Helsingin Valituskuoro or: Too Many Tests! Tea Is Too Hot! Santa Claus is Stupid! Dad Is Allergic to Hairy Animals!
.: What’s up with the Finns? Why are they so cranky? Who cares? These videos are hilarious, and the school children’s song is even better knowing that the class, from the Poikkilaakso Elementary School in Helsinki, wrote the lyrics themselves. The chorus is brilliant. But I think what makes it so funny is that none of the children ever smiles – how could they record this without cracking up? They all look so serious singing these lyrics, and it just makes the video even funnier. Plus, each line of the lyrics doesn’t necessarily fit into the rhythm of the song compared to the previous line but still works somehow, which for me as a musician, just increases the hilarity of the entire production. God bless the music teacher who put this together. Who wants to start a complaints choir? WHY must we take it so easy? I want to learn how to play this song. Can someone teach me how to sing in Finnish?
Then you can enjoy a group of Finnish adults singing out their collective woes. Helsingin Valituskuoro, otherwise known as the Helsinki Complaints Choir.
I didn’t realize there are other such choirs, including:
February 18th, 2007 at 08:04
This is great! Let’s start a library complaint choir. I can’t sing but will help with the lyrics. “Why is your carpet so dirty?”, “Why does your catalogue so suck?”
Kenton
February 18th, 2007 at 10:03
.: I don’t think being able to sing is that critical, the lyrics are what is important. The lyrics would need to be written in first person plural possessive:
– why is our carpet so dirty?
– why does our catalogue suck so much?
– our library has no colour
– the second floor smells like garbage
– why does the first floor look like a surplus dump?
– our furniture is ancient and falling apart
– the chairs are always broken
– Google will overtake us soon
– where did the stapler go?
… and so on. Feel free to add more lines, the music will come later! 🙂
February 21st, 2007 at 21:24
These are great. thanks for finding them. I want mention this on my blog.
What I find fascinating is the glimpse into the life of these adults and kids. It’s some of the same problems we have here and some different ones that come with being foreigners with ways different than our own. Putting these videos on Youtube has the possiblity bringing foreigners together. And complaining is something we have in common with most cultures. Booze, sex and complaining. That’s really the hattrick of human nature right there. And you need all three, like a fire needs fuel, air and heat. It’s actually comforting to know they have such similar complaints. It would be interesting to be at the center of the creation of this concept. I like concepts like this. And I really like YouTube for having all these sorts of things. Yesterday, on Bedazzled they posted a weird little video clip from a 1988 kids tv show that had Patti Smith being interviewed by some kids and then doing a ballad. She did her version of You Light Up My Life with piano accompaniment. I don’t know if I can copy a link into your comments. Hummm?