Today I want to take you on a musical journey with one of the catchiest earworms you will ever come across. It is entitled ‘Ievan’s Polkka’. It is a popular Finnish song with lyrics written in the early 1930s by Eino Kettunen to a traditional Finnish polka tune. The song is sung in very heavy Eastern Savonian dialects spoken in North Karelia.
However I first came across it as the background music to a somewhat fuzzy You Tube video that David would regularly play for us. Loituma Girl, also known as Leekspin, is a meme from 2006 that features an animation of Orihime Inoue from the anime Bleach spinning a leek to a part of the “Ievan Polkka” by Loituma.
This led me to discover the group behind the song. Loituma are a Finnish quartet whose members combine the Finnish vocal tradition with the sounds of the kantele. Here is their video. Again it is not of the highest quality but we are talking about a song recorded in 1995 and a video from 2006 (which is the dark ages as far 1080p is concerned!)
Finally I came upon this version from 2018 which has a little more attitude. It is sung by Tuuletar. They say that ‘We sang this awesome Finnish polka, arranged by Loituma group, at the backstage of Restaurant Parppeinpirtti in a beautiful countryside in Ilomantsi, North Karelia!
And finally – just in case you thought the whole song was just nonsense – here are the lyrics
The sound of a polka drifted from my neighbour’s
And set my feet a-tapping oh!
Ieva’s mother had her eye on her daughter but
Ieva she managed to fool her, you know.
‘Cause who’s going to listen to mother saying no
When we’re all busy dancing to and fro!
Ieva was smiling, the fiddle it was wailing
As people crowded round to wish her luck.
Everyone was hot but it didn’t seem to bother
The handsome young man, the dashing buck.
‘Cause who’s going to mind a drop of sweat
When he’s all busy dancing to and fro!
Ieva’s mother she shut herself away
In her own quiet room to hum a hymn.
Leaving our hero to have a spot of fun
In a neighbor’s house when the lights are dim.
‘Cause what does it matter what the old folks say
When you’re all busy dancing to and fro!
When the music stopped then the real fun began
And that’s when the laddie fooled around.
When he took her home, when the dancing was over
Her mother angrily waiting they found.
But I said to her, Ieva, now don’t you weep
And we’ll soon be dancing to and fro!
I said to her mother now stop that noise
Or I won’t be responsible for what I do.
If you go quietly and stay in your room
You won’t get hurt while your daughter I woo.
‘Cause this fine laddie is a wild sort of guy
When he’s all busy dancing to and fro!
One thing I tell you is you won’t trap me,
No, you won’t find me an easy catch.
Travel to the east and travel to the west but
Ieva and I are going to make a match.
‘Cause this fine laddie ain’t the bashful sort
When he’s all busy dancing to and fro
