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Sata salamaa goes swing, HRH mambo
New version of Hard rock hallelujah
Last spring Radio Suomi refused to play Hard rock hallelujah, Euroviisut and later Eurovision song contest winner or not, because it didn’t fit into their profile of mainly schlager and light pop or at maximum middle of the road light rock. Now, over a year later we have a new very smooth mambo version of it performed by Nat Newborn Big Time. Their On the rocks album enters the official Finnish album charts at number 4 this week.
The album includes covers of many Finnish pop and rock classics from Nylon Beat, Apulanta and the Hurriganes just to name a few. Another Eurovision song is also included because “it is the ultimate Finnish party song, the one that makes people get up and jump to the beat and sing it along”: Sata salamaa (Finland 1987). It features Vicky Rusty as guest vocalist, who is of course its original performer Virve Rosti. The band also often performs Swingis Khan during their live gigs , not very hard to figure out which Eurovision classic that is!
Who would have thought Hard rock hallelujah could be performed in so many different ways; from the Estonian male choir version to the Italian discomix and now mambo! You can listen to their version of Hard rock hallelujah here and find out more about them here.
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@Allen:
i fully agree with you my favourite in the finals last year was bonia..t was so moving this song..but sweden was for me awfull, butstill better than the monsters..the outcome of the last year eurovision was disastrous.very bad
I hate this song and that's my personal opinion!
I wanted Russia, Romania, Sweden, Ukraine or my home country Bosnia & Herzegovina to win...and not monsters...
@Annika:
no offence about this: it is the first time i really like an entry from malta so much(2005 chiaras angel was also good, but then i was mad about helenas "my number 1" 
..i didnt like myself any of the songs you mentioned..but vertigo is great: original, dramatic a good song about desperate love without being or sounding like a cheesy ballad..the intro with the violin is also great and then the vocals of olivia are powerful and good!! i like this one!! and i hope it will qualify..and i hope this time people will vote for som quality and some music and not for carnevals...cheers
@ Nikolas
Yes, I have the same opinion about quite a few of Maltas previous entries....like Julie & Ludwig (I thought THEY were a joke, to be honest) and that horrible Ira Losco, to name a few. Not writing this to upset you, but to show you that we all have the same feelings/opinions...about different entries. 
I´m glad to see that Malta stepped out of their bubblegum-tradition of entries and sent something interesting this year. Cheers!
@Annika
well taste differ...and that is good so..i think it is and was a big crap this song
Because it IS a great song, Nikolas. There must have been SOMETHING great about it, my father haven´t cared for the contest for atleast 15 years...
but why, Annika?
NOW I get why even my dad liked "HRH" last year! And I thought he just voted for his country....
@ Melina:
yes it is true the victory of Lordi last year did make me angry..not because i have anything against finland(on the contrary), but just becuase this act was a masquerade, it was a big joke, and this joke left behind a lot of good efforts and a lot of musically much more interesting entries...Lordi were not even funny..this was a bad taste show..they were mocking the eurovision, they were even mocking metal rock, because what they sung was a parody of it....and yes seeing such a band taking all the points from so many countries has left a very bad impression onme....and everything was so nice on this evening....many songs, the stage, the atmosphere, and then these ridiculous act took the trophy..yes i am still nagatively affected by thiand i hope this year the same thing wont be repeated once more: there are also this year some clowns among good entries: this Verka from Ukraine, or DJ Bobo(lol what a funny name!) from Switzerland..and i am afraid they are gonna win too..then this contest has lost any meaning at least for me....
and as long as you or anyone else can repeat what a good entry the finnish was i can repeat what a crap this one was!! Good luck to all the countries who take seriously this contest and put an effort to send something musically interesting there!!
Nikolas Vertigo, can YOU stop repeating what a crap song you think it was?! Because it is so clear that you are wrong!!! If you read the comments below, almost EVERYONE is saying what a great song it is, not only me! But you don't seem to be able to read (among other things)...
It's just so ridiculous how immensely bitter you still are about Lordi's victory... Did it leave that big a mental scar? That this great band, playing un-ESc kind of music, managed to win, with the greatest amount of points EVER... Yes, I can see how bitter & jealous that made you... Poor you.
@Melina:
please stop trying to persuade us what a great song this was..it was ALL about gimmicks and a ridiculous, for some people funny act which brought so many votes...and now we have to see them again in this years contest(bliaahh)
this song is terrible and a joke..no matter in what version..and this song has won the contest...bad nes for eurovision contest as an event: i suspect there are some 13 years old rich kids who take the decision...please bring back the old good jury system or t lest a 50-50 voting system..
url=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-7vrSjsS6Mw]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-7vrSjsS6Mw/url] this is nicer!
Super!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
It was just about time! Sure a nice song to do something different with!
this is terible, he sounds like father abraham from the smurfs, dreadful
It's just great!
This new version will only make us smile and remind 2006 victory..this is far away from the original version's feelings.Hard rock hallelujah!
ahaha really good 
This version dosnt even retain ANYTHING from the original other than lyrics. 
Very bad.
This, along with the Italian disco remix, proves that Hard Rock Hallelujah is a very strong song.
What was that???!?! The killed it!
Impossible: all strengths of the song are killed in this way! Aaargh, it is really terrible. I cannot believe that you would prefer this version over the original, the music is not in line with the lyrics!
I've always been weak when it comes to jazzy music and this cover is really cool. And sometimes a real good song will only show its potential when a totally different kind of band make the song and proves that it was not just the original band that was outstanding but the song intself. You don't get the strong melody in Lordis own version, but here you get it. And I like the song even more with lordi after this!
[i]Sata Salamaa[/i] is cool...
wonderful interpretation.... i like it!
Better than I thought, and maybe even better then the original...
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