish
Gibberish
Gibberish is a generic term in English for talking that sounds like speech, but carries no actual meaning. This meaning has also been extended to meaningless text or gobbledygook. The common theme in gibberish statements is a lack of literal sense, which can be described as a presence of nonsense...
containing only a few Finnish words; it is not part of the original song written by Eino Kettunen. The content of the intermezzo varies from one performance to another and is not listed on most lyrics. It is similar to scat
Scat singing
In vocal jazz, scat singing is vocal improvisation with wordless vocables, nonsense syllables or without words at all. Scat singing gives singers the ability to sing improvised melodies and rhythms, to create the equivalent of an instrumental solo using their voice.- Structure and syllable choice...
in jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
.
Description
The song takes the point of view of a young man. He wants to dance with Ieva (Eva or Eeva in SavoSavo Finnish
The Savonian dialects are forms of Finnish language spoken in Savonia and other parts of Eastern Finland. It belongs to the eastern Finnish dialects and it is divided to more specific dialect groups....
), but her mother won't let him. They sneak away to someone else's house, where everyone is dancing to a polka
Polka
The polka is a Central European dance and also a genre of dance music familiar throughout Europe and the Americas. It originated in the middle of the 19th century in Bohemia...
, and dance all night. When he follows her home, her angry mother is waiting for them, but he tells her straight out that Ieva and he will be together no matter what.
Popularity
Very popular after WWII, the song was almost forgotten during the late 70s and 80s. The song resurfaced after an a cappellaA cappella
A cappella music is specifically solo or group singing without instrumental sound, or a piece intended to be performed in this way. It is the opposite of cantata, which is accompanied singing. A cappella was originally intended to differentiate between Renaissance polyphony and Baroque concertato...
performance by the Finnish
Finland
Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...
quartet Loituma
Loituma
Loituma is a Finnish quartet whose members combine the Finnish vocal tradition with the sounds of the kantele. Loituma were selected Ensemble of the Year at the 1997 Kaustinen Folk Music Festival.-History:...
, which was first released on their debut album, Loituma
Things of Beauty
Things of Beauty is the U.S. release of Loituma's first of two albums.-Track listing:#"Eriskummainen kantele / The peculiar kantele" – 3:42#"Kultaansa ikävöivä / Missing my beloved" – 4:24#"Viimesen kerran / The very last time" – 3:10...
, in 1995. The album was released in the United States as Things of Beauty
Things of Beauty
Things of Beauty is the U.S. release of Loituma's first of two albums.-Track listing:#"Eriskummainen kantele / The peculiar kantele" – 3:42#"Kultaansa ikävöivä / Missing my beloved" – 4:24#"Viimesen kerran / The very last time" – 3:10...
in 1998.
The a cappella version of the song acquired greater international popularity as part of an Internet meme
Meme
A meme is "an idea, behaviour or style that spreads from person to person within a culture."A meme acts as a unit for carrying cultural ideas, symbols or practices, which can be transmitted from one mind to another through writing, speech, gestures, rituals or other imitable phenomena...
in the spring of 2006. The flash animation "Loituma Girl
Loituma Girl
Loituma Girl is a Flash animation set to a scat singing section of the traditional Finnish folk song "Ievan Polkka," sung by the Finnish quartet Loituma on their 1996 debut album Things of Beauty. It appeared on the Internet in late April 2006 and quickly became popular...
" (also known as "Leek Spin") which starred the character Orihime Inoue
Orihime Inoue
is a fictional character in the anime and manga series Bleach created by Tite Kubo. She is a classmate and friend of Ichigo Kurosaki, the main character of the series. Like many other friends of Ichigo, she quickly develops spiritual powers of her own after Ichigo becomes a Soul Reaper...
from the Japanese anime
Anime
is the Japanese abbreviated pronunciation of "animation". The definition sometimes changes depending on the context. In English-speaking countries, the term most commonly refers to Japanese animated cartoons....
Bleach
Bleach (manga)
is a Japanese shōnen manga series written and illustrated by Noriaki "Tite" Kubo. Bleach follows the adventures of Ichigo Kurosaki after he obtains the powers of a —a death personification similar to the Grim Reaper—from another Soul Reaper, Rukia Kuchiki...
, twirling a leek
Leek
The leek, Allium ampeloprasum var. porrum , also sometimes known as Allium porrum, is a vegetable which belongs, along with the onion and garlic, to family Amaryllidaceae, subfamily Allioideae...
and singing along to the song. For the animation, only the second half of the fifth stanza
Stanza
In poetry, a stanza is a unit within a larger poem. In modern poetry, the term is often equivalent with strophe; in popular vocal music, a stanza is typically referred to as a "verse"...
(four lines) and the complete sixth stanza (eight lines) are used.
The song is also very popular in the Czech city of Brno
Brno
Brno by population and area is the second largest city in the Czech Republic, the largest Moravian city, and the historical capital city of the Margraviate of Moravia. Brno is the administrative centre of the South Moravian Region where it forms a separate district Brno-City District...
, where it is played after home victories by the city's hockey club HC Kometa Brno in honor of the team's star Finnish goalkeeper, Sasu Hovi.
The song has also been sung by Vocaloid
Vocaloid
is a singing synthesizer application, with its signal processing part developed through a joint research project between the Pompeu Fabra University in Spain and Japan's Yamaha Corporation, who backed the development financially—and later developed the software into the commercial product...
Hatsune Miku
Hatsune Miku
is a singing synthesizer application with a female persona, developed by Crypton Future Media. It uses Yamaha Corporation's Vocaloid 2 synthesizing technology. The name of the character comes from a fusion of the Japanese for , and future , referring to her position as the first of Crypton's...
