Today's #TuneTuesday theme is songs with cities or towns in the title or lyrics. The official hash tag is #LondonCalling but my entry contains songs that refer to another city, #Helsinki.

Helsinki and Stockholm are connected by a popular ferry line, which is nicely reflected in this song, co-written and sung by one of my favorite artists, Doug Sahm:

Sir Douglas Quintet: Meet Me In Stockholm (1984)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PBfz5f7_xXk

Two wonderful Finnish-language recordings that I really liked when they came out some 35 years ago, both with memorable lyrics:

Leevi & the Leavings: Jos Helsinki on kaunis (1989)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iUWiBHb1i4s

Liisa Akimof: Helsinki (1990)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VPW4WJHGNM0

Unfortunately the all-time ultimate Helsinki song doesn't mention the name of the city, but here it is anyway - originally written by Tony Hatch and Jackie Trent as "Beautiful In the Rain", but with superb - and completely different - Finnish-language lyrics by Juha "Junnu" Vainio:

Fredi: Kolmatta Linjaa takaisin (1968)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y8BEminEYe4

#music #dougsahm #sirdouglasquintet #leavings #liisaakimof #fredi #kolmattalinjaatakaisin