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{{Short description|Finnish song}}
{{Short description|Finnish song}}
{{about|the song|the band|Loituma|the animation|Loituma Girl}}
{{about|the song|the band|Loituma|the animation|Loituma Girl}}
{{More citations needed|date=July 2008}}
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"'''Ievan polkka'''" (Finnish for "[[Eva (name)|Ieva]]'s [[Polka]]") is a popular [[Finland|Finnish]] song with lyrics printed in 1928<ref>{{cite web |title=Eino Kettusen savo-karjalaisia y.m. humoristisia lauluja : 9:s vihko |author1=National Library of Finland |author2=Eino Kettunen |url=https://www.finna.fi/Record/jykdok.1286293 |access-date=January 1, 2021}}</ref> and written by [[Eino Kettunen]] to a traditional Finnish [[polka]] tune. The song is sung in an Eastern [[Savonian dialects|Savonian dialect]] spoken in [[North Karelia]]. It's sung from the point of view of a young man, about a woman called Ieva (dialectal for the name Eva or Eeva in standard [[Finnish language|Finnish]]) who sneaks out and dances the [[polka]] with him all night. The song is often mistaken for a traditional [[folk song]], but the lyrics by Eino Kettunen are still under copyright. Later, a [[scat singing]] version of the song by the band [[Loituma]] was incorporated into the viral animation [[Loituma Girl]], sung by [[Hatsune Miku]], with Otomania arranged the music and providing Miku's voice manipulation, bringing the tune into worldwide [[popular culture]].
"'''{{Lang|fi|Ievan polkka|italic=no}}'''" (Finnish for "[[Ieva]]'s [[Polka]]") is a [[Finland|Finnish]] song with lyrics printed in 1928<ref>{{cite web |title=Eino Kettusen savo-karjalaisia y.m. humoristisia lauluja : 9:s vihko |author1=National Library of Finland |author2=Eino Kettunen |url=https://www.finna.fi/Record/jykdok.1286293 |access-date=January 1, 2021}}</ref> and written by [[Eino Kettunen]] to a traditional Finnish [[polka]] tune. The song is sung in an Eastern [[Savonian dialects|Savonian dialect]] spoken in [[North Karelia]]. It is sung from the point of view of a young man, about a woman called Ieva (dialectal for the name Eva or Eeva in standard [[Finnish language|Finnish]]) who sneaks out and dances the [[polka]] with him all night. The song is often mistaken for a traditional [[folk song]], but the lyrics by Eino Kettunen are still under copyright. Later, a [[scat singing]] version of the song by the band [[Loituma]] was incorporated into the viral animation [[Loituma Girl]]. In 2007, the song was brought into worldwide [[popular culture]] through a cover sung by [[Hatsune Miku]], with Otomania arranging the music and providing Miku's voice manipulation.


==Origin==
==Origin==
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This is translated from the Finnish Wiki
This is translated from the Finnish Wiki
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In [[South Karelia]], Ievan Polkka is also known as "'''Savitaipaleen polkka'''", due to its similarity to a tune of that name. The melody also resembles that of the Russian folk dance [[:ru:Гусачок (танец)|Смоленский гусачок]] (''The Smolyanin Gosling'').<ref>{{cite web |title=Смоленский гусачок &#91;Smolenskiy gusachok&#93; |author=Carl Dennis |url=https://secondhandsongs.com/work/198240/all |publisher=SecondHandSongs |access-date=January 1, 2021}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |title=Народный танец |trans-title=Folk dance |author=Gennady Petrovich Gusev |page=[https://books.google.com/books?id=KgbvDAAAQBAJ&pg=PA488&dq=%22Смоленский+гусачок%22&hl=en 488] |publisher=ВЛАДОС |year=2012 |isbn=978-5-04-021452-5}}</ref>
In [[South Karelia]], Ievan Polkka is also known as "'''Savitaipaleen polkka'''", due to its similarity to a tune of that name. The melody also resembles that of the Russian folk dance [[:ru:Гусачок (танец)|Смоленский гусачок]] (''[[Smolensky gusaczok|The Smolyanin Gosling]]'').<ref>{{cite web |title=Смоленский гусачок &#91;Smolenskiy gusachok&#93; |author=Carl Dennis |url=https://secondhandsongs.com/work/198240/all |publisher=SecondHandSongs |access-date=January 1, 2021}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |title=Народный танец |trans-title=Folk dance |author=Gennady Petrovich Gusev |page=[https://books.google.com/books?id=KgbvDAAAQBAJ&pg=PA488&dq=%22Смоленский+гусачок%22&hl=en 488] |publisher=ВЛАДОС |year=2012 |isbn=978-5-04-021452-5}}</ref>


