I'm an old guy, 74 and only discovered Nightwish a few months ago. I love them and think Tuomas is today's Mozart, Bach or Beethoven. He's a musical genius. This song brings tears to my eyes it's so sad. And I'm so in love with Floor.
I found NIghtwish a couple of years ago, been addicted, ever since! When you have listened to music for 57 years, it's nice, to find something different.
My Dads 62. I got him hooked back in 2003 and he’s never looked back. One of his all time favorite bands. Never too old too or too late to be a Nightwish fan
Gonna buy my dad who has recently gotten hooked in listening LP:s Endless Forms Most Beautiful for a birthday present. He is a Lutheran minister so he hopefully gets how Weak Fantasy is about people fucking up religion, not religion itself. But I'm Finnish so it is about time he takes notice of one of the greatest composers of our time too. He listens to classical too so he should love the work by Tuomas.
Not a lot of people have mentioned that from the phrase " Now I have only 3 minutes and counting just wish the tide would catch me first and give me a death I always longed for," till the pendulum is at its lowest and you hear the last heartbeat is 3 minutes. This song is a masterpiece.
Nightwish is truely the (brain)child of Tuomas. It's his live work and therefore there is so much emotion in a lot of songs, and especially this one. So freaking amazing...
There's a lot of history behind this. Here's some of it, from a two decade fan: At the time, Tarja was the face of the band. The use of a classical vocalist in a metal band, in a full operatic style, was the novelty that brought Nightwish to the forefront; they pretty much founded a sub-genre of metal, or at least were the ones to solidify it. Their pre-Once work (especially Wishmaster and Century Child) is what kick-started things and gave us bands like After Forever (Floor's first band to go big and very much influenced by Nightwish, which explains why Floor is the perfect singer for this band: she was enough of a fan to have a whole career based on early Nightwish influences, it's her dream job). But, Tuomas wasn't yet recognised as the musical genius behind it. Between the novelty of Tarja fronting the band and Tuomas not yet going all out with composing music, the fandom considered Tarja the holy grail (some still do as you can see in the comments). Their troubles started as they were starting to achieve commercial success with Century Child and subsequent touring doing well and then, Once topping charts pretty much on release and the touring for Once putting them squarely on the map. When Tarja was dismissed the anger of the fandom was directed towards Tuomas, who as the leader of the band was held responsible for the band losing the one thing the fans felt made Nightwish, Nightwish. Which wasn't true at all, for the most part, it's Tuomas and, a close second at the time, Jukka, Emppu and Marko (and, now, Troy, Kai and, of course, Floor). This song expresses the despair of Tuomas feeling like what he created was being taken from him and he was being attacked for it. The sad truth is, ALL THE PAIN THIS SONG EXPRESSES IS PAIN WE THE FANS INFLICTED ON TUOMAS. This isn't mentioned often enough. We did that to him by failing to see he was the heart and soul of Nightwish, not Tarja. The bile and hatred that was spewed towards him (I remember seeing really hateful content and imagery directed at him on the official Nightwish forum) and the amount of fans that stopped listening during that time was overwhelming. One of the reasons he is so loved is, we know we don't deserve the music he writes for us. He keeps writing it anyway. It's often very personal to him and touches on sensitive topics. Yes, there's commercial success and it's definitely a factor in them continuing. But, they could just steer clear of the personal stuff and still do well. But, Tuomas is the kind of artist that uses his art as a way to say what he needs to but, can't otherwise say.
You'd be right... except the singer who came out after Tarja nearly killed Nightwish. Don't gloss over that mistake. Tarja wasn't just some "novelty", she was a core part of Nightwish as a band, and as happened with the first singer who took her place, without someone who was of her caliber, the band didn't have what made it Nightwish anymore. You can have the best writer in the world, but if you don't have someone who can perform to that level, it's still going to be crap. Nightwish nearly became merely mediocre because of that decision.
@sugoruyo Correction: Actually Floor was highly influenced by Dutch singer Anneke van Giersbergen from Dutch band The Gathering. It is Anneke who made Floor want to sing like her, fronting a metal band as a woman and singing in a metal style with classical infuences. Definately not Tarja!!! The opposite actually. Floor always has said that the pure opera style doesn't interest her at all. She never wanted to sing like that. And she never will!!! Floor wanted to sing metal like Anneke and it was Anneke who inspired Floor. Floor literally said this many times. And it was The Gathering who inspired After Forever to get a female vocalist. Also it was The Gathering who inspired Tuomas to get a female vocalist for his band he had just started with Emppu. After hearing The Gathering with Anneke as their singer he deceided to ask his friend Tarja to sing for his band. A female singer for a metal band, something highly unusual at the time. Tuomas lieterally said it was The Gathering who made him see the potential of a female singer. But when he asked Tarja, he had no idea she could only sing opera and nothing else. It worked out well for them!
Tuomas took the brunt of the anger by the fans,media and even the Prime Minister of Finland stepped in. On top of that he was grieving from the loss of his friend and bandmate. The whole band wanted to let her go and signed the letter. Like I said Tuomas was the one who took the blame. Some of those lines were what his Mother said. Tuomas still feels the emotions from then. He will have the techs stop the words from coming over his ear buds. Then when Marko and Emppu go stand by Tuomas it is in support. They were the only two in the band when it happened. This song will probably never be sung live again. Brian you said it right about going through a death. It was a loss. I hope that helps you understand the emotion of the song. You came out alive on the other side. lol Great job as usual..........
Hi Ann, did you see that whole Beste Zangers episode with English subtitles?? It was quite good. And the young lady who did the translation work got recognized by Floor in comments and she even posted the Video to her Facebook page. Of course now I'm wanting to catch every episode though!! lol 😁
@@TheStefan6969 No I haven't. I haven't had the time. I plan on watching it though. I want to see them all too! That was so nice of Floor............ :-)
Ann: Thank You my Friend! You really were on the point Ann! Lived through these dark times and Your pencil wrote out those feelings. Tuomas have said himself, that this really was His favorite Nightwish song. What is more better than music therapy. "If I have a chance to kill me, in a song: What is a better way to deal with everything?" He's allways been bad about talking His feelings, good or bad! Tuomas does a song instead. WHICH IS KIND OF NICE, thing to do. On of the best Composers of Our times. ❤.
This week its 25 years ago I lost my daughter.. she was called Karin, and she was just 3 years old... so I never got over it... she was pure magic in my life.... her mother and I broke up bc of her death... she went insane bc of it... In 2007 I ended up being a psychiatric patient after 18 tries to kill myself... Nowadays Nightwish is the main reason 4 me to live... This is such a load of my burdon....
I really feel you man...hangon there buddy , I lost my girlfriend and my love of life to a car accident after we broke up because of a stupid argument...10years later I can't get over it and I've been single since then , with 2 suicide attempts...
I discovered nightwish by these reaction videos within the last 6 months and the amount of artistry, storytelling, composition, timing just everything is just too perfect they are truly one of a kind that's why the fan base is so loyal fan for life!
That last act gets me every time. It's a great combination of the writer/composer pouring his heart into the music, and Floor pouring her heart into performing it. It's really a thing of beauty.
In my case, I break into tears because I'm happy that Thoumas was able to reconsider and thanks to everyone close to him help him a lot. Thanks to that, we can still enjoy his music and Floor joined the band, and well the rest is history.
And to show how much dedication Tuomas puts into every single one of hist masterpieces. In the spoken segment in the middle, when the line "now I only have three minutes and counting" comes. it is only three minutes until the final blade at 13:09.
I have watched many others people react to this song and there have been several grown men start crying because of this song. This is a very captivating song.
