4 days in Helsinki

[bavarian lioness]

Good question Bubba, I think its only the Enflish don't have Schlager music = bad music

[Bubba Elvis XIV]

Thank god....

I never understood what it was then i was on the bus once and there was this really bad music playing, I thought 'Who the hell likes this crap? the over 50s?' Then the radio informed me that I was listening to 'Iskelma Radio'....Then I understood why my classes had been telling me to avoid it all costs!

[Jukka Aho]

Moving into other areas of european bad music....what the hell is the English (language) equivalent of Iskelma...Or would we use the term 'Schlager'? (Not that the general public in an English speaking country would probably know what it is).

At least the iskelmämusiikki page on the Finnish Wikipedia links to the schlager page on the English Wikipedia.

Is there even anything, musically, in the English speaking world that comes close to this abomination?

The aforementioned schlager page from the English Wikipedia suggests it was a “fairly popular” music style in the UK and in the US, too, but has “fallen out of favor” since the 1970s... (What did your parents and grandparents listen to right after the war and before Elvis and The Beatles, etc.?)

Many of the “classic” Finnish iskelmä songs are actually covers from other countries... for example, Kari Tapio’s Olen suomalainen is originally Toto Cutugno’s L'italiano ; an Italian song. Or another 1980s hit, Vera Telenius’ Miljoona ruusua is actually Alla Pugacheva’s song.
 

[Pursuivant]

[Bubba Elvis XIV]

At least the iskelmämusiikki page on the Finnish Wikipedia links to the schlager page on the English Wikipedia.

Yeah - I guess if someone is in the know they would call it Schlager...I dunno tho'

(What did your parents and grandparents listen to right after the war and before Elvis and The Beatles, etc.?)

There was no music before Elvis Skiffle!!!