1961 - Finland
Performed by: Laila Kinnunen
Music by: Eino Hurme
Lyrics by: Sauvo Puhtila
Conductor: George de Godzinsky
Language: Finnish
Placing: 10th (6 points)
Other versions: Swedish
Laura “Laila” Annikki Kinnunen (1938-2000) was one of the most popular Finnish singers of the 1950s and 1960s, and represented Finland at the 1961 Eurovision Song Contest, the first time Finland participated in the contest.
She spent her childhood in Sweden as a refugee from the Second World War, returning to Finland at the age of ten. Her first album, released in 1957, was a success, and she continued to release music until 1980. From the 1970s she suffered from severe alcoholism. Her daughter is Finnish singer Milana Mišić.
After 1967, there were only a few recordings. The recording contract with Scandia was no longer extended, and in the early 1970s Kinnunen began to withdraw from the public. He had become erratic and unreliable, which made his appearances less frequent. By the end of the 1970s, he had stopped performing altogether. According to journalist Lasse Erola, it is impossible to point to just one specific reason for Kinnusen's career going downhill even before the age of thirty, but it was caused by many factors together. The singer had started to seek relief from the pressure of performing, he had disagreements with his record company, and he experienced great difficulties in his relationships.
Kinnunen made a minor comeback and in 1980 recorded the single "Kohtalo lapsi / Toiset meisk ", after which he stopped singing. Scandal magazines mainly wrote about Kinnusen's alcoholism and seclusion. In connection with his 50th birthday in 1989, the television documentary Laila was completed .
LYRICS:
Valoa ikkunassa
Yön vaipan alle on jo jäänyt maa
On tullut aika valot sammuttaa
Vain varjot vakavina paikallaan nyt käyvät uneksimaan
On valo jäänyt pieneen ikkunaan
Ken valvoo ajatukset seuranaan?
Hän omaa ystäväänsä kaivaten näin laulaa – toivoen:
Valon säteiden tie minut muistoihin vie
Lyhty ikuinen on, muisto kuihtumaton
Kautta hiljaisen yön taakse tähtösten vyön
Laulu hänelle soi, jos kuulla hän voi
Nyt syttyy kaunis uusi tähtönen
Jo laulajakin huomaa loiston sen
Nyt armas laittoi valon ikkunaan
Mua kuulee kaivatessaan
Jää valo alle aamun koittavan
Pää uneen vaipunut on laulajan
Hän luokse ystävänsä kiitäen käy siivin unien
ENGLISH:
Light in the window
The gown of the night has covered the land
Time has come to turn off the lights
Only the shadows stay seriously still and begin to dream
A small window is still lit
Who is awake, accompanied by her thoughts?
Longing for her friend she is singing and hoping:
A path of rays of light leads me into memories
The lantern burns forever, the memory never fades
Through the silent night all the way behind the stars
She sings a song for him, if he can hear it
A beautiful new star has lit up
The singer notices its shine as well
Now the loved one lit his window
He hears me while he is longing
The light is disguised by the rising dawn
The singer has fallen asleep
She flies to her friend on the wings of dreams