I've been so glad that Ghost Love Score has gone viral for reaction vids, because it gives me the joy of discovering Nightwish for the first time again, especially when folks go "where has this been all my life?" like I did. The Poet and the Pendulum, though, I don't think anyone will ever recreate the reaction I had. Because I remember the open letter, I remember hunting for English translations of Finnish news, I remember the uncertainty and wondering if something so special and wonderful was just over. Gone forever. I remember counting down the days for when they released the new single, "Eva" introducing Annette as the new singer. I downloaded it and just sobbed through the whole thing. It was still Nightwish. They had survived. It was going to be okay. And then I remember my copy of Dark Passion Play arriving and I put it in...and this played. Like you're right, there's just so many layers to this one. Tuomas is a very metaphorical and personal writer. He self-references a lot of ideas, so there are meanings in here that are not immediately apparent to people who haven't followed him through half a dozen albums already. He calls himself a poet almost helplessly, he calls himself a dead boy because he loses touch with his sense of wonder, he calls himself ocean soul because he can't get to the bottom of his feelings or get them out (often talks about his own silence.) It's clear to me this song starts with him walking on to the stage for the last time, knowing they're firing Tarja after, and wondering "what are my words if she's not singing them?" Also, I almost never comment, but I'm so impressed with the effort you guys have put in getting into Nightwish. Thank you so much for that!
I love your reactions to this amazing band. The last part of this emotional and beautiful song are the actual words his Mother said to him . I tear up every time
Having Problems with my Dad for Years but loving my Mom and Sister to the fullest, the Part "Mother and Father" at 13:25 always gets me even as a grown ass man. I cannot think about what Tuomas had to go through but i really have respect that he wrote the song instead of killing himself. I´m gonna say this: Nightwish is the best Band in the World - period. I respect other opinions of course. Its just look how they rock their Live performances and then check up on Tuomas if he is allright. It´s the little things in life i guess. Nightwish till i die
I guess what makes this song so relatable to many people, is that sometimes you might have been in that dark, dark place but somehow you have made it through, and found comfort from something. But even without the backstory, I find this song very enjoyable as musical fantasy journey. One source for inspiration for Tuomas was EA Poe's short story "The Pit and the Pendulum". Thanks for this one, i always appreciate your commentary no matter what band, and what song!
1:35 “we’re not gonna cry because we’re men...” XD hold my beer... famous last words of many a man hearing this for the first time. I’ve heard it dozens of times, and it can still bring me to tears if I’ve had a rough day. Hang on to your hankies gentlemen. *presses play button* The way I interpret this: Part 1 - the obituary. Part 2 - a cry for help. This shows how much he’s hurting inside and how dark his thoughts become, and yet he cannot show it to the world because they expect better from him. He can’t even accept any positive feedback or input from friends and family because it just accentuates how he feels unworthy of it. Part 3 - reminiscences of the good times they shared and how things started out so well before they fell apart. Part 4 - rage against the world that has heaped all of its burdens on his shoulders and he decides to just let it all go and give. Part 5 - the catharsis. The comforting words of his friends and family (lyrics are taken almost verbatim from correspondences and conversations with his parents at the time) lead him back into the light and allow him to move on from all that has happened.
Having the lyrics gave me an even more deeper feel not only for my own personal reflection but a new understating of what this artist wanted to share and where I was without words to know. Now I know and thank you.
This isn't even my favorites, yet I've listened to it to like hundred time. And... I don't no how to descripe it. It still hits you hard. Knowing the backstory and all. And I have said this before, at the end, I just love that Emppu goes to check on Tuomas (not in a joking way that's normal for him), and even at the end both him and Marco are there in the end standing like a team mates as support. Just gotta love that. And I know it's sometimes better to jump right into a music without knowleadge, but this piece is one that makes it so powerful when you get the meaning. Song itself is of course a masterpiece, but the meaning makes it so much more IMHO.
This song been wrote for Tarja is the first time i'm hearing about. I knew that the song they wrote for her was "Bye Bye Beautiful" from the same album and it was pretty clear the message they gave in it with lyrics
It’ll mean so much more to you now that you’ve done the research and understand the situation. Well done. Great reaction. The faces are about the media incessantly asking about Tarja’s leaving (one for the world) & his agony over losing her (one for “God save me.”). That’s how i take it. Not knowing that Floor was in his future; imagine his grief at the loss of one of the most powerful, masterful voices in the world; one who performs the music he had written- with her voice specifically in his mind as the performer. Her loss being the 1000 pages of erased text that will now never be ....
I think a lot of people miss that he has "but two faces" - meaning he has ONLY 2 faces - one for the world where he has to be firm about the choice they made, one for God (his private agony over the situation). He has no other face to show anyone else. Perhaps he can't face Tarja? Or perhaps it's his friends he can't face? At any rate, he feels like he only can show others his public face, even those closest to him, and can't let any of his grief show. At least that's what I get from the lyrics there.
Could not have said it better James Anderson. I am 'only' 64 and like you only discovered Nightwish a few months ago, that was a blessed day for me. Floor's voice is priceless!
The founder in the heart of Nightwish which is the keyboardist wrote this song back in 2005 after they fired Tarja. He was extremely depressed and this song is technically about him committing suicide. But of course, he made a song of it and did not do it. Very deep and emotional
So generally everyone has multiple layers (faces) they show: general public, friends, close circle, and self. Tuomas is saying he was the same for everyone. The line of the chorus, "I cannot cry for the shoulder cries more," is he was close friends with Tarja. They were each other's shoulder to cry on, so without that shoulder to cry on he had nobody.
An interesting dynamic between the two of you. One is interested in the meaning of the song and the emotion of the moment, and the other is into the aesthetics of the vocals and the hotness of the singer. I find myself a combination of the two. But watching you react is a fascinating epoch on the variance of, and dichotomy within, us men. lol I'm impressed that I wrote that!
I forgot you guys never tackled this song yet lol glad you did a little research on it to make it that more memorable, great reaction, and I liked Stan’s face on the Pacific part lol 💥
This is a song about the feelings Tuomas had after the firing of Tarja, all the comments were directed at him, and he took it very personnaly to the point where he considered suicide, but his close friend Tony Kakko and the Marco, Jukka, and Emppu convinced him the world would be worst off with him gone from it, so he wrote this masterpiece in which he commits suicide, so he wouldn't do it in real life. They very rarely play this live, this is the first tome in a long time, notice how at the end Marco and Emppu come stand next to him to show their support, he also has them turn off the voice in his in ear monitors, and only hears the music. As Tuomas said Floor puts all the emotion, and heart and soul into the song that he meant it to have.
that was the other 2 members showing solidarity to Tuomas, who has stated that he has the vocals removed from the mix in his earpiece during this song as it is still hard for him to hear.... would not surprise me if this has been retired from live sets
It is an act. The on stage performance of The Poet and the Pendulum is choreographed. You can see they do same things in different concerts of the same song. It is for the same reason as Tuomas' cut throat movement: that's the drama message they want to give to the audience.
@@Aurinkohirvi That doesn't mean it isn't still emotional for Tuomas. like @WrathchildNH said, he still gets the vocals removed from his mix (at least last year he did), but he did move on and isn't in such a dark place anymore, fortunately :)
Notice how Marko and Emppu go up and stand next to Tuomas during the last couple of minutes, this is their way of showing him support and they will always be there for him
You are very close to understanding the lyrics. It was very hard for Tuomas to fire Tarja because they were childhood friends. But the situation became unworkable for the band so they unanimously decided she had to leave. Unfortunately the aftermath landed on Tuomas' shoulders, being the leader of the band. He had to swallow all the criticism from a large part of their fanbase as well from the media. All this brought him into a deep depression in which he considered killing himself. He talked about it with his parents who managed to comfort him and build him up again (part 5 Mother and Father). The line 'The Blade will keep descending' made me ponder a lot. A descending blade is a threat and what was the biggest threat for him at that time? The criticism. So his parents told him that, no matter what, there will always be criticism and all that mattered was their unconditional love.
The blade will keep descending is also the clearest reference to Edgar Allen Poe's The Pit and the Pendulum. During that short story a guy captured by the Inquisition is tied & a giant axe blade with pendulum mechanism (like you see in Nightwish graphics) keeps descending while the walls closing in aside.
@@Greyhound53200 I think that's the reason of the title too. It's just obvious. Poe was a fatalistic poet, so Tuomas as poet as well...also the text of strapped on the altar is both the story & Tuomas as sacrificial lamb.
