HEADED TO 100K! :) Join me on this JOURNEY & SUBSCRIBE! :) :) Buckle up, it's quite the ride. Thank you so much for your support. Hope you enjoy my deep dive review and analysis.
You, quite rightly, acknowledge Tuomas's poetic, scientifically correct and intellectual lyrics but I find it amazing that nobody seems to think that the fact that this is conceived and polished in a language other than his own. I consider that an amazing achievement.
A great reaction to a great masterpiece :) I was at this gig, at Wembley London. It was amazing, as all Nightwish shows are :) \m/ You hear the name Little Lucy, in the song. A palaeontologist went out to Africa to try & find remains of the Earliest humans. He was having no luck, when he wanted to pass water. He was having that wee, when something popped out of the sand... It was bone. that turned out to be the remains a very small female child. The Palaeontologist, called her Little Lucy. :) Heres a video that someone made & put on TH-cam. Its totally stunning, showing the big bang & the start of everything & the 2 mass extinctions, all set to this song. I hope that you enjoy it :) th-cam.com/video/IJb3xwtpmmc/w-d-xo.html
I love watching people react to hearing Nightwish and/or their different songs for the first time. Few other bands have left such lasting impressions on me with every new song and voice. I will never forget the first time I saw Floor with Nightwish. It was during their 2012 America tour when Anette left. I had no idea who Floor was so I was bummed. That show is probably the best live show I've seen, of any artist. Despite Floor having had two days to master the setlist with only a couple shows on the tour under her belt, they already had an amazing dynamic. She just fit so well with them. I loved Tarja and Anette both for what they brought to the band, but Floor really blew me away.
As a metalhead and a biologist, this song for me is the absolute pinnacle of representation of everything that is important to me. After watching this song, from Wembley, Tampere and others literally hundreds of times, when I finally saw this live, I cried for the 20 minutes straight, tears just freely pouring down. For me it brings such a feeling of Weltschmerz and awe that nothing else ever gave me....
This video is how YT's algorithm decided to introduce me to Nightwish. I was completely blown away, to say the least. I almost literally had to pry my jaw off the floor. Emotional and lyrical impact was really high. One of the few bands I have really become interested in the music and musicians.😊
Lots of people will tell you this is the “wrong” version….it’s not. Both this version and the Tampere version are brilliant in their own way. Troy’s e-bow on this version is eerily evocative. The Tampere version has its own surprises, do please watch it. Loving this reaction.
@@horsehollererNah the entire beginning of the tampere version a superior to this and the album version. The whistle is much more suited than the e-bow for this song. And it's a home crowd which also adds to the Tampere versions advantage. This version is good, but not better, not even Dawkins changes that, hell not even Darwin being up there would hehe. But its all subjective. Hope you have a nice midsummer evening 🤘
Jukka left in late 2014 due to his health. This is his friend, Kai Hahto. So far, I like what you're saying. I've watched at least 100 times. Never grow tired of their stuff! Good job!
My favorite thing about this performance is the fact that you can actually hear Troy's voice in the mix and they did a "better" job of showing him singing, so that a first time listener can tell that all three are singing.
@@tobimobiv1 Ha! Absolutely, I respect your opinion. In my opinion, the e-bow is more suited to the intro (but I used to prefer the whistle!), the crowd at Tampere is a little too passive/quiet, and Wembley seems to have a fuller, crisper, higher-quality sound (particularly the bass) - oh, and I don't need a firework display to get my attention. TBF, you didn't mention the fireworks, but I bet millions of others will LOL. Have a great evening yourself!
My god, this woman's voice is on a divinity level!!!! I can't express how happy I am listening to this rock masterpiece. Thank you God so much for introducing me to this band.
Not unrelated fact: Floor wanted to be a biologist and has a beetle species named after her: Tmesisternus floorjansenae. Also, a species of Brittle Star is named after her: Ophiomitrella floorae.
” Man, he took his time in the sun. Had a dream to understand A Single Grain of Sand” 🙏🏻🔥🤘❤️ This is a masterpiece..
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Oh man Rosalie, My 50th time (or more) that I watch and listen to this masterpiece, and I still crys together with you. Beautiful. Thank you so much for the time you took to really diesect this masterpiece and understand it. Which I really think you did.
That's why there is a Nightwish Army! You asked us a question at the start - and you answered yourself! You went into the journey - experienced it in your mind and imagination. And the more you listen, the more you discover. The layers in this song are mind blowing - but you already know! This is the power of exceptional music - and why we love Nightwish. And you do too - now😂
@rosalieelliottofficial Hi again Rosalie, this was my fourth time watching this particular reaction with You. I cried with you this time as well. I really love your insight and appreciation of Tuomas and Nightwish work. That's what makes me go back and back again. I can't wait for even more Nightwish reactions from you in the future. Be safe, have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year and know that we love You and think You are phenomenal. ❤❤❤
Hi Rosalie - this masterpiece was written most definitely from an evolutionary perspective. The title of the “song” is also the title of a book by evolutionary biologist Richard Dawkins: The Greatest Show on Earth - The Evidence for Evolution. Tuomas read it, and it inspired the entire album Endless Forms Most Beautiful. That album name is in fact part of a quote from Charles Darwin’s “On The Origin of Species”. The narrative parts of the song are actually spoken by Professor Dawkins himself. With all of that said, it really doesn’t matter whether one takes an evolutionary or creationist stance on the subject. Anyone that comes away from this piece without a sense of utter wonderment and awe is truly missing something. If ANY piece of music can make you feel happy and truly grateful for your existence, this HAS TO BE IT. “We are going to die, and that makes us the *lucky* ones. Most people are never going to die because they’re never going to be born.” #WeWereHere
Actually it does matter what your stance on evolution is. The song and album are about evolution and against creation. If you need to think otherwise to be able to listen to this song you're fooling yourself
Of course Yes has some more of these epics, especially "Close to the Edge" and then the whole "Tales of" album, 4 sides 4 20+ minute pieces. And "Awaken" is maybe a bit shorter, but one of the most epic pieces ever. Btw.: if you don't know it, check the version from Jon Anderson with Toadmobile .. best version ever 😍😍 So i'm more or less a symphonic metal fan since the late 90s, but especially in the 80s i was mostly into Yes, Genesis, Renaissance, Marillion .. and stuff like that And the ending from "Gates of Delirium" .. still sooo hearbreaking beautiful
@@Meine.Postma I guess the so called creationism viewpoint as it is being taught by certain religions is totally against this. But that's just the surface beliefs of certain religions. To me evolution is creation. I don't think they are in contrast. Evolution itself is not just probabilities of mutation and natural selection, as the change for successful gene mutation itself is just ridiculously small. There's something behind nature that science cannot explain, which is kind of creative force. Really hard to communicate through text. And I think that's pretty close to what Tuomas thinks based on couple of interviews and just overall based on his career.
@@juzujuzu4555 It certainly not what Dawkins thinks. The successful gene mutations happen because of the great amount of time they get. Millions of years is long enough for chance to be successful and not need a "creator". Given the more explicit Weak Fantasy I happen to think that this is what Tuomas thinks also
@@Meine.Postma Assume the chance of certain mutation happening at any second at any organism is 10^50. Then the long time is essentially meaningless, just as the amount of organisms of who could have had the mutation. I know Dawkins has his beliefs which in my book are simple minded beliefs. I honor him for his attitude though, one of the best atheist I know. And most would probably call me atheist in the traditional sense even though I certainly am against the materialistic view of reality because it's pretty much the only thing that can be shown to not be possible. Weak fantasy is anti organizational, and anti organized religion, which I am also. It's a massively hard topic, even at face to face conversation, let alone over Internet, but I personally don't think Tuomas has the exact same view of Dawkins. That doesn't mean that he couldn't idolize the man and his work.