The melody can be traced back to the 18th century and the [[Viipuri Province]], when the border with the Kingdom of [[Sweden]] ran west of the province. The number of Russian soldiers stationed in the border area outnumbered the locals for many decades. At the beginning of the 19th century, collectors of Finnish folk dances and songs remarked that all the dances in the area of [[Luumäki]]-[[Savitaipale]] were Russian, and thus the collectors didn't record them. However, the [[polka]] genre is of a much later date. Polka was introduced into Northern Europe during the late 19th century, which implies that the actual tune, as it is known today, originates from this era.<ref name="Red. Greger Andersson 1997">Bjørn Aksdal. "Spelmannen och hans musik". In Greger Andersson (ed.), ''Musik i Norden'', [[Royal Swedish Academy of Music|The Royal Swedish Academy of Music]], Stockholm, 1997.</ref>
The melody can be traced back to the 18th century and the [[Viipuri Province]], when the border with the Kingdom of [[Sweden]] ran west of the province. The number of Russian soldiers stationed in the border area outnumbered the locals for many decades. At the beginning of the 19th century, collectors of Finnish folk dances and songs remarked that all the dances in the area of [[Luumäki]]-[[Savitaipale]] were Russian, and thus the collectors didn't record them. However, the [[polka]] genre is of a much later date. Polka was introduced into Northern Europe during the late 19th century, which implies that the actual tune, as it is known today, originates from this era.<ref name="Red. Greger Andersson 1997">Bjørn Aksdal. "Spelmannen och hans musik". In Greger Andersson (ed.), ''Musik i Norden'', [[Royal Swedish Academy of Music|The Royal Swedish Academy of Music]], Stockholm, 1997.</ref>

The song is in the minor [[hexatonic]] [[musical mode|mode]]; the Loituma version is in [[E-flat minor]].


==Popularity==
==Popularity==
Owing to its viral exposure in [[popular culture]], Ievan Polkka has become one of the most famous Finnish songs in the world.
Owing to its viral exposure in [[popular culture]], Ievan Polkka has become one of the most famous Finnish songs in the world.


Very popular after World War II, the song was almost forgotten during the late 1970s and 1980s. The song resurfaced after an [[a cappella]] performance by the [[Finland|Finnish]] quartet [[Loituma]], which was first released on their debut album, ''[[Things of Beauty|Loituma]]'', in 1995. The Loituma lyrics and arrangement are under copyright and published by [[Warner Chappell Music]] outside the Nordic countries. The album was released in the United States as ''[[Things of Beauty]]'' in 1998.
Very popular after World War II, the song was almost forgotten during the late 1970s and 1980s. The song resurfaced after an [[a cappella]] performance by the [[Finland|Finnish]] quartet [[Loituma]] on the [[Yle TV2]] show ''Soi soitto soi'' in 1996, whose song was first released on their debut album, ''[[Things of Beauty|Loituma]]'', in 1995. The Loituma lyrics and arrangement are under copyright and published by [[Warner Chappell Music]] outside the Nordic countries. The album was released in the United States as ''[[Things of Beauty]]'' in 1998.

⚫
The Loituma version of the song acquired great international popularity as part of an [[List of Internet phenomena#Animation and comics|Internet phenomenon]] in the spring of 2006, when the [[Loituma Girl]] (also known as Leekspin), a looped animation of [[anime]] character [[Orihime Inoue]] from the ''[[Bleach (manga)|Bleach]]'' series twirling either a [[Allium fistulosum|spring onion]] (in the Japanese original) or a [[leek]] (in the English dub), set to a [[scat singing]] section of the song was posted on Russian [[LiveJournal]]. For the animation, only the second half of the fifth [[stanza]] (four lines) and the complete sixth stanza (eight lines) are used. It quickly became a global hit and the song soon enjoyed overwhelming popularity as a [[ringtone]].<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://lurkmore.to/%D0%AF%D0%BA_%D1%86%D1%83%D0%BF_%D1%86%D0%BE%D0%BF |title=Як цуп цоп |website=Lurkmore |access-date=2016-06-26 |archive-date=2012-08-10 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120810081855/http://lurkmore.to/%D0%AF%D0%BA_%D1%86%D1%83%D0%BF_%D1%86%D0%BE%D0%BF |url-status=dead }}</ref>{{User-generated inline|certain=yes|date=September 2020}} Since then, the song has been circulating under several misspelled variations of its original name, including "Ievas Polkka", "Levan Polkka" (due to the similarity between the [[sans-serif]] lowercase L (l) and uppercase i (I)) and "Leekspin Song".

