Sabaton "Christmas Truce" REACTION & ANALYSIS by Vocal Coach / Opera Singer
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- Опубліковано 28 лис 2021
- One of the most amazing historical events to take place that I've ever read about, the Christmas Truce occurred in the middle of the Great War, where both sides came together to celebrate as one before fighting resumed. Sabaton has captured the context and emotion those soldiers felt during this time, and delivered a masterpiece.
Join professional opera singer Elizabeth Zharoff, as she listens to Sabaton performing "Christmas Truce" featuring Floor Jansen.
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Performed by Sabaton - Words and Music by Joakim Brodén and Pär Sundström
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I definitely recommend watching the original video without interruptions. Here's the link: • SABATON - Christmas Tr...
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Elizabeth Zharoff is an international opera singer and voice coach, with 3 degrees in voice, opera, and music production. She's performed in 18 languages throughout major venues in Europe, America, and Asia. Currently based somewhere between Los Angeles and Tucson, Arizona, Elizabeth spends her days researching voice, singing, teaching, writing music, and recording TONS. She also plays Diablo and Dungeons & Dragons.
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Copyright Disclaimer Under Section 107 of the Copyright Act 1976, allowance is made for "fair use" for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, and research. Fair use is a use permitted by copyright statute that might otherwise be infringing.
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#Sabaton #Reaction #TheCharismaticVoice
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Thank you for this great video!
Hey Nice seing you guys here. See ya in the tour in sweden
And thank YOU for writing such an amazing song and making this video. Who would have thought a metal song could bring a tear to your eye when listening to it.
Keep up the amazing work at keeping these stories and the memories of the men and women who lived through them alive and being told through your music. History is too important to forget and needs to be remembered, and the men and women in your songs deserve the recognition you brings to them.
thankyou for making such a great song on such a rare moment in history that not a lot of people outside of Europe know about and bringing the knowledge to a new generation of people and even reminding the people who already know it
The male fantasy is to do something to put urself into a sabaton song; keep up the amazing work
There they are!! Glad you guys finally showed up! 🤣
Sabaton: We need a super soprano voice to the end of our song.
Hannes: I have one at home.
Us: Can we have soprano?
Hannes: No, we have soprano at home.
Soprano at home: *FLOOR*
😂👍🏻😁
@@firstclaw1 Floor: Hang on, let me finish feeding the horses and mucking out the stalls, I will be right there...
A thrill breaks her voce, but it's fully understandable...
;)
The saddest thing about the 1914 Truce was how it ended, the Generals on both sides were so terrified that their armies would just decide "You know what? This is stupid, let's end the war" that they ordered artillery barrages from behind the lines to force the fighting to resume.
In 1915 attempts to repeat it were quashed by similar barrages anytime it looked like it might happen. Many of the officers, safe behind the lines, expressed 'disgust' at the sight of 'unsoldierly' behavior.
It's a true tragedy of war, the man fighting it didn't want to be there at all, and if they had their way it would have stopped.
The song always make me want to cry.
Eh, not as much for the second year. Sure, there were attempts to repeat it, but nowhere near the extent of that first christmas. Unfortunately as the war really progressed, French sentiment even amoung the rank and file really turned anti-german due to the war mainly occuring on French soil.
with that 1914 Christmas truce in mind, I allways respond to people which are saying ' soldiers gave their life for the father/home-land' with the words , no no , some country has taken their lives ...
@@andrecostermans7109 arguebly you could even say, their own country...
Soldiers are trained to do as they are told. If they are told to kill, they kill even though deep down they know it is wrong and they don't want to do it. It makes a lot of sense that the soldiers don't necessarily have hate towards the "enemy" but they are just following orders.
@Wonka That's the thing that holds us back as a people the most. We allow the least and worst of our species to rules us as "elites." Until we cast off those disgusting filthy degenerates that "lead" us, humanity will forever be the a lesser being. Lesser from what could and should be.
This is from an article in the UK Telegraph newspaper seven years ago:
“The Christmas Truce of 1914, with its famous football match, is one event from World War I that almost everyone knows about.
The truce was, first and foremost, an act of rebellion against authority. The British High Command, alarmed that the holiday might inspire goodwill, issued a stern order against fraternisation. Officers were warned that yuletide benevolence might “destroy the offensive spirit in all ranks”. Christmas, in other words, was to be a killing time.
The Germans, however, were stubbornly festive. In an effort to bolster morale, truckloads of Christmas trees were sent to the Kaiser’s forces. All along the line, Germans were acting in bizarrely peaceful fashion. Guns fell silent. Candles and lanterns taunted British snipers. Late on Christmas Eve, Germans singing Stille Nacht echoed across no man’s land. The British, initially perplexed, soon joined in. Then came shouted messages - in English - from the German trenches. “Tomorrow is Christmas; if you don’t fight, we won’t.”
Dawn usually brought a chorus of rifle and artillery fire. On Christmas Day, however, an eerie quiet persisted, as if the war itself had evaporated. As the sun rose, the Germans called to the British to meet them in no man’s land. The latter at first suspected a devious plan for yuletide slaughter, but suspicion soon gave way to trust.
“It was one of the most curious Christmas Days we are ever likely to see,” wrote Captain Stockwell of the Royal Welsh Fusiliers. Intent on obeying orders, he tried desperately to ignore German good cheer. But then, around midday, his sergeant reported that Germans were standing on their parapet, unarmed and in full view. “Permission to shoot them, sir,” the sergeant asked. Stockwell was troubled: “The Saxons were shouting, 'Don’t shoot. We don’t want to fight today. We will send you some beer.’ My men were getting a bit excited.”
In an attempt to assert control, Stockwell shouted that he wanted a chat with his German opposite number. An officer emerged and walked across no man’s land. Stockwell met him halfway. He told the German that he was not allowed to fraternise and warned that his men might open fire at any moment. The German responded: “My orders are the same as yours, but could we not have a truce from shooting today? We don’t want to shoot, do you?” After much discussion, the two agreed not to fight until the following morning. As Stockwell turned toward his trench, the German called out: '“You had better take the beer. We have lots.” In response, Stockwell gave the German a plum pudding. For the rest of the day, not a shot was fired.”
Hundreds of soldiers subsequently recalled meeting their enemies, shaking hands, singing songs, exchanging presents. “We were with them about an hour and everybody was bursting laughing,” wrote one private.
Fraternisation led inevitably to football. