i remember listening to the album "ys" for the first time while i was at a cafe. i had my drink while the first song, "emily," played, which i thought was beautiful. i kept listening as i walked home - it was a fall afternoon. sawdust and diamonds played. i actually stopped in my tracks about where you stopped the video for the first time and just stood on the sidewalk, staring at the trees, and in awe listening to the lyrics and the harp. when i heard "then the slow lip of fire moves across the prairie with precision," i burst into tears the first time. the second bout of tears arrived with "i wasn't born of a whistle or milked from a thistle at twilight." i couldn't even finish the album, i had to listen to that song over and over again. i think i sat at home for a long time just listening and crying. NEVER have i had such a visceral emotional response to a song, and i don't think i ever will again.
I was in college at western Illinois university when I first started listening to her and “the slow lip of fire” part always got me and the imagery it played in my head is the exact same 10+ years later it’s just as powerful. There was also a shot at this bar they gave people on their 21st birthday called a prairie fire and it was a shot of tequila with some tobassco sauce, I always like the contrast of how comically horrible that was and how great this song is
Joanna newsome is the most amazing songwriter of all time I will go to the grave to defend that too. The amount of references to mythology literature history and art in her lyrics is fucking unreal. I absolutely love reading the genius interpretationas of her songs i really reccomend because they breakdown a lot of the antiquated terms and references she uses that will help you understand the lyrics better (esp for only skin and Emily) blessings on your journey. It's very rare that people convert to this church, I'm very lucky that my older sister loves her music as much as I do and we often times call each other and talk about her music and new understandings we are having about her songs over the years.
I think this is my favourite reaction video (obviously highly biased as it's one of my favourite songs, but still...) But yeah, the way you can see that this hits you is just a joy to behold. Thank you!
Other amazing songs from the same album are Monkey & Bear, and Cosmia, but my favorite will always be Emily, the first song of hers I ever heard. Tho Have One On Me is a close second.
i've been listening to this song for over a decade and i am still deciphering and finding new tings to connect to in the song. one, two, three listens are never enough.
She’s truly gifted. So intelligent. Her lyrics are so incredible and her voice is so interesting. She’s a full package. I feel like a complete amateur listening to her music.
It would be amazing if you reacted to Only skin. It reallly showcases her masterclass songwriting and composition skills. Super epic. It is 17 minutes tho lol
Hey, I'm no stranger to long reacts, I do a lot of double reactions 😆 thank you for the suggestion brother, we'll see if this can be the next Joanna Newsom reaction on the channel. This song really rocked me
@@Yeedeed somehow i cannot comment any longer, just answer to comments. so yes, thank you for following my reccomendation, i really enjoyed your reaction. it's impossible to get the lyrics from the first listening. her music is like a painting by hironymus bosch, many things are going on. indeed, her harp playing skills are not from this planet. and imagine her playing a whole concert, eight or ten epic songs. wow! I wanted to comment earlier, but we had here our first heavy autumn storm and a poor Internet connection. talking about björk I'd like to reccomend "all is full of love" music video to start with. it's said to be one of the best music videos of all the time, directed in 1998 (!!!)by Chris cunningham. in my documentary playlist you'll find also a short making of from this video. again, Mike, great reaction and thank you, its big fun to follow your channel!
@@Yeedeed hope you're still planning on following up with Newsom's "Only Skin" would really like to see how you interpret the lyrics and what you think of the song's incredible composition!
Wow is right . I've been a fan of hers for some time and I've never heard this one before . Truly an amazing talent . Something about her songs , the harp , her voice , the lyrics , it takes you to that other place . Like a dream . ...
The only time I’ve read her discussing this song, she said something along the lines of “a diorama with different animals on strings” being a running motif in the song, that the song describes some of the action occurring within the diorama, and that the song on a whole is about “performance” in several senses of the word.