⚫
Fans of the [[Vocaloid]] software have made [[List_of_Vocaloid_products|Vocaloid voicebanks]], such as [[Megurine Luka]], [[Kagamine Rin]], and [[Kagamine Len]] cover the song. The most popular Vocaloid cover belonged to Otomania, who in 2007 made [[Hatsune Miku]] sing it with the [[Nonsense song|nonsensical lyrics]] by Loituma. The official music video has garnered more than 6 million views on [[Niconico]] by March 2022.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.nicovideo.jp/watch/sm982882 |title=VOCALOID2 初音ミクに「Ievan Polkka」を歌わせてみた |publisher=Niconico |access-date=2020-04-18}}</ref> It features a [[chibi (slang)|chibi]] derivative of Hatsune Miku, officially known as Hatchune Miku, holding a spring onion in reference to Loituma Girl, and is the origin of her association with spring onions or leeks. Its popularity resulted in its use by the Vocaloid rhythm game series ''[[Hatsune Miku: Project DIVA]]'', mainly as tutorial music. It has also been used in a commercial promoting the [[LG]] [[LG G5|G5]] smartphone.


⚫
The Loituma version of the song acquired great international popularity as part of an [[List of Internet phenomena#Animation and comics|Internet phenomenon]] in the spring of 2006, when the [[Loituma Girl]] (also known as Leekspin), a looped animation of [[anime]] character [[Orihime Inoue]] from the ''[[Bleach (manga)|Bleach]]'' series twirling either a [[Allium fistulosum|spring onion]] (in the Japanese original) or a [[leek]] (in the English dub), set to a [[scat singing]] section of the song, was posted on Russian [[LiveJournal]]. For the animation, only the second half of the fifth [[stanza]] (four lines) and the complete sixth stanza (eight lines) are used. It quickly became a global hit and the song soon enjoyed overwhelming popularity as a [[ringtone]].<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://lurkmore.to/%D0%AF%D0%BA_%D1%86%D1%83%D0%BF_%D1%86%D0%BE%D0%BF |title=Як цуп цоп |website=Lurkmore |access-date=2016-06-26 |archive-date=2012-08-10 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120810081855/http://lurkmore.to/%D0%AF%D0%BA_%D1%86%D1%83%D0%BF_%D1%86%D0%BE%D0%BF |url-status=dead }}</ref>{{User-generated inline|certain=yes|date=September 2020}} Since then, the song has been circulating under several misspelled variations of its original name, including "Ievas Polkka", "Levan Polkka" (due to the similarity between the [[sans-serif]] lowercase L (l) and uppercase i (I)) and "Leekspin Song".
In 2012, the Finnish [[folk metal]] band [[Korpiklaani]] recorded a cover of the song for their eighth album ''[[Manala (album)|Manala]]''.


