宴View utage (宴会場) chartsMore in niconico＆ボーカロイド
Overview
"Ievan Polkka" is a Finnish folk song dating back to the 1930s that gained a second life on the internet through two key moments: the Finnish a cappella quartet Loituma's 1995 rendition (which added the now-famous scat syllables), and the 2007 VOCALOID cover by Otomania featuring Hatsune Miku. Posted on September 4, 2007, just days after Miku's software release on August 31, Otomania's video "VOCALOID2 初音ミクに「Ievan Polkka」歌わせてみた" became the breakout hit that launched Miku into internet stardom. The video's chibi Miku (later named Hachune Miku), designed by Otomania's friend Tamago, twirling a Shimonita spring onion to the song's infectious melody established the leek/spring onion as Miku's signature accessory, a reference that traces back to the "Loituma Girl" (Leekspin) meme. Notably, Miku sings an arrangement of "Dolly Song (Ieva's Polka)" rather than Loituma's version directly. In maimai, Ievan Polkka was added to MiLK PLUS on August 21, 2018, and later served as the tutorial song for maimai DX and DX PLUS before being phased out across regions. Its two Standard charts contrast sharply: the Expert (level 11) is a hold-note-heavy endurance test designed by 合作だよ ("It's a collaboration"), while the Master (level 13) by 小鳥遊さん (Takanashi-san) is notorious for its dense vertical-trill patterns, packing 802 notes into a short 2:27 runtime. An additional UTAGE (蔵) chart was released on Christmas Day 2018, pushing the hold-heavy concept to its extreme. The song was gradually removed from arcade cabinets, Chinese 舞萌DX in August 2020, Asian regions from DX Splash PLUS onward, and Japanese cabinets on September 16, 2021, ending its official maimai availability.
Videos
Charts
Trivia
- Ievan Polkka is a Finnish folk song that originated in the 1930s. Its worldwide popularity is largely attributed to Loituma, a Finnish quartet whose 1995 a cappella cover introduced the wordless scat section that most listeners recognize today.
- Otomania's September 4, 2007 upload of Miku singing Ievan Polkka, only four days after Hatsune Miku's software launch on August 31, 2007, was the very first Miku song to achieve widespread internet fame.
- The chibi-style Miku character in Otomania's video, designed by his friend Tamago, became known as Hachune Miku (はちゅねミク) and was later recognized as an official derivative character by Crypton Future Media.
- The spring onion (negi) Miku waves in the video is a reference to the 'Loituma Girl' / 'Leekspin' meme, which featured Bleach character Orihime Inoue twirling a spring onion (often misidentified as a leek) to Loituma's Ievan Polkka. This video is the origin of the 'Miku loves negi' fan trait.
- The spring onion was specifically modeled after Shimonita negi (下仁田ネギ), a thick, sweet variety from Gunma Prefecture.
- Despite common belief, Miku does not sing Loituma's version in Otomania's video, she sings an arrangement of 'Dolly Song (Ieva's Polka)', a different rendition of the same folk tune with distinct lyrics.
- Otomania's stage name is a pun on 'oto no mania' (音のマニア), meaning 'sound maniac'. He is a musician from Osaka.
- In maimai DX and maimai DX PLUS, Ievan Polkka served as the tutorial song for new players. It was replaced starting with maimai DX Splash.
- The Expert chart (合作だよ) is heavily hold-note focused with 197 Hold notes out of 349 total, while the Master chart (小鳥遊さん) is dominated by rapid Tap trills with 666 Tap notes, one of the highest Tap counts relative to total notes in its era.
- An UTAGE (宴) chart nicknamed 蔵 (kura) was added on December 25, 2018, with the charter comment '罠がいっぱいなんですがこれは' ('There are lots of traps, isn't there').
- Ievan Polkka's removal timeline: Chinese 舞萌DX on August 7, 2020; Asian maimai DX Splash PLUS onward; Japanese cabinets on September 16, 2021.
- The song has an in-game collection item, a 'Negi Clock' (ネギ時計), unlocked simply by playing any chart from Easy through Master.
- Ievan Polkka also appeared as tutorial music in the Hatsune Miku: Project DIVA series before its inclusion in maimai.
FAQ
- Who composed Ievan Polkka in maimai?
- Ievan Polkka is a traditional Finnish folk song (circa 1930s). The version in maimai was arranged by Otomania, with vocals by Hatsune Miku (初音ミク) using the VOCALOID2 engine.
- When was Ievan Polkka added to maimai?
- Ievan Polkka was added to maimai on August 21, 2018, as part of the MiLK PLUS version update. It was later removed from all regions, Japan on September 16, 2021, Asia from DX Splash PLUS onward, and China on August 7, 2020.
- Why is Ievan Polkka associated with Hatsune Miku and a spring onion?
- Otomania's 2007 video featured a chibi Miku (Hachune Miku) designed by his friend Tamago, twirling a Shimonita spring onion. This was a direct reference to the 'Loituma Girl' (Leekspin) meme, which showed a character spinning a spring onion to Loituma's version of Ievan Polkka. The video made the spring onion Miku's de facto signature item.
- What difficulty levels do Ievan Polkka's charts have in maimai?
- Ievan Polkka has four Standard chart difficulties: Basic (level 3), Advanced (level 6), Expert (level 11), and Master (level 13). It also received a special UTAGE (蔵) chart in maimai FiNALE.
- Who designed the Ievan Polkka charts in maimai?
- The Expert chart (level 11) was designed by 合作だよ ('It's a collaboration'), and the Master chart (level 13) was designed by 小鳥遊さん (Takanashi-san). The UTAGE 蔵 chart carries the designer comment '罠がいっぱいなんですがこれは' ('There are lots of traps, isn't there').
- Is Ievan Polkka still playable in maimai?
- No, Ievan Polkka has been removed from all current maimai arcade versions. It was removed from Japanese cabinets on September 16, 2021, from Asian versions starting with maimai DX Splash PLUS, and from Chinese 舞萌DX on August 7, 2020.
- What is Hachune Miku and how does it relate to Ievan Polkka?
- Hachune Miku (はちゅねミク) is the chibi-style, super-deformed version of Hatsune Miku that appeared in Otomania's original 2007 Ievan Polkka video, created by artist Tamago. Despite starting as a fan creation, Hachune Miku was later recognized as an official derivative character by Crypton Future Media.
- Does Ievan Polkka have lyrics in Finnish?
- Yes, the scat section sung by Miku is based on the Finnish nonsense syllables from Loituma's 1995 arrangement, such as 'Ratsatsaa ja ripidabi dilla beritstan dillan dellan doo'. The original folk song has different lyrics; Loituma added these wordless syllables. Otomania's Miku cover specifically arranges the 'Dolly Song (Ieva's Polka)' version rather than Loituma's directly.
