The Tradition of Murder Ballads in Finland
Antti Isotalo and Antti Rannanjärvi, infamous 19th century criminals (Photo: kimmopohjonen.com)
With all the bleak and unsettling news happening around the globe, it could seem in bad taste for us to talk about murder ballads.
But bear with us.
You see, in Finland, there’s a long tradition of singing about murders.
And a Finnish duo calling itself “Murder Ballads” recently recorded a CD full of songs about murder.
Kimmo Pohjonen remembers singing some of these songs when he was a young boy. He says “it’s a funny thing that even children would sing these horrible songs.”
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