40:03. I’m not crying, you’re crying. Yeah, I’m crying too. this part always brings tears of joy to my eyes. The futile raging against the aforementioned “careless cold infinity in ever vast direction” pleases my rebellious heart. A breathtaking masterpiece sung by a Valkyrie Goddess… or what Nightwish thinks of as just another day. 💙💙💙All Hail Floor !! 💙💙💙 Infantryman-Nightwish Army. US Regiment. Kentucky Battalion " RIP Ann Waychoff-Commanding General-Nightwish Army
the fact that the band comes out to the stage again to the words "it is you and I in our ordinairyness" - so humble. it's perfection to the smallest of details.
To have Richard Dawkins, the writer of those quotes, on stage and reciting them. Well, the end was Darwin, but the rest.....Awesome. We Were Here! The entire piece is amazing.
I used to listen to Nightwish when I was in high school, when their first singer left I stopped listening to them. We used to use their music in fragmovies from games like counter-strike 1.5/1.6, quake 3 arena etc. When Tarja left the band I stopped listening to them knowing that there was no one who could replace her..... how wrong I was. Now almost 20 years later when I came across Nightwish again in almost every song I was mindblown by Floor and of course the overall experience of this legend named Nightwish. I heard this song for the first time in the car on the way to work, I played it about 10 more times that day. This song is a journey, literally.
This is by far one of the best reactions to this Nightwish song I've seen on youtube so far. I can only give a big round of applause. Simply world class.👏👏👏
@@Guto230476 That my personal opinion. If you see it differently, that's OK too. Interruptions are part and parcel of reaction videos. Everyone does it differently and you should just accept that.
I am really enjoying your journey ❤. This is such a fabulous band and I need to keep reminding myself that English is not their first language, yet their lyrics are so amazing and on point. Take care and best wishes ❤
Rosalie... great analysis of a great song inspired by a great book. One of my Nightwish favorites because I am a retired biologist and have read Dawkins's book. Nightwish did an amazing job pulling this off.
I watched this show on YT at least 50 times and I can't get enough reaction video from Nightwish. I would like to nominated the band for one of the best band in the world... ever.
The 'we were here' audience participation section is so emotional and so absolutely nuts live. Everyone is going through the emotions brought up by the song and then being asked to shout out to the world that as insignificant as we are, we were here.
I love the fact that you have grasped the entire concept of this amazing work in a single listen! I've seen many people listen and react to this piece, who obviously have missed the entire point, or who just do not get what is being said. So many people just hear the piece and do not listen to what is being said. My commendations on your force of understanding. yours was an exceptional analysis of a very powerful and hugely meaningful piece of art. 💥💥💥💥
The Wembley version is a great performance. The visual experience is just larger in the Tampere version. Saw them in Vaasa and what would later turn out to be the last performance on the Human :II: Nature tour. It was a wonderful experience as usual. I was lucky enough to see them twice during this tour. 😊 To end with Ad Astra after The Greatest Show on Earth is overwhelming for me.
@@jacobsnellman1796 thanks. so Floor is ok. someone told me they cancelled a show (which they never do) so I was concerned. do you know something about that? (did they troll me?)
Yes, they canceled the Oslo Show which was the last show on the tour due to Floor's health. Unrelated to her pregnancy though according to Nightwish official.
This is one of my most favorite songs ever written. Ive heard every reaction video of this song . I find your analysis and insights to be the best of anyone that does these. You have such a deep and refreshing point of view. I truly enjoy all your comments and opinions. I just wanted you to know how much I enjoy and appreciate you. Never stop. Thank you very much.
That's why we all love Nightwish And Tuomas is a genius Thanks for great reaction Btw more you gonna watch this more you gonna enjoy and explore Check Tampere version also you can check just orchestral versions without singing Just pure music This is timeless masterpiece...❤
Oh Rosalie! Iwas about to go to sleep just past midnight. Saw you put out this. Saw it was almost 1 hour..thought I take it into two part. THAT WAS NOT POSSIBLE! I had goosbumps for all of the reaction. I've seen this video closer to 500 times and it hits me every time! Your reaction was nothing less than magnificent! The passion, knowledge you talk about these difficult subjects amazes me! Can you please do me (us) a favour. Do this masterpiece from Tampere 2015 and do a rewatch when you know what to expect. You gonna love it even more. Trust me. Some shirt notice: - Kai Hahto was on drums - You have Enter Sandman (Metallica) in there with lot of short music genres baked into the song. Oh did I say it. I ❤ your reaction! Gonna watch it again later on. 😅 -
Absolutely phenomenal reaction, your facial expressions said it all..this is why I'm addicted to reactions of this band..and you totally understood the meaning of this masterpiece!
I just have to say huge thanks to you For doing these videos. I've listened Nightwish over 20 years. I own almost every album. Though I love the brand and their music, I've never really get to know these songs. The meanings behind the lyrics and through these reaction videos I've learned so much more. It's like I'm discovering this band all over again. So thank you so much! ❤
I love that this isn't just a typical reaction video, but rather an eloquent, intelligent deep dive into the psychology and philosophy that is this epic of Nightwish
Loved it. The drummer is Kai Hahto. Yukka had to step back due to chronic insomnia, but is still with the band. Kai was a drum technician for Nightwish and drummer from Wintersun. Fenomenal drummer and also good friend of Jukka. Never loses a beat. Everytime I hear the final part (we were here) it gets me. Amazing song.
Thought this would be a great reaction from you and wasn't disappointed. Told myself I wouldn't burst into tears this time when "We Were Here" was sung. Oh well maybe next time. 😊❤
Glad you chose the Wembley concert. I know many like the Tampere version, which have some nice surprises, so look at that one too. I do like the Wembley one, not just because Richard Dawkins was there, although it is very moving to see the fans lipsyncing his every word But mainly because of the beginning with Troy on the e-bow. I love that sound!
Hi Rosalie...that was a great reaction to that Wahnsinn of this masterpiece of music.Those six individuals that together form Nightwish are in my opinion one of a kind in performing live .saw them a few times during the last tour and I am always wondering how they can be so perfect in synchronicity in speed and after the bridges they do.Floor with her wonderful voice and the others perfect in their musicianship.Great composition of Tuomas having the idea and putting it all together so epic. Enjoyed your reaction and looking forward for more reactions to come
I was at this show. this isn't even half of what I was experiencing from this song and this show. it was literally breathtaking. I was front row too and it was exceptional to witness it. Also you hit something early on that was brought back at the end. That was great. (the lottery of humans being born) The Outro, the way they move into the bow is like the heroes of a tale, the music is uplifting, the end of the show, the nuance of it all. we are all endless forms most beautiful.
Superb and worthy reaction - absolutely on point. I am glad this is the Wembley version - The video made at Tampere is maybe a better recording of a *concert* but this version is a more faithful representation of the song as a piece of art. With a pitch dark setting (Tampere is at duslk) the lights, the screens, the images, the totality of the performance can be seen and nothing is getting lost. Personally, I prefer Floor's costuming here, I like the e-bow instead of the pipe played in the Tampere version and I like that Troy gets picked up a lot more. I sometimes lose it completely as FLoor begins her operatic phase at the beginning, it's so majestic. But if she doesn't get me at that point I can guarantee to lose it at *exactly* the moment Rosalie does. With the "Toolmaker" chapter talking about how we will eventually lose our place on the world - Dawkins invoked "ratkind" in his book (I don't recall how serious he was). But after the fires and the intensity of toolmaker we are reminded of our place and impact in the world - in art, in music, in knowledge and in being here. "we were here" is so powerful and so defiant and such an ecstatic moment that I burst into tears every single time...