From wikipedia:"Ys (pronounced /ˈiːs/), also spelled Is or Kêr-Is in Breton, and Ville d'Ys in French, is a mythical city on the coast of Brittany that was swallowed up by the ocean. Most versions of the legend place the city in the Baie de Douarnenez." That is the theme throughout the entire album. And I have been listening to this album since 2006, and it wasn't until 2016 that I learned the album is pronounced "Ease" and was not the plural form of the letter "Y". lol Sawdust & Diamonds is the middle/center song on the album, and I feel it falls heaviest within that theme of being buried undersea. No one really knows what Joanna's lyrics mean, and some of us have been trying to break them down since 2004 and on. We just kind of know that she is heavily influenced by literature pieces and figures, so we kind of go from there. And the opening where she plucks (sure that's not the correct terminology) the harp, it is to imitate a bell, and sometimes I envision a bell just rolling down a set of stairs, and across the entirety of the song, and the imagery her lyrics evoke is what the bell is witnessing as it rolls by. ❤
Beautiful song, great artist. I love your heartfelt reaction to Joanna Newsom. When you have the time check out Gillian Welch and Dave Rawlings do The Way It Will Be, live @ Jill’s Veranda. Coming from another place, but they have a similar uncanny musical sensitivity and subtlety. Kind of random here . . .
I saw her at the Manchester Bridgewater Hall in UK just after Have One on Me was released, she was amazing of course. I hadn't reaslised how big the harp is and how petite she is, its a very physical performance. It makes a change to see the harp used as a main instrument rather than for pretty effects in an orchestra. Enjoyed your reaction!
Thank you for the comment Frosty! That's great you got to see her live as well, I'd love to see her perform live as well. Man, she is a master at the harp, and to think she can masterfully sing WHILE playing is just amazing
I think a lot can be lost in trying to 'keep up' or decode her lyrics. The thing I love about the experience of listening to her music is the dense imagery that washes over you. Even if the intended meaning of the song doesn't come across clearly, the sentences she strings together summon up memories and emotions that you can drink up and luxuriate in.
What a great reaction! Joanna Newsom is definitely one of my top influences and favorite artists. Are you familiar with Sigur rós? If not, PLEASE react to them. Their music is incredible and I think you'd enjoy their sound. I recommend the song Starálfur either the studio version or the live version from the Heima film are incredible! Always leaves me in tears
If you'd like to react to another Joanna Newsom song, my personal favorite is "Crab, Clam, Cockle, Cowrie" -- specifically her live performance on the Later with Jools Holland show. I'm the kind of person who generally prefers studio recordings over live music, but this is an exception for me. I'll leave a link in another reply because leaving links in comments sometimes causes messages to never get posted.
thank you for following my reccomendation, i really enjoyed your reaction. it's impossible to get the lyrics from the first listening. her music is like a painting by hironymus bosch, many things are going on. indeed, her harp playing skills are not from this planet. and imagine her playing a whole concert, eight or ten epic songs. wow! her live videos are also quiet good, but here with the lyric video it was a perfect choice! I wanted to comment earlier, but we had here our first heavy autumn storm and a poor Internet connection. talking about björk I'd like to reccomend "all is full of love" music video to start with. it's said to be one of the best music videos of ALL TIME, directed in 1998 (!!!)by Chris cunningham. in my documentary playlist you'll find also a short making of from this video. here is the music video: ruclips.net/video/u0cS1FaKPWY/видео.html and here the short documentary: ruclips.net/video/QReuUcQ_c9U/видео.html björk is a whole universum in music. she started composing at the age of six, her first album selftitled at the age of eleven, followed by some punk music and the sugarcubes and each of her studio records is a master piece. again, Mike, great reaction and thank you, its big fun to follow your channel!
And we should thank you, Sóley, for recommending Joanna and this song in particular for a reaction video ... all the way from Iceland, too, I guess! This is indeed beautiful, and although Mike was lost for words at times, the WAY he was lost for words spoke volumes! I liked his speculation about "if she plays this and sings at the same time..." - and would recommend he watches the First Unitarian Church recording as it's a) complete, b) of reasonably good audio quality, and c) you can see - but not follow as it's too quick for the human eye [which is what I am equipped with] the intricate and endlessly complex movements of her fingers. All the other recommendations here are good: if I were to add mine, I'd pitch in En Gallop, Divers, baby Birch, and Flying A Kite by Joanna (and for a Björk song - Unison or It's Not Up To You).
