Ok, terrible mistake with the previous upload! I totally missed an entire section of this song. Hopefully this new version makes amends for that! Thank you for letting me know as quickly as you did! You guys are all true supporters of this channel and I love you for it!
The whole version, finally.Why they mix a lot of keltic into their songs, I have no idea about.But it is beautiful nonetheless.And Floor as usual is great.The band too is great.The only band that mix so many styles into their music, and with such ease.From metal to classic just like that.Great musical talents all of them.
This song is about Tuomas having to fire his childhood friend their 1st singer and his depression because of the backlash he got from it. Lyric vids yes the latest album Human :||: Nature and a fan made 1 for Master, Passion, Greed.
Tuomas, the guy on the keyboard, is the one who writes and composes nearly all of Nightwishs songs. After they fired Tarja (their first singer) he fell into a depression and wrote this song to deal with his feelings. The song has 5 parts. White lands of emphatica, Home, Pacific, Dark Passion Play and Mother & Father. You can hear the transitions to those parts in the change of music. Tuomas once said that he had to write this song in order to not commit suicide in real life. From the point where the lyrics say 3 minutes and counting, its 3 minutes until the pendulum kills him. You can hear the descending heartbeat after. Also notice how the song starts with 'the end' and ends with 'the beginning'. This song is a lot. It's really realty dark but to understand you have to know the whole story with Tarja and everything. Nightwish is a band where you really have to pay attention to the lyrics too. And btw Nightwish shared your 'why Nightwish sucks' video on their socials. Keep it up, your reactions are awesome!
@@cordulagrun9401 well i think u oversimplify things.... there is a concept about the relation of an artist to his muse that often ends up erotic but there are times one can really admire love and adore someone but accept that their love isnt reciprocated and keeps it platonic
@@galadballcrusher8182 sure, I did it on purpose just for understanding. Of course, what you just said sounded a lot better and may be more accurate, but for the first basic understanding I tried to keep it simple. Also sometimes I'm not sure how to express my thoughts, since English isn't my mother tongue :)
'Best friend' might really be an overstatement, they were casual acquaintances by the time he asked her to sing for the demo and didn't even know she sung in a classical style. Never mind the crush stuff.
I don't like his diva attitude, but I can't deny that he is an incredible visionary when it comes to writing metal music. Like 90% of the band's songs are so complex,. With so many different emotions, meanings, and other such things. Even the pauses and build-ups are perfect. And the way he combines classical with metal is magical. I'm always sad when I talk to other metalheads in my country though. Nightwish is barely known here. I live in the Netherlands, and it always blew my mind when people hadn't heard of Nightwish. Luckily they now have floor, and she appeared in a show called "de beste zingers van Nederland". (the best singers of the Netherlands) And since then the band has gotten more recognition over here. :)
If you want to listen to "genius", listen to classic music, not some metal. Seriously. Nightwish are just adapting some elements most popular music doesn't use and adds some complexity, but it's far from genius. A lot of fun, well executed, but nothing people will talk about in 200 years from now.
That's it. And other amazing things about Finland, that make that country such a beautiful place. Music is a BIG part of the education in Finland. Of course, that makes them better persons. Cause it's what music does with people.
I was there. We were joking outside saying that there was no chance they’d play this because they hadn’t played it in a few years. They played the intro, and I genuinely didn’t believe they were going to actually play it all, but use it to segway into another song. Then they went for it. Blew my damn mind.
Lucky you, they play this one so rarely... and I can see why, by it is imho the best of their songs, and I am sure many others have it in their top list as well.
“I (Tuomas) cannot cry, ‘cause the shoulder cries more” There are so many others crying on his shoulder during this tumultuous period, that there’s no time (or ability needed) for him to cry.
"I cannot cry 'cause the shoulder cries more." I cannot be comforted if the other person needs comforting more than I do. Tuomas' very strong feelings towards the situation of having to fire the original singer and his high school friend Tarja after I think 9 years of Nightwish. If you want to talk to Nightwish, Tuomas is your guy. He writes the music, most of the lyrics. He sees his singers as instruments in the composition according to their abilities ( #noPressure xD )
Exactly. Tuomas obviously couldn't go to his childhood friend, Tarja, to "cry on her shoulder" because she was the one he was firing. Great line lyrically.
Agreed, although I feel like Floor is a bit easier to approach since she does lives in Instagram quite frequently. There has been a video of Tuomas answering a few fans questions tho, maybe that will also help explain a few things.
“The shoulder cries more” can also be interpreted as Tuomas’ shoulder carrying the weight of the world. So, it’s also crying in the sense of feeling so much pain under the weight, Tuomas then cannot cry (show weakness) as he carries it alone. He has to have two faces; “one for the world” that cannot cry, and “one for God” when he’s alone receiving all the backlash. That’s what I like about his lyricism. The imageries can mean many things at the same time.
Yup.. the three minute countdown starts from the point it is sung about .. and is precise in its timing with the blade descending (when you see Tuomas do the cut throat part) ..then you hear the heartbeat before the final section
“Only 3 minutes and counting” - it is a countdown in the song, 3 min after this part you can see when Tuomas sliced this throuth (the suicida part), the part when you were thinking the song ends
Emppu (the guitarist) and Marco (bassist) actually go over to Tuomas at the keyboards to show them their support and to tell him that they are there. Some other comments have already mentioned it; the background story of this song is VERY important. Shortly put Tuomas wrote this song to commit suicide when he had fallen into a deep depression so that he did not have to commit real suicide. This song comes from a very emotional and terrible part deep down in Tuomas, so every time they play it (which is not very often) it is a mental challenge for Tuomas. As far as I know he also asks for the lyrics to be muted in his ear plug ins so that he only hears the instrumental part. Very sad and so very strong at the same time. And just in case you have missed it so far: Tuomas is the mastermind behind Nightwish. They could literally exchange anyone in the band - except Tuomas. Without him there cannot be any Nightwish. He IS Nightwish and the band is like an insight in to his mind and soul.
Elveheart I only discovered Nightwish last year & have been obsessed with them ever since! As for me, if ANYONE left this group now, it would not be the same for me & would be very hard for me to watch them again. Also, I think I had read somewhere that Tuomas once stated in an interview that if Floor were to ever leave the group for whatever reason, that would be the end of the band. So for me...this is the ultimate band, the ultimate Nightwish!
@@ricki21225 I think he said more equably that he cannot do another line-up change, so it applies equally to all the members really. And the inference is that the present constitution is ideal and Nightwish is all the members, remove just one and it doesn't exist.
This is about Tuomas the keyboard player who got really depressed when they parted with Tarja the original singer. He was that depressed he thought about suicide but composed this instead of actually going through with it.
He was more depressed because of the big risk of Nightwish splitting up than about them parting with Tarja, wich he felt was necessary. Nightwish is his life.
Bradley McDaniel I don’t know about that. Tuomas, Emppu and Tarja were high school buddies. Very close friends. But Tuomas never dated Tarja. He did date Anette very briefly though. But losing a close friend is hard too. Tuomas and Tarjas husband/manager could not stand eachother, so who knows?
"I cannot cry 'cause the shoulder cries more." The idea that you cannot cry on the shoulder of another because they are even more upset then you are, so for their sake you kinda have to be the strong one and pretend you aren't hurting and deal with the pain internally. That's how I interpret it. "I have but two faces, one for the world one for god" You have two sides two personas - there is your on stage persona (i.e. the face you put on for the world and that the everybody epects to see) and there is your actual real persona (the one you feel on the inside that nobody else knows about except you and god). The song was written by Thuomas (Keyboards) who is the writer and mastermind behind most of the band's music. The words to my knowledge are express of his own feelings. Much of them likely related to his feelings towards Tarja (their first singer) and pressures of being in the band and living up to the expectations of fans, and his own deep dark internal feelings of depression etc. I've read that this particular song is especially deep for Tuomas and gets him extremely emotional, which is why you see some of the band members go over to him a couple of times during the performance to check on him and make sure he is ok. P.s. When the lyric says "I have 3 minutes and counting" - exactly 3 minutes after that there is the sound of a gilloutine falling.
This is the reason. Tuomas was holding it together at that point - at least outwardly. Later on you can see the pain on his face when it cuts to him singing with Floor and Marko. It's a really strong contrast.
