Monday, May 16, 2011

Rockin' Robin - Rokkaava Robin

Well, well - it's springtime and robins sing. Saksa Brothers recorded "Rokkaava Robin" (Rocking Robin) in 1974 for their album "Rankka päivä". This pop group was quite extraordinary in Finland, as it consisted of altogether 5 brothers: Voitto,Arto,Jussi,Reijo and Harri. However, they did not not gain any greater success. They usually recorded their own material, but did also some covers. This "Rokkava Robin" was one of those, sung to the Finnish lyrics by Jussi Saksa. The Finnish "Robin" was a rocking guy, not a bird. The orignal song "Rockin' Robin" dates back all the way to 1958. It was written by Leon René under the pseudonym Jimmie Thomas and recorded by Bobby Day (b. Robert James Byrd) in 1958. It was Day's only hit single, reaching number 2 on the Billboard Hot 100. Bobby Day was the original "Bob" in the duo Bob & Earl. He was also a successful songwriter, best known for "Over and Over" by the Dave Clark Five and "Little Bitty Pretty One" by Thurston Harris. In 1972 Michael Jackson recorded and released a cover version of "Rockin' Robin", and you can see hime perform it, here



Here's the pair:

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