Seriously. Without context and no lyrics shown on screen you still where the closest to the story from all reactors I have seen so far. Good job! Very good job!
52 years old, crying like a baby every single time. There's no one like Floor. She took my soul a long long time ago. Love your reactions btw. Keep going, Nightwish is just awesome.
I've seen countless reactions to this song and your is the best. You just got it, without the research...and you are just genuine :) Please, do Greatest show on earth (Wembley) :))
Here's a surprise reaction, it's certainly a trait of your character, to throw yourself "boldly into the unknown". I personally don't complain :) because your emotional reaction is very to the point. As you rightly guessed, there is a story behind this unique song, which I notice a few fans have already brought up, namely the backlash the band members received from many fans after they publicly fired their first female singer, Tarja Turunen, at the end of the 2005 tour. It was the moment when they contemplated the idea of disbanding Nightwish.
General Gabriel, sir... 🫡 I did read a few things in preparation for this reaction, but I'm loathe to have TOO much information, due to my desire to have a truly genuine reaction. I found the piece intriguing and melancholy... It was scrumptious yet tortured. BRILLIANT WORK.
And before everyone is bombarding the comments with "oh you should have done the backstory to the song" Save your breath. It´s not that important. It´s still a magical song.
I read a bit of the backstory (like Tarja leaving the band and how Tuomas was wrecked because of the situation). I was advised to do deep research, but, then... that would take away from my initial reaction. The song is wrenching but so so powerful.
@@VocalCitizen That´s why I love the line "I cannot cry, cause the sholder cries more". Nowhere to turn because everyone in the band was hurting. But Tuomas took most of the blame for what happened.
For not knowing the backstory you did this justice. It would be really cool if you watched again in a month or so after learning more about the band, the firing of Tarja, the open letters, and the aftermath from media and some fans
Welcome to the second song of Nightwish's "Holy" Trinity. This song will never be played again in a live performance. Only Nightwish fans will understand the depth of meaning. Love your reactions 💥💥💥
The brilliance, nuance and mastery of Tuomas’ songwriting lyrics and composition never ceases to amaze me. 3 minutes exactly from where he says “I have 3 minutes and counting “ is when he simulates with his hand the pendulum cutting his throat.This is just an amazing piece of music art!🤘🤘
And it feels like does it with a sledgehammer. "You make a grown man cry", the Stones were singing this in the year Floor was born. And it is true, she does every time.
There is a line in the boys speech which say "a pen and 1000 pages of erased text" IMO this is about losing all his songs. All his songs had been written for Tarja and her unique voice and who was going to be able to sing them like her. Anette couldn't manage many of her songs, so, when Floor came along and he realised exactly what she could do he was really happy. That is why there was a Decades tour in 2018 where they reintroduced many of Tarja's songs because Floor could do them justice and make them her own.
I love that transition from Tarja to Floor. I will be going back and listening to Tarja-era Nightwish. I have a whole list of links that a subscriber was kind enough to send me.
@@VocalCitizen Here's a suggestion on that: Why not do the whole "End of an Era" concert in proper order? I'm sure everybody would love to share those 2 hours re-watching it with you. [PS. When doing so, put two-and-two together with the lyrics in proper setlist order as throwing gentle hints to the unsuspecting singer about what was going to happen at the end of the show! You can see him occasionally throw suspicious glances her way, when the camera catches it. It looks to me as though he is checking to see if she is catching the drift. But she doesn't. 😢]
@@christomashofski9160 what has the setlist got to do with gentle hints? where? the setlist of end of an era is the typical setlist of that year, I know since I was at one of their concets in 2005 and it is almost identical with maybe 1 song changed (and that is creek mary's blood).
@@sorynn1991 It tells a story that would be less effective if taken out of order. You have to be more perceptive and think more deeply about what Tuomas is saying. We know what a deep and clever thinker he is. You need to apply similar introspection and look beneath the shallow surface to sense the undertones. Takes a bit of effort, but I know you can do it.
To understand the story you need to know the backstory. Nightwish was started by Tuomas, Emppu, and Tarja, their first singer. In 2005, after the recording of the "End of an era" dvd Tarja was fired thru a letter given to her by Tuomas, but it was a band decision. The letter was also posted on the bands homepage at the same time. Marko had told Tuomas "It's me or her". This song is about the aftermath thru Tuomas eyes. A piece in five parts. 1. White lands of Empathica.: Boy soprano (Guy Elliot). "The end, the songwriter's dead, the blade fell upon him" It's the end of an era, Tuomas feels dead inside, he was the one that handed Tarja the letter. The white lands of Emphatica is a place in Stephen Kings "Dark Tower" series. 2. Home: "A poet without a rime, a widowed writer torn apart by the chains of hell" Tuomas got writers block, he's lost his musical "wife", his muse, and was fighting depression and doubt. "My home was there and then, those meadows of heaven. Adventure filled days one with every smiling face" The bands beginning, before the troubles started. 3 The Pacific: "On the shore, se sat and hoped under the same pale moon who's guiding light chose you, chose you all" If I remember it right Tuomas, Emppu, and Tarja was having a barbecue at night when they decided to start a band together. The operatic part Floor sings was originally sung by the same boy soprano who sings the intro. When Floor joined she told Tuomas that she could sing that. He decided to keep the intro but let Floor sing that part. The spoken words are read by a boy named Tom Williams. Both him and Guy Elliot were members of Reigate St Mary's Choir School. 4. Dark passion play: This is about the reactions from fans and media where everyone blamed Tuomas even tho it was a band decision. He was ripped apart, even the Finnish prime minister had an opinion. 5. Mother and Father: Tuomas took refuge at his parents house for a while, these are some of the things they told him during that time. Tuomas was inspired by the short story "The pit and the pendulum" by Edgar Allen Poe when he wrote this masterpiece. The first words are "The end", the last words are "The beginning". It's the end of an era and the start of a new. When you see Marko and Emppu close to Tuomas at the end it's a thing they have thet started when this song was new. Tuomas feelings where still raw so they supported him at the end of the song. Tuomas had chosen to have Anettes song cut out of the mix in his earpiece at the shows. This was 11 years after the events, so he's mostly over it now
Hello NW Army Italian Division reporting in. Ohhhh you have already reacted to this incredible song. There are many things behind this song, a very painful song for Tuomas (the keyboards player, composer, lyricist and arranger) Nightwish and the Army. I think it is time for you to go and explore the history of Nightwish or much of this song may not be understood correctly.
Brilliant reaction! Considering you hadn't checked the back story, you picked it up so damn quickly.... Bravo! This is all about Tarja, who was kicked out of the band due to her antics. It was very public, even the letter of 'dismissal' was public, it was hurting Tuomas so much. I'd suggest you look into the story to complete the picture, but what a reaction.... Brilliant!
Those damn Onion Ninja again….Every bloody time I listen to this they get me….When she sings "Tuck me in beneath the blue" I am normally done…this is a masterpiece. And I have heard this one like 683 times already…. And even if you didnt study the background story - this awesome piece of Music stands for its own. Love it. Thanks for the time ! All Hail Queen Floor !
Context, short version: In 2005 Tuomas (keyboards, founder, composer) fired the first Nightwish singer, Tarja, because she had turned into a Diva. The fans were livid and took their frustrations out on Tuomas. He went into a deep depression. Then he wrote an amazing song about his feelings during this time. 😊🤘
@@richardwest6358 @skeezesmith7954 If I remember correctly from the band's bio book, Marko was the first one to say that he'll leave the band if Tarja stays in it. So it was the choice of all 4 guys in the band, Tuomas just got blamed as the band's leader.
Tarja had already given notice that she was leaving the band, having been convinced by her husband that he would make her a star. The same husband who comforted her earlier after a sexual attack in Mexico which he had enabled by hiring morons for security. A classic case of "you can't leave, you're fired", instigated by Marko/Marco who is now sucking up to her again after disparaging her before. Really Marco/Marko? The whole band fired her, not Tuomas.
Hallo from the netherlands and a new subscriber! I heard you saying that you liked the keltic vibes you got from ' the valey of the gueens" by Areyon . Tuomas holopainen the nightwish composer also has a band together with his wife Johanna (engelic voice) and Troy Donocley the multiinstrumentalist from nightwish. The name of the band is Auri. It can't get much more keltic than that! But more calm . He also wrote a whole solo album about Scrooge MC duck from Disney. Called ' the life and times of scrooge. ' very highly recommendet this is a sort of crossover between nightwish and keltic music . About Floor jansen now, check out some of her work with her first band ' afther forever' dreamflight for example or her solo concert live at Afas in Amsterdam. Or the dutch tv show beste zangers 2019 youl wil be Blown away i prommise both by tuomas's work outside of nightwish and floor! Keep up the nice reactions!
First, thank you for subscribing. I do appreciate it. Second, I will be exhausting Nightwish's catalogue. Save my Nightwish playlist (which is in order from top to bottom) and hang on tight. Welcome aboard my Weird & Wonky rollercoaster.
Are you in love with Nightwish and Floor yet? 🌹🌹🌹Honestly you must be one of the most perceptive people I've seen in the reactions biz. The "Floor effect" is extraordinary. There is something about a brain's emotional response to voice that Floor can tap right into.
I am in love. Mad, wonky love. I cannot describe how difficult it is to avoid binging everything Nightwish has recorded. I eat, sleep, and live music. I'm never without it. Perhaps my Nightwish-napped soul is officially tapped in.
The song is from the Dark Passion Play album ,first record made with Anette as lead singer. Tuomas wrote it, he writes most of their stuff. Tormenting is a good word for it. It's about Tuomas' feelings of depression caused by the huge fan backlash over the firing of Tarja. He, Marko , Jukka, and Emppu all signed the firing letter, but Tuomas took the brunt of the heat from the public. Even the Finnish Prime Minister chimed in. A very personal song for him, so much so that he often would have the sound guys remove the vocals from his in ear mix. You see Emppu go to him early to ask how he is doing. Emppu and Marko go to him at the end in a show of support. Floor even looks over to him before saying 'Thank you'. This song is no longer played live, as all involved have moved past this. Recorded with Anette, Floor wanted to take over all the operatic parts from the choirs, but Tuomas said they should keep the boy soprano at the beginning. Yes, in parts, 5 of them, the last section are some of the word that Tuomas' mother said to him when he went home. And when you see the words 'boy' or 'poet' , Tuomas is usually talking about himself. The 1000 pages of erased text line , I see as all the songs he could have written for Tarja had the split not occurred. One of the 3 songs dealing with the break up, "Bye Bye Beautiful" and "Master Passion Greed' are the other 2. This performance is at Wembley in 2015, so that's Kai on drums.
Fans of MetallicA turned on the band when they cut their hair short. James Hetfield (the lead singer) got burned by a pyrotechnic in Canada (his famous long hair was toast) so the band elected to all cut their hair in a show of solidarity. Sometimes people get all twisted over the dumbest sh!t. 😳 Tuomas is a GIANT amongst composers. Respect.
@@VocalCitizen I agree, and I remember all of that with Metallica. I first saw them in concert on the Black album tour, and have seen them several times since.
Me too. Jessicat (my sister) and I met them in Vegas on the Some Kind of Monster tour. I actually stood for about 5 minutes, wrapped in Lars' arms and talking. I asked him what the old drum kit monkey's name was and he froze, saying "In twenty years, no one's ever asked me that question. YOU name him." Without missing a beat, I said "Warren". Lars then stood up on his chair and announced to the whole room "From now on, the monkey's name is F*CKING WARREN!" 🐵 And now YOU know, Chris. You're welcome. 😜
She's pretty spectacular. Not just with her vocals, but her stage presence, her musical timing, the subtle intonations of her breath control and placement...
To add a little more context as you go through your Nightwish journey. Tarja was given the letter firing her immediately after the "End of an Era" concert. So as you watch videos from that concert, remember that all the members of the band (except Tarja of course) knew that they were going to fire her after the concert. To hear how Tuomas felt about Tarja's husband, listen to the song Master, Passion, Greed. It's one of Nightwish's harshest songs, and there is no concert version.
I've watched this hundreds of times, and everytime i watch someone watch it for the first time, i am in tears, ..... an emotional wreck. Tuomas composes ALL of the songs and lyrics as well as most of the stage and light show. He is truly a genius. Marko, both drummers Jukka and Kai, Empuu, and Troy are all such exceptional musicians, and of course our Goddess Floor, ...... the greatest gift to ears and eyes on the planet. What a band....... Every song different and special, but you always know its Nightwish. The backing track is the London Philharmonic Orchestra, and the Choirs are also a legendary outifit........ truly remarkable. There is SO much more for you to react to! Then there's all the Floor solo stuff to dive into!
This about Tuomas's lament concerning the band releasing first NW Singer Tarja, the backlash he took from many fans, and one probably best to have done bit of background research before listening to. It's presented as a 5 part play. Also real advantage to have one with on screen lyrics for the whisper parts, etc. Founder Tuomas is the lyricist/composer /arranger of about 99% of NW songs.
Those whispers in the beginning is the "3 minutes and counting" part played backwards. That´s the new and current drummer Kai Hahto. Jukka left due to health issues. He has severe insomnia.
Hi 👋 from the UK 🇬🇧 division of the Nightwish army something you might like to check out a documentary about how floor joined Nightwish it's called Please learn the set list in 48 hours it's quite long but well worth watching you might like to do it in part's 😊❤
We just beg you guys not to do this one until later. For every point in your reaction where you had questions...you would have had the answers ... It's way too early in your Nightwish Journey to fully appreciate this one. You should probably redo it later. Go back to the comments of your first reaction. Gabriel would have given you a list that would have helped you get to this song with a full appreciation of it. Follow that list. And relisten to this one once you do
I know how you all feel about the research. The way MY brain works...? If I have too much foreknowledge of a song, I will be concentrating on identifying matching elements to my sneak peek... THAT is not a genuine reaction. PLUS... ALSO... AND... I will be so concentrated on that foreknowledge, certain elements of the musical progression or vocal gymnastics or arrangement will slip right by. Trust me to know my own process. Thank you for watching and commenting. I do appreciate your thoughts.
My personal classification of Nightwish songs is: great, fantastic, epic, The Greatest Show On Earth and The Poet And The Pendulum. I hope after new album release I will able to add third title in last group. Good reaction. You read the meanig quite well. IMHO this is the most emotional song has been written by Tuomas.
I'm pleased I caught the meaning, having only done a minuscule amount of research (despite being urged to really LEARN the whole tale). I'd rather hit play on an unknown piece and have a genuine reaction.
Tuomas Holopainen wrote this song, and it is basically him coming to terms with the tragic events that unfolded after Nightwish fired their first singer, Tarja Turunen. Tarja was Tuomas childhood friend (and it is not clear if there was more then friendship) and with Tuomas one of the early instigators of Nightwish. When they had to let Tarja go this was devastating to Tuomas and the other bandmembers. But what was worse is that this became a national issues in Finland where the band hails from. I became so bad that the Finnish prime minister had to intervene. This whole thing drove Tuomas to the brink of s*icide. But in stead of doing that he wrote a song (actually a series of songs) in which he deals with the matter. The biggest and most of those is Poet and the Pendulum...
What a fantastic reaction!! You definitely caught the overarching meaning of the song as well as how it relates to the music...without any background information...Impressive. This is truly a masterpiece and I'm sure you'll appreciate it even more once you become familiar with the background story.
I've already re-visited the song with lyrics and background story in hand. What a tumultuous situation for poor Tuomas. How sad that some fans rebuked HIM for that outcome... but he prevailed, yes? I thank you for watching and taking the time to comment.