Apparently the last part was said by Tuomas's mother to him. Pretty emotional. Nightwish's new album has 8 lyrical videos. The guitar players at the end came to Tuomas to see if he was alright, the song was hard on him, but he's over it now
As one of the people who suggested to have the lyrics available- you're welcome XD Glad you followed our advice. You made a comment about the "hey bud, how you doing" when Emppu goes over to Tuomas early in the video- as I'm sure you noticed he does that a few times. Knowing the deep meaning this song has for Tuomas, he and Marco move towards him a lot to show their support and solidarity with him. Emppu was a founding member alongside Tuomas and Tarja so he's been there since the beginning, Marco was with them for awhile before Tarja was fired. If I'm not mistaken this song was originally written for their second vocalist, Anette, but Floor just... owns this song. The passion she puts into it really does it justice. Anette just didn't have the power and control over a performance that Floor does to bring this song to life. While I'm not 100% on the real meanings as intended by Tuomas as I'm but a casual member of the Nightwish Army, but I took away a few things from certain lines "I cannot cry , 'cause the shoulder cries more" to me refers to needing a shoulder to cry on in tough times. As others have said, Tuomas and Tarja were very close and it was obviously very hard for both of them when the decision was made to let Tarja go- which removed the avenue of outlet that Tuomas would have normally had to relieve his feelings of sorrow and anxiety. Sharing his feelings through his lyrics is also hard when your fanbase in general is upset with such a world-rocking decision. Also, as the figurehead of the bad, so to speak, he likely felt he had to 'save face' and appear strong in his decision, which leads me into the second line. "Forgive me, I have but two faces. One for the world- one for God, save me". In public he had to give off one appearance, but behind closed doors and alone, without that shoulder, he was able to remove that mask- a classic symptom of depression where you put on your happy face for those around you. I didn't see the original upload but i'm glad you went back to hear the rest! The final "Act" contains actual/paraphrased quotes from Tuomas's parents, thus the act being called "Mother & Father"
No matter how many times I watch this video, that moment when Marco starts singing and Emppu has that ridiculous smile on his face...catches me every time!!
I remember when this album came out, it was Annette's debut as lead singer. And this song is the opening for the album and it just blew me away. I was worried that without Tarja they wouldnt pull it off, but this song proved to me that nightwish is Tuomas' not the vocalist.
@@BOOMBiggityBam I think in music it's not actually as difficult to time something like that as you would expect. If you haven't seen it go watch Tim Manchin's Three Minute Song. The timing is set up by the music you just need to know how many bars take up a certain amount of time. (I'm not a musician so I'm sure I butchered that...)
Example for timing the 3 minutes. 120 BPM (Beats Per Minute) in standard 4/4 time. 120 BPM × 3 minutes = 360 beats. 360 beats ÷ 4 beats per measure (bar) = 90 measures.
Suggestions: Yours is an Empty Hope (most metal Nightwish song I think, bonus points if you work out who's singing what. Many reactors spot it late or miss it entirely). Greatest Show On Earth for pure awesomeness (Live at Tampere has fireworks but the very end is background while the credits roll, live at Wembley goes right to the very end of the song in full). The Islander or High Hopes for Marco worship. Anything Floor did on Dutch TV show Beste Zangers for exploring her range and versatility. Any of the lyric videos for the new album Human .:||: Nature. How's The Heart acoustic version that Troy and Floor did for Planet Rock.
He seems like someone who notice details of the song and not just sit & focus on what face should they do & what to say for next pause ... SO I'm really interested in his view of those songs!
I have seen so many reactions on Nightwish somgs, especially The Poet And The Pendulum, but this one is by far the best. Hands down. It's that unique mixture of reaction und professional knowledge and analysis, that gives me that doubled pleasure of a great masterpiece and a great expertise. Well done mate, well done!
To be short; Tuomas (keyboard) is the Poet, this was his musical suicide....so he didn't need to do it for real. The band sacked Tarja (first lead vocalist) and Tuomas got all the dirt, people said things that really hurt him. Then he wrote this masterpiece. Floor is indeed classical trained, and put her hart and soul into this song. This song is an emotional rollercoaster, sadness, anger, pity and at the very end saviour from his mom and dad. This song is very hard for Tuomas to play, so they will not play it often (sadly).
I heard in another reaction video that Originally the boys soprano or whatever he is had to sing that part but when floor joined she said pfft I can sing that and so she replaced the child.
Unfortunately, NW in CR are popular only among metal and rock fans. Outside this bubble, nobody really knows them. Most Czechs listen only to the pop radio stations. Be it a modern pop or 80'/90' pop. Similar situation as Netherlands and Floor's subsequent metal proselytizing there. Sad But True. Pun intended.
I can't leave out the aspect of the 'show' on stage. IMO the live shows has become so much more better since Floor and Troy joined the band, everybody smiling and enjoying the performance time after time. It's all a big show and the chemistry between the band really plays a big part. And Tuomas is the one that makes it all to happen, he is really the key part in the band. Basic finnish attitude is that it's more respectful to be humble and silent than making a big fuss of yourself.
11:40 When Floor goes to that tone in her voice, that's when the tears start welling up in grown men's throats... if they weren't already. See "Shoemaker" for same effect... you will notice.
I've seen Nightwish live twice. One during the Endless Forms Most Beautiful tour, and then for the Decades tour. I was so fixated on the band that the other stuff didn't distract me at all
Tuomas is the creative spark of the band. Everything is written and composed by him :)) The whole band are amazing musicians but this guy is a next level genius
There are a few nightwish songs that are elevated to a whole new level when the lyrics and the context of them is understood. This one is about the composer and keyboardist Tuomas' metaphorical suicide. The whole story requires understanding of the group's past. Other songs like The Greatest Show on Earth and Shoemaker have less complicated contexts, but should be understood in order to fully appreciate. Nightwish is a great band to just listen to - the composition is top notch, but they have an intellectual side to them that when grasped takes it to a whole new level of greatness. Enjoy the ride, and don't take the comment section too serious, some are pretty passionate :)
I’ve been blessed with seeing them live once. There is a lot to look at during the show but it doesn’t detract at all. They put on an amazing show even in small venues.
This song is about suicide. After Tarja - the first Nightwish singer - left the band, Tuomas - who's on the keyboards, the man who wrotes all of their lyrics and music - went onto a deep depression. He thought about suicide. But he wrote this song about his suicide, instead of really committing suicide. He knew the pain he would leave behind. Tuomas writes songs to deal with his feelings and about things happening in his world and in the world around him. He also writes song dealing with things he has read. If you noticed the song started at the end and finished at the beginning. There are parts that he cannot listen to today. He has them turn his ear buds down in certain parts of the song. The reason the bassist and the guitarist go over to him at the end of the song is to show their support for him.
@@Irespecktyouall I didn't. It was a mess on both parts, maybe. I know some of my longest and most important friendships have ended badly. It happens. People change or grow apart. Doesn't mean the whole band needs to go down, too. Fans need to understand that.
No, she literally LEFT the band. After the guys came backstage after the last song, Tarja was nowhere to be found (she usually left the stage early at many songs). They then found out, she jumped into a taxi as soon as she could, to be brought to the next airport so she could fly to where her husband/manager was. She ditched them (I don't really remember what was planned afterwards, an encore, meet&greet, promo-stuff or smth) and that after she mentioned in more than one fight with the other members, that after THAT tour, she will go solo (not a solo/side project, which all the other band members - except Emppu - have aside from the band, but completely solo). They've just had enough. And obviously, so did she. They would have parted anyways, but after such a display of unprofessional selfishness, telling most loudly how many fu*ks she gave about the band (none), firing her was the only solution. And it happened in a letter, as she wasn't there anymore to be fired personally (which would have been followed by a letter anyway, to make it legal).
I saw Nightwish at the Diamond Ballroom in OKC, which has approx 1000 occupancy. The stage was smaller so everything was closer together, and the graphics behind were more like a back drop. I can not say I payed much attention to the graphics, and was more focused on what the band was doing and how they interacted with each other.
Bro, this being a Reaction, I feel that if a song moves you to tears we'd all rather see that. Because it's highly likely it has had the same effect on us. That shared response is what makes Reaction videos and certain channels worth coming back to again and again. Just something to think about. 👍🏼
Tuomas is the writer, composer, lyricist, keyboardist etc. Nightwish has had three different singers. Tarja, Anette, and Floor. Tarja was an operatic soprano, Anette was a bit rock n roll, and Floor is classically trained and you've seen what she can do. The Poet and the Pendulum is on the album Dark Passion Play, which was the first album featuring Anette as the vocalist. The entire album was written and demoed without knowing what singer they were going to hire, so some are stylistically different than what they've recorded before. There are some demos recorded with the bassist, Marco, singing the vocal tracks -- they're pretty awesome and you should give them a listen if you have the chance. The album version uses a London Boy's Choir for the very high parts. Floor sings the "turquoise waterfalls" done by the choir here in the later acts of the song instead. The harmonies you hear are Anette's voice on the backing track. It's a long story, but I'll sum it up: The band made a difficult decision to fire Tarja after years of strain and disagreement. This decision, while hard for everyone, was arguably the most difficult for Tuomas. He fell into a deep depression after this event, for years. As you probably figured out, Nightwish fans are very devoted and involved and exceptionally passionate for the band and its music -- especially because of how emotional and personal the lyrics and music are. The Poet and the Pendulum was written as a musical passion play of Tuomas' death. In short, he promised us, the fans, that he wouldn't kill himself. So he killed himself in a song. "I cannot cry 'cause the shoulder cries more/I cannot die, I a whore for the cold world" I always interpreted that to mean that he has to stay strong, because so many fans depend on the music to help them with their own pain. There is a lot of switching voice in the song, lyrically, from sadness to anger, and that line is the best representation. Almost to say, "(anger)You think you understand, can lean on me, and use me like a whore for your own pain.(sadness) I'm suffering so much, I want to die, but I cannot. You need all me." He's the shoulder we cry on. [On the shore/We sat and hoped/Under the same pale moon/whose guiding light chose you all (the fans)] It's brilliant.
Tuomas Lauri Johannes Holopainen (born 25 December 1976) is a Finnish songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and record producer, best known as the founder, leader, keyboardist and songwriter of symphonic metal band Nightwish.
Don’t worry, Nightwish tours Canada regularly, I’ve seen them live three times in Edmonton 😀 No doubt we’ll have to wait a while before the next tour, but it will happen!
You should probably wait with the Nightwish Video essay/discussion until you're explored quite a bit more of their repertoire, since many of your current questions and observations might get answered/deepen when you hear more samples from their wide range of musical styles and influences. That said, yes I would definitely watch a video essay/discussion analysing Nightwish from the point of view of a music teacher (I like most vocalist/musician/teacher reactions to Nightwish). As for Lyrics videos - they released official lyrics videos for almost all the songs from their latest album (Human Nature). Cheers! :)
I rather prefer him hit it now from a position of naivety and maybe revisit later. Music inspires in different ways to different people. Some may see this and empathize with Tuomas, others my take a completely different message and not need any band-related context. This guy is only of my favorites so far.
I love that in the last movement, Floor ends the vocal passages back at the same high note, while Marco resolves the melody the way you'd expect. Incredible.
Dude that version is RAW AS FUCK. The spoken part in toward the end where in the final version, "I've been raped again and again..." Marcos version... Holy shit is it damning. Like hard hitting, cutting... DAMN.
The Poet and the Pendulum is the first track in Nightwish's 6th album, Dark Passion Play. This song is one of Tuomas' most personal songs, in which Tarja Turunen leaves the band and his feelings about it. The song was the longest Nightwish song in duration at the time and is now the second longest song only for The Greatest Show on Earth. Clocks around 14 minutes. The song is divided into 5 sections, each with different themes and styles applied
This is a poetic suicide note. Tuomas wrote it when he was depressed after the whole of Finland and probably a lot of Scandinavia blamed him for breaking up their favourite band! It is very rarely played and possibly only played because the concert was to be filmed. The ending has the three remaining band members from when the decision was made move together almost in a it was our decision not yours alone Tuomas.
The lyrics are inspired by when they "parted ways" with Tarja (She was fired via open letter at their web page) and how the whole situation got him into a deep depression. The reason you might feel Floor sounds different in this song is because it was original written for the second vocalis of the band, Annette. She had a completely different voice style compared to Tarja's. Tarja and Floor being more classical, Annette has a more "pop" voice.
Good reaction, thank you. My recommendation would be to play every Nightwish song to the very last second. You missed a really sweet "thank you" from Floor at the end. No worries though. It's your channel and should do whatever you do. We'll still be here. 🤘
15:20 > 3 minutes later after the voice is saying "I have only three minutes and counting", there is the spoken part in which it is said that Tuomas has died.
Me: Starts crying as usual. Temple Music Academy: You know what, I'm rewinding I need to hear that again. Me: God damn it man! Temple Music Academy: *rewinds* Me: Well, guess its crying 3 times today.
The song is about Tuomas going through emotions due to having to fire their first singer whom he was friends with from high school. Also the title of the song is an homage to Edgar Allen Poe's story "the pit and the pendulum"
Just discovered Nightwish during our 'shut down' here in Massachusetts only a few weeks ago. I ordered this concert on a deluxe BluRay/CD set and it arrived the other day. This weekend, I look forward to taking it all in with DTS Master Audio 5.1 and HD video, can't wait (O: Thanks for your reaction presentation!
10:02 No, the backing tracks (most of the orchestral instruments, backing vocals and sound effects) of a song are played from a DAW source right through the PA. Clicktracks and timecodes for lighting/pyro/etc are also included in the DAW files. The audio engineer is basically just pressing Play and the band is playing live over the backing foundation.
@@dac2007 Yep Nightwish has top tier musicians. One thing to point out on your comment. If someone in the band screws up it's likely more audible, but also easier to get back if the foundation is perfectly in time (thanks to clicktracks and in-ear monitoring which they are using).
Catched your mistake initially and pointed it out, i hope it served haha. Good thing you remade it so fast. The initial part indeed has reverse whispers, if i'm not mistaken it's the same thing that it's said later by the boy, backwards.
Haha their whole new album that came out last month has lyric vids to every song. Toumas the keyboardist is the composer to 99% of every song Nightwish does. The reason Emmpu and Marco are always over by Toumas is they are showing their support because of the subject matter which other people have commented on.
Except for Noise. And btw, names are Tuomas and Emppu. And Marko changed his stage name back to his given name last year. He even made a Twitter account! ;) I guess Emppu doesn't want to be called as Erno that is his given name. :)
@@monksuu Finland is so lucky to have this band and be able to see them live a lot easier then us in the USA. Its only been a couple years since they been to Denver. (Hope Denver isn't a bad word for the Nightwish Army) but it's felt like 20 years lol
@@chris5632 This year NW was supposed to have ONE gig in June in Finland. But thanks to this ongoing pandemic, that's off too. Their website showed no other dates for Finland before tour dates went off. No tour dates for Finns currently but there's four dates for USA/Canada in September. They ended the Decades tour in Finland with two dates (plus two festivals in the summer). Since then they haven't had a public gig in Finland. For example, Germany had 8 dates, including Wacken 2018. They started the tour with 34 dates for USA and Canada alone. How we Finns are so lucky to have NW here when they don't play live here? ;) :D PS. It's quite expensive to travel (aka fly, or it was before this coronathingy, now it's impossible) to Europe. Or it took one or two ferries to drive to the Central Europe so it wasn't easy or quick. ;)
A&P Reacts from Canada, Make a Request to Nightwish Record level to interview Floor Jansen and guess what she Accepted few days ago... what a lucky channel and Floor Jansen what a Awesome Person for accepting. You might try the same with Thoumas! Awesome Reaction🤘🤘🤘🤘
If Ghost Love Score is a torch song, this is a breakup song, like "I'm in a really bad place" kind of breakup song. The next one in the sequence might be Shudder Before The Beautiful, a "I got over the breakup and there is a beautiful world outside". With maybe "I Want My Tears Back" slotted in-between, especially given your interest in the Celtic influence, which is way stronger than you realize. The 6th member of the band, who I don't think you've seen so far, is a Scottish multi-instrumentalist who practically shreds on uillean pipes...
I'm not a fan, at all, of people who KEEP stopping the video, and talking about what they've just seen. But, here, I didn't mind, as, unlike others, you know what you're talking about, and make a lot of good comments! Great reaction, and I've given ya a thumbs up! :o)
Always thought of the two faces lyric as meaning "one for the fans/my public face and one for....(private thoughts/true feelings/vulnerable side, can't say it out loud).... God save me"
I’ve seen Nightwish live twice. Once at the Download music festival and once in a more intimate, smaller setting. Both times you leave completely drained. Mentally, emotionally and physically. Their music takes you through the entire range of emotions and if you ever get the chance to see them live, you absolutely should!
"I cannot cry, 'cause the shoulder cries more" sounds to me like "I can't cry, because anyone's shoulder I could cry on is already crying more" - or, "I can't express what I've got going wrong with me, because I'm on top of the world (or at least, many people have things worse than me)."
I saw them live twice now, and the show itself is really like you saw on the video, no matter where they are playing. Here in Chile was the exactly same graphics and show. They are just AWESOME live.
This song is about the firing of first singer in the band (Tarja Turunen) and how Tuomas ended up with a sewered head, with hes wine, almost feeling like killing himself, but he find he´s shore again, being happy, and the band going strong... a very personal song, with some hard lyrics in.. the song begings with the end (the firing of Tarja) and ends with the beginning (Tuomas happy, and the band is going again) Tuomas Holopainen (the keyboard player) wrote this song, as he do with 95% of all Nightwish, he is a modern Mozart!! since the multi instrmental gut Troy Donecley did join the band, the celtic stuff is more, and he have been a friend of the band a long time, also doing studio stuff with them, before he officialy joined in 2013..