Just to get it straight for all those who still write that thing. Thoumas never meant wanted or thought about killing himself. like never. The core of the band went to the same school, letting her go was hard for all of them, and him since he took alot of the heat for it, and NW is his life work and he was unsure what would become of it. Even though there was a reason for her being cut, she had said she wanted to do other things, and wanted to do solo things, and that wasnt the right place to be in when the rest of the band wanted more NW. This song is in acts, each act about the states he went through with this, the sadness the anger until the end with the words from his mother, things she really did tell him. So saying the song is his suicide because he didnt want to do it in real life, even though its more correct than the first, its still not really true. In this song he kills off the parts that kept making him sad and in doubt. dealing with it act for act, the anger and pain and all the things that just bottled up inside. So not a suicide of him, but of negative parts in him. And there is many things in the lyrics with more than one meaning, the mother part that did happen. In the song the boy mention 3 minutes. and 3 minutes later the change happen in the song. And so on. But.. over all. since its a thing people really need to stop writing in every reaction video. No Thoumas never thought about killing himself, his own words.. He have said he never would because he just love life to much. And the song isnt his alter suicide, more the slaying of his deamons. :)? using his music to deal with something that really got to him because it was so personal. It was his lifes work with the band and music. its was friends and people he had known and been up and down for years. it was fans that didnt understand, it was the fear of what now. what will nightwish be. it was everything. And that is why there is these acts.. he is angry this happend, he dont understand it, he is affraid, he is sad, he think of what now. he thinks he is all alone, and he heal. Its the road of everthing to do with her leaving the band, the pain to the thought of a better future. We need to stop the wrong idea of suicide.. Toumas deserves better than having it turned that way. its his song, and feelings and they are as they should be, and meant to be, and is powerfull for it. It do not need a sucide internet fantasy.
Thanks for this piece of art ! I guess Tuomas was not going to do suicide in real life, even he was really depressed. But it might be it really close that Nightwish was near the end. He was ready to stop making music... Our luck, he did not. So we have this masterpiece now!!! And all that music what he wrote after that sad year 2005 (3 albums so far and one more coming 2020). In a way, we are the winners, we have got so much beautiful music!!!
I've been binge watching all things Nightwish this weekend. I saw an interview where Tuomas said I killed myself in a song so didn't have to do it in real life.
Great reaction guys! Been waiting for it! Brian, come on dude, you can cry you know lol! Very powerful song, very emotional when you know the story behind it. It's great you've done some research. Tuomas was indeed very depressed at that time because Tarja wasn't so much into the band anymore, especially since she married her manager who was very greedy. They know that she wanted a solo career and already told them that the Once tour was her last, that she was okay to do the next album but not another tour. It was out of the question for Tuomas. Touring is very important for the guys. There was no communication anymore between the guys and Tarja. When Tuomas was sending her a text in Finnish, he was receiving an answer in English from Marcello (Tarja's husband who came from Argentina). "I cannot cry cause the shoulder cries more" : he couldn't cry because the guys were crying too. The last part "mother and father" is very strong because it was what Tuomas' mother told him at that time to give him comfort, advice. It was very hard for Tuomas. Tarja was a friend for so long. They're from the same town (Kitee). Tuomas' mother used to give her piano lessons when she was young. Marcello revealed after Tarja was fired (not in the best way, the guys gave her a letter telling her the reasons why she was fired after the End of An Era show and the morning after, the guys gave the letter to the media as an open letter) that Tuomas was actually in love with Tarja since forever. Tuomas never confirmed or denied it. But IMO I think that it was true. Ever Dream has probably been written for her. Now you need to listen to that song, Ever Dream, by Tarja of course, End of An Era, to make your opinion! Tuomas is very emotional during that song ;)
If you want to see the diversity of Nightwish, you want to see " My Walden" (That's Celtic) followed by "Ghost River" (Rocks). They are both quite short so could be done in one sitting. I think Stan would love the Celtic.
In the words of Morpheus “At last” Magnificent reaction again to what for me, is probably the greatest live performance I have ever seen. Thank you guys great stuff 😃👏🏻🙌🏻
This song is about Tuomas having personal problems and that Tarja left the band and was thinking about suicide. We are are all so lucky that such a great composer didn't do it and wrote this wonderfull piece of music. Every time i hear this i'm crying like a baby.
this song is all about Tuomas depression in that time, each part is a different feeling and in fact the last part of the song , the lyrics of "Mother and father" are the words that Tuomas's mother said to him at the time
There are so many facets to this song, it is like a mystery puzzle. Even after hearing this song hundreds of times, I still find new interpretations to some aspects of this song. This song actually is a composite of 4 different major things. Edgar Allan Poe's the pit and the pendulum, Tuomas's deep depression and suicidal thoughts, this album the 'Dark Passion Play' he made as a means to process his inner turmoil by channeling all those feelings to an album and finally a letter from his parents when they heard what he was going thorough. Here is short version of the song as I understand it: This song isn't as much about Tarja leaving, as it is about the mental roller-coaster journey from the toxic situation the band was before Marko forced them to see how bad it was, and that they had to get rid of her before the situation destroys everyone(yeah, it was really that bad). Then the feeling of self-loathing and guilt from betrayal to the following backlash directed to the gentle poet (Tuomas) that the crows (media and fans) feasts upon. He wants to cry and lean upon the shoulder of Tarja who was his shoulder to cry on, but he can't, since she is crying even more. Throughout different phases of depression, mania, apathy, longing for the better days when everything was still fine with the members the guiding light of destiny had chosen, and a longing for final release in death beyond pain in afterlife, to the eventual making of the Dark Passion Play as his final work before killing himself. Then the other band member perform those songs without shame, spitting on his grave, while he is burning in hell for suicide. Then he meets his parents in afterlife and his pain is taken away by their love, and he can finally move to the white lands of Empathica, to nothingness
Glad you did your research before you did this great reaction I have been listening to music for 65 years and I loved discovering great bands singers composers and I love seeing people discover and appreciate great music. Nightwish with Floor is one of those artist that come around in a generation. Talent stands out Mercer cared for country but Chris Stapleton is the country version of Nightwish they span all genres enjoy your reactions
I also put off listening to P&P out of respect for the little I knew at the time about the history of the song. Only now I have reached a level of respect that will permit a reverence extended to Tuomas for what must have been a most difficult time in his life. Remember he and Tarja were still in their teens when they started this journey together. This work of art seems to be his way to telling us how hard it was. The part where Floor sings the words spoken by his mother must touch a place in his heart every performance. Remember Tuomas has publically referred to her as "Darling Floor" I have no doubt she brought a much needed and missed feminine part of the Nightwish puzzle.
Ann nailed most of this, but I will say this. That last Act, Part 5, included a lullaby that Tuomas' mother would say or sing to him when he was a child, and that always hit home. Also, if you time it out, from when the boy says that he only has 3 minutes left, there is exactly 3 minutes from that point to where Tuomas metaphorically slits his throat. Stunning stuff.
Well I dealt with loss, my girlfriend was diagnosed with cancer and she passed some ten days later, one of my best friends passed away only few months later and my Dad some six months later so this peace of music hits me every time I hear it. It stris me up, but makes me stronger and makes me understand the circle of life a little better. When I was hit pretty bad with the loss, it did not really matter if I was alive or death, though I never took it that far, to even considering taking my life. The last piece though, makes me think of everything and the fact that you have such a bond with your family members, which you take for granted while they are still alive, we see them getting older but think of them being there for ever. I was lucky enough to find some comfort in playing guitar, though it became more bluesier and I had to buy a couple of Strats for it. It worked perfectly as communication with my mind and feelings as I put it to some sad licks. Sometimes we are lucky to have interests that can mend you. The song itself, is a very much of an opera taking us here, there and everywhere, the changes are masterful, as yu are taken through different emotions and it has the color like a beautiful painting in sounds. ANd as every good or in this case great music sets you in a emotion, as I saw you guys went through. In short a modern time masterpiece.
Ann, if she is commenting on your reactions, that is THE seal of approval. We love her (although we dont even know her) and check the comment sections for what she has to say!
I'm going to revisit my own personal view, by all accounts Floor and Tarja(Tar'ya) are friends, according to Floor, they communicate on a frequent basis. I'm of the opinion that Tarja still plays a role in Nightwish via Floor. I also have come come to believe that Floor is influencing Tarja. Check out Tarja's cover of Supremecy by Muse, She's definitely belting more than I've heard before. She recently said that she can't do live opera anymore because she's been behind a microphone to long and would have to go through some pretty intensive retraining, her tone of voice evinced to me that she wasn't really interested in doing that. I find it fascinating to watch the (arguably)two best vocalists in the pop music(I'm using that descriptor to distinguish opera from the rest of the music world) sort of growing towards each other, Floor seems to be becoming more operatic and Tarja is becoming more pop. They come from completely different backgrounds musically. Tarja started formal training at 6, Floor discovered she could sing during a high school musical. Both are obviously highly disciplined. Floor has always stated that no matter what style she's using, metal is where she wants to be. Her career decisions when evaluated in that standpoint have been brilliant, she claims she never really thought that much about perhaps somehow becoming Nightwish's vocalist, but every place she chose to be pointed at Nightwish. In the end, I think she is the best possible choice for Tuomas, because she is unique, a hybrid of vocal styles, accompanied by years of music theater study, so much emotion, so much intensity, so much grace on stage(I've noticed that Tarja has calmed down in her stage presence by quite a bit, one of my few complaints about this brilliant singer is that for so many years, to me, she seemed like a frenetic fashion model with a microphone on stage. Maybe I'm just imagining all this shit, but I hope I'm not, because it makes it even more special. Had a couple of beers, hope this is semi coherent.
The real Sound of Sirens it`'s Magical and no Wonder why we love floor jansen this Voice let us Dream it`s an big Present for all of us it make the World for couple minutes Great and Peacefull !!
Typical reaction video up until 8:30 then flat silence for the next almost 9 minutes while completely captivated by Her Floorceress spell! I never get enough of this!
The other band members going to Tuomas to ask if he is alright breaks my heart every time. The sound engineers needed to cut the feed of Floor's lyrics into his earbuds for him to able to play that song. And floor delivers the mood of this song perfectly.
Did you also notice, in the end, just before Floor sang the wordless part 16:09-16:10, the boy's voice (the 'inner voice') said: 'The beginning'. So it ends in a slight vision of hope. Blues tradition :)
Cultural note.... hell for the northern europeans is not fire and brimstone... it is the cold world, endless sheets of ice and snow, blasted by winds that can tear flesh from bone.... hence... Toumas is saying that he feels like he is a whore for hell because of what he had to do... he hates he had to do it but he had to. He'd rather be swept off to dreamer hideaway but that is not his fate.
Great reaction guys. Amazing song. I don't know how true this is. Someone on TH-cam said it. They said Nightwish has removed this song from all future set lists. So sad if that's true.
@@ferretmom66 I can definitely understand & respect that. Do you know if there's an actual video that shows Tuomas, or anyone from Nightwish, saying that's it's officially off their set list?
its not realy about the moment of parting with Tarja but about the aftermath. The fans and media were so horrible to Tuomas, he took all the blame, because he was the one who wrote and gave her the letter. It was huge especialy in finland, where even their premiere had something to say. And yes he was sad about parting with her too but it is the peoples rage that made him write the song. He had nowhere to run of from it...
Oh and to truly understand the meaning behind some lyrics you need to be the kind of fan who watches interwievs and stuff.... he always loved water and ocean, even wanted to be sea biologist, atended the schooll... hence the calming waters part. And the meadows of heaven he very often uses in his songs are not about biblical heaven but actual meadows, where he used to play as a kid. He always claims how incredibly happy his childhood was and he would love to go back to those times. (theres another phrase he uses often in his songs "dead boy" it means those times are sadly gone) The last part is actual words of comfort his parents gave him in those horrible depresive times.
the "dreamers hideaway" is also something typical to him, as he cals himself an "escapist" loving to day dream and get lost in it, hiding in those dreams from the horrible reality (something I can totaly relate to...)
I might be great for Stan to review some of their more Celtic songs, such as My Walden, Élan, Alpenglow, Last of the Wilds (instrumental). Have you done The Islander?
Much what you don't understand probably comes from the little tidbit info that Tuomas was thinking a poem by Edgar Allan Poe when he was writing this (I cannot remember the poems name) and lot of the song reference to that poem. I think that altar and pendulum torture images comes from that poem for example. So this song has a lot of metafors and then some things that are direct references to his feelings. (like mother and father with its direct quotes from his parents)
My take is that Tuomas was heartbroken because of the backlash directed 100% at HIM by Nightwish fans after firing Tarja… "you live long enough to see your friends betray you" When in reality her ego and disconnection from the bad was entirely HER and her husband/manager's fault.... and the other band members were demanding Tarja be fired... Tuomas had been delaying her removal, NOT forcing it. Yet he suffered all the unwarranted hate and dejection. It was more about fans reaction to the firing, not the firing itself.....
The thing is Tarja has been the face of the band for a long time. But more importantly, Tuomas and Tarja were friends from an early age. That's why breaking up with Tarja became almost a personal tragedy for Tuomas.
The whole album Dark Passion Play feels like Tuomas' processing the break with Tarja. There's a lot of songs about his and the bands feelings towards her and her husband (while this is about Tuomas himself, Bye Bye Beautiful is more of last words from the whole band to her). If you want to know what they think about her husband (at that time), or just listen to probably the heaviest Nightwish song to date, dig into Master Passion Greed (there's no live version and to Tuomas' saying there never will).
If you want to know anything about Nightwish, I could probably tell you. I saw him in Memphis Tennessee on April 18th of 2018 and they are freaking awesome
I'm an old guy, 74 and only discovered Nightwish a few months ago. I love them and think Tuomas is today's Mozart, Bach or Beethoven. He's a musical genius. This song brings tears to my eyes it's so sad. And I'm so in love with Floor.
SAME AS me IM 57 never heard a voice like it my entire life!
As a music lover, this is one of the most impactful bands ever.
I found NIghtwish a couple of years ago, been addicted, ever since! When you have listened to music for 57 years, it's nice, to find something different.
That happened to me about 10 years ago. I have never built up a library, a full discography of a band as quickly as I did with Nightwish.
My Dads 62. I got him hooked back in 2003 and he’s never looked back. One of his all time favorite bands. Never too old too or too late to be a Nightwish fan
Gonna buy my dad who has recently gotten hooked in listening LP:s Endless Forms Most Beautiful for a birthday present. He is a Lutheran minister so he hopefully gets how Weak Fantasy is about people fucking up religion, not religion itself. But I'm Finnish so it is about time he takes notice of one of the greatest composers of our time too. He listens to classical too so he should love the work by Tuomas.
Hi Laura.
@@mandyatterbury5408 HI Mandy!!!!
Tuomas is one of the greatest musicians of our time. Its an honour to listen to his music.
Not a lot of people have mentioned that from the phrase " Now I have only 3 minutes and counting just wish the tide would catch me first and give me a death I always longed for," till the pendulum is at its lowest and you hear the last heartbeat is 3 minutes. This song is a masterpiece.
Nightwish is truely the (brain)child of Tuomas. It's his live work and therefore there is so much emotion in a lot of songs, and especially this one. So freaking amazing...
There's a lot of history behind this. Here's some of it, from a two decade fan:
At the time, Tarja was the face of the band. The use of a classical vocalist in a metal band, in a full operatic style, was the novelty that brought Nightwish to the forefront; they pretty much founded a sub-genre of metal, or at least were the ones to solidify it.
Their pre-Once work (especially Wishmaster and Century Child) is what kick-started things and gave us bands like After Forever (Floor's first band to go big and very much influenced by Nightwish, which explains why Floor is the perfect singer for this band: she was enough of a fan to have a whole career based on early Nightwish influences, it's her dream job).
But, Tuomas wasn't yet recognised as the musical genius behind it. Between the novelty of Tarja fronting the band and Tuomas not yet going all out with composing music, the fandom considered Tarja the holy grail (some still do as you can see in the comments). Their troubles started as they were starting to achieve commercial success with Century Child and subsequent touring doing well and then, Once topping charts pretty much on release and the touring for Once putting them squarely on the map.
When Tarja was dismissed the anger of the fandom was directed towards Tuomas, who as the leader of the band was held responsible for the band losing the one thing the fans felt made Nightwish, Nightwish. Which wasn't true at all, for the most part, it's Tuomas and, a close second at the time, Jukka, Emppu and Marko (and, now, Troy, Kai and, of course, Floor).
