Juice Leskinen

Biography

Juhani Juice Leskinen (born Pauli Matti Juhani Leskinen; 19 February 1950 – 24 November 2006), better known as Juice Leskinen (pronounced [ˈjui̯se ˈleskinen] as if the word juice were Finnish) was one of the most important and successful Finnish singer-songwriters of the late 20th century. From the early 1970s onward he released nearly 30 full-length albums and wrote song lyrics for dozens of other Finnish artists. Several of Leskinen's songs have reached classic status in Finnish popular music, e.g., "Viidestoista yö", "Kaksoiselämää" and "Syksyn sävel×Syksyn sävel1975 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 2 tracks1Syksyn sävel3:342Vaimoni on Frankenstein2:31". His early records are considered staples of the so-called Manserock movement of the mid-'70s. He also wrote poetry and plays and published nine collections of verse and seven plays.
After moving to Tampere to study English translation in 1970, Leskinen began his recording career in 1973 with the eponymous debut album of Juice Leskinen & Coitus Int. One more record, Per Vers, runoilija, was made under the same band name, but from then on he released records with several line-ups, most notably Juice Leskinen Slam and Juice Leskinen Grand Slam from the late 1970s until the mid-1980s. Although concentrating more on poetry from the early 1990s, Leskinen still released new music every few years despite his failing health, which was caused by the unhealthy lifestyle he had led for years. After the longest hiatus of his recording career, L marked Leskinen's 50th birthday in 2000. His last record, Senaattori ja boheemi (released in 2004), is a collaboration with Mikko Alatalo, a return to their partnership of the early 1970s. He wrote "Nuku pommiin" in 1982 for the Eurovision Song Contest.
Juice Leskinen's most famous songs include "Viidestoista yö" ("Fifteenth Night"), "Musta aurinko nousee" ("A Sun Rises out of Me", often misunderstood as "The Black Sun Rises" despite a clear pause between "musta" and "aurinko"), "Marilyn", "Rakkauden ammattilainen" ("Love Pro"), "Norjalainen villapaita" ("Norwegian Sweater") and "Kaksoiselämää" (Double Life).
Leskinen was diagnosed with Asperger syndrome in the early 2000s.
He qualified 38th in the poll of the 100 greatest Finns held during the summer of 2004.
Leskinen died in 2006, after living with chronic kidney disease, cirrhosis and diabetes. He is buried in Kalevankangas cemetery, Tampere, near the main gate.

Leskinen has gained a considerable amount of posthumous recognition. A musical about Leskinen, titled Juice – taiteilijaelämää (an artist's life) premiered in Tampere on 30 August 2011.
In 2015, two film companies announced plans for biography films. One of them was cancelled.
In 2014 a biography of Leskinen was published, written by Antti Heikkinen, and named Risainen elämä. Juice Leskinen 1950–2006.

Official collection albums

1976 Singlet 1974–76
1977 Tähän saakka
1992 Sietämätön mies
1997 Kautta aikain
2000 Maamme (Vårt land)
2003 Tuomaksen Evankeliumi
2006 Kautta aikain 2
2007 Syksyn sävel – Kaikki singlet 1974–2004

Other collection albums

1981 Oikea valinta: Juice – 14 parasta puolta
1982 Parhaat
1982 Kokoelma
1983 Tupla: Ajan henki / Dokumentti
1984 Matka Suomeen
1986 Masters
1986 Parhaat
1987 Parhaat
1987 Juice Leskinen Slam
1988 Lauluja rakastamisen vaikeudesta
1989 Extra
1991 2 alkuperäistä (Tauko II / Tauko III)
1991 Juicinfonia, esitt. The New Generation Orchestra, joht. Tuomas Lampela
1992 12 alkuperäistä
1993 12 alkuperäistä
1993 Valitut teokset
1994 Suomen parhaat
1994 Lauluja rakastamisen vaikeudesta
1995 20 suosikkia – Ei elämästä selviä hengissä
1997 20 suosikkia – Onnellinen mies
2008 Juice Leskinen – Parhaat
2012 20 × Juice Leskinen
2012 20 × Juice Leskinen & Grand Slam
2013 Sävel ja sanat
2014 37 laulua Suomesta
2014 Johanna-vuodet, osa 1
2014 Johanna-vuodet 1982–1983
2015 Kaikkien aikojen Juice (2015)
2016 Love-vuodet 1973–1978

Collections of poetry

1975 Sonetteja laumalle
1981 Sanoja
1989 Iltaisin, kun veneet tulevat kotiin
1990 Pieniä sanoja sinulle, jota rakastan
1994 Äeti (luonnos muistelmiksi, runoja)
1996 Jumala on
1998 Maanosamme, maailmamme
1999 Aika jätti (Runoja)
2002 Ilonkorjuun aika 2002

Children's books

1987 Satuinen musiikkituokio (with Matti Pellonpää, book and cassette)
1992 Räkä ja Roiskis
1995 Räkä ja Roiskis Suuvedellä
1997 Räkä ja Roiskis naisissa

Other works

1978 Kuka murhasi rock'n' roll tähden (diary)
1984 Päivää (short stories)
1993 Vaikuttajat korvissamme (essays)
2003 Siinäpä tärkeimmät: edellinen osa E. Ch. (memoirs)

Plays

1980 Valto
1983 Isänmaan toivo
1984 Ravintola Wunderbar
1985 Kolme hanhea matkalla pohjoiseen (with Liisa Laukkarinen)
1988 Harald Hirmuinen
1990 Mikä ny
1996 Soma rillumarei