I just went to my iTunes for the Beethoven 7th symphony piece after listening to the link you provided. (Thank you for that!!!) I’m now listening to and comparing all the symphony orchestras I can find to see which rendition deserves to be in my “Beyond Emotion” playlist. 😁 I’m so glad that my parents flooded us kids with classical, Celtic, folk music, and classic hard rock from my earliest memories. It gave me an insight into the human condition that I hadn’t realized til I hit my 40s. I’m pretty sure that lulling yourself to sleep swaying out a cyclic paradiddle with your feet as a toddler/preschooler isn’t quite "normal".... and being mesmerized by syncopation from my earliest youth. God was I lucky! It was all these elements combined with discovering thrash metal and the massive sound of Boston in my teens that set me up to really appreciate and be moved by so many pieces of music. There isn’t a single Nightwish song that I’ve heard Floor sing that hasn’t given me the inevitable "Floorgasm". Tuomas has to be one of the greatest composers of the late 20th/early 21st centuries. Alright time to go back to judging symphonies. 🤘🏻
Nice, interesting reaction. Didn't catch the first one, I hope I didn't miss much. I've been listening to NW for 15 years or so and loved everything they've made so far. Their music always seemed to me like a puzzle: every piece fits perfectly. I don't know anything about music and composition so having a tecnical explanation as to why that is makes me happy, thanks! Nightwish music has always had lots of influences, their style is sometimes a bit difficult to categorise, so no surprise there are celtic influences too. I am listening to Bonny Port right now and I can see what you meant. It's a beautifol song, too so thanks for linking it. You should really listen to Endlessness from the new album; Human Nature. Marco's voice like we've never heard before. Haunting, melancholic, beautiful.
The live shows are just simply said AWESOME. I have seen them once in an indoor concert and few times outdoors. It's really emotional cause the band and the songs mean so much to me. You just go on an journey through the show. And when it's over your in a bliss for awhile 😂
Everyone has already discussed the background and meaning behind the song below. This is a hauntingly beautiful/sad/grandiose song that is brilliantly written and composed as well as performed. The “Mother/Father” part at end is what Toumas’s mother had said to him when he came home and talked to her about all he was dealing with and going through. The lines of “when did you become so cold” and “you have such oceans within” break me every time. Go back after knowing all of these things and watch again without trying to analyze the music and just feel it.
3:15 - i have sadly not seen nightwish live since 2012 at liseberg (gothenburg), sweden, just before anette olzen left the band but even then with anette, this song was so good on their concert. i recommend you listen to some live songs with anette as well, she has a more pop music voice than the classically trained voice of floor and tarja 8:32 - emppu vuorinen is the name you are seeking of the guitarist, he walks up to tuomas to make sure he is okay and comforts him a bit during this song since its a difficult song for him to play. 13:40 - i believe its a backing vocal track from when anette originally sang the song in the studio
I was there! There's the lights, but you are so ingrained in the metal and/or the emotion, you forget. This song started the second half of the set that included Ghost Love Score and The Greatest Show on Earth and it was such an emotional rollercoaster with those songs basically all together (there was a smaller length song in between each one (Nemo, Stargazers and Last ride of the day). This was the first time that any Finnish metal band had sold out Wembley too. Ever seen 30,000 metal fans in tears? Well we were by a) the end of this and b) the end of the gig. One thing to think about, is that Tuomas wrote this after Nightwish's first singer was removed for the band. It led him towards suicide and in a way, this is his suicide note (that's way the two guitarists are around the keyboards a lot in this performance (and Tuomas doesn't have his earpiece in).
I wasnt at Wembley, but I was at Wacken 2013 and no, you could easily focus on the stage, but there were less grandiose effects than here. :) That being said, love your reactions but this is a song you should have done some research on before checking it as there is a very deep and sad story behind it. :)
I've been in their last show in Buenos Aires, they recorded a DVD that night and their videos are in TH-cam already, you must react to them. NIGHTWISH LIVE IN BUENOS AIRES
Thank you for doing this song! I was excited to see your take on it because aside from the fact that your reactions are delightful, as someone with 0 musical training, it's always interesting for me to hear these little insights about the music I love. It gives me a new appreciation for them. I don't want to repeat what others have said here, but I just want to add that Tuomas, the mastermind behind Nightwish, has said he does not like to explain what a song means because he likes fans to make of it what they will. He is an extremely gifted and visionary songwriter. You should check out interviews with him where he talks about the process. I think you'd find them interesting. This song's title is based on a story by Edgar Alan Poe called "The Pit and the Pendulum". Tuomas is a very well read person and constantly references art, literature, science, religion, etc. in his music. He's a modern Renaissance man. What's great about this iteration of Nightwish though is that Floor, their third singer to date, is able to sing the songs that were written for her, but also to make the older songs her own. So Nightwish recently brought back a bunch of old songs from their repertoire because they finally have a powerhouse like Floor who can sing them. Listen to Stargazers, Ever Dream, Nemo (acoustic version). And -- sorry this turned into a long comment -- if you are interested, they released a lyric video for each of the songs off their newest album, Human. :||: Nature. You'd love them. But YES make a lyric video! Lastly, if you like the Celtic influence stuff, listen to Last of the Wilds (it's instrumental), My Walden, and The Islander (live at Tampere) among many others. They always do at least one "Celtic" song on each album. And since Troy joined them on the pipes, it's been a lot more apparent. Cheers!
I've listened to this song a lot of times and the fifth movement always makes me cry, can't help it. The lyrics says "3 minutes and counting" exactly at 7:00 and Tuomas cuts his throat exactly at 10:00. Please do "The Greatest Show On Earth" next. I have a ticket for tomorrow's show in Argentina but due to covid it was moved to Jan 2021...
Ok, terrible mistake with the previous upload! I totally missed an entire section of this song. Hopefully this new version makes amends for that!
Thank you for letting me know as quickly as you did! You guys are all true supporters of this channel and I love you for it!
The whole version, finally.Why they mix a lot of keltic into their songs, I have no idea about.But it is beautiful nonetheless.And Floor as usual is great.The band too is great.The only band that mix so many styles into their music, and with such ease.From metal to classic just like that.Great musical talents all of them.
Empuu lead guitar, Marko bass/vocals, Kai drums, Tuomas keyboard/composer/ maestro/genius/Wood Elf in Skyrim, Troy vocals multiple instruments.
This song is about Tuomas having to fire his childhood friend their 1st singer and his depression because of the backlash he got from it. Lyric vids yes the latest album Human :||: Nature and a fan made 1 for Master, Passion, Greed.
No worries! Like someone else said.. the song is still good around the millionth+ viewing.
I didn't see the original upload so no worries.
Tuomas, the guy on the keyboard, is the one who writes and composes nearly all of Nightwishs songs. After they fired Tarja (their first singer) he fell into a depression and wrote this song to deal with his feelings. The song has 5 parts. White lands of emphatica, Home, Pacific, Dark Passion Play and Mother & Father. You can hear the transitions to those parts in the change of music. Tuomas once said that he had to write this song in order to not commit suicide in real life. From the point where the lyrics say 3 minutes and counting, its 3 minutes until the pendulum kills him. You can hear the descending heartbeat after. Also notice how the song starts with 'the end' and ends with 'the beginning'.
This song is a lot. It's really realty dark but to understand you have to know the whole story with Tarja and everything. Nightwish is a band where you really have to pay attention to the lyrics too.
And btw Nightwish shared your 'why Nightwish sucks' video on their socials. Keep it up, your reactions are awesome!
yeah @Cordula Grün
and don't forget tarja whas the best friend of tuomas , that compliqued all .
@@dindonlemaster yea exactly and even though there is no proof for it, but looking at some songs he had a huge crush on her too!!
@@cordulagrun9401 well i think u oversimplify things.... there is a concept about the relation of an artist to his muse that often ends up erotic but there are times one can really admire love and adore someone but accept that their love isnt reciprocated and keeps it platonic
@@galadballcrusher8182 sure, I did it on purpose just for understanding. Of course, what you just said sounded a lot better and may be more accurate, but for the first basic understanding I tried to keep it simple. Also sometimes I'm not sure how to express my thoughts, since English isn't my mother tongue :)
'Best friend' might really be an overstatement, they were casual acquaintances by the time he asked her to sing for the demo and didn't even know she sung in a classical style. Never mind the crush stuff.
The reason for all the incredible compositions of any song is simply because Tuomas is a genius.
I don't like his diva attitude, but I can't deny that he is an incredible visionary when it comes to writing metal music. Like 90% of the band's songs are so complex,. With so many different emotions, meanings, and other such things. Even the pauses and build-ups are perfect. And the way he combines classical with metal is magical.
I'm always sad when I talk to other metalheads in my country though. Nightwish is barely known here. I live in the Netherlands, and it always blew my mind when people hadn't heard of Nightwish. Luckily they now have floor, and she appeared in a show called "de beste zingers van Nederland". (the best singers of the Netherlands) And since then the band has gotten more recognition over here. :)
@@Sanquinity what diva attitude?
If you want to listen to "genius", listen to classic music, not some metal. Seriously.
Nightwish are just adapting some elements most popular music doesn't use and adds some complexity, but it's far from genius.
A lot of fun, well executed, but nothing people will talk about in 200 years from now.
That's it. And other amazing things about Finland, that make that country such a beautiful place. Music is a BIG part of the education in Finland. Of course, that makes them better persons. Cause it's what music does with people.
th-cam.com/video/mNRahGTlE6s/w-d-xo.html
I was there. We were joking outside saying that there was no chance they’d play this because they hadn’t played it in a few years. They played the intro, and I genuinely didn’t believe they were going to actually play it all, but use it to segway into another song. Then they went for it. Blew my damn mind.