This song expresses the despair of Tuomas feeling like what he created was being taken from him and he was being attacked for it. The sad truth is, ALL THE PAIN THIS SONG EXPRESSES IS PAIN WE THE FANS INFLICTED ON TUOMAS. This isn't mentioned often enough. We did that to him by failing to see he was the heart and soul of Nightwish, not Tarja. The bile and hatred that was spewed towards him (I remember seeing really hateful content and imagery directed at him on the official Nightwish forum) and the amount of fans that stopped listening during that time was overwhelming.
One of the reasons he is so loved is, we know we don't deserve the music he writes for us. He keeps writing it anyway.
It's often very personal to him and touches on sensitive topics. Yes, there's commercial success and it's definitely a factor in them continuing. But, they could just steer clear of the personal stuff and still do well. But, Tuomas is the kind of artist that uses his art as a way to say what he needs to but, can't otherwise say.
You'd be right... except the singer who came out after Tarja nearly killed Nightwish. Don't gloss over that mistake. Tarja wasn't just some "novelty", she was a core part of Nightwish as a band, and as happened with the first singer who took her place, without someone who was of her caliber, the band didn't have what made it Nightwish anymore. You can have the best writer in the world, but if you don't have someone who can perform to that level, it's still going to be crap. Nightwish nearly became merely mediocre because of that decision.
@sugoruyo Correction: Actually Floor was highly influenced by Dutch singer Anneke van Giersbergen from Dutch band The Gathering. It is Anneke who made Floor want to sing like her, fronting a metal band as a woman and singing in a metal style with classical infuences. Definately not Tarja!!! The opposite actually. Floor always has said that the pure opera style doesn't interest her at all. She never wanted to sing like that. And she never will!!! Floor wanted to sing metal like Anneke and it was Anneke who inspired Floor. Floor literally said this many times. And it was The Gathering who inspired After Forever to get a female vocalist.
Also it was The Gathering who inspired Tuomas to get a female vocalist for his band he had just started with Emppu. After hearing The Gathering with Anneke as their singer he deceided to ask his friend Tarja to sing for his band. A female singer for a metal band, something highly unusual at the time. Tuomas lieterally said it was The Gathering who made him see the potential of a female singer. But when he asked Tarja, he had no idea she could only sing opera and nothing else. It worked out well for them!
Tuomas took the brunt of the anger by the fans,media and even the Prime Minister of Finland stepped in. On top of that he was grieving from the loss of his friend and bandmate. The whole band wanted to let her go and signed the letter. Like I said Tuomas was the one who took the blame.
Some of those lines were what his Mother said. Tuomas still feels the emotions from then. He will have the techs stop the words from coming over his ear buds. Then when Marko and Emppu go stand by Tuomas it is in support. They were the only two in the band when it happened. This song will probably never be sung live again. Brian you said it right about going through a death. It was a loss. I hope that helps you understand the emotion of the song.
You came out alive on the other side. lol Great job as usual..........
Hi Ann, did you see that whole Beste Zangers episode with English subtitles?? It was quite good. And the young lady who did the translation work got recognized by Floor in comments and she even posted the Video to her Facebook page.
Of course now I'm wanting to catch every episode though!! lol 😁
@@TheStefan6969 No I haven't. I haven't had the time. I plan on watching it though. I want to see them all too! That was so nice of Floor............ :-)
@@fdsannie Oh I get you! Yes it is definitely worth the watch. A little emotional in parts, so fair warning!!
@@Deallyra yes, that was really sad, but in those days we didn't know the whole story...what had really gone on...
Ann: Thank You my Friend! You really were on the point Ann! Lived through these dark times and Your pencil wrote out those feelings. Tuomas have said himself, that this really was His favorite Nightwish song. What is more better than music therapy. "If I have a chance to kill me, in a song: What is a better way to deal with everything?" He's allways been bad about talking His feelings, good or bad! Tuomas does a song instead. WHICH IS KIND OF NICE, thing to do. On of the best Composers of Our times. ❤.
This week its 25 years ago I lost my daughter.. she was called Karin, and she was just 3 years old... so I never got over it... she was pure magic in my life.... her mother and I broke up bc of her death... she went insane bc of it... In 2007 I ended up being a psychiatric patient after 18 tries to kill myself... Nowadays Nightwish is the main reason 4 me to live... This is such a load of my burdon....
I can't imagine if the same thing happend to me if I would survive like you. You're here! So you're doing a great job!👍👍👍
I really feel you man...hangon there buddy , I lost my girlfriend and my love of life to a car accident after we broke up because of a stupid argument...10years later I can't get over it and I've been single since then , with 2 suicide attempts...
Sending you all the love in the world
@@ecisjbucusj People like you make life worth living...
@@ecisjbucusj th-cam.com/video/YgsC5aDDAew/w-d-xo.html
Nightwish and Floor.. a perfect match. They have the music. She has the voice to make it real.
I discovered nightwish by these reaction videos within the last 6 months and the amount of artistry, storytelling, composition, timing just everything is just too perfect they are truly one of a kind that's why the fan base is so loyal fan for life!
That's how we discovered them, too! Glad you found them!
There is no other band like Nightwish, and Tuomas is a genius
Love how the band keeps on checking on him. Even at the concert last year.
That last act gets me every time. It's a great combination of the writer/composer pouring his heart into the music, and Floor pouring her heart into performing it. It's really a thing of beauty.
In my case, I break into tears because I'm happy that Thoumas was able to reconsider and thanks to everyone close to him help him a lot. Thanks to that, we can still enjoy his music and Floor joined the band, and well the rest is history.
And to show how much dedication Tuomas puts into every single one of hist masterpieces. In the spoken segment in the middle, when the line "now I only have three minutes and counting" comes. it is only three minutes until the final blade at 13:09.
I have watched many others people react to this song and there have been several grown men start crying because of this song. This is a very captivating song.
I can listen to this song without crying........
That “Mother and Father” section brings me to tears every time.
I've been so glad that Ghost Love Score has gone viral for reaction vids, because it gives me the joy of discovering Nightwish for the first time again, especially when folks go "where has this been all my life?" like I did. The Poet and the Pendulum, though, I don't think anyone will ever recreate the reaction I had. Because I remember the open letter, I remember hunting for English translations of Finnish news, I remember the uncertainty and wondering if something so special and wonderful was just over. Gone forever. I remember counting down the days for when they released the new single, "Eva" introducing Annette as the new singer. I downloaded it and just sobbed through the whole thing. It was still Nightwish. They had survived. It was going to be okay. And then I remember my copy of Dark Passion Play arriving and I put it in...and this played. Like you're right, there's just so many layers to this one. Tuomas is a very metaphorical and personal writer. He self-references a lot of ideas, so there are meanings in here that are not immediately apparent to people who haven't followed him through half a dozen albums already. He calls himself a poet almost helplessly, he calls himself a dead boy because he loses touch with his sense of wonder, he calls himself ocean soul because he can't get to the bottom of his feelings or get them out (often talks about his own silence.) It's clear to me this song starts with him walking on to the stage for the last time, knowing they're firing Tarja after, and wondering "what are my words if she's not singing them?"
Also, I almost never comment, but I'm so impressed with the effort you guys have put in getting into Nightwish. Thank you so much for that!
I love your reactions to this amazing band. The last part of this emotional and beautiful song are the actual words his Mother said to him . I tear up every time
The sentence "oh when did you become so cold?" kills me every single time
Having Problems with my Dad for Years but loving my Mom and Sister to the fullest, the Part "Mother and Father" at 13:25 always gets me even as a grown ass man. I cannot think about what Tuomas had to go through but i really have respect that he wrote the song instead of killing himself.
I´m gonna say this: Nightwish is the best Band in the World - period. I respect other opinions of course. Its just look how they rock their Live performances and then check up on Tuomas if he is allright. It´s the little things in life i guess.
Nightwish till i die
55 year old grandfather here, and "Be still my son, you're home" still brings me to tears.
I guess what makes this song so relatable to many people, is that sometimes you might have been in that dark, dark place but somehow you have made it through, and found comfort from something. But even without the backstory, I find this song very enjoyable as musical fantasy journey. One source for inspiration for Tuomas was EA Poe's short story "The Pit and the Pendulum". Thanks for this one, i always appreciate your commentary no matter what band, and what song!