It is the song I remember always most from the Live Concerts, because Live it is a blast. Not only because of the length or the music itself. The Placement in their setlist as last song is just perfect. You witness the greatest Show on Earth... either you think about the "Story" the Song is written of. Or you think about the concert you have been and is about to finish. And than the last words "We were here" fit so perfect that you get goosebumps over the whole body. It is one of the must have songs you have to experience live in your life ;)
Couldn't agree more. Seeing this performed live, which at the concert I saw was proceeded by Ghost Love Score, is one of the absolute highlights of my concert going adventures. Epic does not adequately describe it.
Acabas de oir la pieza maestra de Nightwhish en perfecta interpretacion de Floor y Marko + mas una perfecta ejecucion de bateria por demas fantastica !! Excelentebanda de sinfhonic Metal !! Insuperables !!👍🤘🤘🤘🤘
I am thankful you took the time this piece deserves, and you perfectly grasped the essence of what it is trying to achieve. This is not just 'some other metal song'. Not even 'just another Nightwish song'. To me, this is an unmatched masterpiece, and quiet possibly one ofo the best pieces of music written during the last century, if ever. Coming up with the idea, the lyrics and then executing it with a lineup of that level of capability...it always has me in tears live. Every. Single. Time.
My eyes are wet right now. I saw this live a week ago in Kitee Finland with fir....oh. Don't want to spoil. Be sure to watch the Tampere version as well. By yourself or with us. But check it out.
They were super fortunate to be blessed with both Jukka and Kai…two phenomenal drummers who melded so perfectly with this phenomenal band. Kai in Beast Mode on the drum kit ..as usual🤘🤘
Im crying like a baby here, the final of this masterpiece is mindblowing, highest state of artistery philosophy and musically the act of the millennia..... Avatars!
This song is a masterpiece and it is a masterful performance. There's particularly something really special about seeing people in the audience of a metal concert listen with reverence and tears in their eyes as a famous evolutionary biologist reads a passage from Charles Darwin's "On the Origin of Species" to close out the show.
Seriously, in my mind, the greatest composition of my lifetime, surpassing "The Gates of Delirium" by Yes. Both are epics, both covering prime subjects of life ... how we got here and the state of war, respectively. Tuomas, being a student of science, wrote beautiful allegories into this song, his lyrics are worth college credits for just listening to them. The fact that he was able to get Richard Dawkins to narrate the spoken parts is testimony to his brilliance, and at the Wembley Concert to have Dr. Dawkins, an emeritus fellow of Oxford, appear on stage to recite Charles Darwin's final paragraph of "Origin of Species" is incredible. Now that you've watched this version, you MUST also watch the Tampere version, which is different in significant ways, and, in my opinion, better than this one. Dawkins is the biggest difference, which is why this is the "official" video. I thiink Tampere is more emotional and stunning. Proud of your work, Rosalie. I enjoyed your reaction very much!
Oh wow, are you me? 🤔 I'd long considered "The Gates of Delirium" my favorite piece of music, but yeah, this is even better. No matter which version I watch and/or listen to, it never fails to blow me away.
I agree with you 100%. Having said that I have not listened to the Yes song which I will do so now. In terms of epic songs, I have compared and slotted TGSOE above the likes of Stairway To Heaven by Led Zeppelin and Bohemian Rhapsody by Queen
I find Tampere version Great as well, not so much for the effects as for the mix for Floors voice. Just those whispered words 'us - sleeping' always bring tears to my eyes.
The 4.6 as title for the first part (also) refers to the age of mother earth Gaia: 4.6 billion years. As one other comments says, Wembley and Tampere versions are worth watching. Having seen - no, experianced - NW just June 16th in Kitee with this as last song before outro (Ad Astra) I can say, still moved: We were here, Jesus. Thanks for reacting to this, imo, outstanding masterpiece !
The explosion of feelings is incredible, the human condition too, and so much information is overwhelming that it is impossible not to feel what you felt. Great feedback and analysis.
Some comments on the making of the album and the sing...from members of the band and their crew. Then my interpretation. Troy: At some point we ended up watching Richard Dawkins lectures on the internet. After a while I suggested, half in jest, that maybe we should ask Dawkins to be our special guest on the new album. Tuomas: It was an amazing idea, and I immediately started wondering if could really make it happen. Jukka (ex-drummer, niw in band management): We were naturally a bit sceptical, too - we had to try and ask him of course, but it was better not to have such high hopes. Dawkins had pretty much shied away from popular culture apart from one episode of The Simpsons. Troy: I enthusiastically assured them that I can make this work, like "You'll see, guys". Well the next morning I wasn't feeling so confident any more and I remembered Tuomas and Jukka going "Told you so" TUOMAS: Still, there was no way we could let it drop without at least trying. So we started thinking about a proper manner to approach Dawkins. We decided our best option would be to send him a hand-written, polite letter, where we would tell him about the band, the scientific themes on the forthcoming album and the fact that he had been a great inspiration TROY: We got no reply, so we sent another letter. In the end, I guess we had a bit of luck, because it turned out Dawkins personal assistant knew the band and actually liked Nightwish. He suggested that Dawkins should take our inquiry seriously TUOMAS: I was in Paris doing interviews for the Scrooge album. When I got back to the hotel in the evening. I noticed there was an email from Dawkins, something like, "1 went to the internet and browsed your band, and what I heard l liked very much. So I'd be happy to co-operate. FLOOR: Tuomas sent us a triumphant message: "You won't believe what just happened: Dawkins said yes!" TROY: It was obvious from the start that Dawkins' appearance would attract a lot of attention - both positive and negative. His book God Delusion had created a worldwide controversy. after all. JUKKA: We didn't invite Dawkins to be on our album to criticize religion but to speak as a scientist: an evolutionary biologist. Of course neither the fans nor anybody else outside the band knew it at that point. TUOMAS: There has been a lot of unreasonable criticism hurled at him for all kinds of reasons. A lot of people seem to ignore the fact that Dawkins is also happy to listen to contrary opinions and is always open for new ideas. In that sense, he's like Esko Valtaoja, with whom we had the honour to work on Showtime, Storytime DVD. I had endless possibilities in my hands for "The Greatest Show on Earth" What is the sound of crumpling continental plates that mountains are made of? Or the disintegration of radioactive components? Or the sound of space particles bombarding the earth? And how would I refer to immortal works of music composed by man? Well, I included shades of "Dies Irae" by Thomas Celano, "Toccata" and "Fuga" by Johann Sebastian Bach, banjo music from Western movies, "Rock around the Clock" by Bill Haley & His Comets, and "Enter Sandman" by Metallica. I was also thinking about borrowing "Sandstorm" by Darude, but in the end, we just went for an unrecognizable techno loop. [Also Petzold and Bach.] Recording - and Jukka Resigning: MARCO: Kaitsu handled the drum parts admirably, so we could continue with the other instruments right away, This time we tried to concentrate on one song at a time and kept on working on it till we felt there was nothing more we could add. TROY: And we didn't even have thunder. Rauhala does not have the best sound proofing in the world, so it would have been pretty challenging to mike the instruments if there had been rain and thunderclaps. TUOMAS: I actually got off easier than I expected, because a lot of the demo keyboards from Hämeenlinna were good enough to be included on the album. The stuff in "Sea-Worn Driftwood", part five of "The Greatest Show on Earth", for example, was salvaged straight off the demo. In Hämeenlinna, I had explained to Tero that this passage would be about "whales singing and rats taking over the world". I had just come up with that improvised stuff, and it made it on the album MARCO: Recording the vocals was teamwork in the best possible sense, no matter who was behind the mike. We kicked around suggestions and tried out all kinds of last minute ideas. Like, "Hey Floor, throw in some of that sweet upper octave of yours in the second