You lucky bastard!
Lucky you, they play this one so rarely... and I can see why, by it is imho the best of their songs, and I am sure many others have it in their top list as well.
What did they go to “Master Passion Greed”?
“I (Tuomas) cannot cry, ‘cause the shoulder cries more” There are so many others crying on his shoulder during this tumultuous period, that there’s no time (or ability needed) for him to cry.
"I cannot cry 'cause the shoulder cries more."
I cannot be comforted if the other person needs comforting more than I do.
Tuomas' very strong feelings towards the situation of having to fire the original singer and his high school friend Tarja after I think 9 years of Nightwish.
If you want to talk to Nightwish, Tuomas is your guy. He writes the music, most of the lyrics. He sees his singers as instruments in the composition according to their abilities ( #noPressure xD )
Exactly. Tuomas obviously couldn't go to his childhood friend, Tarja, to "cry on her shoulder" because she was the one he was firing. Great line lyrically.
Agreed, although I feel like Floor is a bit easier to approach since she does lives in Instagram quite frequently. There has been a video of Tuomas answering a few fans questions tho, maybe that will also help explain a few things.
Tuomas? Whos that? Oh wait, you think about that Lv 74 wood elf.
LOL.
@@allmightyweakling4167 That one! xD
“The shoulder cries more” can also be interpreted as Tuomas’ shoulder carrying the weight of the world. So, it’s also crying in the sense of feeling so much pain under the weight, Tuomas then cannot cry (show weakness) as he carries it alone. He has to have two faces; “one for the world” that cannot cry, and “one for God” when he’s alone receiving all the backlash.
That’s what I like about his lyricism. The imageries can mean many things at the same time.
I've seen Nightwish twice, and honestly, no matter how spectacular the visuals, Floor and Marco's command of the stage always keep my attention!
Yeah, Tuomas dies in the song 3 minutes after the "3 minutes and counting", but that's not the end of the song
But after that, it is just his mother and father talking.
Yup.. the three minute countdown starts from the point it is sung about .. and is precise in its timing with the blade descending (when you see Tuomas do the cut throat part) ..then you hear the heartbeat before the final section
There are two songs in reference of this and have a lot of sence
Same old song by Pain
Child in time by Deep purple
“Only 3 minutes and counting” - it is a countdown in the song, 3 min after this part you can see when Tuomas sliced this throuth (the suicida part), the part when you were thinking the song ends
Emppu (the guitarist) and Marco (bassist) actually go over to Tuomas at the keyboards to show them their support and to tell him that they are there. Some other comments have already mentioned it; the background story of this song is VERY important. Shortly put Tuomas wrote this song to commit suicide when he had fallen into a deep depression so that he did not have to commit real suicide. This song comes from a very emotional and terrible part deep down in Tuomas, so every time they play it (which is not very often) it is a mental challenge for Tuomas. As far as I know he also asks for the lyrics to be muted in his ear plug ins so that he only hears the instrumental part. Very sad and so very strong at the same time.
And just in case you have missed it so far: Tuomas is the mastermind behind Nightwish. They could literally exchange anyone in the band - except Tuomas. Without him there cannot be any Nightwish. He IS Nightwish and the band is like an insight in to his mind and soul.
@Elveheart, "Lyrics muted?" I think you mean this: th-cam.com/video/v65-ErfUyVM/w-d-xo.html
Ye they can't replace marko
Elveheart I only discovered Nightwish last year & have been obsessed with them ever since! As for me, if ANYONE left this group now, it would not be the same for me & would be very hard for me to watch them again. Also, I think I had read somewhere that Tuomas once stated in an interview that if Floor were to ever leave the group for whatever reason, that would be the end of the band. So for me...this is the ultimate band, the ultimate Nightwish!
@@ricki21225 I think he said more equably that he cannot do another line-up change, so it applies equally to all the members really. And the inference is that the present constitution is ideal and Nightwish is all the members, remove just one and it doesn't exist.
From the moment it is said "three minutes and counting" it is exact 3 minutes until Tuomas "cuts" of his throat.
We were there, it was an incredible night! Seen them again since and just when you think they can’t get better, they do. Amazing band! 💜
This is about Tuomas the keyboard player who got really depressed when they parted with Tarja the original singer. He was that depressed he thought about suicide but composed this instead of actually going through with it.
He was more depressed because of the big risk of Nightwish splitting up than about them parting with Tarja, wich he felt was necessary. Nightwish is his life.
@@korvkioskshelvete But, from my understanding, Tarja was his first, and unrequited, love. That would have been hard on him.
Bradley McDaniel I don’t know about that. Tuomas, Emppu and Tarja were high school buddies. Very close friends. But Tuomas never dated Tarja. He did date Anette very briefly though. But losing a close friend is hard too. Tuomas and Tarjas husband/manager could not stand eachother, so who knows?
@@korvkioskshelvete dated Anette?
Andy The Drummer Yes they dated about 10 years ago.
I was at this show! this was my first ever concert in fact, really loved it and I was so happy when they played this song live!
Don't worry... I'm on my 999,000th viewing and I'm still seeing new stuff. Still bloody crying too damn it.
Nice reaction but it's not over till FLOOR says " thank you " lol
"I cannot cry 'cause the shoulder cries more."
The idea that you cannot cry on the shoulder of another because they are even more upset then you are, so for their sake you kinda have to be the strong one and pretend you aren't hurting and deal with the pain internally.
That's how I interpret it.
"I have but two faces, one for the world one for god"
You have two sides two personas - there is your on stage persona (i.e. the face you put on for the world and that the everybody epects to see) and there is your actual real persona (the one you feel on the inside that nobody else knows about except you and god).
The song was written by Thuomas (Keyboards) who is the writer and mastermind behind most of the band's music. The words to my knowledge are express of his own feelings. Much of them likely related to his feelings towards Tarja (their first singer) and pressures of being in the band and living up to the expectations of fans, and his own deep dark internal feelings of depression etc.
I've read that this particular song is especially deep for Tuomas and gets him extremely emotional, which is why you see some of the band members go over to him a couple of times during the performance to check on him and make sure he is ok.
P.s.
When the lyric says "I have 3 minutes and counting" - exactly 3 minutes after that there is the sound of a gilloutine falling.
Beautifully explained, thank you
I see the shoulder that cries more as the fans. The ones Tuomas thought he could lean on, but couldn't.
I always thought that Tuomas had Tarja as the shoulder he could cry on, but it's now impossible because she's crying more.
150 reactions within 3 hours: that's why we call ourselves an army!
"How you doing buddy? How's the wife and kids" more like " you good bro? I know this song is tough for you. We got you man, we're here for you! "
This is the reason. Tuomas was holding it together at that point - at least outwardly. Later on you can see the pain on his face when it cuts to him singing with Floor and Marko. It's a really strong contrast.
@@KaiHarper89 tuomas insisted that the spoken lyrics were muted from his in ear foldback during performances.
I love how close and supporting of each other they are
@@KaiHarper89 time stamp?
And in the end Emppu and Marco went upp to Tuomas and support him "we all are here whit and for you !
If you watch the Greatest Show On Earth, it's 20 odd minutes long.
From the Tampere show of course!
Yes!!!!! A must see!!!
Only about 10 of the 20 minutes are odd.
absolutely, its as masterpiece
Yes what this one too for sure!
Apparently the last part was said by Tuomas's mother to him. Pretty emotional. Nightwish's new album has 8 lyrical videos. The guitar players at the end came to Tuomas to see if he was alright, the song was hard on him, but he's over it now
As one of the people who suggested to have the lyrics available- you're welcome XD Glad you followed our advice. You made a comment about the "hey bud, how you doing" when Emppu goes over to Tuomas early in the video- as I'm sure you noticed he does that a few times. Knowing the deep meaning this song has for Tuomas, he and Marco move towards him a lot to show their support and solidarity with him. Emppu was a founding member alongside Tuomas and Tarja so he's been there since the beginning, Marco was with them for awhile before Tarja was fired.
If I'm not mistaken this song was originally written for their second vocalist, Anette, but Floor just... owns this song. The passion she puts into it really does it justice. Anette just didn't have the power and control over a performance that Floor does to bring this song to life.
While I'm not 100% on the real meanings as intended by Tuomas as I'm but a casual member of the Nightwish Army, but I took away a few things from certain lines
"I cannot cry , 'cause the shoulder cries more" to me refers to needing a shoulder to cry on in tough times. As others have said, Tuomas and Tarja were very close and it was obviously very hard for both of them when the decision was made to let Tarja go- which removed the avenue of outlet that Tuomas would have normally had to relieve his feelings of sorrow and anxiety. Sharing his feelings through his lyrics is also hard when your fanbase in general is upset with such a world-rocking decision. Also, as the figurehead of the bad, so to speak, he likely felt he had to 'save face' and appear strong in his decision, which leads me into the second line.