Just saw this pop up and thought, nope, not going to go to sleep - have to watch this first!
Same here
Same here :)
This is a breathtaking masterpiece, so powerful when you know what it's about as well. God damn who's cutting onions again 🤘
slash 1971 same question here ....damm 😭👀
"The end........... The beginning"
And hell of a lot in between! 😈
🤩👍💥💯
🤘😎 🇫🇮 💙
1:35 “we’re not gonna cry because we’re men...” XD hold my beer... famous last words of many a man hearing this for the first time. I’ve heard it dozens of times, and it can still bring me to tears if I’ve had a rough day. Hang on to your hankies gentlemen. *presses play button*
The way I interpret this:
Part 1 - the obituary.
Part 2 - a cry for help. This shows how much he’s hurting inside and how dark his thoughts become, and yet he cannot show it to the world because they expect better from him. He can’t even accept any positive feedback or input from friends and family because it just accentuates how he feels unworthy of it.
Part 3 - reminiscences of the good times they shared and how things started out so well before they fell apart.
Part 4 - rage against the world that has heaped all of its burdens on his shoulders and he decides to just let it all go and give.
Part 5 - the catharsis. The comforting words of his friends and family (lyrics are taken almost verbatim from correspondences and conversations with his parents at the time) lead him back into the light and allow him to move on from all that has happened.
Having the lyrics gave me an even more deeper feel not only for my own personal reflection but a new understating of what this artist wanted to share and where I was without words to know. Now I know and thank you.
This isn't even my favorites, yet I've listened to it to like hundred time. And... I don't no how to descripe it. It still hits you hard. Knowing the backstory and all. And I have said this before, at the end, I just love that Emppu goes to check on Tuomas (not in a joking way that's normal for him), and even at the end both him and Marco are there in the end standing like a team mates as support. Just gotta love that. And I know it's sometimes better to jump right into a music without knowleadge, but this piece is one that makes it so powerful when you get the meaning. Song itself is of course a masterpiece, but the meaning makes it so much more IMHO.
This song been wrote for Tarja is the first time i'm hearing about. I knew that the song they wrote for her was "Bye Bye Beautiful" from the same album and it was pretty clear the message they gave in it with lyrics
I Lol'd at that grin at 11:20 when Marco took over on vocals.
It’ll mean so much more to you now that you’ve done the research and understand the situation. Well done. Great reaction.
The faces are about the media incessantly asking about Tarja’s leaving (one for the world) & his agony over losing her (one for “God save me.”). That’s how i take it.
Not knowing that Floor was in his future; imagine his grief at the loss of one of the most powerful, masterful voices in the world; one who performs the music he had written- with her voice specifically in his mind as the performer. Her loss being the 1000 pages of erased text that will now never be ....
I think a lot of people miss that he has "but two faces" - meaning he has ONLY 2 faces - one for the world where he has to be firm about the choice they made, one for God (his private agony over the situation). He has no other face to show anyone else. Perhaps he can't face Tarja? Or perhaps it's his friends he can't face? At any rate, he feels like he only can show others his public face, even those closest to him, and can't let any of his grief show. At least that's what I get from the lyrics there.
Could not have said it better James Anderson. I am 'only' 64 and like you only discovered Nightwish a few months ago, that was a blessed day for me. Floor's voice is priceless!
The founder in the heart of Nightwish which is the keyboardist wrote this song back in 2005 after they fired Tarja. He was extremely depressed and this song is technically about him committing suicide. But of course, he made a song of it and did not do it. Very deep and emotional
So generally everyone has multiple layers (faces) they show: general public, friends, close circle, and self. Tuomas is saying he was the same for everyone.
The line of the chorus, "I cannot cry for the shoulder cries more," is he was close friends with Tarja. They were each other's shoulder to cry on, so without that shoulder to cry on he had nobody.
An interesting dynamic between the two of you. One is interested in the meaning of the song and the emotion of the moment, and the other is into the aesthetics of the vocals and the hotness of the singer. I find myself a combination of the two. But watching you react is a fascinating epoch on the variance of, and dichotomy within, us men. lol I'm impressed that I wrote that!
I forgot you guys never tackled this song yet lol glad you did a little research on it to make it that more memorable, great reaction, and I liked Stan’s face on the Pacific part lol 💥
Marco’s fingers walking all over during his parts is freaking amazing!
not called Mr Spaghetti Fingers for nothing!!!!
And singing simultaneously!
This is a song about the feelings Tuomas had after the firing of Tarja, all the comments were directed at him, and he took it very personnaly to the point where he considered suicide, but his close friend Tony Kakko and the Marco, Jukka, and Emppu convinced him the world would be worst off with him gone from it, so he wrote this masterpiece in which he commits suicide, so he wouldn't do it in real life. They very rarely play this live, this is the first tome in a long time, notice how at the end Marco and Emppu come stand next to him to show their support, he also has them turn off the voice in his in ear monitors, and only hears the music. As Tuomas said Floor puts all the emotion, and heart and soul into the song that he meant it to have.
this is a very deep song. Ann Waychoff AKA Nightwish Momma will be here soon. Thank-you guys!
the passion in Floor's voice will bring tears to your eyes.... even when you don't know or understand the lyrics
this song made me feel really emotional
If you noticed, Empu went to talk to Toumas and was standing by him. This song really affects Tousmas a lot.
Ya we just commented on Epica today how in both bands, the members interact with each other a lot and care about each other.
that was the other 2 members showing solidarity to Tuomas, who has stated that he has the vocals removed from the mix in his earpiece during this song as it is still hard for him to hear.... would not surprise me if this has been retired from live sets
It is an act. The on stage performance of The Poet and the Pendulum is choreographed. You can see they do same things in different concerts of the same song. It is for the same reason as Tuomas' cut throat movement: that's the drama message they want to give to the audience.
@@Aurinkohirvi That doesn't mean it isn't still emotional for Tuomas. like @WrathchildNH said, he still gets the vocals removed from his mix (at least last year he did), but he did move on and isn't in such a dark place anymore, fortunately :)
lol Tuomas doesn't get sad about this anymore
TY again Guy's! They really don't come much better than this. Thank You Tuomas Holopainen, You are a Genius! ❤
Notice how Marko and Emppu go up and stand next to Tuomas during the last couple of minutes, this is their way of showing him support and they will always be there for him
You are very close to understanding the lyrics. It was very hard for Tuomas to fire Tarja because they were childhood friends. But the situation became unworkable for the band so they unanimously decided she had to leave. Unfortunately the aftermath landed on Tuomas' shoulders, being the leader of the band. He had to swallow all the criticism from a large part of their fanbase as well from the media. All this brought him into a deep depression in which he considered killing himself. He talked about it with his parents who managed to comfort him and build him up again (part 5 Mother and Father). The line 'The Blade will keep descending' made me ponder a lot. A descending blade is a threat and what was the biggest threat for him at that time? The criticism. So his parents told him that, no matter what, there will always be criticism and all that mattered was their unconditional love.
The blade will keep descending is also the clearest reference to Edgar Allen Poe's The Pit and the Pendulum. During that short story a guy captured by the Inquisition is tied & a giant axe blade with pendulum mechanism (like you see in Nightwish graphics) keeps descending while the walls closing in aside.
@@embran8486 Also true! Then again, Tuomas loves his metaphores.
@@Greyhound53200 I think that's the reason of the title too. It's just obvious. Poe was a fatalistic poet, so Tuomas as poet as well...also the text of strapped on the altar is both the story & Tuomas as sacrificial lamb.
Just to get it straight for all those who still write that thing.
Thoumas never meant wanted or thought about killing himself. like never.
The core of the band went to the same school, letting her go was hard for all of them, and him since he took alot of the heat for it, and NW is his life work and he was unsure what would become of it.
Even though there was a reason for her being cut, she had said she wanted to do other things, and wanted to do solo things, and that wasnt the right place to be in when the rest of the band wanted more NW.
This song is in acts, each act about the states he went through with this, the sadness the anger until the end with the words from his mother, things she really did tell him.
So saying the song is his suicide because he didnt want to do it in real life, even though its more correct than the first, its still not really true.
In this song he kills off the parts that kept making him sad and in doubt. dealing with it act for act, the anger and pain and all the things that just bottled up inside.
