Pitkä ihana leikki
Encyclopedia
Pitkä ihana leikki is the debut album by Finnish
pop rock
singer-songwriter Maija Vilkkumaa
, released by Warner Music in Finland in August 23, 1999. The songs are written and composed by Vilkkumaa.
Considered as a fresh new release on the Finnish pop rock scene by music critics, Pitkä ihana leikki was favorably critiqued for its imaginative lyrical content for which Vilkkumaa, according to her, partially got the inspiration from the 1980's Finnish rock band Dingo
. The album debuted at number 12 on the Finnish Albums Chart, peaking third the next week, then going variably down spending there 29 weeks. Pitkä ihana leikki has sold over 38,000 copies to date in Finland, which has granted it a gold
certification. In 2000, Vilkkumaa re-released the album under the title Pitkä ihana leikki – peltipainos ("Sheet Metal Edition"), with one extra song, "Peltirumpu".
Likewise, Roope Lehtinen from City magazine
gave the album four out of five stars. Noting the album's "strong lean on Dingo
's tradition", Lehtinen praised the structures of the songs for "sense of drama", "catchy choruses" and "schlager-ish suppleness". Differing from Dingo's "metaphorical mazes", the lyrics are "sensible and brisk". Furthermore, Lehtinen credits the album for "outstanding self-irony" and "themes and narrators changing throughout the album" that make it stand out from average Finnish "self-centered" pop. However, he notes the album's own one-size-fits-all nature that manages to "please all listeners". Summing up the downsides of the "well-produced" record, he considers "Timantti" and "Salaa" "idle" and "Vähän ennen" too dance-ish.
Antti J. Ravelin from Allmusic gave a positive review of the album saying Vilkkumaa's first live performances and "Satumaa-tango" "promised a lot" and that the new artist emerging in the then-sparse scene of Finnish female singer-songwriters "also relied on rock, and so her hybrid sound was extremely interesting", adding that "naïve lyrics, pop elements, and sometimes rather annoying vocals aren't bothersome". Also complimenting the musical arrangements by Janne Lehto, he considered Pitkä ihana leikki one of the best Finnish albums of 1999.
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...
pop rock
Pop rock
Pop rock is a music genre which mixes a catchy pop style and light lyrics in its guitar-based rock songs. There are varying definitions of the term, ranging from a slower and mellower form of rock music to a subgenre of pop music...
singer-songwriter Maija Vilkkumaa
Maija Vilkkumaa
Maija Johanna Vilkkumaa a Finnish pop rock singer-songwriter. Beginning her musical hobbies playing piano at an age before school, Vilkkumaa studied in high school where she and her friends set up the band Tarharyhmä in 1990, which broke up in 1995...
, released by Warner Music in Finland in August 23, 1999. The songs are written and composed by Vilkkumaa.
Considered as a fresh new release on the Finnish pop rock scene by music critics, Pitkä ihana leikki was favorably critiqued for its imaginative lyrical content for which Vilkkumaa, according to her, partially got the inspiration from the 1980's Finnish rock band Dingo
Dingo (band)
Dingo is a Finnish rock band formed around 1982 which fused Finnish melancholy with catchy rock melodies, headed by singer Pertti Neumann...
. The album debuted at number 12 on the Finnish Albums Chart, peaking third the next week, then going variably down spending there 29 weeks. Pitkä ihana leikki has sold over 38,000 copies to date in Finland, which has granted it a gold
Music recording sales certification
Music recording sales certification is a system of certifying that a music recording has shipped or sold a certain number of copies, where the threshold quantity varies by type and by nation or territory .Almost all countries follow variations of the RIAA certification categories,...
certification. In 2000, Vilkkumaa re-released the album under the title Pitkä ihana leikki – peltipainos ("Sheet Metal Edition"), with one extra song, "Peltirumpu".
Singles
Five singles were released from the album.- "Satumaa-tango" ("SatumaaSatumaa"Satumaa" is the quintessential Finnish tango. It was written by Unto Mononen, and published in 1955. The most famous recording is probably the one made by Reijo Taipale in 1962. The lyrics tell a story of a distant land beyond the sea — a happy paradise — however, the narrator can...
Tango") - "Salaa" ("Secretly")
- "Auringonpimennys" ("Solar Eclipse")
- "Hiuksissa hiekkaa" ("Sand in the Hair")
- "Tähti" ("Star")
Critical reception
Pitkä ihana leikki was well-received by music critics that thought it fulfilled the expectations set by its lead single "Satumaa-tango" played in early 1999. On the August 1999 volume of Finnish rock magazine Soundi, Jorma Jortikka gave the album four out of five stars, complimenting the album for "inventive melodies and perceptive lyrics", though recognizing "a few clumsy metaphores". He praised Pitkä ihana leikki for its "credibility", "overwhelming cheerfulness" and lack of aspirations for being overly artistic.Likewise, Roope Lehtinen from City magazine
City (magazine)
City is a Finnish free-of-charge magazine in various cities in Finland.City is aimed for the young adult population of 18-35-year-olds...
gave the album four out of five stars. Noting the album's "strong lean on Dingo
Dingo (band)
Dingo is a Finnish rock band formed around 1982 which fused Finnish melancholy with catchy rock melodies, headed by singer Pertti Neumann...
's tradition", Lehtinen praised the structures of the songs for "sense of drama", "catchy choruses" and "schlager-ish suppleness". Differing from Dingo's "metaphorical mazes", the lyrics are "sensible and brisk". Furthermore, Lehtinen credits the album for "outstanding self-irony" and "themes and narrators changing throughout the album" that make it stand out from average Finnish "self-centered" pop. However, he notes the album's own one-size-fits-all nature that manages to "please all listeners". Summing up the downsides of the "well-produced" record, he considers "Timantti" and "Salaa" "idle" and "Vähän ennen" too dance-ish.
Antti J. Ravelin from Allmusic gave a positive review of the album saying Vilkkumaa's first live performances and "Satumaa-tango" "promised a lot" and that the new artist emerging in the then-sparse scene of Finnish female singer-songwriters "also relied on rock, and so her hybrid sound was extremely interesting", adding that "naïve lyrics, pop elements, and sometimes rather annoying vocals aren't bothersome". Also complimenting the musical arrangements by Janne Lehto, he considered Pitkä ihana leikki one of the best Finnish albums of 1999.
Standard edition
- Digital download
Pitkä ihana leikki – peltipainos
Charts
| Charts (1999) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Finnish Albums Chart | 3 |