verse... Yeah, that's a nice touch!" FLOOR: Marco kept on surprising us. He might just suddenly say, "Wait, I have an idea!" Then he'd pull out his bass and introduce an excellent harmony MARCO: It was great fun recording the vocals. I've never had the chance to impersonate a troglodyte in front of a microphone before, so creating gorilla sounds for "The Greatest Show on Earth" was pretty hilarious. I didn't want to undermine the majesty of the song in any way, but I didn't exactly do it with a straight face, either! TROY: I recorded my own ape grunts at home. To get in character, I took off my shirt, banged my chest with my fists, and pretended I was an ancient Homo Erectus. I think my wife was a bit worried MARCO: I cut my bass parts pretty quickly in about one and a half days. I even got a bit lazy towards the evening of the first day - if I had really pushed it, I might have been able to complete them in a single day. My thoughts: The first part, "Four Point Six", is a reference to the age of our planet -in billions of years. The journey starts with a simple but persistent keyboard theme, interrupted by massive thunder claps - the origin of life that despite the murderous bombardment by asteroids, sprouts time and again and finally manages to grow permanent roots. The word "archaean" in the lyrics refers to the Archean Eon, the first of the geological eons of the world (Gaea). The second part of the song chronicles the birth and the first on Earth. "Enter Luca" is a reference to an early life form, an acronym for the Last Universal Common Ancestor. We can make assumptions about the characteristics of Luca and other early life forms by reading the DNA of current organisms: "There's a writing in the garden, leading us to the mother of all." Right from the beginning, one of the key characteristics of living cells has been the ability to sense their environment and react to their perceptions: "Ion channels welcoming the outside world." In the third part, chronicling the age of man, there's a fascinating reminder: All of us current organisms are descendants of an unbroken lineage of winners. "Not a single one of your fathers died young". "Little Lucy of the Afar" refers to the famous fossil of Australopithecus Afarensis that was found in Afari, Ethiopia, a hominin that might have been the ancestor of man (genus Homo). In the long run, all species have the tendency to become extinct, and a fitting vision of the future of mankind is presented in the song, "One day'Il cease to be" On the other hand, man had earlier had "a dream to understand" and "[given] birth to poetry" . He wanted to leave his mark stating "We were here!" In the fourth part, man strives to understand it all, and Richard Dawkins takes up the story once again with a surprising claim:"We are going to die, and that makes us the lucky ones. The explanation folows shortly."Most people are never going die, because they are never going to be born. The potential people who could have been herein my place, but who will in fact never see the light of day, outnumber the sand grains of Sahara." In the fifth and final part, Dawkins recites the concuding words of The Origin of Species by Charles Darwin: "From so simple a beginning, endless forms most beautiful and most wonderful have been, and are being, evolved." FLOOR: I felt real good after the final rehearsals [for EFMB] in a New York studio. There were obviously many challenging parts in the set - I'd have to be extra careful in the beginning of "The Greatest Show on Earth", for example because some of the phones rise from the back of the throat but "operatic vocals are produced in the front of the mouth. By the way, the Latin phrase Opus Perfectuum: perfectum means "complete" in Latin, so as so often with Tuomas, there is a dual meaning that you can interpret how you like
PERFECT analysis of this masterpiece, Rosalie! The first time I listened to this song, was in my car, listening to the Human || Nature album - and it was amazing! But then I discovered the live footage from different concerts......with the visuals this song was brought to a whole new level! Truly a masterpiece, with an extraordinary composer named Tuomas, great instrumentalists and Floors astounding voice! I LOVE this song!
Wow Rosalie! Thank you for your breathtaking MASTERCLASS about this masterpiece! You said you could have talked about this for hours. I wish you had! Thank you, thank you very much! Kind regards from the Dutch Mountains.
Tuomas was about to write this to be 45 min long but needed to shorten it to fit on an album side. Just brilliant workpiece. 4,6 billion years the solar systems has been there. Toolmaker = human (apes with a thumb). You nailed the reaction by noticing plenty of details in here.
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I'm now halfway through your reaction, and I can only say that the emotions you are experiencing is the same I felt the first time. The song still gets me every time. Tuomas is truly the Metal Mozart of our time. He's a TRUE composer.
The masterpeice of life that you are and that was written down in the masterpiece of music is also shining throug in your reaction. You have no choice but to shine and we greet you from Europe.
I first heard this in November 2020, it brought me to tears the first time. It does every time I hear it. If there is such a thing as a "Perfect" piece of music, this is it. The last line of the last verse gets me every time. Such Pathos. "We WERE HERE!!!!!!". I live in a place ( mountain west US) where music like this never gets radio airplay. They did play here once a very long time ago but I hadn't heard of them at the time. It was apparently the last performance before Annette left the band and Floor took over vocals.
HEADED TO 100K! :) Join me on this JOURNEY & SUBSCRIBE! :)
:) Buckle up, it's quite the ride. Thank you so much for your support. Hope you enjoy my deep dive review and analysis.
You, quite rightly, acknowledge Tuomas's poetic, scientifically correct and intellectual lyrics but I find it amazing that nobody seems to think that the fact that this is conceived and polished in a language other than his own. I consider that an amazing achievement.
Awesome. Intelligent and with feeling. Thank you.
A great reaction to a great masterpiece :)
I was at this gig, at Wembley London. It was amazing, as all Nightwish shows are :) \m/
You hear the name Little Lucy, in the song. A palaeontologist went out to Africa to try & find remains of the Earliest humans.
He was having no luck, when he wanted to pass water. He was having that wee, when something popped out of the sand...
It was bone. that turned out to be the remains a very small female child. The Palaeontologist, called her Little Lucy. :)
Heres a video that someone made & put on TH-cam. Its totally stunning, showing the big bang & the start of everything & the 2 mass extinctions, all set to this song. I hope that you enjoy it :)
th-cam.com/video/IJb3xwtpmmc/w-d-xo.html
I think I just did that....🙏💚💙
I love watching people react to hearing Nightwish and/or their different songs for the first time. Few other bands have left such lasting impressions on me with every new song and voice.
I will never forget the first time I saw Floor with Nightwish. It was during their 2012 America tour when Anette left. I had no idea who Floor was so I was bummed. That show is probably the best live show I've seen, of any artist. Despite Floor having had two days to master the setlist with only a couple shows on the tour under her belt, they already had an amazing dynamic. She just fit so well with them.
I loved Tarja and Anette both for what they brought to the band, but Floor really blew me away.
As a metalhead and a biologist, this song for me is the absolute pinnacle of representation of everything that is important to me. After watching this song, from Wembley, Tampere and others literally hundreds of times, when I finally saw this live, I cried for the 20 minutes straight, tears just freely pouring down. For me it brings such a feeling of Weltschmerz and awe that nothing else ever gave me....
How could you not. Its almost overload for our basic instincts. What a piece of art.
it show be an anthem for mankind.
I wash at the Wembley show and it changed my life.
Did the same when I saw this live. Not the only track mind. Nightwish get to me like no other band.
EVERYTHING is we are!@!!!
That was the best 54 minutes of my life.
This video is how YT's algorithm decided to introduce me to Nightwish. I was completely blown away, to say the least. I almost literally had to pry my jaw off the floor. Emotional and lyrical impact was really high. One of the few bands I have really become interested in the music and musicians.😊
Agree 100%.
Lots of people will tell you this is the “wrong” version….it’s not. Both this version and the Tampere version are brilliant in their own way. Troy’s e-bow on this version is eerily evocative. The Tampere version has its own surprises, do please watch it. Loving this reaction.