"Forgive me, I have but two faces. One for the world- one for God, save me". In public he had to give off one appearance, but behind closed doors and alone, without that shoulder, he was able to remove that mask- a classic symptom of depression where you put on your happy face for those around you.
I didn't see the original upload but i'm glad you went back to hear the rest! The final "Act" contains actual/paraphrased quotes from Tuomas's parents, thus the act being called "Mother & Father"
"Sparkle my scenery" ugh... Always gives me major goosebumps, this is really an special song, knowing the back story, I just want to give Tuomas a hug
No matter how many times I watch this video, that moment when Marco starts singing and Emppu has that ridiculous smile on his face...catches me every time!!
Yes!! Please discuss and dissect their music. I love watching music nerds breaking down all the moving parts that goes into making a nightwish song!!
I remember when this album came out, it was Annette's debut as lead singer. And this song is the opening for the album and it just blew me away. I was worried that without Tarja they wouldnt pull it off, but this song proved to me that nightwish is Tuomas' not the vocalist.
Yet Floor brought the lyrics back to the level of the rest of the band.
Yeah exactly 3 minutes after that monologue, Tuomas's head gets chopped off by the pendulum
It's amazing just how he timed it. They are playing it live and are still able to nail it!!!
@@BOOMBiggityBam I think in music it's not actually as difficult to time something like that as you would expect. If you haven't seen it go watch Tim Manchin's Three Minute Song. The timing is set up by the music you just need to know how many bars take up a certain amount of time. (I'm not a musician so I'm sure I butchered that...)
no that's not true, You can't see Tuomas's head on the floor xD
Example for timing the 3 minutes.
120 BPM (Beats Per Minute) in standard 4/4 time.
120 BPM × 3 minutes = 360 beats.
360 beats ÷ 4 beats per measure (bar) = 90 measures.
Suggestions: Yours is an Empty Hope (most metal Nightwish song I think, bonus points if you work out who's singing what. Many reactors spot it late or miss it entirely). Greatest Show On Earth for pure awesomeness (Live at Tampere has fireworks but the very end is background while the credits roll, live at Wembley goes right to the very end of the song in full). The Islander or High Hopes for Marco worship. Anything Floor did on Dutch TV show Beste Zangers for exploring her range and versatility. Any of the lyric videos for the new album Human .:||: Nature. How's The Heart acoustic version that Troy and Floor did for Planet Rock.
Jon Horrocks don’t forget 7 days to the wolves
He seems like someone who notice details of the song and not just sit & focus on what face should they do & what to say for next pause ... SO I'm really interested in his view of those songs!
I'd recommend the Wembley version of Yours is an Empty Hope if for no other reason than the better video and sound quality than the cruise version.
Jon Horrocks Yes, and many reactors miss the part of music evolution references in the greatest show on Earth (enter sandman Metallica, among others)
hows this? th-cam.com/video/GrAeXBy6Vag/w-d-xo.html
I have seen so many reactions on Nightwish somgs, especially The Poet And The Pendulum, but this one is by far the best. Hands down. It's that unique mixture of reaction und professional knowledge and analysis, that gives me that doubled pleasure of a great masterpiece and a great expertise. Well done mate, well done!
I was at that show and I was mesmerised by the whole performance, was mind blowing!
They have still a gig planned on 8th September in Toronto... 😉
To be short;
Tuomas (keyboard) is the Poet, this was his musical suicide....so he didn't need to do it for real. The band sacked Tarja (first lead vocalist) and Tuomas got all the dirt, people said things that really hurt him. Then he wrote this masterpiece. Floor is indeed classical trained, and put her hart and soul into this song.
This song is an emotional rollercoaster, sadness, anger, pity and at the very end saviour from his mom and dad. This song is very hard for Tuomas to play, so they will not play it often (sadly).
When Floor sings that "Sparkle my scenery..." bit, it is the most sublime moment in Nightwish history (to me, anyway)
I heard in another reaction video that Originally the boys soprano or whatever he is had to sing that part but when floor joined she said pfft I can sing that and so she replaced the child.
Floor is most versatile singer in the planet 😍🎩 greetings from Czech Republic - btw Nightwish are very popular there
Yes, Nightwish - best concrete for me
Unfortunately, NW in CR are popular only among metal and rock fans. Outside this bubble, nobody really knows them. Most Czechs listen only to the pop radio stations. Be it a modern pop or 80'/90' pop. Similar situation as Netherlands and Floor's subsequent metal proselytizing there. Sad But True. Pun intended.
I can't leave out the aspect of the 'show' on stage.
IMO the live shows has become so much more better since Floor and Troy joined the band, everybody smiling and enjoying the performance time after time. It's all a big show and the chemistry between the band really plays a big part.
And Tuomas is the one that makes it all to happen, he is really the key part in the band. Basic finnish attitude is that it's more respectful to be humble and silent than making a big fuss of yourself.
Good work, Nightwish army. We have successfully enlisted a new recruit!
Next.
11:40 When Floor goes to that tone in her voice, that's when the tears start welling up in grown men's throats... if they weren't already. See "Shoemaker" for same effect... you will notice.
I've seen Nightwish live twice. One during the Endless Forms Most Beautiful tour, and then for the Decades tour. I was so fixated on the band that the other stuff didn't distract me at all
Tuomas is the creative spark of the band. Everything is written and composed by him :)) The whole band are amazing musicians but this guy is a next level genius
There are a few nightwish songs that are elevated to a whole new level when the lyrics and the context of them is understood. This one is about the composer and keyboardist Tuomas' metaphorical suicide. The whole story requires understanding of the group's past. Other songs like The Greatest Show on Earth and Shoemaker have less complicated contexts, but should be understood in order to fully appreciate.
Nightwish is a great band to just listen to - the composition is top notch, but they have an intellectual side to them that when grasped takes it to a whole new level of greatness.
Enjoy the ride, and don't take the comment section too serious, some are pretty passionate :)
I’ve been blessed with seeing them live once. There is a lot to look at during the show but it doesn’t detract at all. They put on an amazing show even in small venues.
This song is about suicide. After Tarja - the first Nightwish singer - left the band, Tuomas - who's on the keyboards, the man who wrotes all of their lyrics and music - went onto a deep depression. He thought about suicide. But he wrote this song about his suicide, instead of really committing suicide. He knew the pain he would leave behind. Tuomas writes songs to deal with his feelings and about things happening in his world and in the world around him. He also writes song dealing with things he has read.
If you noticed the song started at the end and finished at the beginning. There are parts that he cannot listen to today. He has them turn his ear buds down in certain parts of the song. The reason the bassist and the guitarist go over to him at the end of the song is to show their support for him.
She didn't leave the band, she was fired, and the fans hated him for firing her
@@Irespecktyouall I didn't. It was a mess on both parts, maybe. I know some of my longest and most important friendships have ended badly. It happens. People change or grow apart. Doesn't mean the whole band needs to go down, too. Fans need to understand that.
Nathan N2 She was fierd for saying that she was going solo without leaving the band.
No, she literally LEFT the band. After the guys came backstage after the last song, Tarja was nowhere to be found (she usually left the stage early at many songs). They then found out, she jumped into a taxi as soon as she could, to be brought to the next airport so she could fly to where her husband/manager was. She ditched them (I don't really remember what was planned afterwards, an encore, meet&greet, promo-stuff or smth) and that after she mentioned in more than one fight with the other members, that after THAT tour, she will go solo (not a solo/side project, which all the other band members - except Emppu - have aside from the band, but completely solo). They've just had enough. And obviously, so did she. They would have parted anyways, but after such a display of unprofessional selfishness, telling most loudly how many fu*ks she gave about the band (none), firing her was the only solution. And it happened in a letter, as she wasn't there anymore to be fired personally (which would have been followed by a letter anyway, to make it legal).
@@olgahein4384 oh wow. A big FU to the fans, too then. I had heard something like that before but never really tried to dig deeper
I saw Nightwish at the Diamond Ballroom in OKC, which has approx 1000 occupancy. The stage was smaller so everything was closer together, and the graphics behind were more like a back drop. I can not say I payed much attention to the graphics, and was more focused on what the band was doing and how they interacted with each other.
Bro, this being a Reaction, I feel that if a song moves you to tears we'd all rather see that. Because it's highly likely it has had the same effect on us. That shared response is what makes Reaction videos and certain channels worth coming back to again and again. Just something to think about. 👍🏼
The keyboard player is the songwriter. All this came out of his head. He writes all the songs
Tuomas is the writer, composer, lyricist, keyboardist etc.