@@steveparsons6719 thank for your kind words! i have so many good songs to reccomend! latest discovery is from the princess of doom, anna von hausswolff, courage, liv at the nobel banquet 2018, agent fresco, dark water live and many more. regarding björk songs, i like the path less traveled: who is it MV and solstice. solstice is magnificent and pure. a vocalist and a gravity powered pendulum harp. being lost for words is always good if something is overwhelming you. mike is doing nice reactions✌ greetings from winterwonderland!
I just love when she slows it down for 'why the long face?'. That part gives me goosebumps without fail.
I'm not sure what it means to me to see someone so amazed by Joana Newsome as I feel I am but it feels really good man
what a beautiful reaction to one of my favorite songs of all time. thank you.
Oh it takes years to understand. I've been listening to miss Jo New for about 10 years and I'm still discovering new things all the time.
In answer to your question, yes she *does* sing and play the harp simultaneously. The live version of this I've seen is mind-bogglingly brilliant.
i remember listening to the album "ys" for the first time while i was at a cafe. i had my drink while the first song, "emily," played, which i thought was beautiful. i kept listening as i walked home - it was a fall afternoon. sawdust and diamonds played. i actually stopped in my tracks about where you stopped the video for the first time and just stood on the sidewalk, staring at the trees, and in awe listening to the lyrics and the harp. when i heard "then the slow lip of fire moves across the prairie with precision," i burst into tears the first time. the second bout of tears arrived with "i wasn't born of a whistle or milked from a thistle at twilight." i couldn't even finish the album, i had to listen to that song over and over again. i think i sat at home for a long time just listening and crying. NEVER have i had such a visceral emotional response to a song, and i don't think i ever will again.
I was in college at western Illinois university when I first started listening to her and “the slow lip of fire” part always got me and the imagery it played in my head is the exact same 10+ years later it’s just as powerful. There was also a shot at this bar they gave people on their 21st birthday called a prairie fire and it was a shot of tequila with some tobassco sauce, I always like the contrast of how comically horrible that was and how great this song is
Joanna newsome is the most amazing songwriter of all time I will go to the grave to defend that too. The amount of references to mythology literature history and art in her lyrics is fucking unreal. I absolutely love reading the genius interpretationas of her songs i really reccomend because they breakdown a lot of the antiquated terms and references she uses that will help you understand the lyrics better (esp for only skin and Emily) blessings on your journey. It's very rare that people convert to this church, I'm very lucky that my older sister loves her music as much as I do and we often times call each other and talk about her music and new understandings we are having about her songs over the years.
I wholeheartedly agree. Much love, fellow Joanna fan.
the entire album Ys is equally as good. it really is a 10/10 experience. treat yourself dude, you'll love it to bits.
Only Skin & Emily are even on another level.
I think this is my favourite reaction video (obviously highly biased as it's one of my favourite songs, but still...) But yeah, the way you can see that this hits you is just a joy to behold. Thank you!
perfect reaction!!!! you did it right!!! exactly how i felt the first time hearing her!
Other amazing songs from the same album are Monkey & Bear, and Cosmia, but my favorite will always be Emily, the first song of hers I ever heard. Tho Have One On Me is a close second.
Awesome reaction, bud! Please react to Joanna Newsom - Leaving the City Live on Later...
i've been listening to this song for over a decade and i am still deciphering and finding new tings to connect to in the song. one, two, three listens are never enough.
To me it's like the voice of Heaven.
She’s truly gifted. So intelligent. Her lyrics are so incredible and her voice is so interesting. She’s a full package. I feel like a complete amateur listening to her music.