So not a suicide of him, but of negative parts in him. And there is many things in the lyrics with more than one meaning, the mother part that did happen.
In the song the boy mention 3 minutes. and 3 minutes later the change happen in the song. And so on. But.. over all. since its a thing people really need to stop writing in every reaction video.
No Thoumas never thought about killing himself, his own words..
He have said he never would because he just love life to much.
And the song isnt his alter suicide, more the slaying of his deamons. :)? using his music to deal with something that really got to him because it was so personal.
It was his lifes work with the band and music. its was friends and people he had known and been up and down for years. it was fans that didnt understand, it was the fear of what now. what will nightwish be.
it was everything. And that is why there is these acts.. he is angry this happend, he dont understand it, he is affraid, he is sad, he think of what now. he thinks he is all alone, and he heal.
Its the road of everthing to do with her leaving the band, the pain to the thought of a better future.
We need to stop the wrong idea of suicide.. Toumas deserves better than having it turned that way.
its his song, and feelings and they are as they should be, and meant to be, and is powerfull for it. It do not need a sucide internet fantasy.
There are also songs on the album that deal with the anger of the situation and baring the scrutiny for both Tarja and himself.
Man, that one hits you right in the feelz.
Thanks for this piece of art !
I guess Tuomas was not going to do suicide in real life, even he was really depressed. But it might be it really close that Nightwish was near the end. He was ready to stop making music... Our luck, he did not. So we have this masterpiece now!!! And all that music what he wrote after that sad year 2005 (3 albums so far and one more coming 2020).
In a way, we are the winners, we have got so much beautiful music!!!
I've been binge watching all things Nightwish this weekend. I saw an interview where Tuomas said I killed myself in a song so didn't have to do it in real life.
Tuomas Halopainen has never compromised his vision for Nightwish. That's why they are still one of the biggest bands in metal.
Great reaction guys! Been waiting for it! Brian, come on dude, you can cry you know lol! Very powerful song, very emotional when you know the story behind it. It's great you've done some research. Tuomas was indeed very depressed at that time because Tarja wasn't so much into the band anymore, especially since she married her manager who was very greedy. They know that she wanted a solo career and already told them that the Once tour was her last, that she was okay to do the next album but not another tour. It was out of the question for Tuomas. Touring is very important for the guys. There was no communication anymore between the guys and Tarja. When Tuomas was sending her a text in Finnish, he was receiving an answer in English from Marcello (Tarja's husband who came from Argentina). "I cannot cry cause the shoulder cries more" : he couldn't cry because the guys were crying too. The last part "mother and father" is very strong because it was what Tuomas' mother told him at that time to give him comfort, advice. It was very hard for Tuomas. Tarja was a friend for so long. They're from the same town (Kitee). Tuomas' mother used to give her piano lessons when she was young. Marcello revealed after Tarja was fired (not in the best way, the guys gave her a letter telling her the reasons why she was fired after the End of An Era show and the morning after, the guys gave the letter to the media as an open letter) that Tuomas was actually in love with Tarja since forever. Tuomas never confirmed or denied it. But IMO I think that it was true. Ever Dream has probably been written for her. Now you need to listen to that song, Ever Dream, by Tarja of course, End of An Era, to make your opinion! Tuomas is very emotional during that song ;)
Toumas get my tears for this amazing song.
my grandad used to say.. "if you think Shakespeare would have have liked it, then its art..." And I know he would have liked that..
If you want to see the diversity of Nightwish, you want to see " My Walden" (That's Celtic) followed by "Ghost River" (Rocks). They are both quite short so could be done in one sitting. I think Stan would love the Celtic.
I loved your respect for this masterpiece! Great reaction
In the words of Morpheus “At last”
Magnificent reaction again to what for me, is probably the greatest live performance I have ever seen.
Thank you guys great stuff 😃👏🏻🙌🏻
This song is about Tuomas having personal problems and that Tarja left the band and was thinking about suicide. We are are all so lucky that such a great composer didn't do it and wrote this wonderfull piece of music. Every time i hear this i'm crying like a baby.
I always cry when the guys go stand by Tuomas. So so touching
The lyrics Tuomas writes are out of this world.. It is really worth listening to more songs with lyrics in the videos.
You two were just in awe during Mother and Father.
There are none like Nightwish.. Please review Last Ride of the day from Wacken..
No, do the official live version from Helsinki arena. Both are excellent but the Helsinki version is a bit more special.
this song is all about Tuomas depression in that time, each part is a different feeling
and in fact the last part of the song , the lyrics of "Mother and father" are the words that Tuomas's mother said to him at the time
Love your reaction at 8 minutes.
There are so many facets to this song, it is like a mystery puzzle. Even after hearing this song hundreds of times, I still find new interpretations to some aspects of this song.
This song actually is a composite of 4 different major things. Edgar Allan Poe's the pit and the pendulum, Tuomas's deep depression and suicidal thoughts, this album the 'Dark Passion Play' he made as a means to process his inner turmoil by channeling all those feelings to an album and finally a letter from his parents when they heard what he was going thorough.
Here is short version of the song as I understand it: This song isn't as much about Tarja leaving, as it is about the mental roller-coaster journey from the toxic situation the band was before Marko forced them to see how bad it was, and that they had to get rid of her before the situation destroys everyone(yeah, it was really that bad). Then the feeling of self-loathing and guilt from betrayal to the following backlash directed to the gentle poet (Tuomas) that the crows (media and fans) feasts upon. He wants to cry and lean upon the shoulder of Tarja who was his shoulder to cry on, but he can't, since she is crying even more. Throughout different phases of depression, mania, apathy, longing for the better days when everything was still fine with the members the guiding light of destiny had chosen, and a longing for final release in death beyond pain in afterlife, to the eventual making of the Dark Passion Play as his final work before killing himself. Then the other band member perform those songs without shame, spitting on his grave, while he is burning in hell for suicide. Then he meets his parents in afterlife and his pain is taken away by their love, and he can finally move to the white lands of Empathica, to nothingness
Glad you did your research before you did this great reaction I have been listening to music for 65 years and I loved discovering great bands singers composers and I love seeing people discover and appreciate great music. Nightwish with Floor is one of those artist that come around in a generation. Talent stands out Mercer cared for country but Chris Stapleton is the country version of Nightwish they span all genres enjoy your reactions
Yes!! Y'all just made my day doing this reaction.
Let me comment on a part I never see comments about. Dark Passion Play when Marko sings, his playing is phenomenal. Really shows his talent.
love your comments, I'm 64 years and am very happy to have got to know nightwish, and I'm Dutch (so is Floor)
I also put off listening to P&P out of respect for the little I knew at the time about the history of the song. Only now I have reached a level of respect that will permit a reverence extended to Tuomas for what must have been a most difficult time in his life. Remember he and Tarja were still in their teens when they started this journey together. This work of art seems to be his way to telling us how hard it was. The part where Floor sings the words spoken by his mother must touch a place in his heart every performance. Remember Tuomas has publically referred to her as "Darling Floor" I have no doubt she brought a much needed and missed feminine part of the Nightwish puzzle.
When you understand the story of the song, its impact increases Tenfold.
Opening voice and then later on: "Lead boy soprano: Guy Elliott, 2nd boy soprano: Tom Williams, courtesy of the Reigate St Mary's Choir School"
Ann nailed most of this, but I will say this. That last Act, Part 5, included a lullaby that Tuomas' mother would say or sing to him when he was a child, and that always hit home. Also, if you time it out, from when the boy says that he only has 3 minutes left, there is exactly 3 minutes from that point to where Tuomas metaphorically slits his throat. Stunning stuff.
Very good reaction. It's obvious how you got sucked deeper and deeper into the song.
Thanks, guys. 🤘🏼🤘🏿🤘🏽
Well I dealt with loss, my girlfriend was diagnosed with cancer and she passed some ten days later, one of my best friends passed away only few months later and my Dad some six months later so this peace of music hits me every time I hear it. It stris me up, but makes me stronger and makes me understand the circle of life a little better. When I was hit pretty bad with the loss, it did not really matter if I was alive or death, though I never took it that far, to even considering taking my life. The last piece though, makes me think of everything and the fact that you have such a bond with your family members, which you take for granted while they are still alive, we see them getting older but think of them being there for ever. I was lucky enough to find some comfort in playing guitar, though it became more bluesier and I had to buy a couple of Strats for it. It worked perfectly as communication with my mind and feelings as I put it to some sad licks. Sometimes we are lucky to have interests that can mend you.