Agreed. If you've never seen a firework before, definitely watch Tampere instead. Otherwise, this is the best version 😉
@@horsehollererNah the entire beginning of the tampere version a superior to this and the album version. The whistle is much more suited than the e-bow for this song. And it's a home crowd which also adds to the Tampere versions advantage. This version is good, but not better, not even Dawkins changes that, hell not even Darwin being up there would hehe. But its all subjective. Hope you have a nice midsummer evening 🤘
Jukka left in late 2014 due to his health. This is his friend, Kai Hahto. So far, I like what you're saying. I've watched at least 100 times. Never grow tired of their stuff! Good job!
My favorite thing about this performance is the fact that you can actually hear Troy's voice in the mix and they did a "better" job of showing him singing, so that a first time listener can tell that all three are singing.
@@tobimobiv1 Ha! Absolutely, I respect your opinion. In my opinion, the e-bow is more suited to the intro (but I used to prefer the whistle!), the crowd at Tampere is a little too passive/quiet, and Wembley seems to have a fuller, crisper, higher-quality sound (particularly the bass) - oh, and I don't need a firework display to get my attention. TBF, you didn't mention the fireworks, but I bet millions of others will LOL. Have a great evening yourself!
My god, this woman's voice is on a divinity level!!!! I can't express how happy I am listening to this rock masterpiece. Thank you God so much for introducing me to this band.
The singer is Floor Jansen. The Nightwish Army calls this feeling a "Floorgasm" 😉
You are such an wonderful lady. Like somebody mentioned earlier, your got this! Thank you for your wise and emotional reaction.
Not unrelated fact: Floor wanted to be a biologist and has a beetle species named after her:
Tmesisternus floorjansenae.
Also, a species of Brittle Star is named after her: Ophiomitrella floorae.
This is Tuomas’ masterpiece. A work of pure beauty!🤘🎸
66 Years old and watching you with tears in my eyes too. An absolute masterpiece.
” Man, he took his time in the sun. Had a dream to understand A Single Grain of Sand” 🙏🏻🔥🤘❤️ This is a masterpiece..
Oh man Rosalie,
My 50th time (or more) that I watch and listen to this masterpiece, and I still crys together with you. Beautiful. Thank you so much for the time you took to really diesect this masterpiece and understand it. Which I really think you did.
That's why there is a Nightwish Army!
You asked us a question at the start - and you answered yourself! You went into the journey - experienced it in your mind and imagination. And the more you listen, the more you discover. The layers in this song are mind blowing - but you already know!
This is the power of exceptional music - and why we love Nightwish.
And you do too - now😂
4.6 billion years, Earth.
@rosalieelliottofficial Hi again Rosalie, this was my fourth time watching this particular reaction with You. I cried with you this time as well.
I really love your insight and appreciation of Tuomas and Nightwish work. That's what makes me go back and back again.
I can't wait for even more Nightwish reactions from you in the future.
Be safe, have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year and know that we love You and think You are phenomenal. ❤❤❤
Hello Mikael, thank you very much for watching and commenting and sharing in the emotions that this masterpiece evokes. More NW to come. I promise
Hi Rosalie - this masterpiece was written most definitely from an evolutionary perspective. The title of the “song” is also the title of a book by evolutionary biologist Richard Dawkins: The Greatest Show on Earth - The Evidence for Evolution. Tuomas read it, and it inspired the entire album Endless Forms Most Beautiful. That album name is in fact part of a quote from Charles Darwin’s “On The Origin of Species”. The narrative parts of the song are actually spoken by Professor Dawkins himself.
With all of that said, it really doesn’t matter whether one takes an evolutionary or creationist stance on the subject. Anyone that comes away from this piece without a sense of utter wonderment and awe is truly missing something. If ANY piece of music can make you feel happy and truly grateful for your existence, this HAS TO BE IT.
“We are going to die, and that makes us the *lucky* ones. Most people are never going to die because they’re never going to be born.”
#WeWereHere
Actually it does matter what your stance on evolution is. The song and album are about evolution and against creation. If you need to think otherwise to be able to listen to this song you're fooling yourself
Of course Yes has some more of these epics, especially "Close to the Edge" and then the whole "Tales of" album, 4 sides 4 20+ minute pieces. And "Awaken" is maybe a bit shorter, but one of the most epic pieces ever. Btw.: if you don't know it, check the version from Jon Anderson with Toadmobile .. best version ever 😍😍
So i'm more or less a symphonic metal fan since the late 90s, but especially in the 80s i was mostly into Yes, Genesis, Renaissance, Marillion .. and stuff like that
And the ending from "Gates of Delirium" .. still sooo hearbreaking beautiful
@@Meine.Postma I guess the so called creationism viewpoint as it is being taught by certain religions is totally against this. But that's just the surface beliefs of certain religions. To me evolution is creation. I don't think they are in contrast. Evolution itself is not just probabilities of mutation and natural selection, as the change for successful gene mutation itself is just ridiculously small. There's something behind nature that science cannot explain, which is kind of creative force. Really hard to communicate through text.
And I think that's pretty close to what Tuomas thinks based on couple of interviews and just overall based on his career.
@@juzujuzu4555 It certainly not what Dawkins thinks. The successful gene mutations happen because of the great amount of time they get. Millions of years is long enough for chance to be successful and not need a "creator". Given the more explicit Weak Fantasy I happen to think that this is what Tuomas thinks also
@@Meine.Postma Assume the chance of certain mutation happening at any second at any organism is 10^50. Then the long time is essentially meaningless, just as the amount of organisms of who could have had the mutation.
I know Dawkins has his beliefs which in my book are simple minded beliefs. I honor him for his attitude though, one of the best atheist I know. And most would probably call me atheist in the traditional sense even though I certainly am against the materialistic view of reality because it's pretty much the only thing that can be shown to not be possible.
Weak fantasy is anti organizational, and anti organized religion, which I am also. It's a massively hard topic, even at face to face conversation, let alone over Internet, but I personally don't think Tuomas has the exact same view of Dawkins. That doesn't mean that he couldn't idolize the man and his work.
40:03. I’m not crying, you’re crying. Yeah, I’m crying too.
this part always brings tears of joy to my eyes. The futile raging against the aforementioned “careless cold infinity in ever vast direction” pleases my rebellious heart.
A breathtaking masterpiece sung by a Valkyrie Goddess… or what Nightwish thinks of as just another day.
💙💙💙All Hail Floor !! 💙💙💙
Infantryman-Nightwish Army. US Regiment. Kentucky Battalion "
RIP Ann Waychoff-Commanding General-Nightwish Army
the fact that the band comes out to the stage again to the words "it is you and I in our ordinairyness" - so humble. it's perfection to the smallest of details.
4.6 billion years is the age of the sun, 4.56 is the age of Earth.
To have Richard Dawkins, the writer of those quotes, on stage and reciting them. Well, the end was Darwin, but the rest.....Awesome. We Were Here! The entire piece is amazing.
I used to listen to Nightwish when I was in high school, when their first singer left I stopped listening to them. We used to use their music in fragmovies from games like counter-strike 1.5/1.6, quake 3 arena etc. When Tarja left the band I stopped listening to them knowing that there was no one who could replace her..... how wrong I was. Now almost 20 years later when I came across Nightwish again in almost every song I was mindblown by Floor and of course the overall experience of this legend named Nightwish. I heard this song for the first time in the car on the way to work, I played it about 10 more times that day. This song is a journey, literally.
Same thing happened to me! It was 2019 when I rediscovered Nightwish and had my first Floorgasm!
Same. I was more than wrong.
I like you. You seem to get it.
This is by far one of the best reactions to this Nightwish song I've seen on youtube so far. I can only give a big round of applause. Simply world class.👏👏👏
Thank you very much!!!
how could this be one of the best reactions that she was constantly interrupting the song especially at the best part?
@@Guto230476 That my personal opinion. If you see it differently, that's OK too. Interruptions are part and parcel of reaction videos. Everyone does it differently and you should just accept that.