Lovely reaction! Many Nightwish fans, and I am one of them, recommend waiting to get to know the band and it's history before listening to this masterpiece so as to get its full impact but I respect your choice not to do that based on your expressed preferred way for doing your reactions. In any case you did a great job connecting to the feelings of the song. This is Tuomas's (keyboardist ands main composer) most personal and emotional song. It is also very personal and emotional for most fans. In 2005 the band had reached a breaking point with their first lead singer, Tarja Turunen. Things between her, her husband/manager and the band had been deteriorating for some time and had reached the point where they could no longer work together. The band decided to fire her, which they did via an open letter, right after the End of an Era concert. Tarja responded with her own open letter explaining her side of things. The backlash against the band, but mostly against Tuomas, was massive and very nasty. Tuomas felt betrayed by Nightwish's fans and sank into a deep depression. He wrote this song as way of expressing and exploring all of the emotions of his depression and grief. He uses imagery from Poe's The Pit and the Pendulum to help express the desperation and torment he felt at that time and that his beloved Nightwish might not continue. Tuomas often uses the poet in his lyrics to reference himself and yes, he does have a great affinity for the ocean. He sees it as a place of refugee. I highly recommend you read the analysis of this song by the artist Annika Hausen. IMO it is a brilliant, master's level analysis and I think you would really enjoy it. I would provide a link but every time I do the YT algorithms delete my comment. Just google her name and Poet and the Pendulum. A few thoughts on the lyrics. "One last perfect verse but still the same old song." For me this is Tuomas saying I have nothing new to write for my so called fans, which is like death for a poet like him. The line " A thousand pages of erased text" represents all the songs that Tuomas would have wrote for Tarja but now would never be heard. The pendulum blade finally reaches the Poet (Tuomas making the slashing motion across his neck). The heart beat slows and finally stops mid beat. The original version of Nightwish is dead. The last part of the song, Mother and Father, gets me every time. The lyrics are actual words spoken by his parents during the depths of his depression. Floor perfectly channeling the anguish of a mother who has lost her child. Then the words, In the Beginning, signaling the birth of a new version of Nightwish. For me this is Nightwish's greatest song. Their Magnum Opus. Tuomas pouring out his heart and anguish in the music and lyrics. Floor perfectly channeling the anger and pain. It fills me with emotion and lets me connect to Tuomas in a profound way. This song is no longer performed live. Tuomas has said they (him, Empuu, and at the time Marko) are not those people anymore and they have moved on. Performing it just takes Tuomas back to that difficult place emotionally. Emppu and Marko come over and check in on Tuomas through out the song to make sure he is ok emotionally. Tuomas often would have the sound engineers turn off the vocal feed in his in ears because it would make him too emotional. I am so grateful that he chose to write this song and share this part of himself with us. Everything about this song and performance is about making us feel his emotions. Highly recommend you do a deeper dive into the backstory. Read the open letters. Read Annika's analysis and listen once again and see if knowing the backstory doesn't make the emotional impact of the song twice as intense. If you do, would love to hear how knowing the backstory changed or didn't change how you experienced the song. One of the things I love about Nightwish is their ability to evoke emotions in me and I hope knowing the backstory gives a more powerful listening experience for you.
The bright spot in my musical education is my OCD. When I clamp onto an artist, I learn EVERYTHING about them. I thank you for this highly informative comment. It's viewers like YOU who are my professors. 🫠🤘🏻
This is a perfect example why Tuomas Holopainen is the Metal Mozart. This composition is IMHO the benchmark of symphonic metal. Greetings from the Netherlands 🇳🇱 🫡🤘
Pit and the pendulum reference(s) most definitely. Tuomas is "The poet" . You did well. I was also getting emotional watching you feel it. Imho, Floor's face while sitting in the blue light while singing is absolutely beautiful. She is a highly sensitive empathic person. She talks about it in one of her Storytime videos on her YT channel.
Hi im steve 52 in uk hope u ok huge nightwish fan got all cds dvds rareities of band .great reaction.1st song bout tuomas gettin depressed and his feelings after he sacked previous vocalist tarja from the band .also that not jukka on drums he left after wacken 2013 due to insomnia tho hes still involved wit band just doesnt perform .the drummer is kai hahto .keep up great reactions
Loving your reactions and so jealous seeing someone hearing it for the 1st time. You get the story behind the song as most nightwish fans like me know. There are three songs in the same vein. Regarding the back story.. " Bye bye beautiful " is aimed at Tarja. "Master Passion Greed" is aimed at her husband and manager. And this song is Tuomas's side to the story. But keep enjoying nightwish. Once you get down the rabbit hole that is nightwish, there's no looking back. Great reaction
Thank you so much. That's kind. I write a bit of poetry myself, so I can project myself into that mindset when listening to Nightwish. Tuomas has quite a prolific pen game.
I've been an ardent nightwish fan for a number of years now seen them 3 times live. I've watched numerous reactors to the group but seen a few of yours, it always helps to have back story to certain songs, your perception of what is been portrayed is always spot on. Probably seeing as you write poetry it enables you to grasp what is been delivered in the message of the song. A lot react and comment on the musuc/vocals and performance. Hut ti have someone react to the message too is awesome. Great job
Am I correct when I say that this is much much much more than just rock music or metal or whatever music you could call it? In my opinion this is top theater and ART of the highest possible level. It is a pure wonder that a combination of notes, tones, rythm, lyrics and an out of this world female voice can wrench your heart like it does...This is human interaction in its purest form. They are on an epic level. Don't forget " the greatest show on earth" from them. Because that is exactly what it is.... By the way: the way you react is stunning to look at. Your emotions are up front, visible for everyone to see and feel. There can be no mistake about it: we all feel the same hearing these songs....
I think you ARE correct. Nightwish is incredible on every level. Their musical IQ is off the charts! And thank you for the compliment. I've always been outwardly emotive (labeled "highly-animated" by many) since childhood. I can't hide anything on my face. 🙄
A beautiful song composed by a genius and brought to life by some of the most talented musicians out there. As for Floor, - she is without peer, a sensational vocal delivery. What you will come to realise is that no two Nightwish songs are necessarily the same, yet all are magnificent as works of art… as with everything in life you will like some more than others, but underpinning them all is Tuomas and his wonderful songwriting…
Tuomas = a blinding genius. Anyone who can make ME weep with music is. Floor is not of this world. She came to Earth as a gift. Every time I'm challenged to come up with a better female vocalist, my brain freezes.
Tuomas tells a beautiful and tragic story with his music and poetry. This is all about the parting with Tarja, their first vocalist and the fallout from the fans and media.
So I've been told. It's a gorgeous piece of work, from the staging to the music composition to the emotional maelstrom of the lyrics and overall production. I'm hugely impressed.
If I have to have just one favourite Nightwish song (IMPOSSIBLE!), this is it. Every element just clicks in every way. edit: yes, written by Tuomas. The boy soprano at the start was Guy Elliott from St Mary's Choir School, Reigate, U.K. p.p.s. if you want to hear Tuomas really angry "Master, Passion, Greed" - never performed live except for a tease of the riff by Emppu ONCE.
please react to: "Dreamflight" by After Forever (Floors 1st band) and : "Disdain" by Revamp (floors 2nd band).. and ofcourse Ayreon> Floor and het sister Irene sings with
why Disdain? Disdain not so heavy as second Revamp album... for example Wild card song... there much more Floor's growling and its true growling.. on Disdain its hard to call growling so much soft
why wouldn’t she watch Disdain? Singing isn’t synonymous to growling. There are many songs, most of them actually, where she is only singing. That said, I defo wouldn’t mind a reaction to both ❤
My brain works like this: If I have pre-knowledge of concept or history, my mind will wander as I listen, searching for corroborating content. It takes away from the experience for me. That's why I love doing reactions... it's just a raw response to hearing something for the first time. 🤘🏻
@VocalCitizen normally I would say research is not important ...but I'm pretty sure that every request for this told you to at least read the letters if not find out the back story I've seen 100's that were suggested to do it believe me it would have made you more emotional, me myself cry during the Mother, Father segment of the song everytime
Hello The song "The Poet and the Pendulum" is a 13 Minute journey through the mind and turmoil of Tuomas Holopainen after the year 2005. It was in that year the band parted with their long-time singer Tarja Turunen and had a personal falling out with her. The pain of the separation was big on both sides, and shown in this song. There is the responsibility that the band and Holopainen had to show towards the fans,. It was the End of an Era for them, and reason for Holopainen being lost as described in these lyrics. We can only of course to a certain degree suppose how much of these are truly Holopainen's feelings, wishes and pains - but we do know that the lyrics of Nightwish have been up to then very personal. Other songs on the album also digest this separation and falling out of the members with Turunen. This is one of the interpretations and i know lots of fans do not agree, they just need to read the open letter that was given to Tarja by the whole band at her last concert with Nightwish, where they fired her. And the main reason that Tuomas went through a depression was that specially the Tarja fans where furious and showed that in the media and everyone was blaming Tuomas. (the fans spit on his grave). He felt the whole world was against him. However personal and "real" these thoughts are, I feel like this song definitely takes us not only on a journey with Holopainen but also into ourselves. The music underlines the emotional gravity of the song extremely well. And I believe a lot of people can actually relate to a sense of guilt and being overwhelmed that all they desired for is the safety of home and innocence. While being personal, the song can still ring true to it's listener. That's a quality Nighwish possesses in many, many more songs. The emotional journey is one we can all share and very few bands know how to put that journey into song and especially into sound as well as Nightwish does. The band remains through all it's shores and Oceans, one of my main favourites and I hold special place for the band in my musical heart. I hope you have enjoyed reading my analysis and share some of my thoughts. If you do have any comments, please feel free to let me know. And remember the beauty of interpretation is that it is subjective; we can see all and feel different things in the same song and continue to love it endlessly. Lyric analysis by Annika Hausen Greetings from the Netherlands
I hope that in the next Nightwish reaction that you do you tell us your thoughts on the background of this song, that everyone here will let you in on. It would be very interesting to hear your rection to the journey Tuomas went through.
This is Tuomas' cathartic release. Such a deeply emotional composition. Music is the sound of emotions. Toumas understands this, Floor (and Nightwish) personify this - perfectly!! You will notice that the opening line of the song is "The End", and the last line is "The Beginning" .... signifying the end of Nightwish as it was, and hope for a new version in the future. This is probably the single greatest live performance I have ever seen. An astounding song, performed incredibly. Floor is simply astonishing. Cheers from Australia.
Jucca is no longer the drummer because of healt issues, but he is still connected with nightwish (management or something. This drummer is Kai Hahto. Kai was suggested by Jucca to replace him and he is doing fantastic.
Hi, 74 years old hippie from the Netherlands =Floor, Irene, Simone, Anneke, Dianne, Charlotte, Sharon, Marcella, Joost (LUL) & Arjen (Ayreon) Country= reporting in: In addition to the Music Academy, Floor also studied a year Opera and a year Music Theater. Now, add to that the fact that she's a Highly Sensitive Person, the result is what you just heard ...!!! Shine On ... ✌🤘
Thanks for the reaction, I did advise you to look into the back story to get the context of the creation, this was about Tuomas, the voice at the start was like voices in his head, part 1 was sung by a child soprano when the child said 3 minutes exactly 3 minutes later the pendulum fell to me this was a great creation.
Usually I only listen to reactions on this song when reactors did their homework, as you need some background information about that before you can say something meaningful. But for you I make an exception 😘. (Consider it as watching a Jackson Pollock painting for the first time, you will need some information on forehand to understand the meaning of it)🤓 In a few lines explained: Their first singer Tarja was kicked out of the band in 2005. This caused a lot of criticism coming down on Tuomas as he was seen as the bad genius behind the break up, even in the Finnish parliament there were demands to call Tuomas to order. This caused him to become rather depressed, but at some point he decided that it was better to commit suicide on stage than in real life.
Well, we're all glad he chose the on-stage version of that. I was told to do a ton of research, due to the emotional attachment and meaning of the song to the Nightwish Army. I did a little bit, but I like to go into a reaction with little to no info. It makes for a more genuine reaction.
WellI... This is the one song that I always ask people to get to know Nightwish first. Learn about the other singers as well as do a bit of research. But that being said, there is no right way or wrong way of listening to them. You are spot on as far as the meaning, but it is much deeper. I beg that you take some time, read the open letters and learn what this song is about and them re-listen to it on your own time. It is an unforgettable song just by listening, but once you get the true nature, it will mean that much more.
You chose a beautiful song but one of the most difficult, they will explain why in the comments. I enjoy seeing you enjoy and relive the music again, thank you🙏
I refused to get the whole story before clicking PLAY. I want my reactions to be genuine, not me anticipating what I know is coming. NO B.S. on THIS channel. Thank you for watching... MORE TO COME!
Thanks for doing this great performance. I'm sure you must have been advised to read the back story first, by the Nightwish Army. It is so important to the understanding of the meaning. Of course if you are only interested in the performance and not the meaning, that's fine, but if so you missed a lot.
After filming this, I went back with lyrics in hand and revisited this performance. I don't sneak peek any of my reactions. They're not genuine, otherwise. I also read up on a Nightwish site about the background of the song. Just added a whole new layer of heart-crushing (in a beautiful way). I see why this is Tuomas's lament.
Great insight into a very emotional song. If it hasn't been mentioned before, search for the letters between Nightwish and Tarja. Unfortunate you missed the story behind the song, but still a good reaction!
Well thank you. I was encouraged to do a ton of research regarding the background and inner story. But I like my reactions to be truly blind... genuine. And the Nightwish Army has been filling me in all afternoon. Just makes the song that much more powerful to me.
I really appreciated your reactions and I think that you should give a try to Floor as a soloist . She made great covers such as "Shallow" ruclips.net/video/M68pe4a_9zk/видео.html or "Alone" ruclips.net/video/1fu-yP6q6Gk/видео.html Here there are a few songs from her solo album "Paragon" "My Paragon" ruclips.net/video/yZQ1o80Kt_Y/видео.html "Me Without You" ruclips.net/video/RAnIRd39Pr8/видео.html "Invincible" is about PTSD ruclips.net/video/ee3i72-HN6o/видео.html
Thera are not a lot of over 30 people who can headbang/windmill any appreciable time without paying a high price. Floor has the neck strength, correct technique, and seemingly no genetic early degenerative C-spine condition. Good for her and good for us to enjoy that hair flying around in circles.
Shocked, SHOCKED I am!!! M’lady, you gleaned the essentials and overarching sentiment(s) with NO BACKSTORY and fairly little exposure to Nightwish!!! Methinks you’ve an old soul, and are a “musical empath” as well. WELL DONE.
Well I appreciate that compliment. I paint what I feel. Music is painting with sound. I write poetry. The lyrics... well... same sentiment. Floor's angelic voice channels the guttural, visceral emotion of the piece in a fascinating way. What's not to love?
Wow.. ok.. well you have had a very different path to Nightwish from the beginning - why not dive straight to the poet and the pendulum. Good thing that you seem to have one of the best intuition on listening lyrics and song meanings I have seen so far. There is also a song called "Dead Boy's Poem" that is another similar but different illustration of Tuomas's mind and self-image.
Thank you for that compliment. I started my first few Nightwish songs by priority requests, so the direction of my journey may be unorthodox, but I'm REALLY enjoying the ride.
