Life after Helsinki 2007 Eurovision

Another chaotic national selection with questionable choices for Eurovision in Finland in 1965. Katri Helena's Minne tuuli kuljettaa (Where wind may take me) was clear people's favorite, a megahit and eventually an evergreen but placed only 3rd. The winner was Marjatta Leppänen with Iltaisin but she was sacked (again!!!) in favor of runner up Viktor Klimenko despite all and Aurinko laskee läntee that placed in Naples..... yes, you guessed it: shared last with zero points! When a similar blonde young singer won with similar up tempo song, imagine the outrage! Some people are bitter still today....

While waiting for the entries for UMK2023 aka Finland's national selection for Eurovision song contest let's look back at some of the best non winning ones from yesteryear. Tamara Lund placed only third in the 1963 Euroviisut, the Finnish selection for the Eurovision song contest as the lyrics of Olen mikä olen (I am what I am) were considered too raunchy and the whole performance a bit dubious. The song however outlived easily the winner Muistojeni laulu , that scored a flat zero sung by Laila Halme instead of Marjatta Leppänen or Irmeli Mäkelä who had sung the song in the contest....

The national final was won by Muistojeni laulu sung by Marjatta Leppänen/Irmeli Mäkelä, as you can read in the post below but YLE sent Laila Halme instead for some reason. Laila was in the final herself singing Olen mikä olen but Tamara Lund, the other singer, made it hers and evergreen. Laila was sent off to ESC and scored Finland's first nul pointer. The year after she represanted Finland in Sopot with similar results. In 1987 she presented the Finnish final with Lasse Mårtenson (and if I may say so they both sucked big time!). She is still singing here and there occasionally but she hasn't left many traces in the internet or in Finland's musical heritage. Her son participated in several Euroviisut in 1980's both as a singer and composer without much success.

Marjatta Leppänen won the Finnish final Euroviisut twice, in 1963 and 1965 but both times she was left home! No, it's not a joke. In 1963 she performed the winning song Muistojeni laulu (and so did Irmeli Mäkelä as each song was performed by two different singers). YLE however, in its eternal wisdom decided to send Laila Halme with the song instead. In 1965 she won again with Lasse Mårtenson penned Iltaisin, but YLE decided to send the runner up by Viktor Klimenko instead. And guess what? Both songs scored a big flat zero points! Marjatta however is a very humorous personality and just laughs about the incidents when asked how she felt back then or now. "I was just a young girl and did what big bosses asked me to. Of course it would have been nice to go to ESC but it wasn't so important back then" she commented few years ago when publishing her self biography. She participated two more times, in 1966 and in 1975 and presented the Finnish final in 1979. She has done a ...