Last week, Finnish rock lost one of its biggest names.
Olli Lindholm, frontman of singer Yö (Finnish for ‘night’) and also an occasional solo artist, died unexpectedly at the age of 54. In recent years, he was also known as one of the judges on The Voice of Finland. Some of my most recent memories of Olli are from that programme, which I was watching last month when I was home.
I wasn’t a huge fan by any means, but Yö was responsible for some huge hits that are an integral part of the Finnish psyche. While I have provided a video which includes a translation of the lyrics, like many Finnish songs, it may be hard for non-Finns to understand. Finnish music is often a very accurate reflection of our mentality.
This song is one of them. It is, appropriately, called Joutsenlaulu - swan song.