Anki: Ne kesäyöt (Summer Nights)

This is one of Anki’s many brilliant recordings. It is a Finnish adaptation of “Summer Nights”, written by Ben Henderson and Liza Strike. The song was first released by Marianne Faithfull in the United Kingdom in July 1965.

”Ne kesäyöt” on yksi Ankin monista hienoista levytyksistä. Se on alun perin Ben Hendersonin ja Liza Striken kirjoittama ”Summer Nights”, jonka levytti ensimmäisenä brittilaulaja Marianne Faithfull heinäkuussa 1965.

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Ne kesäyöt (Summer Nights)
Sung by Anki (artist name of Agneta Lindqvist)
Lyrics by Ulf-Erik (pseudonym of Ulf-Erik Qvickström)
Arranged by Jörgen Petersen
Accompanied by the Jörgen Petersen Studio Orchestra
Recorded on September 29, 1965, PSO Record Company, Helsinki, Finland

Music and original lyrics by Ben Henderson and Liza Strike (Lesley Strike)

Translated from the Finnish by “Viulut yössä”
Photo: iStock (“Sun setting over Stockholm’s archipelago”)

ANKI, whose real name was Agneta Lindqvist (1945–2007), was a very musical Finnish singer and songwriter, and also a skilled drawer. She plyed the piano, accordion, clarinet, guitar and banjo. Her first single called “Neiti yksinäinen” (Miss Lonely, originally “Little Miss Lonely”), accompanied by The Savages, was recorded in September 1962.

Anki worked in different genres of music, including folk, blues, country, jazz and pop music, but she was at her best when she performed folk and blues music, and ditties. Her mother tongue was Swedish. She sang mainly in Finnish, Swedish and English, but one of her album called “Idylli” (Idyll) contains a songs in 15 languages. It was released in Germany under the title “Anki” in 1971.

JÖRGEN PETERSEN (real name Jørgen Petersen) was born in Danmark in 1931, and was raised there before going on to spend most of his adult life working as a musician in Finland. He began his professional music career at the age of 14. A versatile musician, Petersen worked as a trumpeter, composer, producer, music director and arranger. In 1961, he made his debut recording, “The Boulevard of Broken Dreams”, which became pretty famous around the world. Jörgen Petersen died in 2009 in Helsinki, Finland.

ULF ERIK QVICKSTRÖM (1943–1978) was a Finnish poet, translator and lyricist who wrote in both Finnish and Swedish. He also recorded two singles.

[girl]

Hongat nummella soi
Värin maahan oksa loi
Ne kesäyöt
Ilma valon jännittää
Laulu oksalle jää
Kätes silmissä nään
Laulu on sisässään
Ja kesäyöt
Nauroit murheesi pois
Taas jos tehdä sen vois
Varjot laskit alas näin
Nytpä näet metsään päin
Tähden nostaessa pään
Tunnen kätes tähän jään
Ja kesäyöt
Päivän päättyessä yö
Laula kädet yhteen lyö
Ja taas nummen honka on
Suuri suvi loputon
Ne kesäyöt
Nauroit murheesi pois
Niin kuin usvaa ne ois
Varjot laskit alas näin
Nyt vain näet metsään päin
Taasen nousee suuri kuu
Yksin viimeinenkin puu
Ja kesäyöt
Ne kesäyöt
Ne kesäyöt