I agree, as an emotional consumer of best composed music you won't miss 'Dead Boys Poem' and especially if you love Floor's voice. Greetings from Germany
My no 1 song. A masterpiece. Accumulated notes follow... This is a 5-part journey through the emotional turmoil following Tarja's departure. As the founder and guiding light of the band, Tuomas' took much of the flak from those who claimed to be Nightwish fans but we're actually obsessed with Tarja and thought she WAS Nightwish - an idea that the subsequent growth and improvement of the band comprehensively demolished. Indeed there are still people today who call the "Tarjawish" in some vain attempt to make Tarja something she wasn't. (Don't get me wrong, Tarja can be fantastic, but Nightwish is about Tuomas' and his compositions. We are fortunate he now has Floor to exhibit his works.) The parts are: 1. White Lands of Empathica (The End) - the end of a band as well know it. Later to become known as the "End of an Era" 2. Home - the breakup of the band and the wish to find a place, home, to go to and get away from the madness of those who hated. Of course, there is a lot more in here too. 3. The Pacific - as usual, Tuomas' needs to reference the oceans, one of his "grounding" themes. His love of the ocean metaphor is well-docunented. He did, of course, originally dream of becoming a marine biologist. Strange that he should have a gnat named after him! 4. Dark Passion Play - the hate of Tarja fans led him into deep depression. However the band were not in good places so he didn't feel he could "cry on their shoulders" so in the end he went back to see his 5. - Mother and Father (and The Beginning) - the lyrics here reflect what his mother said to him at that time. The beginning of a new era and new line-up BTW, they are not hanging out having a chat as such - see later. Tuomas refers to the ocean frequently - the second album is called Oceanborn, Dead Boys Poem ends with reference to ocean soul and Devil and the Deep Dark Ocean ends with lyrics about setting the dolphins free and "we shall wash the darkened blood red sea, our voices shall echo over the mountains and seas". Tuomas is a very special person and this is, for me, the pinnacle of his work. Nothing surpasses it. For him it is one of the deepest songs. Quotes from the band on the making of the album and the song... TUOMAS: We will never play "Bye Bye Beautiful" or "Master Passion Greed" live again, [sic] because the lyrics are just too unambiguous and personal. There was at least as much gloom behind "The Poet and the Pendulum", too, but it leaves a bit more room for interpretation. It's easily one of our best songs but especially, the "Mother and Father'" part in the end always stirs up such a storm of emotions that it's impossible for me to do it every night. Playing "The Poet and the Pendulum' is a real rollercoaster ride - it makes me feel anxious, blush, laugh, and, in the end, just happy that that part of my life is behind me. My notes: My number 1 Nightwish song and for good reasons. (No 2, Song of Myself, No 3 7 Days to the Wolves.) This is a deeply emotional and meaningful song with which I empathise and it helped me to see that there was a way forward when depression struck. I am not alone in being "saved" by Nightwish, a fact that Tuomas has referred to and said he could not terminate the band because he knows they have meant so much to some fans who feel their lives have been saved by Nightwish. He feels that he has a responsibility to the fans - not your standard rock musician then. Floor is worth watching closely, her facial, hand and whole-body motions reflect the emotions she is portraying. Hands in Mother and Father for example. Tearing her hair in the Dark Passion Play section. Note that when Tuomas talks about "Poet" he is always referencing himself. It happens throughout his ouvre. You will see other cross-references too. Tuomas does that deliberately to give the fans a sort of anchor. Meadows of Heaven is another example - a song in itself and often referenced. For what it's worth, here are are my thoughts and interpretations... End to beginning - death of one era of the band, beginning of a new era. Regarding the end of the first Era, I see no point in the blame game. The band split, that is all we need to know. Whatever the causes there was bound to be emotion on both sides so I leave it at that. But this masterpiece is what came out of Tuomas' emotions. The beginning is a boy soprano, Guy Elliott who also does the spoken parts. The whispering at the beginning is the central spoken section, but played in reverse. In The Dark Tower fantasy, Empathica, also known as the White Lands of Empathica, is a snowy tundra located in End-World. The residents of Empathica are known for their abilities to empathize and share other people's emotions. Then we get the whole section "Home". I see the "shoulder cries more" as having no shoulder to cry on because the other members of the band - his friends - were equally upset. The "whore for the cold world" I see as the selling of his whole life to the music industry (the metaphorical pimps, hence the "whore" references) which is not interested in the person, only what they can get from the band. The two faces bit is self explanatory; almost everyone will have been in situations where they have to hide their feelings and present a false front to the world. The reference to betrayal is again obvious and there are lots of metaphors in the surrounding words. The altar I think, is the tie to the band - these upheavals in 2004/5 were not the first time Tuomas had felt like ending the band. By the way, note the 3 minutes and counting: exactly 3 minutes later you get the guillotine motion. By the way, Marco made the demo version of this, with all the lyrics sung by himself and with harsher lyrics at this point too. Next we get to the Mother and Father section with Floor, Marco and Emppu all sitting, while Floor sings lyrics reflecting the words from his mother when he went back home for a break in the middle of all this turmoil. These are the words of love and then of advice, that he was given. Floor here is using her finger movements to accentuate emotion. This whole section and the way Floor sings it, is packed with those damned Onion Ninjas. Marco's harmonies are wonderful. We end with the final ethereal notes from Floor and here is another tingle-factor moment. Then a gentle piano ending, the calm after the emotional storm. Here, as in Sparkle my Scenery, the choir on the original album is replaced by Floor who wanted to sing them herself (and proved completely capable of it) which Anette could not have done - she could probably get the notes but the emotion is there in the choral original and is amplified when Floor sings it. The low brass used in many places is really effective. On the performance itself: When Emppu goes over to Tuomas and later both Marco and Emppu go over, it is a sign of moral support. They both know how difficult this is for him - eventually he had the vocals turned off in his in-ear, so he didn't have to listen to them because Floor put such emotion into them. At the end, she does not say "Thank you" immediately, as she does normally. Instead she looks over for a few seconds to check on him from her position. BTW, I have never bought the theory that Tuomas was "in love" with Tarja. Those who say he asked her to join the band because he knew her from school - she was suggested by Emppu who had known her as an acquaintance at school. Tuomas' did know her of course and his mother was for a while her piano teacher, but it was Emppu who suggested her.
Well over 95% of all Nightwish songs are written by Tuomas. A couple have Marcos hand in them. Fyi, my no b2 is Song of Myself (Wacken 2013) and No 3 is 7 Days to the Wolves from this Wembley 2015 show. But the best full concert, IMO, is Buenos Aires 2018. Lots of older songs reimagined by Floor and rearranged by Tuomas
The Poet and the Pendulum is the song about there 1st singer Tarja Turnunen getting fired in 2005 , HERE IS MY INTERPRETATION OF THIS - The Poet and the Pendulum was written after firing Tarja the original singer. She was the face of Nightwish at the time, and Tuomas (Keyboards) wrote this and considered her a muse to many of the songs he had written at that point. They had also grown up in the same city and knew each other since early childhood. All the band members decided together to fire her for acting too much of a diva And her husband & Manager was stepping way outta bounds concerning the band business He always wanted more money , only big paying show but the band did it for the love of music and there fans . According to all the band members, Tarja was missing lots of rehearsals and would not even travel with the band anymore. Tuomas was painted as the devil by many fans, and went through a deep depression. He even considered ending the band . He wrote The Poet and the Pendulum at that time, and actually kills himself in the song. He said he killed himself in the song at the 10:00 time stamp , as to kill the pain he was going through . To this day every time he plays it, it takes him back to those feelings, and shows on his face. In the last part, Mother and Father, words are said to him that his real mother said to him at that time of his deep depression. One part that touches me at the end when the guitarist Emppu and bassist Marko, the only other two involved with firing Tarja (that were still active with the band at the time of this show )were standing with Tuomas at the end in solidarity and love., NOTE : the 1st two words are (The End) and the last two words are (The Beginning) representing the end of the 1st era of Nightwish and the beginning of the next era
Poetry and Tuomas' poetry in particular is very personal. Every one can have their own interpretation of the lyrics. I fully agree with this interpretation, although I respect any one elses interpretation. To me, "the shoulder that cries more", is Tarja's shoulder, but there are as good reasons when you say it is the fanbases shoulder. @VocalCitizen found a similarity with Edgar Allen Poe's Pit and the Pendulum, that I hadn't found yet, but there is another similarity. The Pit and the Pendulum also starts with "The End" and ends with "The Beginning"
Oh that's so true... how the hell did I miss that?! KUDOS TO YOU. Yeah my AHA moment with Poe was the swinging blade behind the drums. And (if memory serves) the lyric "Swinging blade my lullaby".
You asked for story? You should beware asking me for the story! When you ask me for any story, you get Tolstoy's War & Peace! 🤣🤣🤣 I've written this up over time. A lot of fans will disagree with me on many points, so take it with as many grains of salt as you see fit. But I think I got most of it pretty spot-on accurate. Because of RUclips's max character limit, it takes four consecutive reply panels which I'll put together here. In case RUclips shuffles 'em up, check the headers to read them in order, otherwise they won't make any sense. Here you go..... START. PART 1: THE “CLIFF NOTES” VERSION OF POET & THE PENDULUM My Analysis of the Lyrics [Legal Disclaimer: This is, in no way, purporting to be a biography of the band; has, in no way, ever been stated explicitly in public by the band; has, in no way, been verified or authorized by the band. It is merely my personal, rational analysis based on stitching together publicly available information to try to better understand the mind and heart of the composer when he wrote this---a very fascinating quest in this case!] As an overview, I assume all immediately recognize the allusion to Edgar Allan Poe's "The Pit & The Pendulum" wherein the victim is strapped unto a stone altar and must lay watching the ever-so-slowly descending pendulum blade, forcing him to contemplate for hours the agonizing death to come when the blade eventually starts cutting him in half. With Poe in mind as the overall metaphor, notice that the song begins with the whispered, "The end" and ends with the whispered, "The beginning." Tuomas told us in lyrics of a previous song written years before this that he felt like he "needed to die in order to feel alive." The metaphorical suicide in this song carried out that plan. The suicide (both literal and career suicide) is introduced at the beginning as "the end." After that is over, the rebirth of his spirit, his romance, his creativity, and his career is given us at the end as "the beginning." A pretty clever poetic device in my humble opinion! "Movement I: White Lands of Empathica" This part is like an "Executive Summary" or the "Frontmatter" of the book he is about to present us. The ghostly, ethereal intro is provided by, I'm told, a choir boy soprano contracted from a children’s choir company in London. It gives us a succinct summary of the whole song: "The songwriter's dead. The blade fell upon him; Taking him to the white lands; Of Empathica; Of Innocence." The White Lands of Empathica is a mythical land in the Dark Tower fantasy series, and I conclude he is using it as somewhat analogous to an afterlife destination in "End World." "Movement II: Home" This part lays out his living hell in the normal "home" world before his abrupt transition to End World when the descending pendulum blade strikes him. "The dreamer and the wine; Poet without a rhyme. A widowed writer torn apart by chains of hell." Tuomas is clearly both the poet and the dreamer. He is a fan of wine. Whenever you see Empuu slugging a Corona on stage, Tuomas is sipping from a bottle of wine behind his keyboards. He is without a rhyme because poetry comes from the heart, and his heart is currently dead. He views himself as being "widowed" in that his angel has had her "angel wings burnt to dust" by dismissal from the band. The chains of hell tearing him apart were the opposing requirements of his heart and head: the desire to keep her in the band and continue wallowing in his pain versus the harsh business decision required to end the problem and give both careers a new start, both Tarja's and Nightwish's. "One last perfect verse; Is still the same old song. Oh Christ how I hate what I have become!" Tuomas is telling us here that the one chain of hell tugging his heart to maintain the status quo has driven him to keep trying to write "that one perfect verse" that will get through to her and "fix" the situation, making the problem go away; even though the other chain of hell tugging his head tells him this is hopeless and futile. He has told us this same thing in lyrics from previous songs written years ago also such as in "Nemo" ("This line the last endeavor to find the missing life line!") and "Dead Boy's Poem" ("Walk within my poetry. This dying music: my loveletter to nobody.") The continued futile attempts seem, to him, as "still the same old song" in that he keeps trying to say the same thing expecting a different result. He hates that circumstances have driven him to become this person. "Take me home. Get away, run away, fly away! Lead me astray to dreamer's hideaway! I cannot cry 'cause the shoulder cries more; I cannot die, I, a whore for the cold world!" Tuomas often refers to himself as the dreamer, the introvert, the escapist. This chorus is revealing his inner escapist telling him to run from the problem that he might hideaway from it rather than face it. He has no shoulder left to cry on. He is finding no more joy in pursuing his passion of writing and performing music for "the cold world" who cares nothing for his sorrows and pain. They only want him for his music. This makes him tantamount to a whore, selling his mind and body to that cold world without joy in return. "Forgive me: I have but two faces. One for the world; One for God; Save me!" He asks for forgiveness for this. His whore face he presents to the cold world. He tells us about this face again on the next album in "Song of Myself" ("All that great heart lying still; In silent suffering; Smiling like a clown until the show has come to an end. What's left for encore; Is the same old Dead Boy's song; Sung in silence") When the "show has come to an end" he has his other face only for God. Note that he is not religious in real life, and that is well known, but the metaphor which the rest of the world understands is appropriate and meaningful nonetheless.
"My home was there and then; Those meadows of heaven. Adventure-filled days; One with every smiling face." He is imagining here his anticipation of the death to come at the hand of the pendulum blade. One second he is home in the normal world. The next second he is in the meadows of heaven; apparently Empathica. "Please, no more words; Thoughts from a severed head. No more praise! Tell me once my heart goes right!" He wants no more words of advice or encouragement from others. His thoughts are as those from a severed head: useless to effect response of the body. His head has been severed from his heart by the "chains of hell" in verse one... or has it been severed by Poe's blade? Or is it both? Or are they both really the same thing? Tuomas is a master of double meaning, and he uses that poetic device often throughout much of Nightwish's lyrics. He wants no more praise for his musical talent from the cold world. He just wants, for once, to be reassured that his heart has made the right decision. CONTINUED IN PART 2---->
PART 2 ----->CONTINUED FROM PART 1 ABOVE: "Movement III: The Pacific" This part is the pensive, dreamlike longing for the life of innocence the way it used to be; or perhaps it is the dreamlike transition during the moments of his death as he transitions from Home World to Empathica’s End World. Both would be valid interpretations. Or, again, perhaps they are both the same thing. [As a side note it is also a verse which caused some obvious tension between him and the replacement singer Annette. It is supposed to be sung in the ultra-high octave falsetto similar to the intro to evoke the dreamlike quality. Annette did a beautiful job on this on the studio album "Dark Passion Play" (so he knew she was capable of that range), but seemed to refuse to sing it correctly when live. In some live vid captures you can see him snap his head up from the keyboards and give her the evil stink eye that just seems to scream out, "We talked about this back stage, and you promised to do it right!" But who knows. We can only speculate on that. Floor, of course, sings it to perfection!] "Sparkle my scenery; With turquoise waterfalls; With beauty underneath; The Ever Free. Tuck me in beneath the blue; Beneath the pain, beneath the rain. Goodnight kiss for a child in time; Swaying blade my lullaby." An overriding theme of the band is that of being "Oceansouls." The imagery of peaceful blue water, sirens calling seamen to their watery deaths, the blue mist atmosphere during the orchestral intermezzo of Ghost Love Score, etc., pervades nearly everything. He sees peace and beauty beneath the water...in this case waterfalls...as a place for his inner escapist to hide from the pain. The kiss of death from the approaching blade has become this child's lullaby. Tuomas often makes reference to the innocent heart of the little boy inside throughout many of Nightwish's songs. "On the shore we sat and hoped; Under the same pale moon; Whose guiding light chose you; Chose you all." This verse drops back out of the dreamlike ultra-high octave falsetto to give us more real world thoughts. If one acquires some familiarity with the formation of the band, this simple sentence is pretty unmistakably a reference to that time. The concept for Nightwish was allegedly posed to his founding bandmates (including that first, dismissed singer) over a night time campfire in the Finnish wilderness during a group camping trip. It was probably on a lakeshore, since Finland is a land of 10,000 lakes, and water imagery plays such a large role in many lyrics. There have also been important references to swimming "in places no one has seen before" under the midnight full moon, such as in the touching poem at the end of "Song of Myself." He is telling, probably not us but the other band members ...including the absent singer should she ever hear this verse..., that they sat on that lakeshore and hoped for success as Nightwish, all together under the same pale moon. The guiding light of the moon chose them ALL (a pointed jab at the dismissed singer, I believe) to be in this experimental project together. The spoken word verse, "I'm afraid. I'm so afraid; Of being raped again, and again, and again! I know I will die alone. But loved," alarms some listeners with its darkness, particularly because it seems to be spoken in a female voice, although I’m told it is spoken by the choir boy again...don't know for sure. But either way, this represents Tuomas's last thoughts as he lays with only three minutes remaining before the pendulum blade first begins to strike his torso, "raping" him again and again and again as it swings. He knows he is going to die alone in this pit of sadness beneath the pendulum, but he also knows his family loves him. "You live long enough to hear the sound of guns, long enough to find yourself screaming every night, long enough to see your friends betray you." Not sure about the "guns" reference. It likely refers to the cruel shots fired by the news tabloids---a very big thing in Finland when it comes to covering metal bands. He found himself screaming (crying?) every night, both from the pain he lived before the "death" and the pain from the cruel things being written in the press. The reference to seeing your friends betray you is pretty certainly another jab at the singer, as he plainly describes in the infamous Open Letter the dismissal in terms of her being a very old and dear friend who chose to betray him. Keeping the art of double meanings in mind, it also likely refers to seeing many of his friends betray him afterward by siding with the cruel press. "For years I've been strapped unto this altar. Now I only have 3 minutes and counting. I just wish the tide would catch me first and give me a death I always longed for." He is telling us that, unlike Poe's character who was strapped to the stone altar for hours, he saw this pendulum blade approaching for years. If we map the whole history of Nightwish lyrics on to the timing of events in real life (to the extent that they are publicly known) we can see this shift that suggests when he knew everything had started to go south. We see the transition from romantically hopeful youth to morose impending doom and sadness as we study lyrics from “Angels Fall First” up to “Once,” and then the anger catharsis of “Dark Passion Play” followed by the final installment of the saga: the denouement and reflection of “Imaginaerum.” To what might the "3 minute" statement be referring? I believe the first strike of the pendulum blade was the moment when he handed over the envelope containing the Open Letter to Tarja or her manager or whoever was the physical courier. It was at that point that it became too late to recall the act. Torpedo in the water! I surmise, based on this, it was about 3 minutes from the ending of the last song at the "End of An Era" concert (during which he made her sing about the impending "burning of her angel wings to dust") to the time he handed off the letter. And this was the final agonizing 3 minutes where he knew the decision was final. The opening verse of that last song even includes the ominous warning, "This night will hurt you like never before!" which she had to sing about herself. CONTINUED IN PART 3---->