⚫
Fans of the [[Vocaloid]] software have made [[List_of_Vocaloid_products|Vocaloid voicebanks]], such as [[Megurine Luka]], [[Kagamine Rin]], and [[Kagamine Len]] cover the song. The most popular Vocaloid cover belonged to Japanese artist Otomania, who in 2007 made [[Hatsune Miku]] sing it with the [[Nonsense song|nonsensical lyrics]] by Loituma. The official music video has garnered close to 6.5 million views on [[Niconico]] by May 2024.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.nicovideo.jp/watch/sm982882 |title=VOCALOID2 初音ミクに「Ievan Polkka」を歌わせてみた |publisher=Niconico |access-date=2024-05-12 | date=2007-09-04}}</ref> It features a [[chibi (slang)|chibi]] derivative of Hatsune Miku, officially known as Hatchune Miku, holding a spring onion in reference to Loituma Girl, and is the origin of her association with spring onions or leeks. Its popularity resulted in its use by the Vocaloid rhythm game series ''[[Hatsune Miku: Project DIVA]]'', mainly as tutorial music. It has also been used in a commercial promoting the [[LG]] [[LG G5|G5]] smartphone.<ref>{{cite web | title = LG's Jason Statham ad is as weird as the G5 | publisher = [[Engadget]] | url = https://www.engadget.com/2016-04-01-lg-g5-jason-statham-ad.html | author = Aaron Souppouris | date = 1 April 2016 | access-date=12 May 2024}}</ref>
⚫
[[Ringtone|Mobile ringtones]] based on various mixes of "Ievan Polkka" gained a wide popularity among [[Russia]]n and [[Commonwealth of Independent States]] mobile subscribers in late 2006.{{Citation needed|date=September 2007}} The tune is also the theme song to the Internet sitcom ''[[Break a Leg (sitcom)|Break a Leg]];''{{Citation needed|date=July 2008}} it was remixed by musician [[Basshunter]] of Sweden, [[DJ Sharpnel]] of Japan, and [[Beatnick]] of Poland;{{Citation needed|date=July 2008}} and a version of the song performed by Anne Kulonen was part of a [[Ready Brek]] television advert aired in the [[United Kingdom]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.tvadmusic.co.uk/2009/07/ready-brek-ready-for-anything/ |title=Ready Brek – Ready For Anything |publisher=TV Ad Music |date=2009-07-01 |access-date=2014-02-17}}</ref>


⚫
In 2012, the Finnish [[folk metal]] band [[Korpiklaani]] recorded a cover of the song for their eighth album ''[[Manala (album)|Manala]]''. [[Ringtone|Mobile ringtones]] based on various mixes of "Ievan Polkka" gained a wide popularity among [[Russia]]n and [[Commonwealth of Independent States]] mobile subscribers in late 2006.{{Citation needed|date=September 2007}} The tune is also the theme song to the Internet sitcom ''[[Break a Leg (sitcom)|Break a Leg]]'';{{Citation needed|date=July 2008}} it was remixed by musician [[Basshunter]] of Sweden, [[DJ Sharpnel]] of Japan, and [[Beatnick]] of Poland;{{Citation needed|date=July 2008}} and a version of the song performed by Anne Kulonen was part of a [[Ready Brek]] television advert aired in the [[United Kingdom]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.tvadmusic.co.uk/2009/07/ready-brek-ready-for-anything/ |title=Ready Brek – Ready For Anything |publisher=TV Ad Music |date=2009-07-01 |access-date=2014-02-17}}</ref>
In 2016, [[Erika Ikuta]], a member of the Japanese girl group [[Nogizaka46]], sang Ievan Polkka as a part of her private segment on a web TV show titled [[Nogizaka46 Hours TV]]. This song then became well known among Nogizaka46's fans.<ref>"Nogizakka 460," ''YouTube'', posted March 13, 2017, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pppIhbobuWE</ref> She later sang it on several occasions, including on the "JUNK Bananaman no Bananamoon GOLD" radio show, "Nogizaka Under Construction" on TV Aichi, and on "Banana Zero Music" on [[NHK]].


