Pepe received his first guitar as a 13-year old school boy in Helsinki. In 1963 a legendary group named The Islanders was founded, and Pepe became its second guitarist. Very soon he was pushed in front of the mic and the blunt request by the rest of the band was: “Now you have to sing!” .The pop singer’s career was launched in the midst of the relentless Beatlemania and a flood wave of British guitar groups, a career that was going to turn out iconic in the history of the Finnish pop and rock scene.
In 1965 a new group known as The Jormas was formed and Pepe was about to make some of his very first breakthroughs as a solo pop singer: the following year he recorded the Finnish version of the international hit “To Make A Big Man Cry” (his 1998 performance can be viewed at here). In 1967, right before entering his military service, he also recorded the Finnish version of the Beatles’ legendary “ Penny Lane.” The ingeniously localized lyrics tell the original story in an amazingly precise way, culturally transferred from the original setting to a downtown-Helsinki neighborhood with a similar profile.
His following ensemble was formed in 1969 and was for most parts based on the same musicians as its predecessor. The name of the new group was “Pepe and the Paradise.” This period extending all the way into the late 1970’s was very productive: the group recorded many chart hits and would-be evergreens in Finland, some of them composed by Pepe Willberg. In the early 1980’s the artist’s career followed a more independent path including a period of free-lancing and more intensive focus on composing and songwriting (also for other Finnish pop music artists).
In 1998 Pepe Willberg’s long and uninterrupted career hit another milestone when a pop quartet called the Masters was formed in the spirit of the Back To The Sixties revival. Apart from Pepe, the group consisted of such prominent stars as Pave Maijanen, Kirka Babitzin and Heikki Harma also known as Hector (a pioneering folk singer/songwriter on Finland’s pop music scene). The success and popularity of this group was astounding as witnessed by sold-out concerts in various arenas and Helsinki’s Olympic Stadium. A live double-CD titled “The Masters in the Arena” was recorded and it reached staggering sales figures in Finland (120,000).
2006 was a truly special year for Pepe Willberg as he himself turned 60 years while one of his most-loved standards, the Finnish rendition of “To Make A Big Man Cry,” had a 40-year old anniversary. A special commemorative tour was arranged along with a nostalgic recording in which he sang 30 of his most popular all-time classics in an updated, fresh way, thus reaching a whole new generations of fans. In October 2007 Pepe performed – probably for the the last time – with the rest of the original Jormas group on the stage of the Finlandia Hall at an international Golden Sixties concert.
In 2009 Pepe Willberg had been on Finland’s pop music scene for 45 years enjoying constant popularity. This was an excellent reason for yet another concert tour in October and November around Finland. For the holiday season the artist performed in two Christmas concerts featuring both Finnish and international songs, in cooperation with a female singer quintet known as “IrmaS” and backed by an orchestra consisting of top musicians. With his unmistakable voice and very honest interpretations “Pepe” is a true living legend, who is still going strong, supported by a great number of fans representing several generations.
Ero
Pepe Willberg Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Yötuuli seiniin tarrautui jäädäkseen.
Muuttomiehet verhotkin vei,
Sun tiedän päätöksessäs nyt pysyneen.
Riisuttu on liittomme puu,
Sen oksat yksitellen katkaissut oon.
Liian myöhään mies havahtuu,
Kun jo ovet aukee eteiseen autioon.
Liikaa töitä tein ja riistin meiltä hetket tärkeimmät,
Vierees kaaduin kun jo väsyit oottamaan.
Minne hukkasin mä talvet, keväät, lasten syntymät,
Kun lakimies sen mulle kertoo, ymmärrän jo paremmin
- Kuinka paljon mä menetin.
Palautunut oon rutiiniin,
Nyt en vain tiedä miksi töihin mä meen.
Kotiin tule en, vaan kortteeriin
Ja ovi aukee autioon eteiseen.
Liikaa töitä tein ja riistin meiltä hetket tärkeimmät,
Mä unohdin sut liian usein oottamaan.
Minne hukkasin mä talvet, kesät, lasten syntymät,
Kun lakimies sen mulle kertoo, nyt sen vasta tajuan
- Kuinka paljon sua rakastan.
The song Ero by Pepe Willberg is about the end of a relationship and the regret that comes with it. The lyrics describe the morning after the breakup, with the singer realizing that the night wind has clung to the walls to stay, just as he wishes his partner would have stayed. The movers have taken even the curtains, signaling that the decision to leave was final. The metaphor of a stripped tree symbolizes the dismantling of their relationship, which the singer realizes he contributed to by breaking the branches one by one. He realizes too late, as the empty hallway awaits him, that he should have paid more attention to the important moments in his relationship and not worked so much.
The chorus repeats the theme of lost time and missed opportunities, as the singer wonders where he lost his winters, springs, and his children's births, and how much he has truly lost. Eventually, the song turns to the present, where the singer is just going through the motions, working but not understanding why, and avoiding going home to his empty apartment. He finally comes to understand that he really loves his partner, but only after it is too late.
Line by Line Meaning
Eilen aamu tullutkaan ei,
Yesterday morning did not come,
Yötuuli seiniin tarrautui jäädäkseen.
The night wind clung to the walls to stay.
Muuttomiehet verhotkin vei,
The movers took even the curtains,
Sun tiedän päätöksessäs nyt pysyneen.
I know you have now stood by your decision.
Riisuttu on liittomme puu,
The tree of our union has been stripped,
Sen oksat yksitellen katkaissut oon.
I have cut off its branches one by one.
Liian myöhään mies havahtuu,
A man wakes up too late,
Kun jo ovet aukee eteiseen autioon.
When the doors open to an empty hallway.
Liikaa töitä tein ja riistin meiltä hetket tärkeimmät,
I worked too much and robbed us of our most important moments,
Vierees kaaduin kun jo väsyit oottamaan.
I fell down next to you when you grew tired of waiting.
Minne hukkasin mä talvet, keväät, lasten syntymät,
Where did I lose the winters, springs, and births of our children,
Kun lakimies sen mulle kertoo, ymmärrän jo paremmin - Kuinka paljon mä menetin.
When the lawyer tells me, I understand better - how much I lost.
Palautunut oon rutiiniin,
I have returned to routine,
Nyt en vain tiedä miksi töihin mä meen.
Now I don't know why I go to work.
Kotiin tule en, vaan kortteeriin
I don't come home, but to a rented apartment.
Ja ovi aukee autioon eteiseen.
And the door opens to an empty hallway.
Liikaa töitä tein ja riistin meiltä hetket tärkeimmät,
I worked too much and robbed us of our most important moments,
Mä unohdin sut liian usein oottamaan.
I forgot to wait for you too often.
Minne hukkasin mä talvet, kesät, lasten syntymät,
Where did I lose the winters, summers, and births of our children,
Kun lakimies sen mulle kertoo, nyt sen vasta tajuan - Kuinka paljon sua rakastan.
When the lawyer tells me, I only now realize - how much I love you.
Contributed by Cole G. Suggest a correction in the comments below.