PART 3 ---->CONTINUED FROM PART 2 ABOVE: "Movement IV: Dark Passion Play" This part channels the title of the album. He is plainly telling us here that the whole affair was more than just a business decision. If the band's early lyrics were a romantic passion play as a way for the escapist to express love implicitly ...as he tells us in "Dead Boy's Poem," "Sing what you can't say; forget what you can't play; hasten to drown into beautiful eyes; walk within my poetry, this dying music; my loveletter to nobody."... then this was a passion play with very dark intentions. "Second robber to the right of Christ; Cut in half - infanticide; The world will rejoice today; As the crows feast on the rotting poet!" The robber to the right of Christ was Dismas, the penitent thief who asked for mercy, as Tuomas did in Part II, "God save me!" and is rewarded by being taken to Paradise. (Empathica?) Here, Tuomas as the 2nd Dismas is cut in half by the pendulum blade. It is infanticide because we must remember the frequent referrals to himself as having the innocent heart of a child...the dead boy. The crows feasting on the dead poet, whose legacy is rotting as a result of the Open Letter, are most certainly the tabloids of the day feasting on the corpse of his career for their own journalistic benefit. And the "cold world," to which he was a whore, will rejoice at this feasting and muckraking because they were so angry at his dismissal of their beloved angel or "Christess" as Tuomas explicitly calls her in "Master Passion Greed." "Everyone must bury their own; No plate to bury the heart of stone; Now he's in hell, serves him well; Slain by the bell, tolling for his farewell!" The rest of the band will have to bury his legacy, but they will have no served plate on which to bury his heart of stone that was so cold as to write the Open Letter. The cold world will condemn him to hell, and conclude that it serves him well for what he did. The "bell" that had been tolling for his farewell is, I believe, a subtle reference to David Gilmour's line about "The Division Bell" which appeared earlier in that concert when they performed the cover of Pink Floyd's "High Hopes." Out of all the great covers Tuomas could have selected, why THAT one? Gilmour's lyrics clearly had some deep, special meaning to him that drove him to choose it. If one re-listens to all of Gilmour's lines in the context of what was going to happen at the end of the show, one can see a metaphorical playout of Nightwish's history, penned eerily by Gilmour years before Tuomas was even born! "The morning dawned upon his altar; Remains of the dark passion play. Performed by his friends without shame; Spitting on his grave as they came!" This refers to his perception of the morning after the Open Letter became public knowledge, and the tabloid shitstorm started. "His friends" refers to the remaining band members who would need to carry on performing without him, perhaps absolving themselves of shame while spitting, figuratively, on his memory. The spoken-word verse recited like a eulogy: "Today, in the year of our Lord 2005, Tuomas was called from the cares of the world. He stopped crying at the end of each beautiful day. The music he wrote had too long been without silence. He was found naked and dead, with a smile in his face, a pen, and 1000 pages of erased text." 2005 was the year of Tarja's dismissal. Tuomas names himself personally erasing all doubt that this is about him and not an imaginary character in a tome. "The music....too long been without silence" seems misworded at first, but it draws the listener to ponder the sentence a bit longer. The music, i.e., those "last perfect verses [that are] still the same old song," had been performed for the "cold world" continuously for so many years. They deserved to enjoy some silence! The "1000 pages of erased text" refers to the large amount of creative genius that still lay inside him, waiting to see the light of day as songs for Tarja but were now dead and gone, never to be released. "Movement V: Mother & Father" While the death-by-pendulum and the spoken eulogy are the violent and morose climax of the story, this part is the tender denouement; Tuomas at home receiving comfort and reassurance from his parents. "Be still, my son; You're home. Oh when did you become so cold? The blade will keep on descending. All you need is to feel my love." The blade will keep on descending would seem to refer to a caution given by his mother that the repeated pendulum cuts levelled by the tabloids would continue to cut deeper... "again and again and again." He needs only to feel his mother's comforting love during this time. "Search for beauty, find your shore. Try to save them all, bleed no more. You have such oceans within; In the end I will always love you!" This verse seems to tell us about his mother's encouragement to gather himself together and go on. His metaphorical death is over, and it is now time to search for beauty and find his shore. It would seem that "try to save them all" means he needs to continue on with the band because the careers of three other members plus all the behind the scenes crew were on the line. Sounds like she admonished him to stop "bleeding" and that trying to save their careers was the right thing to do. She encouraged him by reminding him of the oceans of creative genius that still lay sleeping within him. "The beginning." We can all now be thankful for his mother's wise words of advice! Nightwish did, indeed, experience a new beginning and has risen to new heights, giving such a beautiful gift of music and poetry to the world. We all owe Tuomas a debt of gratitude we could never possibly repay! CONTINUED IN PART 4----->
PART 4 ----->CONTINUED FROM PART 3 ABOVE: ADDENDUM REGARDING DEMO VERSION- I've known of the demo version of this song always but never listened to the whole thing through. And now, I discover a very important clue to the inner workings of Tuomas' heart hidden in these lyrics. I'll bet most everyone missed it or, if they caught it, didn't grasp its significance. Here's what I mean: I have often written explanatory essays for various reactors interpreting Nightwish's lyrics as an overarching, ongoing story of Tuomas' life (he has said, to my recollection, that Nightwish is his personal diary). I base my interpretations on not what any individual listener might get from the song but rather from the point of view of, "What was the poet thinking... what did HE mean by it?" True, the beauty of great poetry is that each individual will find that it speaks to his or her own inner mind and heart, and, as such, their personal interpretation will be a unique experience. But in addition to that, I like to take a different approach, like that of a historical scholar probing what may have been inside the poet’s mind as distinct from what’s in my own mind. I use many different sources including the lyrics themselves, interviews, overlay on the timeline of what publicly known events were happening in real life, and logical analysis, i.e., "What is more likely than not?" My conclusion leads me inexorably to the realization that the Nightwish story, up to and including Imaginaerum, is fundamentally about the youthful “High Hopes” and subsequent heartbreak of a would-be lover (Tuomas) rejected by the object of his obsession (do I need to mention any name here?). When I do that I am typically reprimanded by other fans who insist that's a bullsh** urban legend because "Tuomas has never said that in any interview," or words to that effect. Tarja's firing was all about "business and administrative differences, payscale 'greed,' and tensions generated by T's husband and business manager," so the usual reprimand goes. I think these critics are people who have not integrated the evidence to a sufficient level of depth to understand how wrong that oversimplified explanation is. Poet & the Pendulum gives us a poignant clue that speaks otherwise. In the published version of "Poet & the Pendulum" that we all know, the spoken word verse contains a line, "For years I have been strapped unto this altar." In Poe's story the "altar" is the sacrificial stone in the pit upon which the prisoner is trapped. The swinging pendulum blade has not cut him yet. It has not caused physical harm or pain yet. But the trapped prisoner is forced to watch it descend ever closer and contemplate the pain and agony to come when the first cut finally arrives. Thus it inflicts psychological torture. In the typical reprimand to my analysis, the psychological torture of watching the impending doom approach could very well span the vague "years" of business and administrative tensions caused by T and her husband, as they were married in 2003, and her firing (the first pendulum cut) takes place in 2005. However, in this early demo, before any polishing of lyric details, that vague line clearly specifies, "For 11 years I have been strapped unto this altar." That's very telling! 11 years from 2005 takes us back to 1994. That's right around the time 17 yr old Tuomas met 17 yr old Tarja. He is telling us the exact extent of what he views as his altar of psychological torture, anticipating the inevitable doom to come. Nightwish, as a functioning band, did not exist in 1994. There was no "business and administrative tension" created by T and her husband, as there was no husband and no business. All that would have existed in the hearts of two 17 year olds was the potential for teenage romance....in one of them anyway! Sounds like the original lyrics of Poet & the Pendulum was trying to tell us that he foresaw the inevitable doom of his hoped-for romance (the "wishes he held for his nights") as soon as it began.
Does anybody really believe anyway that someone is so torn up inside that he has to commit suicide in order to feel alive again over purely business decisions?? Seriously? Much deeper emotion is needed to drive that. Business decisions are cold and logical. ---END---
EVERYONE has been filling me in. Like I've told them, I did a scant amount of research (I was advised to do a deep dive, but that takes away from the genuine reaction for me). It's a tragic story.
Hello welcome to the world Nightwish the best band please react to "Song my self live Wacken 2013" and also to "Shudder before the beautiful at Wemble live in 2015"
Asking for background on this story is asking for a novel. You can spend hours reading on it, and it was, indeed, turmoil. I'll leave it to the others, they're rightfully passionate about it. Tuomas composed about 97% of everything you hear from Nightwish. In my opinion, he's the greatest composer of my lifetime, and that's quite a while. You will discover that, as you continue, there are no derivative songs and every one is brilliant and deep. Nice reaction, especially not knowing the true back story. Other connected tunes resulting from the same scenario: "Master Passion Greed" and "Bye Bye Beautiful" but they are with Anette, not Floor.
I was urged to do a TON of research before filming this reaction. I did a scant amount, due to my determination to only have GENUINE reactions to a piece of music. If I go in with too much info, my brain does other things, rather than just absorbing the work as it was meant to be presented. Thank you so much for watching and taking the time to comment. Tuomas is a composer/artist I will be marinating in for quite a while. My OCD won't allow for anything else.
@@VocalCitizen I highly recommend his other band, AURI with his wife, Johanna Kurkela and Troy from Nightwish. It's quieter music, more Celtic and very relaxing! All three compose and it's truly amazing.
OMG. Normally not recommended to listen to this one until you know a bit more of the band's history. Tuomas committed suicide in this song to prevent him from doing it in real life. Nightwish is one of Finland's largest exports, and the sacking of their first singer was even discussed by the country's Prime Minister. Even now, if you attempt to compare Floor with Tarja, you're likely to get inundated with comments from the die-hard Tarja fans.
I did a little research, but I don't like going into a new piece with TOO much foreknowledge. It's not a genuine reaction, in that case. I'm rather organic on my channel.
Although I listened to Nightwish when Tarja was the singer I really became a fan when the album Dark Passion Play came out with Anette Olzen became the singer. I liked her vocal style better, I know I`m going to get alot of hate from Tarja fans but I liked Anette better. I do recommend checking concerts with her as she was the original singer of this song. Obviously she is not even close to Floor`s vocal range but those two albums really started my undying love for this band
I already have. It made all the difference. I also did some heavy reading afterward on the history of the track and what Tuomas went through. I'm glad he chose to die onstage, rather than the alternative. I NEVER EVER sneak peeks before I film a reaction. Otherwise, it's not a genuine reaction.
@@VocalCitizen usually the Nighytwish Army tells you over and over again to read up on the history of the firing of Tarja so the song is more easily understood - even though Anette originally sang this song, it is Floor that brings it to life with the addition of her soul
I guess... but I don't drink. 😂 To me, social lubricant is applied when I'm in a pissy mood but still must be among other humans... in an effort to avoid biting someone's head off.
No, that isn't Jukka. He started suffering from insomnia and had to step down. His friend Kai was the replacement on drums and Jukka is now involved in the band's management. Keyboardist Tuomas wrote the song, which is about his feelings and depression and the public and fan backlash he came under for the band having to fire popular previous vocalist Tarja Turunen (who he once considered a close friend) in around 2005, due to her increasingly selfish diva behaviour and her husband's disrespect for the band. It seemed at the time that the band, which was his whole life and career was doomed. He said he committed suicide in the song rather than do it in real life. The last couple of verses are based on words by his mother to him at the time, which brought about eventual redemption. You will see Marco and Emppu, the other band members from that time, keep checking on him during the song, because they know it's hard on him to bring up the memories again. At the end, both go to him in a show of solidarity. You'll also see him singing the last verses, his mother's words, despite having no vocal mic. You'll be glad to know he's over it all now and has gone on record a few years ago as saying "I'm no longer that person."
Seriously. Without context and no lyrics shown on screen you still where the closest to the story from all reactors I have seen so far. Good job! Very good job!
Thank you. I really appreciate that.
I hope you enjoyed the reaction. CHEERS.
REEL RX and Mental Amanda also did excellent cold reads
REEL RX and Mental Amanda also did excellent cold reads
REEL RX and Mental Amanda also did excellent cold reads
REEL RX and Mental Amanda also did excellent cold reads...
52 years old, crying like a baby every single time. There's no one like Floor. She took my soul a long long time ago. Love your reactions btw. Keep going, Nightwish is just awesome.
Thanks so much.
I've seen countless reactions to this song and your is the best. You just got it, without the research...and you are just genuine :) Please, do Greatest show on earth (Wembley) :))
AWWW what a nice thing to comment. Thank you.
I will be getting there. I always do priority requests first.
Here's a surprise reaction, it's certainly a trait of your character, to throw yourself "boldly into the unknown". I personally don't complain :) because your emotional reaction is very to the point.
As you rightly guessed, there is a story behind this unique song, which I notice a few fans have already brought up, namely the backlash the band members received from many fans after they publicly fired their first female singer, Tarja Turunen, at the end of the 2005 tour. It was the moment when they contemplated the idea of disbanding Nightwish.
General Gabriel, sir... 🫡
I did read a few things in preparation for this reaction, but I'm loathe to have TOO much information, due to my desire to have a truly genuine reaction. I found the piece intriguing and melancholy... It was scrumptious yet tortured. BRILLIANT WORK.
And before everyone is bombarding the comments with "oh you should have done the backstory to the song" Save your breath. It´s not that important. It´s still a magical song.
I read a bit of the backstory (like Tarja leaving the band and how Tuomas was wrecked because of the situation). I was advised to do deep research, but, then... that would take away from my initial reaction.
The song is wrenching but so so powerful.
@@VocalCitizen That´s why I love the line "I cannot cry, cause the sholder cries more". Nowhere to turn because everyone in the band was hurting. But Tuomas took most of the blame for what happened.
For not knowing the backstory you did this justice. It would be really cool if you watched again in a month or so after learning more about the band, the firing of Tarja, the open letters, and the aftermath from media and some fans
Ohhhhhh you just connected that for me. THANKS.
i cant listen to the mother and father part without crying my eyes out. Floors voice is divine
The lament of these two parents... It strikes my soul.
this dutch warior princess, will take your soul only with her voice
I can't find mine anywhere...
Every time I see someone watching this for the first time, I get super jealous.
I LOVE watching reaction videos almost as much as I love making them. I'm familiar with that sentiment.
Welcome to the second song of Nightwish's "Holy" Trinity. This song will never be played again in a live performance. Only Nightwish fans will understand the depth of meaning. Love your reactions 💥💥💥
I appreciate you, Gene, thank you.
This got into my veins and made me melancholy for a bit. That's the otherworldly magic of Tuomas's composing.
The brilliance, nuance and mastery of Tuomas’ songwriting lyrics and composition never ceases to amaze me. 3 minutes exactly from where he says “I have 3 minutes and counting “ is when he simulates with his hand the pendulum cutting his throat.This is just an amazing piece of music art!🤘🤘
It is exactly that. AMAZING.
This is the 432nd time I have heard this and tear up without fail
Yeah I sorta lost control of my tear ducts at the end.
Floor can touch your heart and soul
And my spine and goosebumps
And it feels like does it with a sledgehammer.
"You make a grown man cry", the Stones were singing this in the year Floor was born.
And it is true, she does every time.
There is a line in the boys speech which say "a pen and 1000 pages of erased text" IMO this is about losing all his songs. All his songs had been written for Tarja and her unique voice and who was going to be able to sing them like her. Anette couldn't manage many of her songs, so, when Floor came along and he realised exactly what she could do he was really happy. That is why there was a Decades tour in 2018 where they reintroduced many of Tarja's songs because Floor could do them justice and make them her own.
I love that transition from Tarja to Floor. I will be going back and listening to Tarja-era Nightwish. I have a whole list of links that a subscriber was kind enough to send me.
@@VocalCitizen Here's a suggestion on that: Why not do the whole "End of an Era" concert in proper order? I'm sure everybody would love to share those 2 hours re-watching it with you. [PS. When doing so, put two-and-two together with the lyrics in proper setlist order as throwing gentle hints to the unsuspecting singer about what was going to happen at the end of the show! You can see him occasionally throw suspicious glances her way, when the camera catches it. It looks to me as though he is checking to see if she is catching the drift. But she doesn't. 😢]
@@christomashofski9160 what has the setlist got to do with gentle hints? where? the setlist of end of an era is the typical setlist of that year, I know since I was at one of their concets in 2005 and it is almost identical with maybe 1 song changed (and that is creek mary's blood).
@@sorynn1991 It tells a story that would be less effective if taken out of order. You have to be more perceptive and think more deeply about what Tuomas is saying. We know what a deep and clever thinker he is. You need to apply similar introspection and look beneath the shallow surface to sense the undertones. Takes a bit of effort, but I know you can do it.
To understand the story you need to know the backstory.
Nightwish was started by Tuomas, Emppu, and Tarja, their first singer. In 2005, after the recording of the "End of an era" dvd Tarja was fired thru a letter given to her by Tuomas, but it was a band decision. The letter was also posted on the bands homepage at the same time. Marko had told Tuomas "It's me or her". This song is about the aftermath thru Tuomas eyes. A piece in five parts.
1. White lands of Empathica.: Boy soprano (Guy Elliot). "The end, the songwriter's dead, the blade fell upon him" It's the end of an era, Tuomas feels dead inside, he was the one that handed Tarja the letter. The white lands of Emphatica is a place in Stephen Kings "Dark Tower" series.
2. Home: "A poet without a rime, a widowed writer torn apart by the chains of hell" Tuomas got writers block, he's lost his musical "wife", his muse, and was fighting depression and doubt. "My home was there and then, those meadows of heaven. Adventure filled days one with every smiling face" The bands beginning, before the troubles started.
3 The Pacific: "On the shore, se sat and hoped under the same pale moon who's guiding light chose you, chose you all" If I remember it right Tuomas, Emppu, and Tarja was having a barbecue at night when they decided to start a band together. The operatic part Floor sings was originally sung by the same boy soprano who sings the intro. When Floor joined she told Tuomas that she could sing that. He decided to keep the intro but let Floor sing that part.
The spoken words are read by a boy named Tom Williams. Both him and Guy Elliot were members of Reigate St Mary's Choir School.
4. Dark passion play: This is about the reactions from fans and media where everyone blamed Tuomas even tho it was a band decision. He was ripped apart, even the Finnish prime minister had an opinion.
5. Mother and Father: Tuomas took refuge at his parents house for a while, these are some of the things they told him during that time.
Tuomas was inspired by the short story "The pit and the pendulum" by Edgar Allen Poe when he wrote this masterpiece.
The first words are "The end", the last words are "The beginning". It's the end of an era and the start of a new.
When you see Marko and Emppu close to Tuomas at the end it's a thing they have thet started when this song was new. Tuomas feelings where still raw so they supported him at the end of the song. Tuomas had chosen to have Anettes song cut out of the mix in his earpiece at the shows. This was 11 years after the events, so he's mostly over it now
Hello NW Army Italian Division reporting in. Ohhhh you have already reacted to this incredible song. There are many things behind this song, a very painful song for Tuomas (the keyboards player, composer, lyricist and arranger) Nightwish and the Army. I think it is time for you to go and explore the history of Nightwish or much of this song may not be understood correctly.
I'm already elbow-deep into the history. 🫡
This masterpiece gets me every time..... amazing reaction ❤
Thank you so much. ☺️
very well done for someone who does not know the story but gets it anyway!❤❤❤❤❤❤
Well, thank you for that. I've gone back and listened again and again... (and a third time) and have gleaned much more information.
Brilliant reaction! Considering you hadn't checked the back story, you picked it up so damn quickly.... Bravo! This is all about Tarja, who was kicked out of the band due to her antics. It was very public, even the letter of 'dismissal' was public, it was hurting Tuomas so much. I'd suggest you look into the story to complete the picture, but what a reaction.... Brilliant!
You made me grin like an idiot. Thank you.
I am currently exploring the history of this magnificent piece.
And that's why Nightwish is "THE GREATEST BAND ON EARTH"....
🤘🏻🤘🏻🤘🏻🤘🏻💙💙💙💙. 💃🏼
Those damn Onion Ninja again….Every bloody time I listen to this they get me….When she sings "Tuck me in beneath the blue" I am normally done…this is a masterpiece. And I have heard this one like 683 times already….
And even if you didnt study the background story - this awesome piece of Music stands for its own.
Love it.
Thanks for the time !
All Hail Queen Floor !
Yeah I damned near lost it at the end.
This is Visceral Metal... its own genre.
Context, short version: In 2005 Tuomas (keyboards, founder, composer) fired the first Nightwish singer, Tarja, because she had turned into a Diva. The fans were livid and took their frustrations out on Tuomas. He went into a deep depression. Then he wrote an amazing song about his feelings during this time. 😊🤘
I love the short version... What an awful situation for Tuomas... I adored the piece, gut-wrenching though it was.
He DID NOT fire Tarja - ALL of the band did !
@@richardwest6358
@skeezesmith7954 If I remember correctly from the band's bio book, Marko was the first one to say that he'll leave the band if Tarja stays in it. So it was the choice of all 4 guys in the band, Tuomas just got blamed as the band's leader.
Tarja had already given notice that she was leaving the band, having been convinced by her husband that he would make her a star. The same husband who comforted her earlier after a sexual attack in Mexico which he had enabled by hiring morons for security. A classic case of "you can't leave, you're fired", instigated by Marko/Marco who is now sucking up to her again after disparaging her before. Really Marco/Marko? The whole band fired her, not Tuomas.
@@snappy6132 and now Marko & Tarja are touring together
Hallo from the netherlands and a new subscriber!
I heard you saying that you liked the keltic vibes you got from ' the valey of the gueens" by Areyon . Tuomas holopainen the nightwish composer also has a band together with his wife Johanna (engelic voice) and Troy Donocley the multiinstrumentalist from nightwish. The name of the band is Auri. It can't get much more keltic than that! But more calm . He also wrote a whole solo album about Scrooge MC duck from Disney. Called ' the life and times of scrooge. ' very highly recommendet this is a sort of crossover between nightwish and keltic music .
About Floor jansen now, check out some of her work with her first band ' afther forever' dreamflight for example or her solo concert live at Afas in Amsterdam.
Or the dutch tv show beste zangers 2019 youl wil be Blown away i prommise both by tuomas's work outside of nightwish and floor!
Keep up the nice reactions!
First, thank you for subscribing. I do appreciate it.
Second, I will be exhausting Nightwish's catalogue.
Save my Nightwish playlist (which is in order from top to bottom) and hang on tight. Welcome aboard my Weird & Wonky rollercoaster.
Kai is an incredible drummer and the changes with the atmosphere is astounding
His mastery over that kit is remarkable. I felt the thunder the whole time.
Are you in love with Nightwish and Floor yet? 🌹🌹🌹Honestly you must be one of the most perceptive people I've seen in the reactions biz. The "Floor effect" is extraordinary. There is something about a brain's emotional response to voice that Floor can tap right into.
I am in love. Mad, wonky love. I cannot describe how difficult it is to avoid binging everything Nightwish has recorded. I eat, sleep, and live music. I'm never without it. Perhaps my Nightwish-napped soul is officially tapped in.
The song is from the Dark Passion Play album ,first record made with Anette as lead singer. Tuomas wrote it, he writes most of their stuff.
Tormenting is a good word for it. It's about Tuomas' feelings of depression caused by the huge fan backlash over the firing of Tarja. He, Marko , Jukka, and Emppu all signed the firing letter, but Tuomas took the brunt of the heat from the public. Even the Finnish Prime Minister chimed in. A very personal song for him, so much so that he often would have the sound guys remove the vocals from his in ear mix. You see Emppu go to him early to ask how he is doing. Emppu and Marko go to him at the end in a show of support. Floor even looks over to him before saying 'Thank you'. This song is no longer played live, as all involved have moved past this.
Recorded with Anette, Floor wanted to take over all the operatic parts from the choirs, but Tuomas said they should keep the boy soprano at the beginning. Yes, in parts, 5 of them, the last section are some of the word that Tuomas' mother said to him when he went home. And when you see the words 'boy' or 'poet' , Tuomas is usually talking about himself.
The 1000 pages of erased text line , I see as all the songs he could have written for Tarja had the split not occurred.
One of the 3 songs dealing with the break up, "Bye Bye Beautiful" and "Master Passion Greed' are the other 2.
This performance is at Wembley in 2015, so that's Kai on drums.
Fans of MetallicA turned on the band when they cut their hair short. James Hetfield (the lead singer) got burned by a pyrotechnic in Canada (his famous long hair was toast) so the band elected to all cut their hair in a show of solidarity.
Sometimes people get all twisted over the dumbest sh!t. 😳
Tuomas is a GIANT amongst composers. Respect.
@@VocalCitizen I agree, and I remember all of that with Metallica. I first saw them in concert on the Black album tour, and have seen them several times since.
Me too. Jessicat (my sister) and I met them in Vegas on the Some Kind of Monster tour. I actually stood for about 5 minutes, wrapped in Lars' arms and talking. I asked him what the old drum kit monkey's name was and he froze, saying "In twenty years, no one's ever asked me that question. YOU name him." Without missing a beat, I said "Warren". Lars then stood up on his chair and announced to the whole room "From now on, the monkey's name is F*CKING WARREN!" 🐵
And now YOU know, Chris. You're welcome. 😜
@@VocalCitizen 😂👍🤘🤘
You'll never watch footage from Master Of Puppets the same way again... you'll always find Warren.
Floor is the best Ive ever seen and Im a 55 year old man from the US
She's pretty spectacular. Not just with her vocals, but her stage presence, her musical timing, the subtle intonations of her breath control and placement...
To add a little more context as you go through your Nightwish journey. Tarja was given the letter firing her immediately after the "End of an Era" concert. So as you watch videos from that concert, remember that all the members of the band (except Tarja of course) knew that they were going to fire her after the concert.
To hear how Tuomas felt about Tarja's husband, listen to the song Master, Passion, Greed. It's one of Nightwish's harshest songs, and there is no concert version.
It's such a tumultuous song... the sentiment was well-received on my end.
I've watched this hundreds of times, and everytime i watch someone watch it for the first time, i am in tears, ..... an emotional wreck. Tuomas composes ALL of the songs and lyrics as well as most of the stage and light show. He is truly a genius. Marko, both drummers Jukka and Kai, Empuu, and Troy are all such exceptional musicians, and of course our Goddess Floor, ...... the greatest gift to ears and eyes on the planet. What a band....... Every song different and special, but you always know its Nightwish. The backing track is the London Philharmonic Orchestra, and the Choirs are also a legendary outifit........ truly remarkable. There is SO much more for you to react to! Then there's all the Floor solo stuff to dive into!
Strap in... I'm not stopping until I run out of music.
You hit the meaning right on 👍
WHEW 😅
This about Tuomas's lament concerning the band releasing first NW Singer Tarja, the backlash he took from many fans, and one probably best to have done bit of background research before listening to. It's presented as a 5 part play. Also real advantage to have one with on screen lyrics for the whisper parts, etc. Founder Tuomas is the lyricist/composer /arranger of about 99% of NW songs.
I did a bit of background research before I filmed the reaction. I don't like to go into filming with too much information.
This is a nightwish masterpiece written by Tuomas dealing with the firing of the first singer. Thanks for your great reaction 🇬🇧
Thanks for watching! I agree this is a masterpiece, cemented in my mind after I filmed this by researching the song and its history afterward.
Those whispers in the beginning is the "3 minutes and counting" part played backwards.
That´s the new and current drummer Kai Hahto. Jukka left due to health issues. He has severe insomnia.
Ohhhhh I see. Thank you.
@@VocalCitizen Jukka is still with the band, as the CEO of various companies Nightwish has.
Gosh, I never knew that.
3 minutes and counting.....time stamps , just saying 😉
Wow. Here we go. A true masterpiece
I'm still floored... 😜
@@VocalCitizen We all are. Always. Hahahahaha
Hi 👋 from the UK 🇬🇧 division of the Nightwish army something you might like to check out a documentary about how floor joined Nightwish it's called Please learn the set list in 48 hours it's quite long but well worth watching you might like to do it in part's 😊❤
OOH, thanks for THAT. A commendation will appear in your record. 👍🏻
We just beg you guys not to do this one until later. For every point in your reaction where you had questions...you would have had the answers ... It's way too early in your Nightwish Journey to fully appreciate this one. You should probably redo it later.
Go back to the comments of your first reaction. Gabriel would have given you a list that would have helped you get to this song with a full appreciation of it. Follow that list. And relisten to this one once you do
I know how you all feel about the research. The way MY brain works...? If I have too much foreknowledge of a song, I will be concentrating on identifying matching elements to my sneak peek... THAT is not a genuine reaction. PLUS... ALSO... AND... I will be so concentrated on that foreknowledge, certain elements of the musical progression or vocal gymnastics or arrangement will slip right by. Trust me to know my own process. Thank you for watching and commenting. I do appreciate your thoughts.
My personal classification of Nightwish songs is: great, fantastic, epic, The Greatest Show On Earth and The Poet And The Pendulum. I hope after new album release I will able to add third title in last group.
Good reaction. You read the meanig quite well. IMHO this is the most emotional song has been written by Tuomas.
I'm pleased I caught the meaning, having only done a minuscule amount of research (despite being urged to really LEARN the whole tale). I'd rather hit play on an unknown piece and have a genuine reaction.
That classification is so spot on! ❤
Tuomas Holopainen wrote this song, and it is basically him coming to terms with the tragic events that unfolded after Nightwish fired their first singer, Tarja Turunen. Tarja was Tuomas childhood friend (and it is not clear if there was more then friendship) and with Tuomas one of the early instigators of Nightwish. When they had to let Tarja go this was devastating to Tuomas and the other bandmembers. But what was worse is that this became a national issues in Finland where the band hails from. I became so bad that the Finnish prime minister had to intervene. This whole thing drove Tuomas to the brink of s*icide. But in stead of doing that he wrote a song (actually a series of songs) in which he deals with the matter. The biggest and most of those is Poet and the Pendulum...
That is absolutely evident. A crushing, yet lovely piece of work. I felt every tiny shred of torment.
@@VocalCitizen 👍
🤗🍒🤘🏻😘 Great great job again as always
Thank you so much, dollface.
Nightwish army Denmark reporting in ❤
🫡
What a fantastic reaction!! You definitely caught the overarching meaning of the song as well as how it relates to the music...without any background information...Impressive. This is truly a masterpiece and I'm sure you'll appreciate it even more once you become familiar with the background story.
I've already re-visited the song with lyrics and background story in hand. What a tumultuous situation for poor Tuomas. How sad that some fans rebuked HIM for that outcome... but he prevailed, yes?
I thank you for watching and taking the time to comment.
Lovely reaction! Many Nightwish fans, and I am one of them, recommend waiting to get to know the band and it's history before listening to this masterpiece so as to get its full impact but I respect your choice not to do that based on your expressed preferred way for doing your reactions. In any case you did a great job connecting to the feelings of the song. This is Tuomas's (keyboardist ands main composer) most personal and emotional song. It is also very personal and emotional for most fans. In 2005 the band had reached a breaking point with their first lead singer, Tarja Turunen. Things between her, her husband/manager and the band had been deteriorating for some time and had reached the point where they could no longer work together. The band decided to fire her, which they did via an open letter, right after the End of an Era concert. Tarja responded with her own open letter explaining her side of things. The backlash against the band, but mostly against Tuomas, was massive and very nasty. Tuomas felt betrayed by Nightwish's fans and sank into a deep depression. He wrote this song as way of expressing and exploring all of the emotions of his depression and grief. He uses imagery from Poe's The Pit and the Pendulum to help express the desperation and torment he felt at that time and that his beloved Nightwish might not continue. Tuomas often uses the poet in his lyrics to reference himself and yes, he does have a great affinity for the ocean. He sees it as a place of refugee.