A part of the song was featured during the interval show of the [[Eurovision Song Contest 2024]], played over a brief Finland dance tribute, with performers dressed in the Finnish national attire and [[Sauna]] towels, dancing around [[Moomins|Moomin]]-characters, before [[Käärijä]] entering, performing his "[[Cha Cha Cha (Käärijä song)|Cha Cha Cha]]" song from the [[Eurovision Song Contest 2023]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Vedenpää |first=Ville |date=15 May 2023 |title=Käärijä esiintyy Euroviisuissa torstaina muumien kanssa – tällainen on "suomalainen väliaikanumero" |trans-title=Käärijä performs during the Eurovision on Thursday along the Moomins – this is a ”Finnish half-time show” |url=https://yle.fi/a/74-20087734 |access-date=6 June 2024 |website=[[Yle]] |language=fi}}</ref>
In December 2018, a video of the visually impaired<ref>{{Cite web |title=Bilal Göregen From The "Cat Vibing to Street Musician's Ievan Polkka" Meme Fills Us In On What It's Like To Become An Internet Celebrity Overnight |url=https://knowyourmeme.com/editorials/interviews/bilal-goregen-from-the-cat-vibing-to-street-musicians-ievan-polkka-meme-fills-us-in-on-what-its-like-to-become-an-internet-celebrity-overnight |access-date=2020-11-22 |website=Know Your Meme}}</ref> Turkish street musician [[Bilal Göregen]] performing Ievan Polkka on a [[Goblet drum|darbuka]] was uploaded on [[YouTube]].<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4lepzKk7E9w |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211214/4lepzKk7E9w |archive-date=2021-12-14 |url-status=live |title=Bilal Göregen - Cat Vibing To Ievan Polkka (Official Video HD) Cat Vibing To Music &#124; Cat Vibing Meme |via=YouTube}}{{cbignore}}</ref> The video received over 1.9 million views in one year. A version of this video posted on Twitter in October 2020, with "CatJAM" / "Vibing Cat" (a white cat rhythmically bobbing its head) edited in, gained viral popularity as a [[meme]] template on [[Instagram]] and [[Reddit]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Cat Vibing to Street Musician's Ievan Polkka |url=https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/cat-vibing-to-street-musicians-ievan-polkka |access-date=2020-11-14 |website=Know Your Meme}}</ref> On November 1, 2020, Göregen uploaded a version of this video to his own YouTube channel. As of March, 2022, the video has had over 82 million views.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NUYvbT6vTPs |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211214/NUYvbT6vTPs |archive-date=2021-12-14 |url-status=live |title=Cat Vibing To Ievan Polkka (Official Video HD) Cat Vibing To Music &#124; Cat Vibing Meme |via=YouTube}}{{cbignore}}</ref> After this video was posted, interest in the song peaked once again based on Google search results. <ref name="Google Trends">{{cite web |url=https://www.google.com/trends/explore#q=Ievan%20Polkka%2C%20Ievan%20Polka%2C%20Levan%20Polkka%2C%20Levan%20Polka |publisher=Google Trends |title=Web Search interest: Ievan Polkka, Ievan Polka, Levan Polkka, Levan Polka - Worldwide, 2004 - present |access-date=26 June 2016}}</ref>


==Loituma version==
==Loituma version==
Line 63: Line 60:
* [[Hatsune Miku]] (2007)
* [[Hatsune Miku]] (2007)
* [[Kagamine Rin/Len]] (2007)
* [[Kagamine Rin/Len]] (2007)
* [[Ensiferum]] (as Token of Time) (2008)
* [[Basshunter]] (2009)<ref>See [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MLbwa_ouE30 here] and [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kojjFrgTZag here].</ref>
* [[Kuunkuiskaajat]] (2010)
* [[Kuunkuiskaajat]] (2010)
* [[Korpiklaani]] (2012)
* [[Korpiklaani]] (2012)
Line 70: Line 69:
* [[Erika Ikuta]] (2016)
* [[Erika Ikuta]] (2016)
* [[Eugene Magalif]] (az "EVA's POLKA Variations for Flute Orchestra and Blown Bottles" published by FORTON Music (UK)) (2016)
* [[Eugene Magalif]] (az "EVA's POLKA Variations for Flute Orchestra and Blown Bottles" published by FORTON Music (UK)) (2016)
*[[Marina Devyatova]] (as "Finnish Polka") (2016)<ref>{{Citation |title=Марина Девятова и Оркестр волынщиков Москвы "Финская полька" |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q8wTHjLmWOA |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211214/Q8wTHjLmWOA |archive-date=2021-12-14 |url-status=live |language=en |access-date=2021-05-25}}{{cbignore}}</ref>
*[[Marina Devyatova]] (as "Finnish Polka") (2016)<ref>{{Citation |title=Марина Девятова и Оркестр волынщиков Москвы "Финская полька" | date=27 September 2016 |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q8wTHjLmWOA |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211214/Q8wTHjLmWOA |archive-date=2021-12-14 |url-status=live |language=en |access-date=2021-05-25}}{{cbignore}}</ref>
* [[Otava Yo]] (as "Finnish Polka") (2017)
* [[Otava Yo]] (as "Finnish Polka") (2017)
* [[:fi:Tuuletar (yhtye)|Tuuletar]] (2018)<ref>{{Cite web |title=TUULETAR - Ievan polkka (Loituma COVER) |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qz_uq7ypZnc |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211214/qz_uq7ypZnc |archive-date=2021-12-14 |url-status=live |access-date=2020-12-14 |via=YouTube}}{{cbignore}}</ref>
* [[:fi:Tuuletar (yhtye)|Tuuletar]] (2018)<ref>{{Cite web |title=TUULETAR - Ievan polkka (Loituma COVER) | date=9 October 2018 |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qz_uq7ypZnc |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211214/qz_uq7ypZnc |archive-date=2021-12-14 |url-status=live |access-date=2020-12-14 |via=YouTube}}{{cbignore}}</ref>
* [[Babymetal]] (as Oh! Majinai feat. [[Joakim Brodén]]<ref>[https://metalstorm.net/pub/review.php?review_id=15258&page=&message_id= came right back with "Oh! Majinai," their own version of "Ievan Polkka" with blackjack and hookers Joakim Brodén]</ref>) (2019)
* [[Shirakami Fubuki]] (2019)
* [[Shirakami Fubuki]] (2019)
* [[Bilal Göregen]] (2019)
* [[Bilal Göregen]] (2019)
Line 78: Line 78:
* [[The Kiffness]] (2020)
* [[The Kiffness]] (2020)
* Sea Shanty (cover Girl With The Leek published by Spinnin' Records) (2021)
* Sea Shanty (cover Girl With The Leek published by Spinnin' Records) (2021)
* Masha Ray (Dancing Donkey Mix) (2022)<ref>{{Cite web |title=Masha Ray - Levan Poka (Dancing Donkey Mix) | date=18 March 2022 |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UcFTIcNUQrM |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220318084008/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UcFTIcNUQrM |archive-date=2022-03-18 |url-status=live |access-date=2024-01-11 |via=YouTube}}{{cbignore}}</ref>


