“Ajetaan Tandemilla” (1976) – Freeman * Written by Leo Friman (aka Freeman) * 45: “Ajetaan Tandemilla” / “Mystilliset Kyyneleet” * LP: Freeman * Produced by Hector * Label: Love
Deceptively complex Finnish hit single. The synthesizers and falsetto vocal hooks suggest spaceships on the go, but the title translates to “We Ride a Tandem Bicycle.” Accordions join in at the end of each chorus to reinforce this odd future vs. tradition juxtaposition, of old world culture slowly warming up to new world sounds. So colorful are the lyrics—about a traveling man who’s back home and ready to marry his lady—that they’re almost untranslatable, but they do offer up rewards like this: “In the summertime goddamns ring through the trees.”