I highly recommend you read the analysis of this song by the artist Annika Hausen. IMO it is a brilliant, master's level analysis and I think you would really enjoy it. I would provide a link but every time I do the YT algorithms delete my comment. Just google her name and Poet and the Pendulum. A few thoughts on the lyrics. "One last perfect verse but still the same old song." For me this is Tuomas saying I have nothing new to write for my so called fans, which is like death for a poet like him. The line " A thousand pages of erased text" represents all the songs that Tuomas would have wrote for Tarja but now would never be heard. The pendulum blade finally reaches the Poet (Tuomas making the slashing motion across his neck). The heart beat slows and finally stops mid beat. The original version of Nightwish is dead. The last part of the song, Mother and Father, gets me every time. The lyrics are actual words spoken by his parents during the depths of his depression. Floor perfectly channeling the anguish of a mother who has lost her child. Then the words, In the Beginning, signaling the birth of a new version of Nightwish.
For me this is Nightwish's greatest song. Their Magnum Opus. Tuomas pouring out his heart and anguish in the music and lyrics. Floor perfectly channeling the anger and pain. It fills me with emotion and lets me connect to Tuomas in a profound way. This song is no longer performed live. Tuomas has said they (him, Empuu, and at the time Marko) are not those people anymore and they have moved on. Performing it just takes Tuomas back to that difficult place emotionally. Emppu and Marko come over and check in on Tuomas through out the song to make sure he is ok emotionally. Tuomas often would have the sound engineers turn off the vocal feed in his in ears because it would make him too emotional. I am so grateful that he chose to write this song and share this part of himself with us. Everything about this song and performance is about making us feel his emotions.
Highly recommend you do a deeper dive into the backstory. Read the open letters. Read Annika's analysis and listen once again and see if knowing the backstory doesn't make the emotional impact of the song twice as intense. If you do, would love to hear how knowing the backstory changed or didn't change how you experienced the song. One of the things I love about Nightwish is their ability to evoke emotions in me and I hope knowing the backstory gives a more powerful listening experience for you.
The bright spot in my musical education is my OCD. When I clamp onto an artist, I learn EVERYTHING about them.
I thank you for this highly informative comment. It's viewers like YOU who are my professors. 🫠🤘🏻
I had to watch this immediately. It’s only been posted for 3 minutes.🤘🎸Floor had to tug the heartstrings one more time at the end of the song.🤘🎸
AWWW I hope you enjoyed it.
@@VocalCitizen Definitely!🤘🎸
Tuomas A genius , Floor is the eighth wonder of the world ❤❤❤
You're not wrong.
This is a perfect example why Tuomas Holopainen is the Metal Mozart. This composition is IMHO the benchmark of symphonic metal.
Greetings from the Netherlands 🇳🇱 🫡🤘
Stipulated.
Great reaction! I knew you would like this!
I didn't like it. I LOVED IT. 🥰 Thanks, doll.
@@VocalCitizen😉
Pit and the pendulum reference(s) most definitely. Tuomas is "The poet" .
You did well. I was also getting emotional watching you feel it.
Imho, Floor's face while sitting in the blue light while singing is absolutely beautiful.
She is a highly sensitive empathic person. She talks about it in one of her Storytime videos on her YT channel.
I'm completely floored by Floor. The whole band is unbelievable. I'm thrilled my reaction channel brought them to my attention.
Hi im steve 52 in uk hope u ok huge nightwish fan got all cds dvds rareities of band .great reaction.1st song bout tuomas gettin depressed and his feelings after he sacked previous vocalist tarja from the band .also that not jukka on drums he left after wacken 2013 due to insomnia tho hes still involved wit band just doesnt perform .the drummer is kai hahto .keep up great reactions
Thank you so much. I appreciate the drum-update.
Your very welcome hope you ok keep up great reactions
Loving your reactions and so jealous seeing someone hearing it for the 1st time. You get the story behind the song as most nightwish fans like me know. There are three songs in the same vein. Regarding the back story.. " Bye bye beautiful " is aimed at Tarja. "Master Passion Greed" is aimed at her husband and manager. And this song is Tuomas's side to the story. But keep enjoying nightwish. Once you get down the rabbit hole that is nightwish, there's no looking back. Great reaction
Thank you so much. That's kind.
I write a bit of poetry myself, so I can project myself into that mindset when listening to Nightwish. Tuomas has quite a prolific pen game.
I've been an ardent nightwish fan for a number of years now seen them 3 times live. I've watched numerous reactors to the group but seen a few of yours, it always helps to have back story to certain songs, your perception of what is been portrayed is always spot on. Probably seeing as you write poetry it enables you to grasp what is been delivered in the message of the song. A lot react and comment on the musuc/vocals and performance. Hut ti have someone react to the message too is awesome. Great job
Am I correct when I say that this is much much much more than just rock music or metal or whatever music you could call it? In my opinion this is top theater and ART of the highest possible level. It is a pure wonder that a combination of notes, tones, rythm, lyrics and an out of this world female voice can wrench your heart like it does...This is human interaction in its purest form. They are on an epic level.
Don't forget " the greatest show on earth" from them. Because that is exactly what it is....
By the way: the way you react is stunning to look at. Your emotions are up front, visible for everyone to see and feel. There can be no mistake about it: we all feel the same hearing these songs....
I think you ARE correct. Nightwish is incredible on every level. Their musical IQ is off the charts!
And thank you for the compliment. I've always been outwardly emotive (labeled "highly-animated" by many) since childhood. I can't hide anything on my face. 🙄
@@VocalCitizen it's an advantage
A beautiful song composed by a genius and brought to life by some of the most talented musicians out there. As for Floor, - she is without peer, a sensational vocal delivery.
What you will come to realise is that no two Nightwish songs are necessarily the same, yet all are magnificent as works of art… as with everything in life you will like some more than others, but underpinning them all is Tuomas and his wonderful songwriting…
Tuomas = a blinding genius.
Anyone who can make ME weep with music is.
Floor is not of this world. She came to Earth as a gift.
Every time I'm challenged to come up with a better female vocalist, my brain freezes.
Another great song.
Epic...
Tuomas tells a beautiful and tragic story with his music and poetry. This is all about the parting with Tarja, their first vocalist and the fallout from the fans and media.
So I've been told. It's a gorgeous piece of work, from the staging to the music composition to the emotional maelstrom of the lyrics and overall production.
I'm hugely impressed.
If I have to have just one favourite Nightwish song (IMPOSSIBLE!), this is it. Every element just clicks in every way. edit: yes, written by Tuomas. The boy soprano at the start was Guy Elliott from St Mary's Choir School, Reigate, U.K. p.p.s. if you want to hear Tuomas really angry "Master, Passion, Greed" - never performed live except for a tease of the riff by Emppu ONCE.
This was not just a song. It was an entire meltdown of torrential pain and foundering. Epic. Brilliant.
please react to: "Dreamflight" by After Forever (Floors 1st band) and : "Disdain" by Revamp (floors 2nd band).. and ofcourse Ayreon> Floor and het sister Irene sings with
I've added your requests to my list. Thank you.
why Disdain? Disdain not so heavy as second Revamp album... for example Wild card song... there much more Floor's growling and its true growling.. on Disdain its hard to call growling so much soft
why wouldn’t she watch Disdain? Singing isn’t synonymous to growling. There are many songs, most of them actually, where she is only singing. That said, I defo wouldn’t mind a reaction to both ❤
Normally I don't watch this song reaction without the research being done but I felt like hearing it
My brain works like this: If I have pre-knowledge of concept or history, my mind will wander as I listen, searching for corroborating content. It takes away from the experience for me. That's why I love doing reactions... it's just a raw response to hearing something for the first time. 🤘🏻
@VocalCitizen normally I would say research is not important ...but I'm pretty sure that every request for this told you to at least read the letters if not find out the back story I've seen 100's that were suggested to do it believe me it would have made you more emotional, me myself cry during the Mother, Father segment of the song everytime
HAIL TO THE QUEEN.GREAT REACTION MAM
❤️🔥❤️🔥❤️🔥
"Oh, shit".
Precisely.
Hello
The song "The Poet and the Pendulum" is a 13 Minute journey through the mind and turmoil of Tuomas Holopainen after the year 2005. It was in that year the band parted with their long-time singer Tarja Turunen and had a personal falling out with her. The pain of the separation was big on both sides, and shown in this song. There is the responsibility that the band and Holopainen had to show towards the fans,. It was the End of an Era for them, and reason for Holopainen being lost as described in these lyrics. We can only of course to a certain degree suppose how much of these are truly Holopainen's feelings, wishes and pains - but we do know that the lyrics of Nightwish have been up to then very personal. Other songs on the album also digest this separation and falling out of the members with Turunen.
This is one of the interpretations and i know lots of fans do not agree, they just need to read the open letter that was given to Tarja by the whole band at her last concert with Nightwish, where they fired her. And the main reason that Tuomas went through a depression was that specially the Tarja fans where furious and showed that in the media and everyone was blaming Tuomas. (the fans spit on his grave). He felt the whole world was against him.
However personal and "real" these thoughts are, I feel like this song definitely takes us not only on a journey with Holopainen but also into ourselves. The music underlines the emotional gravity of the song extremely well. And I believe a lot of people can actually relate to a sense of guilt and being overwhelmed that all they desired for is the safety of home and innocence. While being personal, the song can still ring true to it's listener. That's a quality Nighwish possesses in many, many more songs. The emotional journey is one we can all share and very few bands know how to put that journey into song and especially into sound as well as Nightwish does.
The band remains through all it's shores and Oceans, one of my main favourites and I hold special place for the band in my musical heart. I hope you have enjoyed reading my analysis and share some of my thoughts. If you do have any comments, please feel free to let me know. And remember the beauty of interpretation is that it is subjective; we can see all and feel different things in the same song and continue to love it endlessly.
Lyric analysis by Annika Hausen
Greetings from the Netherlands
I will be reading Annika Hausen's analysis. I thank you for your thoughts. Greetings back.
I hope that in the next Nightwish reaction that you do you tell us your thoughts on the background of this song, that everyone here will let you in on. It would be very interesting to hear your rection to the journey Tuomas went through.
I will keep that in mind.
@@VocalCitizen Please do!!
This is Tuomas' cathartic release. Such a deeply emotional composition. Music is the sound of emotions. Toumas understands this, Floor (and Nightwish) personify this - perfectly!! You will notice that the opening line of the song is "The End", and the last line is "The Beginning" .... signifying the end of Nightwish as it was, and hope for a new version in the future. This is probably the single greatest live performance I have ever seen. An astounding song, performed incredibly. Floor is simply astonishing. Cheers from Australia.
The way Poe's masterpiece began and ended... A stroke of brilliance. Floor is otherworldly. I want to visit her planet someday. 🤞🏻
Tuomas Holopainen = Metal Mozart
You're not wrong.
Jucca is no longer the drummer because of healt issues, but he is still connected with nightwish (management or something. This drummer is Kai Hahto. Kai was suggested by Jucca to replace him and he is doing fantastic.
Thanks for that.
Hi, 74 years old hippie from the Netherlands =Floor, Irene, Simone, Anneke, Dianne, Charlotte, Sharon, Marcella, Joost (LUL) & Arjen (Ayreon) Country= reporting in: In addition to the Music Academy, Floor also studied a year Opera and a year Music Theater. Now, add to that the fact that she's a Highly Sensitive Person, the result is what you just heard ...!!! Shine On ... ✌🤘
Her formal training is evident. HUGELY evident.
Ooooh,jumping in the deep end here mylady....
HOORAY!
Thanks for the reaction, I did advise you to look into the back story to get the context of the creation, this was about Tuomas, the voice at the start was like voices in his head, part 1 was sung by a child soprano when the child said 3 minutes exactly 3 minutes later the pendulum fell to me this was a great creation.
The swinging blade/Edgar Allan Poe tie-in with the whole visual concept was masterful.
Usually I only listen to reactions on this song when reactors did their homework, as you need some background information about that before you can say something meaningful. But for you I make an exception 😘.
(Consider it as watching a Jackson Pollock painting for the first time, you will need some information on forehand to understand the meaning of it)🤓
In a few lines explained:
Their first singer Tarja was kicked out of the band in 2005. This caused a lot of criticism coming down on Tuomas as he was seen as the bad genius behind the break up, even in the Finnish parliament there were demands to call Tuomas to order. This caused him to become rather depressed, but at some point he decided that it was better to commit suicide on stage than in real life.
Well, we're all glad he chose the on-stage version of that.
I was told to do a ton of research, due to the emotional attachment and meaning of the song to the Nightwish Army. I did a little bit, but I like to go into a reaction with little to no info. It makes for a more genuine reaction.
WellI... This is the one song that I always ask people to get to know Nightwish first. Learn about the other singers as well as do a bit of research. But that being said, there is no right way or wrong way of listening to them. You are spot on as far as the meaning, but it is much deeper. I beg that you take some time, read the open letters and learn what this song is about and them re-listen to it on your own time. It is an unforgettable song just by listening, but once you get the true nature, it will mean that much more.
I've already done all of that, re-listening included (thrice) with lyrics in front of me. It's a bone-chilling piece of art.
Good one.
Thank you.
You chose a beautiful song but one of the most difficult, they will explain why in the comments.
I enjoy seeing you enjoy and relive the music again, thank you🙏
I refused to get the whole story before clicking PLAY.
I want my reactions to be genuine, not me anticipating what I know is coming. NO B.S. on THIS channel. Thank you for watching... MORE TO COME!
@@VocalCitizen I meant after listening to it😉
Thanks for doing this great performance. I'm sure you must have been advised to read the back story first, by the Nightwish Army. It is so important to the understanding of the meaning. Of course if you are only interested in the performance and not the meaning, that's fine, but if so you missed a lot.
After filming this, I went back with lyrics in hand and revisited this performance. I don't sneak peek any of my reactions. They're not genuine, otherwise. I also read up on a Nightwish site about the background of the song.
Just added a whole new layer of heart-crushing (in a beautiful way). I see why this is Tuomas's lament.
Thanks ❤❤❤
Always welcome
Great insight into a very emotional song. If it hasn't been mentioned before, search for the letters between Nightwish and Tarja. Unfortunate you missed the story behind the song, but still a good reaction!
Well thank you. I was encouraged to do a ton of research regarding the background and inner story. But I like my reactions to be truly blind... genuine. And the Nightwish Army has been filling me in all afternoon. Just makes the song that much more powerful to me.
I really appreciated your reactions and I think that you should give a try to Floor as a soloist .
She made great covers such as "Shallow"
ruclips.net/video/M68pe4a_9zk/видео.html
or "Alone"
ruclips.net/video/1fu-yP6q6Gk/видео.html
Here there are a few songs from her solo album "Paragon"
"My Paragon"
ruclips.net/video/yZQ1o80Kt_Y/видео.html
"Me Without You"
ruclips.net/video/RAnIRd39Pr8/видео.html
"Invincible" is about PTSD
ruclips.net/video/ee3i72-HN6o/видео.html
Your Borg name is dope.
I appreciate you watching and helping me out with links.
Subscribed.
Hooray! 💥
Gutwrenching is a great word for this song. It is.
Still... two days later...
Thera are not a lot of over 30 people who can headbang/windmill any appreciable time without paying a high price. Floor has the neck strength, correct technique, and seemingly no genetic early degenerative C-spine condition. Good for her and good for us to enjoy that hair flying around in circles.
😂😂😂 how right you are!
Shocked, SHOCKED I am!!! M’lady, you gleaned the essentials and overarching sentiment(s) with NO BACKSTORY and fairly little exposure to Nightwish!!! Methinks you’ve an old soul, and are a “musical empath” as well. WELL DONE.
Well I appreciate that compliment. I paint what I feel. Music is painting with sound. I write poetry. The lyrics... well... same sentiment. Floor's angelic voice channels the guttural, visceral emotion of the piece in a fascinating way.
What's not to love?
Wow.. ok.. well you have had a very different path to Nightwish from the beginning - why not dive straight to the poet and the pendulum. Good thing that you seem to have one of the best intuition on listening lyrics and song meanings I have seen so far.
There is also a song called "Dead Boy's Poem" that is another similar but different illustration of Tuomas's mind and self-image.
Thank you for that compliment. I started my first few Nightwish songs by priority requests, so the direction of my journey may be unorthodox, but I'm REALLY enjoying the ride.