Nightwish has had three different singers. Tarja, Anette, and Floor. Tarja was an operatic soprano, Anette was a bit rock n roll, and Floor is classically trained and you've seen what she can do. The Poet and the Pendulum is on the album Dark Passion Play, which was the first album featuring Anette as the vocalist. The entire album was written and demoed without knowing what singer they were going to hire, so some are stylistically different than what they've recorded before. There are some demos recorded with the bassist, Marco, singing the vocal tracks -- they're pretty awesome and you should give them a listen if you have the chance. The album version uses a London Boy's Choir for the very high parts. Floor sings the "turquoise waterfalls" done by the choir here in the later acts of the song instead. The harmonies you hear are Anette's voice on the backing track.
It's a long story, but I'll sum it up:
The band made a difficult decision to fire Tarja after years of strain and disagreement. This decision, while hard for everyone, was arguably the most difficult for Tuomas. He fell into a deep depression after this event, for years.
As you probably figured out, Nightwish fans are very devoted and involved and exceptionally passionate for the band and its music -- especially because of how emotional and personal the lyrics and music are. The Poet and the Pendulum was written as a musical passion play of Tuomas' death. In short, he promised us, the fans, that he wouldn't kill himself. So he killed himself in a song.
"I cannot cry 'cause the shoulder cries more/I cannot die, I a whore for the cold world"
I always interpreted that to mean that he has to stay strong, because so many fans depend on the music to help them with their own pain. There is a lot of switching voice in the song, lyrically, from sadness to anger, and that line is the best representation. Almost to say, "(anger)You think you understand, can lean on me, and use me like a whore for your own pain.(sadness) I'm suffering so much, I want to die, but I cannot. You need all me." He's the shoulder we cry on. [On the shore/We sat and hoped/Under the same pale moon/whose guiding light chose you all (the fans)]
It's brilliant.
Tuomas Lauri Johannes Holopainen (born 25 December 1976) is a Finnish songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and record producer, best known as the founder, leader, keyboardist and songwriter of symphonic metal band Nightwish.
The whispering in the beginning is the whispering at the end, just in reverse. Like full-circle.
Don’t worry, Nightwish tours Canada regularly, I’ve seen them live three times in Edmonton 😀 No doubt we’ll have to wait a while before the next tour, but it will happen!
You should probably wait with the Nightwish Video essay/discussion until you're explored quite a bit more of their repertoire, since many of your current questions and observations might get answered/deepen when you hear more samples from their wide range of musical styles and influences. That said, yes I would definitely watch a video essay/discussion analysing Nightwish from the point of view of a music teacher (I like most vocalist/musician/teacher reactions to Nightwish).
As for Lyrics videos - they released official lyrics videos for almost all the songs from their latest album (Human Nature).
Cheers! :)
I very much agree with you. He does need more reactions before a discussion/analysis of their music.
I rather prefer him hit it now from a position of naivety and maybe revisit later. Music inspires in different ways to different people. Some may see this and empathize with Tuomas, others my take a completely different message and not need any band-related context. This guy is only of my favorites so far.
I love that in the last movement, Floor ends the vocal passages back at the same high note, while Marco resolves the melody the way you'd expect. Incredible.
Nightwish do have a couple of concert dates coming up. September 8th at the Meridian Hall in Toronto and I think like the day after in Montreal.
Both cancelled...as far Floor said...NA mini.tour is postponed
There's also a demo version that's entirely sung by Marco.
Dude that version is RAW AS FUCK. The spoken part in toward the end where in the final version, "I've been raped again and again..."
Marcos version... Holy shit is it damning. Like hard hitting, cutting... DAMN.
@@sarahgraves6759 where can i hear that?
NM, found it :) th-cam.com/video/2oECYCV5-5w/w-d-xo.html
@@snowdoll3778 Thanks for sharing the link. Cant wait to give this a listen!
The Poet and the Pendulum is the first track in Nightwish's 6th album, Dark Passion Play. This song is one of Tuomas' most personal songs, in which Tarja Turunen leaves the band and his feelings about it. The song was the longest Nightwish song in duration at the time and is now the second longest song only for The Greatest Show on Earth. Clocks around 14 minutes. The song is divided into 5 sections,
each with different themes and styles applied
This is a poetic suicide note. Tuomas wrote it when he was depressed after the whole of Finland and probably a lot of Scandinavia blamed him for breaking up their favourite band! It is very rarely played and possibly only played because the concert was to be filmed. The ending has the three remaining band members from when the decision was made move together almost in a it was our decision not yours alone Tuomas.
The lyrics are inspired by when they "parted ways" with Tarja (She was fired via open letter at their web page) and how the whole situation got him into a deep depression. The reason you might feel Floor sounds different in this song is because it was original written for the second vocalis of the band, Annette. She had a completely different voice style compared to Tarja's. Tarja and Floor being more classical, Annette has a more "pop" voice.
they will come to canada on September the 8th, you can find tickets on their page
Good reaction, thank you. My recommendation would be to play every Nightwish song to the very last second. You missed a really sweet "thank you" from Floor at the end. No worries though. It's your channel and should do whatever you do. We'll still be here. 🤘
15:20 > 3 minutes later after the voice is saying "I have only three minutes and counting", there is the spoken part in which it is said that Tuomas has died.
I was there stage right. Mind blown, voice horse, totally amazed
We were there. They are amazing, its a total immersion experience
Me: Starts crying as usual.
Temple Music Academy: You know what, I'm rewinding I need to hear that again.
Me: God damn it man!
Temple Music Academy: *rewinds*
Me: Well, guess its crying 3 times today.
Yes, all of the new tracks have lyric videos. There's a version of this video with lyrics overlayed, too.
Try 'Kiss while your lips are still red' to see what Marko (the bass player) can do. Damn good vocalist in his own right.
Great video, man. Totally, I want to see more Nightwish videos, this band is just so full of emotions...
The song is about Tuomas going through emotions due to having to fire their first singer whom he was friends with from high school. Also the title of the song is an homage to Edgar Allen Poe's story "the pit and the pendulum"
People who own their screw ups win my respect. You’re awesome dude, don’t worry.
Re: lyric videos: they did make official lyric videos for almost all the songs on their latest album.
Just discovered Nightwish during our 'shut down' here in Massachusetts only a few weeks ago. I ordered this concert on a deluxe BluRay/CD set and it arrived the other day. This weekend, I look forward to taking it all in with DTS Master Audio 5.1 and HD video, can't wait (O: Thanks for your reaction presentation!
10:02 No, the backing tracks (most of the orchestral instruments, backing vocals and sound effects) of a song are played from a DAW source right through the PA. Clicktracks and timecodes for lighting/pyro/etc are also included in the DAW files. The audio engineer is basically just pressing Play and the band is playing live over the backing foundation.
Which goes to show how masterful they are, i mean one single miss in the tempo and the whole thing gets screwed
@@dac2007 Yep Nightwish has top tier musicians. One thing to point out on your comment. If someone in the band screws up it's likely more audible, but also easier to get back if the foundation is perfectly in time (thanks to clicktracks and in-ear monitoring which they are using).
Catched your mistake initially and pointed it out, i hope it served haha. Good thing you remade it so fast.
The initial part indeed has reverse whispers, if i'm not mistaken it's the same thing that it's said later by the boy, backwards.
Haha their whole new album that came out last month has lyric vids to every song. Toumas the keyboardist is the composer to 99% of every song Nightwish does. The reason Emmpu and Marco are always over by Toumas is they are showing their support because of the subject matter which other people have commented on.
Except for Noise. And btw, names are Tuomas and Emppu. And Marko changed his stage name back to his given name last year. He even made a Twitter account! ;) I guess Emppu doesn't want to be called as Erno that is his given name. :)
@@monksuu my fault on the misspelling 😁🤘
@@chris5632 No worries! You weren't the first one to do Toumas (it isn't a name here in Finland) and I bet you won't be the last one either. :D
@@monksuu Finland is so lucky to have this band and be able to see them live a lot easier then us in the USA. Its only been a couple years since they been to Denver. (Hope Denver isn't a bad word for the Nightwish Army) but it's felt like 20 years lol
@@chris5632 This year NW was supposed to have ONE gig in June in Finland. But thanks to this ongoing pandemic, that's off too. Their website showed no other dates for Finland before tour dates went off. No tour dates for Finns currently but there's four dates for USA/Canada in September. They ended the Decades tour in Finland with two dates (plus two festivals in the summer). Since then they haven't had a public gig in Finland. For example, Germany had 8 dates, including Wacken 2018. They started the tour with 34 dates for USA and Canada alone. How we Finns are so lucky to have NW here when they don't play live here? ;) :D
PS. It's quite expensive to travel (aka fly, or it was before this coronathingy, now it's impossible) to Europe. Or it took one or two ferries to drive to the Central Europe so it wasn't easy or quick. ;)
It is exactly 3 minutes between that line and the moment of ‘decapitation’... so, yea: it’s meticulously planned.
A&P Reacts from Canada, Make a Request to Nightwish Record level to interview Floor Jansen and guess what she Accepted few days ago... what a lucky channel and Floor Jansen what a Awesome Person for accepting. You might try the same with Thoumas! Awesome Reaction🤘🤘🤘🤘
Awesome! As I said before, The Greatest Show on Earth @ Tampere will blow you away :)
I was there. Best concert I have ever been to, or ever will go to. Unless they manage to top it at wembley on the next tour.