==See also==
==See also==
Line 92: Line 93:
[[Category:Polkas]]
[[Category:Polkas]]
[[Category:Karelian-Finnish folklore]]
[[Category:Karelian-Finnish folklore]]
[[Category:Internet memes introduced in 2006]]

Latest revision as of 04:10, 11 November 2024

This article is about the song. For the band, see Loituma. For the animation, see Loituma Girl.

"Ievan polkka" (Finnish for "Ieva's Polka") is a Finnish song with lyrics printed in 1928[1] and written by Eino Kettunen to a traditional Finnish polka tune. The song is sung in an Eastern Savonian dialect spoken in North Karelia. It is sung from the point of view of a young man, about a woman called Ieva (dialectal for the name Eva or Eeva in standard Finnish) who sneaks out and dances the polka with him all night. The song is often mistaken for a traditional folk song, but the lyrics by Eino Kettunen are still under copyright. Later, a scat singing version of the song by the band Loituma was incorporated into the viral animation Loituma Girl. In 2007, the song was brought into worldwide popular culture through a cover sung by Hatsune Miku, with Otomania arranging the music and providing Miku's voice manipulation.

Origin

[edit]

In South Karelia, Ievan Polkka is also known as "Savitaipaleen polkka", due to its similarity to a tune of that name. The melody also resembles that of the Russian folk dance Смоленский гусачок (The Smolyanin Gosling).[2][3]

The melody can be traced back to the 18th century and the Viipuri Province, when the border with the Kingdom of Sweden ran west of the province. The number of Russian soldiers stationed in the border area outnumbered the locals for many decades. At the beginning of the 19th century, collectors of Finnish folk dances and songs remarked that all the dances in the area of Luumäki-Savitaipale were Russian, and thus the collectors didn't record them. However, the polka genre is of a much later date. Polka was introduced into Northern Europe during the late 19th century, which implies that the actual tune, as it is known today, originates from this era.[4]

The song is in the minor hexatonic mode; the Loituma version is in E-flat minor.

Popularity

[edit]

Owing to its viral exposure in popular culture, Ievan Polkka has become one of the most famous Finnish songs in the world.

Very popular after World War II, the song was almost forgotten during the late 1970s and 1980s. The song resurfaced after an a cappella performance by the Finnish quartet Loituma on the Yle TV2 show Soi soitto soi in 1996, whose song was first released on their debut album, Loituma, in 1995. The Loituma lyrics and arrangement are under copyright and published by Warner Chappell Music outside the Nordic countries. The album was released in the United States as Things of Beauty in 1998.

The Loituma version of the song acquired great international popularity as part of an Internet phenomenon in the spring of 2006, when the Loituma Girl (also known as Leekspin), a looped animation of anime character Orihime Inoue from the Bleach series twirling either a spring onion (in the Japanese original) or a leek (in the English dub), set to a scat singing section of the song, was posted on Russian LiveJournal. For the animation, only the second half of the fifth stanza (four lines) and the complete sixth stanza (eight lines) are used. It quickly became a global hit and the song soon enjoyed overwhelming popularity as a ringtone.[5][user-generated source] Since then, the song has been circulating under several misspelled variations of its original name, including "Ievas Polkka", "Levan Polkka" (due to the similarity between the sans-serif lowercase L (l) and uppercase i (I)) and "Leekspin Song".