I agree, as an emotional consumer of best composed music you won't miss 'Dead Boys Poem' and especially if you love Floor's voice.
Greetings from Germany
The best and very long analysis(and remarks of people at the end) of this song is from Annika Hausen. You will find it on the net.
I will check that out.
My no 1 song. A masterpiece.
Accumulated notes follow...
This is a 5-part journey through the emotional turmoil following Tarja's departure.
As the founder and guiding light of the band, Tuomas' took much of the flak from those who claimed to be Nightwish fans but we're actually obsessed with Tarja and thought she WAS Nightwish - an idea that the subsequent growth and improvement of the band comprehensively demolished.
Indeed there are still people today who call the "Tarjawish" in some vain attempt to make Tarja something she wasn't. (Don't get me wrong, Tarja can be fantastic, but Nightwish is about Tuomas' and his compositions. We are fortunate he now has Floor to exhibit his works.)
The parts are:
1. White Lands of Empathica (The End) - the end of a band as well know it. Later to become known as the "End of an Era"
2. Home - the breakup of the band and the wish to find a place, home, to go to and get away from the madness of those who hated. Of course, there is a lot more in here too.
3. The Pacific - as usual, Tuomas' needs to reference the oceans, one of his "grounding" themes. His love of the ocean metaphor is well-docunented. He did, of course, originally dream of becoming a marine biologist. Strange that he should have a gnat named after him!
4. Dark Passion Play - the hate of Tarja fans led him into deep depression. However the band were not in good places so he didn't feel he could "cry on their shoulders" so in the end he went back to see his
5. - Mother and Father (and The Beginning) - the lyrics here reflect what his mother said to him at that time. The beginning of a new era and new line-up
BTW, they are not hanging out having a chat as such - see later.
Tuomas refers to the ocean frequently - the second album is called Oceanborn, Dead Boys Poem ends with reference to ocean soul and Devil and the Deep Dark Ocean ends with lyrics about setting the dolphins free and "we shall wash the darkened blood red sea, our voices shall echo over the mountains and seas".
Tuomas is a very special person and this is, for me, the pinnacle of his work.
Nothing surpasses it.
For him it is one of the deepest songs.
Quotes from the band on the making of the album and the song...
TUOMAS: We will never play "Bye Bye Beautiful" or "Master Passion Greed" live again, [sic] because the lyrics are just too unambiguous and personal. There was at least as much gloom behind "The Poet and the Pendulum", too, but it leaves a bit more room for interpretation. It's easily one of our best songs but especially, the "Mother and Father'" part in the end always stirs up such a storm of emotions that it's impossible for me to do it every night. Playing "The Poet and the Pendulum' is a real rollercoaster ride - it makes me feel anxious, blush, laugh, and, in the end, just happy that that part of my life is behind me.
My notes:
My number 1 Nightwish song and for good reasons.
(No 2, Song of Myself, No 3 7 Days to the Wolves.)
This is a deeply emotional and meaningful song with which I empathise and it helped me to see that there was a way forward when depression struck. I am not alone in being "saved" by Nightwish, a fact that Tuomas has referred to and said he could not terminate the band because he knows they have meant so much to some fans who feel their lives have been saved by Nightwish.
He feels that he has a responsibility to the fans - not your standard rock musician then.
Floor is worth watching closely, her facial, hand and whole-body motions reflect the emotions she is portraying. Hands in Mother and Father for example. Tearing her hair in the Dark Passion Play section.
Note that when Tuomas talks about "Poet" he is always referencing himself. It happens throughout his ouvre.
You will see other cross-references too. Tuomas does that deliberately to give the fans a sort of anchor. Meadows of Heaven is another example - a song in itself and often referenced.
For what it's worth, here are are my thoughts and interpretations...
End to beginning - death of one era of the band, beginning of a new era.
Regarding the end of the first Era, I see no point in the blame game.
The band split, that is all we need to know.
Whatever the causes there was bound to be emotion on both sides so I leave it at that.
But this masterpiece is what came out of Tuomas' emotions.
The beginning is a boy soprano, Guy Elliott who also does the spoken parts. The whispering at the beginning is the central spoken section, but played in reverse.
In The Dark Tower fantasy, Empathica, also known as the White Lands of Empathica, is a snowy tundra located in End-World. The residents of Empathica are known for their abilities to empathize and share other people's emotions.
Then we get the whole section "Home".
I see the "shoulder cries more" as having no shoulder to cry on because the other members of the band - his friends - were equally upset.
The "whore for the cold world" I see as the selling of his whole life to the music industry (the metaphorical pimps, hence the "whore" references) which is not interested in the person, only what they can get from the band.
The two faces bit is self explanatory; almost everyone will have been in situations where they have to hide their feelings and present a false front to the world.
The reference to betrayal is again obvious and there are lots of metaphors in the surrounding words. The altar I think, is the tie to the band - these upheavals in 2004/5 were not the first time Tuomas had felt like ending the band.
By the way, note the 3 minutes and counting: exactly 3 minutes later you get the guillotine motion.
By the way, Marco made the demo version of this, with all the lyrics sung by himself and with harsher lyrics at this point too.
Next we get to the Mother and Father section with Floor, Marco and Emppu all sitting, while Floor sings lyrics reflecting the words from his mother when he went back home for a break in the middle of all this turmoil.
These are the words of love and then of advice, that he was given.
Floor here is using her finger movements to accentuate emotion.
This whole section and the way Floor sings it, is packed with those damned Onion Ninjas.
Marco's harmonies are wonderful.
We end with the final ethereal notes from Floor and here is another tingle-factor moment. Then a gentle piano ending, the calm after the emotional storm.
Here, as in Sparkle my Scenery, the choir on the original album is replaced by Floor who wanted to sing them herself (and proved completely capable of it) which Anette could not have done - she could probably get the notes but the emotion is there in the choral original and is amplified when Floor sings it.
The low brass used in many places is really effective.
On the performance itself:
When Emppu goes over to Tuomas and later both Marco and Emppu go over, it is a sign of moral support. They both know how difficult this is for him - eventually he had the vocals turned off in his in-ear, so he didn't have to listen to them because Floor put such emotion into them.
At the end, she does not say "Thank you" immediately, as she does normally. Instead she looks over for a few seconds to check on him from her position.
BTW, I have never bought the theory that Tuomas was "in love" with Tarja. Those who say he asked her to join the band because he knew her from school - she was suggested by Emppu who had known her as an acquaintance at school.
Tuomas' did know her of course and his mother was for a while her piano teacher, but it was Emppu who suggested her.
Thank you. I read that shortly after I filmed the video.
Impressive work and a sad, tragic road to get Tuomas to this masterpiece.
Well over 95% of all Nightwish songs are written by Tuomas. A couple have Marcos hand in them.
Fyi, my no b2 is Song of Myself (Wacken 2013) and No 3 is 7 Days to the Wolves from this Wembley 2015 show.
But the best full concert, IMO, is Buenos Aires 2018. Lots of older songs reimagined by Floor and rearranged by Tuomas
The Poet and the Pendulum is the song about there 1st singer Tarja Turnunen getting fired in 2005 , HERE IS MY INTERPRETATION OF THIS - The Poet and the Pendulum was written after firing Tarja the original singer. She was the face of Nightwish at the time, and Tuomas (Keyboards) wrote this and considered her a muse to many of the songs he had written at that point. They had also grown up in the same city and knew each other since early childhood. All the band members decided together to fire her for acting too much of a diva And her husband & Manager was stepping way outta bounds concerning the band business He always wanted more money , only big paying show but the band did it for the love of music and there fans . According to all the band members, Tarja was missing lots of rehearsals and would not even travel with the band anymore. Tuomas was painted as the devil by many fans, and went through a deep depression. He even considered ending the band . He wrote The Poet and the Pendulum at that time, and actually kills himself in the song. He said he killed himself in the song at the 10:00 time stamp , as to kill the pain he was going through . To this day every time he plays it, it takes him back to those feelings, and shows on his face. In the last part, Mother and Father, words are said to him that his real mother said to him at that time of his deep depression. One part that touches me at the end when the guitarist Emppu and bassist Marko, the only other two involved with firing Tarja (that were still active with the band at the time of this show )were standing with Tuomas at the end in solidarity and love., NOTE : the 1st two words are (The End) and the last two words are (The Beginning) representing the end of the 1st era of Nightwish and the beginning of the next era
Thank you for the information. I love the 1st two words/last 2 words tidbit you mentioned. That really rounds out the story for me.
Poetry and Tuomas' poetry in particular is very personal. Every one can have their own interpretation of the lyrics. I fully agree with this interpretation, although I respect any one elses interpretation.
To me, "the shoulder that cries more", is Tarja's shoulder, but there are as good reasons when you say it is the fanbases shoulder.
@VocalCitizen found a similarity with Edgar Allen Poe's Pit and the Pendulum, that I hadn't found yet, but there is another similarity. The Pit and the Pendulum also starts with "The End" and ends with "The Beginning"
Oh that's so true... how the hell did I miss that?!
KUDOS TO YOU. Yeah my AHA moment with Poe was the swinging blade behind the drums. And (if memory serves) the lyric "Swinging blade my lullaby".
Social lubrication
I like that one
🫠
Since 2015, Kai from Winterson on drums.
Understood...
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🔥😳💥
You asked for story? You should beware asking me for the story! When you ask me for any story, you get Tolstoy's War & Peace! 🤣🤣🤣 I've written this up over time. A lot of fans will disagree with me on many points, so take it with as many grains of salt as you see fit. But I think I got most of it pretty spot-on accurate. Because of RUclips's max character limit, it takes four consecutive reply panels which I'll put together here. In case RUclips shuffles 'em up, check the headers to read them in order, otherwise they won't make any sense. Here you go.....
START. PART 1: THE “CLIFF NOTES” VERSION OF POET & THE PENDULUM
My Analysis of the Lyrics
[Legal Disclaimer: This is, in no way, purporting to be a biography of the band; has, in no way, ever been stated explicitly in public by the band; has, in no way, been verified or authorized by the band. It is merely my personal, rational analysis based on stitching together publicly available information to try to better understand the mind and heart of the composer when he wrote this---a very fascinating quest in this case!]
As an overview, I assume all immediately recognize the allusion to Edgar Allan Poe's "The Pit & The Pendulum" wherein the victim is strapped unto a stone altar and must lay watching the ever-so-slowly descending pendulum blade, forcing him to contemplate for hours the agonizing death to come when the blade eventually starts cutting him in half.
With Poe in mind as the overall metaphor, notice that the song begins with the whispered, "The end" and ends with the whispered, "The beginning." Tuomas told us in lyrics of a previous song written years before this that he felt like he "needed to die in order to feel alive." The metaphorical suicide in this song carried out that plan. The suicide (both literal and career suicide) is introduced at the beginning as "the end." After that is over, the rebirth of his spirit, his romance, his creativity, and his career is given us at the end as "the beginning." A pretty clever poetic device in my humble opinion!
"Movement I: White Lands of Empathica"
This part is like an "Executive Summary" or the "Frontmatter" of the book he is about to present us. The ghostly, ethereal intro is provided by, I'm told, a choir boy soprano contracted from a children’s choir company in London. It gives us a succinct summary of the whole song: "The songwriter's dead. The blade fell upon him; Taking him to the white lands; Of Empathica; Of Innocence."
The White Lands of Empathica is a mythical land in the Dark Tower fantasy series, and I conclude he is using it as somewhat analogous to an afterlife destination in "End World."
"Movement II: Home"
This part lays out his living hell in the normal "home" world before his abrupt transition to End World when the descending pendulum blade strikes him.
"The dreamer and the wine; Poet without a rhyme. A widowed writer torn apart by chains of hell."
Tuomas is clearly both the poet and the dreamer. He is a fan of wine. Whenever you see Empuu slugging a Corona on stage, Tuomas is sipping from a bottle of wine behind his keyboards. He is without a rhyme because poetry comes from the heart, and his heart is currently dead. He views himself as being "widowed" in that his angel has had her "angel wings burnt to dust" by dismissal from the band. The chains of hell tearing him apart were the opposing requirements of his heart and head: the desire to keep her in the band and continue wallowing in his pain versus the harsh business decision required to end the problem and give both careers a new start, both Tarja's and Nightwish's.
"One last perfect verse; Is still the same old song. Oh Christ how I hate what I have become!"
Tuomas is telling us here that the one chain of hell tugging his heart to maintain the status quo has driven him to keep trying to write "that one perfect verse" that will get through to her and "fix" the situation, making the problem go away; even though the other chain of hell tugging his head tells him this is hopeless and futile. He has told us this same thing in lyrics from previous songs written years ago also such as in "Nemo" ("This line the last endeavor to find the missing life line!") and "Dead Boy's Poem" ("Walk within my poetry. This dying music: my loveletter to nobody.") The continued futile attempts seem, to him, as "still the same old song" in that he keeps trying to say the same thing expecting a different result. He hates that circumstances have driven him to become this person.
"Take me home. Get away, run away, fly away! Lead me astray to dreamer's hideaway! I cannot cry 'cause the shoulder cries more; I cannot die, I, a whore for the cold world!"
Tuomas often refers to himself as the dreamer, the introvert, the escapist. This chorus is revealing his inner escapist telling him to run from the problem that he might hideaway from it rather than face it. He has no shoulder left to cry on. He is finding no more joy in pursuing his passion of writing and performing music for "the cold world" who cares nothing for his sorrows and pain. They only want him for his music. This makes him tantamount to a whore, selling his mind and body to that cold world without joy in return.
"Forgive me: I have but two faces. One for the world; One for God; Save me!"
He asks for forgiveness for this. His whore face he presents to the cold world. He tells us about this face again on the next album in "Song of Myself" ("All that great heart lying still; In silent suffering; Smiling like a clown until the show has come to an end. What's left for encore; Is the same old Dead Boy's song; Sung in silence") When the "show has come to an end" he has his other face only for God. Note that he is not religious in real life, and that is well known, but the metaphor which the rest of the world understands is appropriate and meaningful nonetheless.
"My home was there and then; Those meadows of heaven. Adventure-filled days; One with every smiling face."
He is imagining here his anticipation of the death to come at the hand of the pendulum blade. One second he is home in the normal world. The next second he is in the meadows of heaven; apparently Empathica.
"Please, no more words; Thoughts from a severed head. No more praise! Tell me once my heart goes right!"
He wants no more words of advice or encouragement from others. His thoughts are as those from a severed head: useless to effect response of the body. His head has been severed from his heart by the "chains of hell" in verse one... or has it been severed by Poe's blade? Or is it both? Or are they both really the same thing? Tuomas is a master of double meaning, and he uses that poetic device often throughout much of Nightwish's lyrics.
He wants no more praise for his musical talent from the cold world. He just wants, for once, to be reassured that his heart has made the right decision.
CONTINUED IN PART 2---->
PART 2 ----->CONTINUED FROM PART 1 ABOVE:
"Movement III: The Pacific"
This part is the pensive, dreamlike longing for the life of innocence the way it used to be; or perhaps it is the dreamlike transition during the moments of his death as he transitions from Home World to Empathica’s End World. Both would be valid interpretations. Or, again, perhaps they are both the same thing. [As a side note it is also a verse which caused some obvious tension between him and the replacement singer Annette. It is supposed to be sung in the ultra-high octave falsetto similar to the intro to evoke the dreamlike quality. Annette did a beautiful job on this on the studio album "Dark Passion Play" (so he knew she was capable of that range), but seemed to refuse to sing it correctly when live. In some live vid captures you can see him snap his head up from the keyboards and give her the evil stink eye that just seems to scream out, "We talked about this back stage, and you promised to do it right!" But who knows. We can only speculate on that. Floor, of course, sings it to perfection!]
"Sparkle my scenery; With turquoise waterfalls; With beauty underneath; The Ever Free. Tuck me in beneath the blue; Beneath the pain, beneath the rain. Goodnight kiss for a child in time; Swaying blade my lullaby."
An overriding theme of the band is that of being "Oceansouls." The imagery of peaceful blue water, sirens calling seamen to their watery deaths, the blue mist atmosphere during the orchestral intermezzo of Ghost Love Score, etc., pervades nearly everything. He sees peace and beauty beneath the water...in this case waterfalls...as a place for his inner escapist to hide from the pain. The kiss of death from the approaching blade has become this child's lullaby. Tuomas often makes reference to the innocent heart of the little boy inside throughout many of Nightwish's songs.