If you are speachless for sawdust and Diamonds wait until hear to Only Skin
It would be amazing if you reacted to Only skin. It reallly showcases her masterclass songwriting and composition skills. Super epic. It is 17 minutes tho lol
Hey, I'm no stranger to long reacts, I do a lot of double reactions 😆 thank you for the suggestion brother, we'll see if this can be the next Joanna Newsom reaction on the channel. This song really rocked me
@@Yeedeed somehow i cannot comment any longer, just answer to comments.
so yes, thank you for following my reccomendation, i really enjoyed your reaction. it's impossible to get the lyrics from the first listening. her music is like a painting by hironymus bosch, many things are going on. indeed, her harp playing skills are not from this planet. and imagine her playing a whole concert, eight or ten epic songs. wow!
I wanted to comment earlier, but we had here our first heavy autumn storm and a poor Internet connection.
talking about björk I'd like to reccomend "all is full of love" music video to start with. it's said to be one of the best music videos of all the time, directed in 1998 (!!!)by Chris cunningham. in my documentary playlist you'll find also a short making of from this video.
again, Mike, great reaction and thank you, its big fun to follow your channel!
Cosmia is also extremely good, and it’s a bit shorter, at about 7 min I believe
I agree about Only Skin. It is my absolute favourite of her songs. Would love to see a reaction to it
@@Yeedeed hope you're still planning on following up with Newsom's "Only Skin" would really like to see how you interpret the lyrics and what you think of the song's incredible composition!
Wow, impressive and beautiful. Her vocals are great, I love her voice.
Wow is right . I've been a fan of hers for some time and I've never heard this one before . Truly an amazing talent . Something about her songs , the harp , her voice , the lyrics , it takes you to that other place . Like a dream . ...
The only time I’ve read her discussing this song, she said something along the lines of “a diorama with different animals on strings” being a running motif in the song, that the song describes some of the action occurring within the diorama, and that the song on a whole is about “performance” in several senses of the word.
It's almost as if she's the dove hanging on strings like a puppet being controlled by a force she can't quite understand
I fell in love with her a few months ago I am so glad to see your reaction to this!
Adore this reaction 💗
From wikipedia:"Ys (pronounced /ˈiːs/), also spelled Is or Kêr-Is in Breton, and Ville d'Ys in French, is a mythical city on the coast of Brittany that was swallowed up by the ocean. Most versions of the legend place the city in the Baie de Douarnenez."
That is the theme throughout the entire album. And I have been listening to this album since 2006, and it wasn't until 2016 that I learned the album is pronounced "Ease" and was not the plural form of the letter "Y". lol
Sawdust & Diamonds is the middle/center song on the album, and I feel it falls heaviest within that theme of being buried undersea.
No one really knows what Joanna's lyrics mean, and some of us have been trying to break them down since 2004 and on.
We just kind of know that she is heavily influenced by literature pieces and figures, so we kind of go from there.
And the opening where she plucks (sure that's not the correct terminology) the harp, it is to imitate a bell, and sometimes I envision a bell just rolling down a set of stairs, and across the entirety of the song, and the imagery her lyrics evoke is what the bell is witnessing as it rolls by. ❤
Beautiful song, great artist. I love your heartfelt reaction to Joanna Newsom. When you have the time check out Gillian Welch and Dave Rawlings do The Way It Will Be, live @ Jill’s Veranda. Coming from another place, but they have a similar uncanny musical sensitivity and subtlety. Kind of random here . . .
I saw her at the Manchester Bridgewater Hall in UK just after Have One on Me was released, she was amazing of course. I hadn't reaslised how big the harp is and how petite she is, its a very physical performance. It makes a change to see the harp used as a main instrument rather than for pretty effects in an orchestra. Enjoyed your reaction!
Thank you for the comment Frosty! That's great you got to see her live as well, I'd love to see her perform live as well. Man, she is a master at the harp, and to think she can masterfully sing WHILE playing is just amazing
@@YeedeedI heard her say once she can't sing or play her songs without doing both. It's like she has to do both or it doesn't work.