Fans of the Vocaloid software have made Vocaloid voicebanks, such as Megurine Luka, Kagamine Rin, and Kagamine Len cover the song. The most popular Vocaloid cover belonged to Japanese artist Otomania, who in 2007 made Hatsune Miku sing it with the nonsensical lyrics by Loituma. The official music video has garnered close to 6.5 million views on Niconico by May 2024.[6] It features a chibi derivative of Hatsune Miku, officially known as Hatchune Miku, holding a spring onion in reference to Loituma Girl, and is the origin of her association with spring onions or leeks. Its popularity resulted in its use by the Vocaloid rhythm game series Hatsune Miku: Project DIVA, mainly as tutorial music. It has also been used in a commercial promoting the LG G5 smartphone.[7]

In 2012, the Finnish folk metal band Korpiklaani recorded a cover of the song for their eighth album Manala. Mobile ringtones based on various mixes of "Ievan Polkka" gained a wide popularity among Russian and Commonwealth of Independent States mobile subscribers in late 2006.[citation needed] The tune is also the theme song to the Internet sitcom Break a Leg;[citation needed] it was remixed by musician Basshunter of Sweden, DJ Sharpnel of Japan, and Beatnick of Poland;[citation needed] and a version of the song performed by Anne Kulonen was part of a Ready Brek television advert aired in the United Kingdom.[8]

A part of the song was featured during the interval show of the Eurovision Song Contest 2024, played over a brief Finland dance tribute, with performers dressed in the Finnish national attire and Sauna towels, dancing around Moomin-characters, before Käärijä entering, performing his "Cha Cha Cha" song from the Eurovision Song Contest 2023.[9]

Loituma version

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Charts

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Chart (2007) Peak
positions
Germany (GfK)[10] 48

Other versions

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See also

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References

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  1. ^ National Library of Finland; Eino Kettunen. "Eino Kettusen savo-karjalaisia y.m. humoristisia lauluja : 9:s vihko". Retrieved January 1, 2021.
  2. ^ Carl Dennis. "Смоленский гусачок [Smolenskiy gusachok]". SecondHandSongs. Retrieved January 1, 2021.
  3. ^ Gennady Petrovich Gusev (2012). Народный танец [Folk dance]. ВЛАДОС. p. 488. ISBN 978-5-04-021452-5.
  4. ^ Bjørn Aksdal. "Spelmannen och hans musik". In Greger Andersson (ed.), Musik i Norden, The Royal Swedish Academy of Music, Stockholm, 1997.
  5. ^ "Як цуп цоп". Lurkmore. Archived from the original on 2012-08-10. Retrieved 2016-06-26.
  6. ^ "VOCALOID2 初音ミクに「Ievan Polkka」を歌わせてみた". Niconico. 2007-09-04. Retrieved 2024-05-12.
  7. ^ Aaron Souppouris (1 April 2016). "LG's Jason Statham ad is as weird as the G5". Engadget. Retrieved 12 May 2024.
  8. ^ "Ready Brek – Ready For Anything". TV Ad Music. 2009-07-01. Retrieved 2014-02-17.
  9. ^ Vedenpää, Ville (15 May 2023). "Käärijä esiintyy Euroviisuissa torstaina muumien kanssa – tällainen on "suomalainen väliaikanumero"" [Käärijä performs during the Eurovision on Thursday along the Moomins – this is a ”Finnish half-time show”]. Yle (in Finnish). Retrieved 6 June 2024.
  10. ^ "Loituma – Ieva's Polka" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts.
  11. ^ See here and here.
  12. ^ Марина Девятова и Оркестр волынщиков Москвы "Финская полька", 27 September 2016, archived from the original on 2021-12-14, retrieved 2021-05-25
  13. ^ "TUULETAR - Ievan polkka (Loituma COVER)". 9 October 2018. Archived from the original on 2021-12-14. Retrieved 2020-12-14 – via YouTube.
  14. ^ came right back with "Oh! Majinai," their own version of "Ievan Polkka" with blackjack and hookers Joakim Brodén
  15. ^ "Masha Ray - Levan Poka (Dancing Donkey Mix)". 18 March 2022. Archived from the original on 2022-03-18. Retrieved 2024-01-11 – via YouTube.
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