''Pitkä ihana leikki'' (in English: ''Long Sweet Game'') is the debut album by Finnish

pop rock Pop rock (also typeset as pop/rock) is a fusion genre and form of rock music characterized by a strong commercial appeal, with more emphasis on professional songwriting and recording craft, and less emphasis on attitude than standard rock musi ...

singer-songwriter Maija Vilkkumaa, released by

Warner Music Warner Music Group Corp., 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 the third-largest in the gl ...

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 (either included in the species ''Canis familiaris'', or considered one of the following independent taxa: ''Canis familiaris dingo'', ''Canis dingo'', or ''Canis lupus dingo'') is an ancient (basal (phylogenetics), basal) lineage ...

. The album debuted at number 12 on the

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

, 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; it has chemical symbol Au (from Latin ) and atomic number 79. In its pure form, it is a brightness, bright, slightly orange-yellow, dense, soft, malleable, and ductile metal. Chemically, gold is a transition metal ...

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 "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. Th ...

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'' 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 database, online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on Musical artist, musicians and Mus ...

'' 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