, whose version is more popular among her fans. As a nod to "Loituma Girl", she waves a leek back and forth in the video.
Furthermore, mobile ringtones based on various mixes of "Ievan Polkka" gained a wide popularity among Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
n and Commonwealth of Independent States
Commonwealth of Independent States
The Commonwealth of Independent States is a regional organization whose participating countries are former Soviet Republics, formed during the breakup of the Soviet Union....
mobile subscribers in late 2006. The tune is also the theme song to the Internet sitcom Break a Leg
Break a Leg (sitcom)
Break a Leg is an independently-created internet sitcom. The show is filmed in the handheld, one-camera style associated with mockumentaries such as The Office....
.; it was remixed by DJ Basshunter
Basshunter
Jonas Erik Altberg , better known by his stage name Basshunter, is a Swedish singer-songwriter, record producer and DJ. He is best known for his number one hits "Boten Anna", "Dota", "Now You're Gone" and "All I Ever Wanted". Basshunter has so far released a total of six albums, two of which have...
of Sweden, DJ Sharpnel
DJ Sharpnel
DJ Sharpnel is the collective alias for Japanese electronic artists Jea and Lemmy. Via their Dōjin label Sharpnelsound, they release albums consisting of their own speedcore, gabber, happy hardcore and trance works as well as guest tracks from acquaintances of the group, such as DJ Chucky, m1dy,...
of Japan, and Beatnick of Poland; and a version of the song was part of a Ready Brek
Ready Brek
Ready Brek is an oat-based breakfast cereal produced by Weetabix Limited. It is intended to be served hot, and comes in four varieties — 'original', 'chocolate' 'honey' and 'Seriously Oaty'. A butterscotch flavour was marketed during the 1970s.-History:Ready Brek was originally produced by J...
television advert aired in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
. Also, some videos show a Farfetch'd
Farfetch'd
Farfetch'd, known in Japan as , is a Pokémon species in Nintendo and Game Freak's Pokémon franchise. Created by Ken Sugimori, Farfetch'd first appeared in the video games Pokémon Red and Blue and subsequent sequels, later appearing in various merchandise, spinoff titles and animated and printed...
spinning a leek.
The "Dolly Song" by Holly Dolly is used as the theme song of a Greek TV series called "I oikogeneia vlaptei" shown by Mega Channel
Mega Channel
Mega Channel, also known as Mega TV or just Mega, is a major television network in Greece. Teletypos S.A. was founded in 1989 under the name Teletypos Television Programmes S.A...
.
A version of the song was used in a commercial of Dutch energy giant Eneco
Eneco
Eneco can refer to:* Íñigo I of Pamplona , the first king of Pamplona* Eneco Energie, a Dutch energy company...
in 2008 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=68Ephntzlw8)
Performers
- Matti Jurva (1937)
- Onni Laihanen (1947)
- Jorma Ikävalko (1950)
- Tukkilais Orchestra (1952)
- Nummi Kvartetti (1953)
- Arttu Suuntala (1966)
- Jaakko Salo (1972)
- Pauli Räsänen (1972)
- LoitumaLoitumaLoituma is a Finnish quartet whose members combine the Finnish vocal tradition with the sounds of the kantele. Loituma were selected Ensemble of the Year at the 1997 Kaustinen Folk Music Festival.-History:...
(1995) - Six B Rothers (1995)
- Kuplettiryhmä (1998)
- DJ SharpnelDJ SharpnelDJ Sharpnel is the collective alias for Japanese electronic artists Jea and Lemmy. Via their Dōjin label Sharpnelsound, they release albums consisting of their own speedcore, gabber, happy hardcore and trance works as well as guest tracks from acquaintances of the group, such as DJ Chucky, m1dy,...
(as "PRETTY GREEN ONIONS") (2006) - DJ Slon - Финская Полька (Finnish Polka), sung in Russian (2006)
- Recall Project - "Як Цуп Цоп (Loituma Polkka)" (Yak Tsup Tsop) (2006)
- Holly Dolly (as "Dolly Song [Ieva's Polka]") (2006)
- Lena & Laurin - Der Kleine Eskimo, sung in GermanGerman languageGerman is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....
(2006) - Delin (as "Dilidala (Eva's Polka") (2006)
- BasshunterBasshunterJonas Erik Altberg , better known by his stage name Basshunter, is a Swedish singer-songwriter, record producer and DJ. He is best known for his number one hits "Boten Anna", "Dota", "Now You're Gone" and "All I Ever Wanted". Basshunter has so far released a total of six albums, two of which have...
(2007) - Hatsune MikuHatsune Mikuis a singing synthesizer application with a female persona, developed by Crypton Future Media. It uses Yamaha Corporation's Vocaloid 2 synthesizing technology. The name of the character comes from a fusion of the Japanese for , and future , referring to her position as the first of Crypton's...
(2007) - A singing synthesizer software - Kagamine Rin/Len (2008) - A singing synthesizer software
- The Vienna Boys Choir (2008)
- Mario (2009)
- Miku Hatsune -Project DIVA- (2009) – Link
- Vox Nova (2009) Link
- Maskottina (Antonietta Cestari) on Youtube (2007) and at Caserta Vecchia (Italy 2010)
External links
- Loituma Flash (Flash version)
- Loituma's version (on YouTube)
- Loituma's version with lyrics (on YouTube)
- Arttu Suuntala's version (on YouTube)
- Pauli Räsänen's version (on YouTube)
- A live video clip with Loituma singing the complete song (Flash format)
- Ready Brek advertisement (on YouTube)
- Hatsune Miku's version (on YouTube)
- Kagamine Len's version (on YouTube)
- Lumberjack Band's version (1952) (on YouTube)