''Pitkä ihana leikki'' (in

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

: ''Long Sweet Game'') is the debut album by

Finnish Finnish may refer to: * Something or someone from, or related to Finland * Culture of Finland * Finnish people or Finns, the primary ethnic group in Finland * Finnish language, the national language of the Finnish people * Finnish cuisine See also ...

pop rock Pop rock (also typeset as pop/rock) is a fusion genre with an emphasis on professional songwriting and recording craft, and less emphasis on attitude than rock music. Originating in the late 1950s as an alternative to normal rock and roll, earl ...

singer-songwriter

Maija Vilkkumaa Maija Johanna Vilkkumaa (born 9 November 1973) is a Finnish pop rock singer-songwriter. Beginning her musical hobbies playing piano at an age before school, Vilkkumaa studied in high school where she and her friends set up the band Tarh ...

, released by

Warner Music Warner Music Group Corp. ( d.b.a. Warner Music Group, commonly abbreviated as WMG) is an American multinational entertainment and record label conglomerate headquartered in New York City. It is one of the " big three" recording companies and t ...

in Finland on 23 August 1999. The songs are written and composed by Vilkkumaa. Considered as a fresh new release on the Finnish pop rock scene by music critics, ''Pitkä ihana leikki'' was favorably critiqued for its imaginative lyrical content for which Vilkkumaa, according to her, partially got the inspiration from the 1980s Finnish rock band

Dingo The dingo (''Canis familiaris'', ''Canis familiaris dingo'', ''Canis dingo'', or ''Canis lupus dingo'') is an ancient (Basal (phylogenetics), basal) lineage of dog found in Australia (continent), Australia. Its taxonomic classification is de ...

. The album debuted at number 12 on the

Finnish Albums Chart The Official Finnish Charts ( fi, Suomen virallinen lista; sv, Finlands officiella lista) are national record charts in Finland compiled and published by Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland. The name ''Suomen virallinen lista/Finlands officiell ...

, peaking third the next week, then going variably down spending there 29 weeks. ''Pitkä ihana leikki'' has sold over 38,000 copies to date in Finland, which has granted it a

gold Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au (from la, aurum) and atomic number 79. This makes it one of the higher atomic number elements that occur naturally. It is a bright, slightly orange-yellow, dense, soft, malleable, and ductile met ...

certification. In 2000, Vilkkumaa re-released the album under the title ''Pitkä ihana leikki – peltipainos'' ("''Sheet Metal Edition''"), with one extra song, "Peltirumpu".

Singles

Five singles were released from the album. *"

Satumaa-tango "Satumaa-tango" (in English, " Satumaa Tango") is a song by Finnish pop rock singer-songwriter Maija Vilkkumaa. Released by Warner Music Finland in 1999 as the debut single from her debut album '' Pitkä ihana leikki'', the song is written by Vilkk ...

" ("

Satumaa "Satumaa" (roughly, in English "The Fabled Land" or "The Fairytale Land") is the quintessential Finnish tango. It was written by Unto Mononen, and published in 1955. The most famous recording is probably the one made by Reijo Taipale in 1962. The ...

Tango") *" Salaa" ("Secretly") *"Auringonpimennys" ("Solar Eclipse") *" Hiuksissa hiekkaa" ("Sand in the Hair") *"Tähti" ("Star")

Critical reception

''Pitkä ihana leikki'' was well received by music critics that thought it fulfilled the expectations set by its lead single "Satumaa-tango" played in early 1999. On the August 1999 volume of Finnish rock magazine '' Soundi'', Jorma Jortikka gave the album four out of five stars, complimenting the album for "inventive melodies and perceptive lyrics", though recognizing "a few clumsy metaphors". He praised ''Pitkä ihana leikki'' for its "credibility", "overwhelming cheerfulness" and lack of aspirations for being overly artistic. Likewise, Roope Lehtinen from ''

City magazine A city is a human settlement of notable size.Goodall, B. (1987) ''The Penguin Dictionary of Human Geography''. London: Penguin.Kuper, A. and Kuper, J., eds (1996) ''The Social Science Encyclopedia''. 2nd edition. London: Routledge. It can be def ...

'' gave the album four out of five stars. Noting the album's "strong lean on

's tradition", Lehtinen praised the structures of the songs for "sense of drama", "catchy choruses" and "schlager-ish suppleness". Differing from Dingo's "metaphorical mazes", the lyrics are "sensible and brisk". Furthermore, Lehtinen credits the album for "outstanding self-irony" and "themes and narrators changing throughout the album" that make it stand out from average Finnish "self-centered" pop. However, he notes the album's own one-size-fits-all nature that manages to "please all listeners". Summing up the downsides of the "well-produced" record, he considers "Timantti" and "Salaa" "idle" and "Vähän ennen" too dance-ish. Antti J. Ravelin from ''

Allmusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...

'' gave a positive review of the album saying Vilkkumaa's first live performances and "Satumaa-tango" "promised a lot" and that the new artist emerging in the then-sparse scene of Finnish female singer-songwriters "also relied on rock, and so her hybrid sound was extremely interesting", adding that "naïve lyrics, pop elements, and sometimes rather annoying vocals aren't bothersome". Also complimenting the musical arrangements by Janne Lehto, he considered ''Pitkä ihana leikki'' one of the best Finnish albums of 1999.

Track listing

Standard edition

*Digital download

Pitkä ihana leikki – peltipainos

Charts and certifications

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Pitka ihana leikki 1999 debut albums Maija Vilkkumaa albums Finnish-language albums