I think a lot can be lost in trying to 'keep up' or decode her lyrics. The thing I love about the experience of listening to her music is the dense imagery that washes over you. Even if the intended meaning of the song doesn't come across clearly, the sentences she strings together summon up memories and emotions that you can drink up and luxuriate in.
she has to play and sing at the same time. That's how she records in order to get the swing and feel and emotion!!!
What a great reaction! Joanna Newsom is definitely one of my top influences and favorite artists.
Are you familiar with Sigur rós? If not, PLEASE react to them. Their music is incredible and I think you'd enjoy their sound. I recommend the song Starálfur either the studio version or the live version from the Heima film are incredible! Always leaves me in tears
If you'd like to react to another Joanna Newsom song, my personal favorite is "Crab, Clam, Cockle, Cowrie" -- specifically her live performance on the Later with Jools Holland show. I'm the kind of person who generally prefers studio recordings over live music, but this is an exception for me. I'll leave a link in another reply because leaving links in comments sometimes causes messages to never get posted.
Well yep, my 2nd message with links failed to appear. 😠
second this for the jools holland Clam Crab Cockle Cowrie performance!
really loved watching you feel into this piece 🙏🏼 so beautiful
Wait until he discovers Kingfisher...
thank you for following my reccomendation, i really enjoyed your reaction. it's impossible to get the lyrics from the first listening. her music is like a painting by hironymus bosch, many things are going on. indeed, her harp playing skills are not from this planet. and imagine her playing a whole concert, eight or ten epic songs. wow! her live videos are also quiet good, but here with the lyric video it was a perfect choice!
I wanted to comment earlier, but we had here our first heavy autumn storm and a poor Internet connection.
talking about björk I'd like to reccomend "all is full of love" music video to start with. it's said to be one of the best music videos of ALL TIME, directed in 1998 (!!!)by Chris cunningham. in my documentary playlist you'll find also a short making of from this video.
here is the music video: ruclips.net/video/u0cS1FaKPWY/видео.html
and here the short documentary: ruclips.net/video/QReuUcQ_c9U/видео.html
björk is a whole universum in music. she started composing at the age of six, her first album selftitled at the age of eleven, followed by some punk music and the sugarcubes and each of her studio records is a master piece.
again, Mike, great reaction and thank you, its big fun to follow your channel!
And we should thank you, Sóley, for recommending Joanna and this song in particular for a reaction video ... all the way from Iceland, too, I guess! This is indeed beautiful, and although Mike was lost for words at times, the WAY he was lost for words spoke volumes! I liked his speculation about "if she plays this and sings at the same time..." - and would recommend he watches the First Unitarian Church recording as it's a) complete, b) of reasonably good audio quality, and c) you can see - but not follow as it's too quick for the human eye [which is what I am equipped with] the intricate and endlessly complex movements of her fingers.
All the other recommendations here are good: if I were to add mine, I'd pitch in En Gallop, Divers, baby Birch, and Flying A Kite by Joanna (and for a Björk song - Unison or It's Not Up To You).
@@steveparsons6719 thank for your kind words! i have so many good songs to reccomend! latest discovery is from the princess of doom, anna von hausswolff, courage, liv at the nobel banquet 2018, agent fresco, dark water live and many more. regarding björk songs, i like the path less traveled: who is it MV and solstice. solstice is magnificent and pure. a vocalist and a gravity powered pendulum harp.
being lost for words is always good if something is overwhelming you. mike is doing nice reactions✌ greetings from winterwonderland!
I know I'm a year late but her songs all take multiple listens, nothing wrong with not being able to take it in all it once.
Oh dude you need to do only skin..not even a reaction if you don't want to, but for for yourself. What a fucking beautiful journey that song it
This is even that much more amazing when you consider that the song is probably the 5th best on the album.
This is really funny because Sawdust and Diamonds is essentially only an intro to Only Skin
It’s also only the 3rd(?) best song on that album
@@jacksanders7695 tough to pick a best song on the album. For me, it depends on the day.
could you please react to Iamamiwhoami - fountain?
Very nice. To my ears she sounds a bit like a cross between Kate Bush and Björk.