@@Guto230476 because of the difference between the beeing of anything and our reaction to it
I am really enjoying your journey ❤. This is such a fabulous band and I need to keep reminding myself that English is not their first language, yet their lyrics are so amazing and on point. Take care and best wishes ❤
Rosalie... great analysis of a great song inspired by a great book. One of my Nightwish favorites because I am a retired biologist and have read Dawkins's book. Nightwish did an amazing job pulling this off.
Oh, Rosalie, thank you for being a great human
I watched this show on YT at least 50 times and I can't get enough reaction video from Nightwish. I would like to nominated the band for one of the best band in the world... ever.
The 'we were here' audience participation section is so emotional and so absolutely nuts live. Everyone is going through the emotions brought up by the song and then being asked to shout out to the world that as insignificant as we are, we were here.
This is a true masterpiece. Great reaction. We were here always makes me cry
This is one of the best reactions I every experienced with regards to this great score! Thank you for this!
Countless watches of this song, and it got me emotionally again.
So glad you could share this experience with us. We are here.
I love the fact that you have grasped the entire concept of this amazing work in a single listen! I've seen many people listen and react to this piece, who obviously have missed the entire point, or who just do not get what is being said. So many people just hear the piece and do not listen to what is being said. My commendations on your force of understanding. yours was an exceptional analysis of a very powerful and hugely meaningful piece of art. 💥💥💥💥
The Wembley version is a great performance. The visual experience is just larger in the Tampere version. Saw them in Vaasa and what would later turn out to be the last performance on the Human :II: Nature tour. It was a wonderful experience as usual. I was lucky enough to see them twice during this tour. 😊 To end with Ad Astra after The Greatest Show on Earth is overwhelming for me.
can you please tell me when you saw them last and if everything was ok with the performance?
Last Saturday in Vaasa. It was top notch! (17/6 -23)
@@jacobsnellman1796 thanks. so Floor is ok. someone told me they cancelled a show (which they never do) so I was concerned. do you know something about that? (did they troll me?)
Yes, they canceled the Oslo Show which was the last show on the tour due to Floor's health. Unrelated to her pregnancy though according to Nightwish official.
@@jacobsnellman1796 oh my I hope she's ok. thanks.
This epic, This band and Floor are phenomenal....but also your comment and uplifting words Rosalie... PHENOMENAL... ❤
your the best reactor iv ever seen rosalie
wow what a kind comment. thank you very much :)
This is one of my most favorite songs ever written. Ive heard every reaction video of this song . I find your analysis and insights to be the best of anyone that does these. You have such a deep and refreshing point of view. I truly enjoy all your comments and opinions. I just wanted you to know how much I enjoy and appreciate you. Never stop. Thank you very much.
That's why we all love Nightwish
And Tuomas is a genius
Thanks for great reaction
Btw more you gonna watch this more you gonna enjoy and explore
Check Tampere version also you can check just orchestral versions without singing
Just pure music
This is timeless masterpiece...❤
The Tampere version, is such awesome showmanship! Nightwish pulled out all the stops.
I love your reaction because of not only because of the music but because of your understanding of the content of the music.
UK Army popping in, seen this a thousand times and still get emotional... WE WERE HERE
masterpiece.....
Tuomas IS genious. Nightwish music IS so epic
Oh Rosalie! Iwas about to go to sleep just past midnight. Saw you put out this. Saw it was almost 1 hour..thought I take it into two part. THAT WAS NOT POSSIBLE! I had goosbumps for all of the reaction. I've seen this video closer to 500 times and it hits me every time!
Your reaction was nothing less than magnificent! The passion, knowledge you talk about these difficult subjects amazes me!
Can you please do me (us) a favour. Do this masterpiece from Tampere 2015 and do a rewatch when you know what to expect. You gonna love it even more. Trust me.
Some shirt notice:
- Kai Hahto was on drums
- You have Enter Sandman (Metallica) in there with lot of short music genres baked into the song.
Oh did I say it. I ❤ your reaction! Gonna watch it again later on. 😅
-
Absolutely phenomenal reaction, your facial expressions said it all..this is why I'm addicted to reactions of this band..and you totally understood the meaning of this masterpiece!
Schnitzel und Spätzle!😁
Ich liebe es wenn du deutsch sprichst. Grüsse aus der Schweiz. 🍀🍀🍀
I just have to say huge thanks to you For doing these videos. I've listened Nightwish over 20 years. I own almost every album. Though I love the brand and their music, I've never really get to know these songs. The meanings behind the lyrics and through these reaction videos I've learned so much more. It's like I'm discovering this band all over again. So thank you so much! ❤
I admire you precise and just perfect way to analyse music and lyrics - I am absolutely glad to have found your reaction!!!
Thank you very much :)
Troy Donockley, using his e-bow, make this masterpiece even more epic.
I love that this isn't just a typical reaction video, but rather an eloquent, intelligent deep dive into the psychology and philosophy that is this epic of Nightwish
Thank you very much!!
@@rosalieelliottofficial really enjoyed the videos that I've binged so far. Hallo aus Bayern
Music, the greatest of arts.
Loved it. The drummer is Kai Hahto. Yukka had to step back due to chronic insomnia, but is still with the band. Kai was a drum technician for Nightwish and drummer from Wintersun. Fenomenal drummer and also good friend of Jukka. Never loses a beat.
Everytime I hear the final part (we were here) it gets me. Amazing song.
Thought this would be a great reaction from you and wasn't disappointed. Told myself I wouldn't burst into tears this time when "We Were Here" was sung. Oh well maybe next time. 😊❤
Deine positive, intelligente Art ist so erfrischend, du bist wirklich ein Stern unter den Reactors. Danke! 🫶🌞
This song, the whole production is perfection. And Floor kills it everytime.
Give yourself a pat on the back. One of the best reactions to follow and watch with you. Much food for thought for sure. Thank you.
Thank you very much :)
Nightwish are the greatest show on earth....
This was the most intelligent reaction I have heard/seen so far!
Thank you very much!!!
14:40 Chapter and music length is as long as the earth is old until change to the next chapter ~4.6 - -+ 0.05 billion years
15:50 in your reaction 😂 Wahnsinn!!! That makes your reactions so authentic. Du bist die Beste 😘 Grüße aus Hamburg ☺️👋
Glad you chose the Wembley concert. I know many like the Tampere version, which have some nice surprises, so look at that one too. I do like the Wembley one, not just because Richard Dawkins was there, although it is very moving to see the fans lipsyncing his every word But mainly because of the beginning with Troy on the e-bow. I love that sound!
Hi Rosalie...that was a great reaction to that Wahnsinn of this masterpiece of music.Those six individuals that together form Nightwish are in my opinion one of a kind in performing live .saw
them a few times during the last tour and I am always wondering how they can be so perfect in synchronicity in speed and after the bridges they do.Floor with her wonderful voice and the others
perfect in their musicianship.Great composition of Tuomas having the idea and putting it all together so epic.
Enjoyed your reaction and looking forward for more reactions to come
Oh noooo! "A grain of sand" makes me cry❤ masterpiece reaction sister❤😉
Hab ich da ein Wahnsinn gehört😂. Great reaction and thinking deep about the Song 👌
Haha ja :)
Amazing reaction!!! Existing is a miracle....we often forget..i❤life
Love your great reactions to my favorite band and female singer 🙏🏻🙋🏼♀️
Thank you so much for reaction and emotions, this is so true. Its a history lesson for us all.
I was at this show. this isn't even half of what I was experiencing from this song and this show. it was literally breathtaking. I was front row too and it was exceptional to witness it. Also you hit something early on that was brought back at the end. That was great. (the lottery of humans being born)
The Outro, the way they move into the bow is like the heroes of a tale, the music is uplifting, the end of the show, the nuance of it all. we are all endless forms most beautiful.