I’ve seen Nightwish in Charlotte NC two years ago in a club that held 1500 people on the Decades tours. It was NIGHT TO REMEMBER!!!!!
If Ghost Love Score is a torch song, this is a breakup song, like "I'm in a really bad place" kind of breakup song. The next one in the sequence might be Shudder Before The Beautiful, a "I got over the breakup and there is a beautiful world outside". With maybe "I Want My Tears Back" slotted in-between, especially given your interest in the Celtic influence, which is way stronger than you realize. The 6th member of the band, who I don't think you've seen so far, is a Scottish multi-instrumentalist who practically shreds on uillean pipes...
I'm not a fan, at all, of people who KEEP stopping the video, and talking about what they've just seen. But, here, I didn't mind, as, unlike others, you know what you're talking about, and make a lot of good comments! Great reaction, and I've given ya a thumbs up! :o)
Next stop: The Greatest Show on Earth!
That would be too much for him...
There's a version of this live performance on TH-cam with lyrics in the video.
Always thought of the two faces lyric as meaning "one for the fans/my public face and one for....(private thoughts/true feelings/vulnerable side, can't say it out loud).... God save me"
Jon Horrocks Yes me too!
I’ve seen Nightwish live twice. Once at the Download music festival and once in a more intimate, smaller setting. Both times you leave completely drained. Mentally, emotionally and physically. Their music takes you through the entire range of emotions and if you ever get the chance to see them live, you absolutely should!
"I cannot cry, 'cause the shoulder cries more" sounds to me like "I can't cry, because anyone's shoulder I could cry on is already crying more" - or, "I can't express what I've got going wrong with me, because I'm on top of the world (or at least, many people have things worse than me)."
I saw them live twice now, and the show itself is really like you saw on the video, no matter where they are playing. Here in Chile was the exactly same graphics and show. They are just AWESOME live.
This song is about the firing of first singer in the band (Tarja Turunen) and how Tuomas ended up with a sewered head, with hes wine, almost feeling like killing himself, but he find he´s shore again, being happy, and the band going strong... a very personal song, with some hard lyrics in.. the song begings with the end (the firing of Tarja) and ends with the beginning (Tuomas happy, and the band is going again) Tuomas Holopainen (the keyboard player) wrote this song, as he do with 95% of all Nightwish, he is a modern Mozart!! since the multi instrmental gut Troy Donecley did join the band, the celtic stuff is more, and he have been a friend of the band a long time, also doing studio stuff with them, before he officialy joined in 2013..
I just went to my iTunes for the Beethoven 7th symphony piece after listening to the link you provided. (Thank you for that!!!)
I’m now listening to and comparing all the symphony orchestras I can find to see which rendition deserves to be in my “Beyond Emotion” playlist. 😁
I’m so glad that my parents flooded us kids with classical, Celtic, folk music, and classic hard rock from my earliest memories.
It gave me an insight into the human condition that I hadn’t realized til I hit my 40s.
I’m pretty sure that lulling yourself to sleep swaying out a cyclic paradiddle with your feet as a toddler/preschooler isn’t quite "normal".... and being mesmerized by syncopation from my earliest youth.
God was I lucky!
It was all these elements combined with discovering thrash metal and the massive sound of Boston in my teens that set me up to really appreciate and be moved by so many pieces of music.
There isn’t a single Nightwish song that I’ve heard Floor sing that hasn’t given me the inevitable "Floorgasm". Tuomas has to be one of the greatest composers of the late 20th/early 21st centuries.
Alright time to go back to judging symphonies. 🤘🏻
Nice, interesting reaction. Didn't catch the first one, I hope I didn't miss much.
I've been listening to NW for 15 years or so and loved everything they've made so far. Their music always seemed to me like a puzzle: every piece fits perfectly. I don't know anything about music and composition so having a tecnical explanation as to why that is makes me happy, thanks!
Nightwish music has always had lots of influences, their style is sometimes a bit difficult to categorise, so no surprise there are celtic influences too. I am listening to Bonny Port right now and I can see what you meant. It's a beautifol song, too so thanks for linking it.
You should really listen to Endlessness from the new album; Human Nature. Marco's voice like we've never heard before. Haunting, melancholic, beautiful.
The live shows are just simply said AWESOME. I have seen them once in an indoor concert and few times outdoors. It's really emotional cause the band and the songs mean so much to me. You just go on an journey through the show. And when it's over your in a bliss for awhile 😂
I love Night Wish,but when Floor joint them? They went up for real? Yes,she made then even better? Yes she did. She is amazing! Floorgasme every time!
Everyone has already discussed the background and meaning behind the song below. This is a hauntingly beautiful/sad/grandiose song that is brilliantly written and composed as well as performed. The “Mother/Father” part at end is what Toumas’s mother had said to him when he came home and talked to her about all he was dealing with and going through. The lines of “when did you become so cold” and “you have such oceans within” break me every time. Go back after knowing all of these things and watch again without trying to analyze the music and just feel it.
3:15 - i have sadly not seen nightwish live since 2012 at liseberg (gothenburg), sweden, just before anette olzen left the band but even then with anette, this song was so good on their concert. i recommend you listen to some live songs with anette as well, she has a more pop music voice than the classically trained voice of floor and tarja
8:32 - emppu vuorinen is the name you are seeking of the guitarist, he walks up to tuomas to make sure he is okay and comforts him a bit during this song since its a difficult song for him to play.
13:40 - i believe its a backing vocal track from when anette originally sang the song in the studio
Yup this is one of those songs that Anette did well. Although she didn't sing the second 'choir boy' section like Floor.
She looks like a Warrior, Outstanding Vocals and so Pretty!
Honestly one of their best songs ever! This song got me through some depression spells myself...HELL...the whole album got me through some shit!!
I was there! There's the lights, but you are so ingrained in the metal and/or the emotion, you forget. This song started the second half of the set that included Ghost Love Score and The Greatest Show on Earth and it was such an emotional rollercoaster with those songs basically all together (there was a smaller length song in between each one (Nemo, Stargazers and Last ride of the day). This was the first time that any Finnish metal band had sold out Wembley too. Ever seen 30,000 metal fans in tears? Well we were by a) the end of this and b) the end of the gig.
One thing to think about, is that Tuomas wrote this after Nightwish's first singer was removed for the band. It led him towards suicide and in a way, this is his suicide note (that's way the two guitarists are around the keyboards a lot in this performance (and Tuomas doesn't have his earpiece in).
I wasnt at Wembley, but I was at Wacken 2013 and no, you could easily focus on the stage, but there were less grandiose effects than here. :)
That being said, love your reactions but this is a song you should have done some research on before checking it as there is a very deep and sad story behind it. :)
i saw them at sweden rock festival 2004 with tarja, in pouring rain on a smaller stage. still one of my fav gigs of all time...
I've been in their last show in Buenos Aires, they recorded a DVD that night and their videos are in TH-cam already, you must react to them. NIGHTWISH LIVE IN BUENOS AIRES
Thank you for doing this song! I was excited to see your take on it because aside from the fact that your reactions are delightful, as someone with 0 musical training, it's always interesting for me to hear these little insights about the music I love. It gives me a new appreciation for them.
I don't want to repeat what others have said here, but I just want to add that Tuomas, the mastermind behind Nightwish, has said he does not like to explain what a song means because he likes fans to make of it what they will. He is an extremely gifted and visionary songwriter. You should check out interviews with him where he talks about the process. I think you'd find them interesting. This song's title is based on a story by Edgar Alan Poe called "The Pit and the Pendulum". Tuomas is a very well read person and constantly references art, literature, science, religion, etc. in his music. He's a modern Renaissance man.
What's great about this iteration of Nightwish though is that Floor, their third singer to date, is able to sing the songs that were written for her, but also to make the older songs her own. So Nightwish recently brought back a bunch of old songs from their repertoire because they finally have a powerhouse like Floor who can sing them. Listen to Stargazers, Ever Dream, Nemo (acoustic version).
And -- sorry this turned into a long comment -- if you are interested, they released a lyric video for each of the songs off their newest album, Human. :||: Nature. You'd love them. But YES make a lyric video!
Lastly, if you like the Celtic influence stuff, listen to Last of the Wilds (it's instrumental), My Walden, and The Islander (live at Tampere) among many others. They always do at least one "Celtic" song on each album. And since Troy joined them on the pipes, it's been a lot more apparent.
Cheers!
how about the live version? th-cam.com/video/GrAeXBy6Vag/w-d-xo.html
I've listened to this song a lot of times and the fifth movement always makes me cry, can't help it. The lyrics says "3 minutes and counting" exactly at 7:00 and Tuomas cuts his throat exactly at 10:00. Please do "The Greatest Show On Earth" next. I have a ticket for tomorrow's show in Argentina but due to covid it was moved to Jan 2021...