"On the shore we sat and hoped; Under the same pale moon; Whose guiding light chose you; Chose you all."
This verse drops back out of the dreamlike ultra-high octave falsetto to give us more real world thoughts. If one acquires some familiarity with the formation of the band, this simple sentence is pretty unmistakably a reference to that time. The concept for Nightwish was allegedly posed to his founding bandmates (including that first, dismissed singer) over a night time campfire in the Finnish wilderness during a group camping trip. It was probably on a lakeshore, since Finland is a land of 10,000 lakes, and water imagery plays such a large role in many lyrics. There have also been important references to swimming "in places no one has seen before" under the midnight full moon, such as in the touching poem at the end of "Song of Myself."
He is telling, probably not us but the other band members ...including the absent singer should she ever hear this verse..., that they sat on that lakeshore and hoped for success as Nightwish, all together under the same pale moon. The guiding light of the moon chose them ALL (a pointed jab at the dismissed singer, I believe) to be in this experimental project together.
The spoken word verse, "I'm afraid. I'm so afraid; Of being raped again, and again, and again! I know I will die alone. But loved," alarms some listeners with its darkness, particularly because it seems to be spoken in a female voice, although I’m told it is spoken by the choir boy again...don't know for sure. But either way, this represents Tuomas's last thoughts as he lays with only three minutes remaining before the pendulum blade first begins to strike his torso, "raping" him again and again and again as it swings. He knows he is going to die alone in this pit of sadness beneath the pendulum, but he also knows his family loves him.
"You live long enough to hear the sound of guns, long enough to find yourself screaming every night, long enough to see your friends betray you."
Not sure about the "guns" reference. It likely refers to the cruel shots fired by the news tabloids---a very big thing in Finland when it comes to covering metal bands. He found himself screaming (crying?) every night, both from the pain he lived before the "death" and the pain from the cruel things being written in the press. The reference to seeing your friends betray you is pretty certainly another jab at the singer, as he plainly describes in the infamous Open Letter the dismissal in terms of her being a very old and dear friend who chose to betray him. Keeping the art of double meanings in mind, it also likely refers to seeing many of his friends betray him afterward by siding with the cruel press.
"For years I've been strapped unto this altar. Now I only have 3 minutes and counting. I just wish the tide would catch me first and give me a death I always longed for."
He is telling us that, unlike Poe's character who was strapped to the stone altar for hours, he saw this pendulum blade approaching for years. If we map the whole history of Nightwish lyrics on to the timing of events in real life (to the extent that they are publicly known) we can see this shift that suggests when he knew everything had started to go south. We see the transition from romantically hopeful youth to morose impending doom and sadness as we study lyrics from “Angels Fall First” up to “Once,” and then the anger catharsis of “Dark Passion Play” followed by the final installment of the saga: the denouement and reflection of “Imaginaerum.”
To what might the "3 minute" statement be referring? I believe the first strike of the pendulum blade was the moment when he handed over the envelope containing the Open Letter to Tarja or her manager or whoever was the physical courier. It was at that point that it became too late to recall the act. Torpedo in the water! I surmise, based on this, it was about 3 minutes from the ending of the last song at the "End of An Era" concert (during which he made her sing about the impending "burning of her angel wings to dust") to the time he handed off the letter. And this was the final agonizing 3 minutes where he knew the decision was final. The opening verse of that last song even includes the ominous warning, "This night will hurt you like never before!" which she had to sing about herself.
CONTINUED IN PART 3---->
PART 3 ---->CONTINUED FROM PART 2 ABOVE:
"Movement IV: Dark Passion Play"
This part channels the title of the album. He is plainly telling us here that the whole affair was more than just a business decision. If the band's early lyrics were a romantic passion play as a way for the escapist to express love implicitly ...as he tells us in "Dead Boy's Poem," "Sing what you can't say; forget what you can't play; hasten to drown into beautiful eyes; walk within my poetry, this dying music; my loveletter to nobody."... then this was a passion play with very dark intentions.
"Second robber to the right of Christ; Cut in half - infanticide; The world will rejoice today; As the crows feast on the rotting poet!"
The robber to the right of Christ was Dismas, the penitent thief who asked for mercy, as Tuomas did in Part II, "God save me!" and is rewarded by being taken to Paradise. (Empathica?) Here, Tuomas as the 2nd Dismas is cut in half by the pendulum blade. It is infanticide because we must remember the frequent referrals to himself as having the innocent heart of a child...the dead boy. The crows feasting on the dead poet, whose legacy is rotting as a result of the Open Letter, are most certainly the tabloids of the day feasting on the corpse of his career for their own journalistic benefit. And the "cold world," to which he was a whore, will rejoice at this feasting and muckraking because they were so angry at his dismissal of their beloved angel or "Christess" as Tuomas explicitly calls her in "Master Passion Greed."
"Everyone must bury their own; No plate to bury the heart of stone; Now he's in hell, serves him well; Slain by the bell, tolling for his farewell!"
The rest of the band will have to bury his legacy, but they will have no served plate on which to bury his heart of stone that was so cold as to write the Open Letter. The cold world will condemn him to hell, and conclude that it serves him well for what he did. The "bell" that had been tolling for his farewell is, I believe, a subtle reference to David Gilmour's line about "The Division Bell" which appeared earlier in that concert when they performed the cover of Pink Floyd's "High Hopes." Out of all the great covers Tuomas could have selected, why THAT one? Gilmour's lyrics clearly had some deep, special meaning to him that drove him to choose it. If one re-listens to all of Gilmour's lines in the context of what was going to happen at the end of the show, one can see a metaphorical playout of Nightwish's history, penned eerily by Gilmour years before Tuomas was even born!
"The morning dawned upon his altar; Remains of the dark passion play. Performed by his friends without shame; Spitting on his grave as they came!"
This refers to his perception of the morning after the Open Letter became public knowledge, and the tabloid shitstorm started. "His friends" refers to the remaining band members who would need to carry on performing without him, perhaps absolving themselves of shame while spitting, figuratively, on his memory.
The spoken-word verse recited like a eulogy: "Today, in the year of our Lord 2005, Tuomas was called from the cares of the world. He stopped crying at the end of each beautiful day. The music he wrote had too long been without silence. He was found naked and dead, with a smile in his face, a pen, and 1000 pages of erased text."
2005 was the year of Tarja's dismissal. Tuomas names himself personally erasing all doubt that this is about him and not an imaginary character in a tome. "The music....too long been without silence" seems misworded at first, but it draws the listener to ponder the sentence a bit longer. The music, i.e., those "last perfect verses [that are] still the same old song," had been performed for the "cold world" continuously for so many years. They deserved to enjoy some silence! The "1000 pages of erased text" refers to the large amount of creative genius that still lay inside him, waiting to see the light of day as songs for Tarja but were now dead and gone, never to be released.
"Movement V: Mother & Father"
While the death-by-pendulum and the spoken eulogy are the violent and morose climax of the story, this part is the tender denouement; Tuomas at home receiving comfort and reassurance from his parents.
"Be still, my son; You're home. Oh when did you become so cold? The blade will keep on descending. All you need is to feel my love."
The blade will keep on descending would seem to refer to a caution given by his mother that the repeated pendulum cuts levelled by the tabloids would continue to cut deeper... "again and again and again." He needs only to feel his mother's comforting love during this time.
"Search for beauty, find your shore. Try to save them all, bleed no more. You have such oceans within; In the end I will always love you!"
This verse seems to tell us about his mother's encouragement to gather himself together and go on. His metaphorical death is over, and it is now time to search for beauty and find his shore. It would seem that "try to save them all" means he needs to continue on with the band because the careers of three other members plus all the behind the scenes crew were on the line. Sounds like she admonished him to stop "bleeding" and that trying to save their careers was the right thing to do. She encouraged him by reminding him of the oceans of creative genius that still lay sleeping within him.
"The beginning."
We can all now be thankful for his mother's wise words of advice! Nightwish did, indeed, experience a new beginning and has risen to new heights, giving such a beautiful gift of music and poetry to the world. We all owe Tuomas a debt of gratitude we could never possibly repay!
CONTINUED IN PART 4----->
PART 4 ----->CONTINUED FROM PART 3 ABOVE:
ADDENDUM REGARDING DEMO VERSION-
I've known of the demo version of this song always but never listened to the whole thing through. And now, I discover a very important clue to the inner workings of Tuomas' heart hidden in these lyrics. I'll bet most everyone missed it or, if they caught it, didn't grasp its significance. Here's what I mean:
I have often written explanatory essays for various reactors interpreting Nightwish's lyrics as an overarching, ongoing story of Tuomas' life (he has said, to my recollection, that Nightwish is his personal diary). I base my interpretations on not what any individual listener might get from the song but rather from the point of view of, "What was the poet thinking... what did HE mean by it?" True, the beauty of great poetry is that each individual will find that it speaks to his or her own inner mind and heart, and, as such, their personal interpretation will be a unique experience. But in addition to that, I like to take a different approach, like that of a historical scholar probing what may have been inside the poet’s mind as distinct from what’s in my own mind. I use many different sources including the lyrics themselves, interviews, overlay on the timeline of what publicly known events were happening in real life, and logical analysis, i.e., "What is more likely than not?"
My conclusion leads me inexorably to the realization that the Nightwish story, up to and including Imaginaerum, is fundamentally about the youthful “High Hopes” and subsequent heartbreak of a would-be lover (Tuomas) rejected by the object of his obsession (do I need to mention any name here?). When I do that I am typically reprimanded by other fans who insist that's a bullsh** urban legend because "Tuomas has never said that in any interview," or words to that effect. Tarja's firing was all about "business and administrative differences, payscale 'greed,' and tensions generated by T's husband and business manager," so the usual reprimand goes. I think these critics are people who have not integrated the evidence to a sufficient level of depth to understand how wrong that oversimplified explanation is.
Poet & the Pendulum gives us a poignant clue that speaks otherwise.
In the published version of "Poet & the Pendulum" that we all know, the spoken word verse contains a line, "For years I have been strapped unto this altar." In Poe's story the "altar" is the sacrificial stone in the pit upon which the prisoner is trapped. The swinging pendulum blade has not cut him yet. It has not caused physical harm or pain yet. But the trapped prisoner is forced to watch it descend ever closer and contemplate the pain and agony to come when the first cut finally arrives. Thus it inflicts psychological torture.
In the typical reprimand to my analysis, the psychological torture of watching the impending doom approach could very well span the vague "years" of business and administrative tensions caused by T and her husband, as they were married in 2003, and her firing (the first pendulum cut) takes place in 2005. However, in this early demo, before any polishing of lyric details, that vague line clearly specifies, "For 11 years I have been strapped unto this altar." That's very telling!
11 years from 2005 takes us back to 1994. That's right around the time 17 yr old Tuomas met 17 yr old Tarja. He is telling us the exact extent of what he views as his altar of psychological torture, anticipating the inevitable doom to come. Nightwish, as a functioning band, did not exist in 1994. There was no "business and administrative tension" created by T and her husband, as there was no husband and no business. All that would have existed in the hearts of two 17 year olds was the potential for teenage romance....in one of them anyway! Sounds like the original lyrics of Poet & the Pendulum was trying to tell us that he foresaw the inevitable doom of his hoped-for romance (the "wishes he held for his nights") as soon as it began.
Does anybody really believe anyway that someone is so torn up inside that he has to commit suicide in order to feel alive again over purely business decisions?? Seriously? Much deeper emotion is needed to drive that. Business decisions are cold and logical.
---END---
😂😂 YOU'RE A UNIVERSITY
@@VocalCitizen 🤣 My wife says I talk too much!! ;)
This was written by Tuomas and there is most definitely a back story which I'm sure you will get filled in on.
EVERYONE has been filling me in. Like I've told them, I did a scant amount of research (I was advised to do a deep dive, but that takes away from the genuine reaction for me). It's a tragic story.
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Hello welcome to the world Nightwish the best band please react to "Song my self live Wacken 2013" and also to "Shudder before the beautiful at Wemble live in 2015"
Thank you. I will do so.
Asking for background on this story is asking for a novel. You can spend hours reading on it, and it was, indeed, turmoil. I'll leave it to the others, they're rightfully passionate about it. Tuomas composed about 97% of everything you hear from Nightwish. In my opinion, he's the greatest composer of my lifetime, and that's quite a while. You will discover that, as you continue, there are no derivative songs and every one is brilliant and deep. Nice reaction, especially not knowing the true back story. Other connected tunes resulting from the same scenario: "Master Passion Greed" and "Bye Bye Beautiful" but they are with Anette, not Floor.
I was urged to do a TON of research before filming this reaction. I did a scant amount, due to my determination to only have GENUINE reactions to a piece of music. If I go in with too much info, my brain does other things, rather than just absorbing the work as it was meant to be presented.
Thank you so much for watching and taking the time to comment. Tuomas is a composer/artist I will be marinating in for quite a while. My OCD won't allow for anything else.
@@VocalCitizen I highly recommend his other band, AURI with his wife, Johanna Kurkela and Troy from Nightwish. It's quieter music, more Celtic and very relaxing! All three compose and it's truly amazing.
I'm intrigued...
Extraordinary eh?
My response is an emphatic YES.
Being tormented, suicidal. Finding some meaning with living: save them all... Tuomas lyrics, composition, arrangement, Floor interpretation
It's just a beautiful, tragic piece. I'm honored to have heard it.
OMG. Normally not recommended to listen to this one until you know a bit more of the band's history. Tuomas committed suicide in this song to prevent him from doing it in real life. Nightwish is one of Finland's largest exports, and the sacking of their first singer was even discussed by the country's Prime Minister. Even now, if you attempt to compare Floor with Tarja, you're likely to get inundated with comments from the die-hard Tarja fans.
I did a little research, but I don't like going into a new piece with TOO much foreknowledge. It's not a genuine reaction, in that case. I'm rather organic on my channel.
Although I listened to Nightwish when Tarja was the singer I really became a fan when the album Dark Passion Play came out with Anette Olzen became the singer. I liked her vocal style better, I know I`m going to get alot of hate from Tarja fans but I liked Anette better. I do recommend checking concerts with her as she was the original singer of this song. Obviously she is not even close to Floor`s vocal range but those two albums really started my undying love for this band
I have a whole Tarja-era list of links... Stay tuned!
May I suggest that you watch this again but this time have the lyrics in front of you
I already have. It made all the difference. I also did some heavy reading afterward on the history of the track and what Tuomas went through. I'm glad he chose to die onstage, rather than the alternative. I NEVER EVER sneak peeks before I film a reaction. Otherwise, it's not a genuine reaction.
@@VocalCitizen usually the Nighytwish Army tells you over and over again to read up on the history of the firing of Tarja so the song is more easily understood - even though Anette originally sang this song, it is Floor that brings it to life with the addition of her soul
Social lubricant - isn’t that alcohol?
I guess... but I don't drink. 😂
To me, social lubricant is applied when I'm in a pissy mood but still must be among other humans... in an effort to avoid biting someone's head off.
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🫢... 👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼 😏 ... 💃🏼❣️
Great job. I'm just wondering why you didn't use the official music video?
This was the link that accompanied the priority request. When someone pays for a request, I click the link.
Thanks for watching!
@@VocalCitizen got it. Thank you
It's about "70's econonmist Alan Greenspan and his angst at having been born at the end of the gold standard of currency.
You're a wonky human. I like you. 🙃
No, that isn't Jukka. He started suffering from insomnia and had to step down. His friend Kai was the replacement on drums and Jukka is now involved in the band's management.
Keyboardist Tuomas wrote the song, which is about his feelings and depression and the public and fan backlash he came under for the band having to fire popular previous vocalist Tarja Turunen (who he once considered a close friend) in around 2005, due to her increasingly selfish diva behaviour and her husband's disrespect for the band. It seemed at the time that the band, which was his whole life and career was doomed. He said he committed suicide in the song rather than do it in real life. The last couple of verses are based on words by his mother to him at the time, which brought about eventual redemption. You will see Marco and Emppu, the other band members from that time, keep checking on him during the song, because they know it's hard on him to bring up the memories again. At the end, both go to him in a show of solidarity. You'll also see him singing the last verses, his mother's words, despite having no vocal mic.
You'll be glad to know he's over it all now and has gone on record a few years ago as saying "I'm no longer that person."
Gotcha. Thank you... I just saw the silhouette.
@@VocalCitizenTuomas singing is about 16:40 in your video.
Jukka always wore a bandana on his head, making him look like a pirate!