The song itself, is a very much of an opera taking us here, there and everywhere, the changes are masterful, as yu are taken through different emotions and it has the color like a beautiful painting in sounds. ANd as every good or in this case great music sets you in a emotion, as I saw you guys went through. In short a modern time masterpiece.
Glad y'all made it to this!!! 🤘🤘❤️🤘🤘
Nailed it really.
Oh yes, definitely check out what Ann has for you!!
Thanks Ian!
Great reaction to a phenomenal song!
🤘🏻🤘🏻🔥🤘🏻🤘🏻
Ann, if she is commenting on your reactions, that is THE seal of approval. We love her (although we dont even know her) and check the comment sections for what she has to say!
Floor Jansen is an absolute bad-ass:) I love everything she does!
React Nightwish High Hopes (pink floyd). Only Marco sing this Song. This Cover is better than the Original.
I agree with you Pink Floyd was one of my favorites but Nightwish makes that song their own
u fucking moron
Nightwish, and especially Floors vocal passion, cuts right to the inner most being.
I'm going to revisit my own personal view, by all accounts Floor and Tarja(Tar'ya) are friends, according to Floor, they communicate on a frequent basis. I'm of the opinion that Tarja still plays a role in Nightwish via Floor. I also have come come to believe that Floor is influencing Tarja. Check out Tarja's cover of Supremecy by Muse, She's definitely belting more than I've heard before. She recently said that she can't do live opera anymore because she's been behind a microphone to long and would have to go through some pretty intensive retraining, her tone of voice evinced to me that she wasn't really interested in doing that. I find it fascinating to watch the (arguably)two best vocalists in the pop music(I'm using that descriptor to distinguish opera from the rest of the music world) sort of growing towards each other, Floor seems to be becoming more operatic and Tarja is becoming more pop. They come from completely different backgrounds musically. Tarja started formal training at 6, Floor discovered she could sing during a high school musical. Both are obviously highly disciplined. Floor has always stated that no matter what style she's using, metal is where she wants to be. Her career decisions when evaluated in that standpoint have been brilliant, she claims she never really thought that much about perhaps somehow becoming Nightwish's vocalist, but every place she chose to be pointed at Nightwish. In the end, I think she is the best possible choice for Tuomas, because she is unique, a hybrid of vocal styles, accompanied by years of music theater study, so much emotion, so much intensity, so much grace on stage(I've noticed that Tarja has calmed down in her stage presence by quite a bit, one of my few complaints about this brilliant singer is that for so many years, to me, she seemed like a frenetic fashion model with a microphone on stage. Maybe I'm just imagining all this shit, but I hope I'm not, because it makes it even more special. Had a couple of beers, hope this is semi coherent.
LOL 🤣
8:00 "Stop it! Stop it!!!!"
No joke bro, Floor goes into "siren mode" and it'll kill ya!
You are ready for "The Greatest Show on Earth"..... Heartfelt reaction, guys...... Thankyou. Kiitos. Dank U Wel. Mange tak.
Damien Maynard They’ve already done it.
The real Sound of Sirens it`'s Magical and no Wonder why we love floor jansen this Voice let us Dream it`s an big Present for all of us it make the World for couple minutes Great and Peacefull !!
Typical reaction video up until 8:30 then flat silence for the next almost 9 minutes while completely captivated by Her Floorceress spell! I never get enough of this!
Floor Jansen - Alone - Christmas Metal Symphony - Kristianstad 2013 you gotta listen to this one
The other band members going to Tuomas to ask if he is alright breaks my heart every time. The sound engineers needed to cut the feed of Floor's lyrics into his earbuds for him to able to play that song. And floor delivers the mood of this song perfectly.
Did you also notice, in the end, just before Floor sang the wordless part 16:09-16:10, the boy's voice (the 'inner voice') said: 'The beginning'.
So it ends in a slight vision of hope. Blues tradition :)
To me it's a very emotional song. Glad you seemed to enjoy.
Cultural note.... hell for the northern europeans is not fire and brimstone... it is the cold world, endless sheets of ice and snow, blasted by winds that can tear flesh from bone.... hence... Toumas is saying that he feels like he is a whore for hell because of what he had to do... he hates he had to do it but he had to. He'd rather be swept off to dreamer hideaway but that is not his fate.
This is when i sav changce in you all.. Greetings from a member of Milvet MC Norway.
Stay safe and well over there, my friend. I was in Oslo once, it was great, except the pizza was super expensive! 😀
Hey Guys wanna hear songs about Tarja and her husband, well check out "bye bye beautiful " and "master passion greed" you wont regret it
do a Reaction to Floor Jansen - Vilja Lied from Beste Zangers 2019... It's Blow your minds!!
Agreed, that was incredible.
Great reaction guys. Amazing song. I don't know how true this is. Someone on TH-cam said it. They said Nightwish has removed this song from all future set lists. So sad if that's true.
Miguel Lopez It's supposedly too painful for Tuomas to perform
@@ferretmom66 I can definitely understand & respect that. Do you know if there's an actual video that shows Tuomas, or anyone from Nightwish, saying that's it's officially off their set list?
I think there is a video interview of Tuomas saying that somewhere, but you'd have to search for it.
its not realy about the moment of parting with Tarja but about the aftermath. The fans and media were so horrible to Tuomas, he took all the blame, because he was the one who wrote and gave her the letter. It was huge especialy in finland, where even their premiere had something to say. And yes he was sad about parting with her too but it is the peoples rage that made him write the song. He had nowhere to run of from it...
Oh and to truly understand the meaning behind some lyrics you need to be the kind of fan who watches interwievs and stuff.... he always loved water and ocean, even wanted to be sea biologist, atended the schooll... hence the calming waters part. And the meadows of heaven he very often uses in his songs are not about biblical heaven but actual meadows, where he used to play as a kid. He always claims how incredibly happy his childhood was and he would love to go back to those times. (theres another phrase he uses often in his songs "dead boy" it means those times are sadly gone) The last part is actual words of comfort his parents gave him in those horrible depresive times.
the "dreamers hideaway" is also something typical to him, as he cals himself an "escapist" loving to day dream and get lost in it, hiding in those dreams from the horrible reality (something I can totaly relate to...)
I might be great for Stan to review some of their more Celtic songs, such as My Walden, Élan, Alpenglow, Last of the Wilds (instrumental). Have you done The Islander?
Much what you don't understand probably comes from the little tidbit info that Tuomas was thinking a poem by Edgar Allan Poe when he was writing this (I cannot remember the poems name) and lot of the song reference to that poem. I think that altar and pendulum torture images comes from that poem for example. So this song has a lot of metafors and then some things that are direct references to his feelings. (like mother and father with its direct quotes from his parents)
The Pit And The Pendulum
My take is that Tuomas was heartbroken because of the backlash directed 100% at HIM by Nightwish fans after firing Tarja… "you live long enough to see your friends betray you" When in reality her ego and disconnection from the bad was entirely HER and her husband/manager's fault.... and the other band members were demanding Tarja be fired... Tuomas had been delaying her removal, NOT forcing it. Yet he suffered all the unwarranted hate and dejection. It was more about fans reaction to the firing, not the firing itself.....
The thing is Tarja has been the face of the band for a long time. But more importantly, Tuomas and Tarja were friends from an early age. That's why breaking up with Tarja became almost a personal tragedy for Tuomas.
I can tel by Sam's demeanor that this song took him away for a while... nicely done :) Floor rules !
The whole album Dark Passion Play feels like Tuomas' processing the break with Tarja. There's a lot of songs about his and the bands feelings towards her and her husband (while this is about Tuomas himself, Bye Bye Beautiful is more of last words from the whole band to her). If you want to know what they think about her husband (at that time), or just listen to probably the heaviest Nightwish song to date, dig into Master Passion Greed (there's no live version and to Tuomas' saying there never will).
If you want to know anything about Nightwish, I could probably tell you. I saw him in Memphis Tennessee on April 18th of 2018 and they are freaking awesome