Rosalie you nailed it such a beautiful reaction thank you .💙👏🙏
Superb and worthy reaction - absolutely on point.
I am glad this is the Wembley version - The video made at Tampere is maybe a better recording of a *concert* but this version is a more faithful representation of the song as a piece of art. With a pitch dark setting (Tampere is at duslk) the lights, the screens, the images, the totality of the performance can be seen and nothing is getting lost.
Personally, I prefer Floor's costuming here, I like the e-bow instead of the pipe played in the Tampere version and I like that Troy gets picked up a lot more.
I sometimes lose it completely as FLoor begins her operatic phase at the beginning, it's so majestic. But if she doesn't get me at that point I can guarantee to lose it at *exactly* the moment Rosalie does. With the "Toolmaker" chapter talking about how we will eventually lose our place on the world - Dawkins invoked "ratkind" in his book (I don't recall how serious he was). But after the fires and the intensity of toolmaker we are reminded of our place and impact in the world - in art, in music, in knowledge and in being here. "we were here" is so powerful and so defiant and such an ecstatic moment that I burst into tears every single time...
Thanks! Wonderful commentary!
Thank you very much :)
I think this is the single best interpretation, reaction that I've seen for this song so far. Thank you!
this song and reaction are both truly great. i enjoy this reaction and analyze very very mych. thanx and have wonderful day.
I am so with you in this reaction!!!!!!😘😘😘😘thank you ,!!!!!! We we're here....together 💫
It is the song I remember always most from the Live Concerts, because Live it is a blast. Not only because of the length or the music itself. The Placement in their setlist as last song is just perfect. You witness the greatest Show on Earth... either you think about the "Story" the Song is written of. Or you think about the concert you have been and is about to finish. And than the last words "We were here" fit so perfect that you get goosebumps over the whole body. It is one of the must have songs you have to experience live in your life ;)
I'm so grateful to have experienced it live.
Couldn't agree more. Seeing this performed live, which at the concert I saw was proceeded by Ghost Love Score, is one of the absolute highlights of my concert going adventures. Epic does not adequately describe it.
Acabas de oir la pieza maestra de Nightwhish en perfecta interpretacion de Floor y Marko + mas una perfecta ejecucion de bateria por demas fantastica !! Excelentebanda de sinfhonic Metal !! Insuperables !!👍🤘🤘🤘🤘
I am thankful you took the time this piece deserves, and you perfectly grasped the essence of what it is trying to achieve.
This is not just 'some other metal song'. Not even 'just another Nightwish song'.
To me, this is an unmatched masterpiece, and quiet possibly one ofo the best pieces of music written during the last century, if ever.
Coming up with the idea, the lyrics and then executing it with a lineup of that level of capability...it always has me in tears live. Every. Single. Time.
My eyes are wet right now. I saw this live a week ago in Kitee Finland with fir....oh. Don't want to spoil. Be sure to watch the Tampere version as well. By yourself or with us. But check it out.
Loved watching your face through all that! You got it! :)
They were super fortunate to be blessed with both Jukka and Kai…two phenomenal drummers who melded so perfectly with this phenomenal band. Kai in Beast Mode on the drum kit ..as usual🤘🤘
its great to see someone being blasted away by the lyrics
Im crying like a baby here, the final of this masterpiece is mindblowing, highest state of artistery philosophy and musically the act of the millennia..... Avatars!
This song is a masterpiece and it is a masterful performance. There's particularly something really special about seeing people in the audience of a metal concert listen with reverence and tears in their eyes as a famous evolutionary biologist reads a passage from Charles Darwin's "On the Origin of Species" to close out the show.
Great reaction!
Thank you very much!!! :)
I LOVED your reaction to this. Such intelligent relevant interpretation. I like you brought scripture into the conversation. A lot of people don’t
EXCELLENT EXCELLENT reaction you're AWESOME
Thank you very much :)
what a wonderful and astute reaction. thanks from Colorado
Seriously, in my mind, the greatest composition of my lifetime, surpassing "The Gates of Delirium" by Yes. Both are epics, both covering prime subjects of life ... how we got here and the state of war, respectively. Tuomas, being a student of science, wrote beautiful allegories into this song, his lyrics are worth college credits for just listening to them. The fact that he was able to get Richard Dawkins to narrate the spoken parts is testimony to his brilliance, and at the Wembley Concert to have Dr. Dawkins, an emeritus fellow of Oxford, appear on stage to recite Charles Darwin's final paragraph of "Origin of Species" is incredible. Now that you've watched this version, you MUST also watch the Tampere version, which is different in significant ways, and, in my opinion, better than this one. Dawkins is the biggest difference, which is why this is the "official" video. I thiink Tampere is more emotional and stunning. Proud of your work, Rosalie. I enjoyed your reaction very much!
Oh wow, are you me? 🤔
I'd long considered "The Gates of Delirium" my favorite piece of music, but yeah, this is even better. No matter which version I watch and/or listen to, it never fails to blow me away.
I agree with you 100%. Having said that I have not listened to the Yes song which I will do so now. In terms of epic songs, I have compared and slotted TGSOE above the likes of Stairway To Heaven by Led Zeppelin and Bohemian Rhapsody by Queen
And me, @Tarkus! Great to find GSOE mentioned together with GOD. Relayer and especially Gates overwhelmed me when 20 years old, starting my studies.
I find Tampere version Great as well, not so much for the effects as for the mix for Floors voice. Just those whispered words 'us - sleeping' always bring tears to my eyes.
@@benbermusics Absolutely ... my favorite part in the entire song, along with the little piano run Tuomas does in an early break.
The 4.6 as title for the first part (also) refers to the age of mother earth Gaia: 4.6 billion years. As one other comments says, Wembley and Tampere versions are worth watching. Having seen - no, experianced - NW just June 16th in Kitee with this as last song before outro (Ad Astra) I can say, still moved: We were here, Jesus. Thanks for reacting to this, imo, outstanding masterpiece !
The explosion of feelings is incredible, the human condition too, and so much information is overwhelming that it is impossible not to feel what you felt. Great feedback and analysis.
Some comments on the making of the album and the sing...from members of the band and their crew. Then my interpretation.
Troy: At some point we ended up watching Richard Dawkins lectures on the internet. After a while I suggested, half in jest, that maybe we should ask Dawkins to be our special guest on the new album.
Tuomas: It was an amazing idea, and I immediately started wondering if could really make it happen.
Jukka (ex-drummer, niw in band management): We were naturally a bit sceptical, too - we had to try and ask him of course, but it was better not to have such high hopes. Dawkins had pretty much shied away from popular culture apart from one episode of The Simpsons.
Troy: I enthusiastically assured them that I can make this work, like "You'll see, guys". Well the next morning I wasn't feeling so confident any more and I remembered Tuomas and Jukka going "Told you so"
TUOMAS: Still, there was no way we could let it drop without at least trying. So we started thinking about a proper manner to approach Dawkins. We decided our best option would be to send him a hand-written, polite letter, where we would tell him about the band, the scientific themes on the forthcoming album and the fact that he had been a great inspiration
TROY: We got no reply, so we sent another letter. In the end, I guess we had a bit of luck, because it turned out Dawkins personal assistant knew the band and actually liked Nightwish. He suggested that Dawkins should take our inquiry seriously
TUOMAS: I was in Paris doing interviews for the Scrooge album. When I got back to the hotel in the evening. I noticed there was an email from Dawkins, something like, "1 went to the internet and browsed your band, and what I heard l liked very much. So I'd be happy to co-operate.
FLOOR: Tuomas sent us a triumphant message: "You won't believe what just happened: Dawkins said yes!"
TROY: It was obvious from the start that Dawkins' appearance would attract a lot of attention - both positive and negative. His book God Delusion had created a worldwide controversy. after all.
JUKKA: We didn't invite Dawkins to be on our album to criticize religion but to speak as a scientist: an evolutionary biologist. Of course neither the fans nor anybody else outside the band knew it at that point.
TUOMAS: There has been a lot of unreasonable criticism hurled at him for all kinds of reasons. A lot of people seem to ignore the fact that Dawkins is also happy to listen to contrary opinions and is always open for new ideas. In that sense, he's like Esko Valtaoja, with whom we had the honour to work on Showtime, Storytime DVD.
I had endless possibilities in my hands for "The Greatest Show on Earth" What is the sound of crumpling continental plates that mountains are made of? Or the disintegration of radioactive components? Or the sound of space particles bombarding the earth? And how would I refer to immortal works of music composed by man? Well, I included shades of "Dies Irae" by Thomas Celano, "Toccata" and "Fuga" by Johann Sebastian Bach, banjo music from Western movies, "Rock around the Clock" by Bill Haley & His Comets, and "Enter Sandman" by Metallica. I was also thinking about borrowing "Sandstorm" by Darude, but in the end, we just went for an unrecognizable techno loop.
[Also Petzold and Bach.]
Recording - and Jukka Resigning:
MARCO: Kaitsu handled the drum parts admirably, so we could continue with the other instruments right away, This time we tried to concentrate on one song at a time and kept on working on it till we felt there was nothing more we could add.
TROY: And we didn't even have thunder. Rauhala does not have the best sound proofing in the world, so it would have been pretty challenging to mike the instruments if there had been rain and thunderclaps.
TUOMAS: I actually got off easier than I expected, because a lot of the demo keyboards from Hämeenlinna were good enough to be included on the album. The stuff in "Sea-Worn Driftwood", part five of "The Greatest Show on Earth", for example, was salvaged straight off the demo. In Hämeenlinna, I had explained to Tero that this passage would be about "whales singing and rats taking over the world". I had just come up with that improvised stuff, and it made it on the album
MARCO: Recording the vocals was teamwork in the best possible sense, no matter who was behind the mike. We kicked around suggestions and tried out all kinds of last minute ideas. Like, "Hey Floor, throw in some of that sweet upper octave of yours in the second verse...
Yeah, that's a nice touch!"
FLOOR: Marco kept on surprising us. He might just suddenly say, "Wait, I have an idea!" Then he'd pull out his bass and introduce an excellent harmony
MARCO: It was great fun recording the vocals. I've never had the chance to impersonate a troglodyte in front of a microphone before, so creating gorilla sounds for "The Greatest Show on Earth" was pretty hilarious. I didn't want to undermine the majesty of the song in any way, but I didn't exactly do it with a straight face, either!
TROY: I recorded my own ape grunts at home. To get in character, I took off my shirt, banged my chest with my fists, and pretended I was an ancient Homo Erectus. I think my wife was a bit worried
MARCO: I cut my bass parts pretty quickly in about one and a half days. I even got a bit lazy towards the evening of the first day - if I had really pushed it, I might have been able to complete them in a single day.
My thoughts:
The first part, "Four Point Six", is a reference to the age of our planet -in billions of years. The journey starts with a simple but persistent keyboard theme, interrupted by massive thunder claps - the origin of life that despite the murderous bombardment by asteroids, sprouts time and again and finally manages to grow permanent roots. The word "archaean" in the lyrics refers to the Archean Eon, the first of the geological eons of the world (Gaea).
The second part of the song chronicles the birth and the first on Earth. "Enter Luca" is a reference to an early life form, an acronym for the Last Universal Common Ancestor. We can make assumptions about the characteristics of Luca and other early life forms by reading the DNA of current organisms: "There's a writing in the garden, leading us to the mother of all."
Right from the beginning, one of the key characteristics of living cells has been the ability to sense their environment and react to their perceptions: "Ion channels welcoming the outside world."
In the third part, chronicling the age of man, there's a fascinating reminder: All of us current organisms are descendants of an
unbroken lineage of winners. "Not a single one of your fathers died young".
"Little Lucy of the Afar" refers to the famous fossil of Australopithecus Afarensis that was found in Afari, Ethiopia, a hominin that might have been the ancestor of man (genus Homo). In the long run, all species have the tendency to become extinct, and a fitting vision of the future of mankind is presented in the song, "One day'Il cease to be" On the other hand, man had earlier had "a dream to understand" and "[given] birth to poetry" . He wanted to leave his mark stating "We were here!" In the fourth part, man strives to understand it all, and Richard Dawkins takes up the story once again with a surprising claim:"We are going to die, and that makes us the lucky ones. The explanation folows shortly."Most people are never going die, because they are never going to be born. The potential people who could have been herein my place, but who will in fact never see the light of day, outnumber the sand grains of Sahara."
In the fifth and final part, Dawkins recites the concuding words of The Origin of Species by Charles Darwin: "From so simple a beginning, endless forms most beautiful and most wonderful have been, and are being, evolved."
FLOOR: I felt real good after the final rehearsals [for EFMB] in a New York studio. There were obviously many challenging parts in the set - I'd have to be extra careful in the beginning of "The Greatest Show on Earth", for example because some of the phones rise from the back of the throat but "operatic vocals are produced in the front of the mouth.
By the way, the Latin phrase Opus Perfectuum: perfectum means "complete" in Latin, so as so often with Tuomas, there is a dual meaning that you can interpret how you like
This is fantastic. Is the original source of the conversation on YT by any chance?
Which are you referring to (there ate so namy!)?
Excellent! Hadn't seen the conversation before...thanks for that. Got to say, the looks on Rosalie's face were hilarious!
@jorluo Brilliant, eh?
damn boi, that's a lot of text. Interesting details though! Thanks for forwarding these quotes.
PERFECT analysis of this masterpiece, Rosalie!
The first time I listened to this song, was in my car, listening to the Human || Nature album - and it was amazing!
But then I discovered the live footage from different concerts......with the visuals this song was brought to a whole new level!
Truly a masterpiece, with an extraordinary composer named Tuomas, great instrumentalists and Floors astounding voice!
I LOVE this song!
Dont forget this song has a deep meaning .....for me is the future is uncertain and nothing is forever even Humanity ...!
Wow Rosalie! Thank you for your breathtaking MASTERCLASS about this masterpiece! You said you could have talked about this for hours. I wish you had! Thank you, thank you very much! Kind regards from the Dutch Mountains.
Tuomas was about to write this to be 45 min long but needed to shorten it to fit on an album side. Just brilliant workpiece. 4,6 billion years the solar systems has been there. Toolmaker = human (apes with a thumb). You nailed the reaction by noticing plenty of details in here.
I'm now halfway through your reaction, and I can only say that the emotions you are experiencing is the same I felt the first time. The song still gets me every time.
Tuomas is truly the Metal Mozart of our time. He's a TRUE composer.
Brilliant and beautiful! What a great job you did here
The masterpeice of life that you are and that was written down in the masterpiece of music is also shining throug in your reaction.
You have no choice but to shine and we greet you from Europe.
Tuomas loves when we come up with our own explanations for his songs, because he values the creativity of man. I liked yours.
It's been a joy to watch you progress through your Nightwish journey!
„Wahnsinn“ - you are right. One of the best reactions i have ever seen on that song. You gave your tribute to a great song.
I first heard this in November 2020, it brought me to tears the first time. It does every time I hear it.
If there is such a thing as a "Perfect" piece of music, this is it.
The last line of the last verse gets me every time. Such Pathos.
"We WERE HERE!!!!!!".
I live in a place ( mountain west US) where music like this never gets radio airplay. They did play here once a very long time ago but I hadn't heard of them at the time. It was apparently the last performance before Annette left the band and Floor took over vocals.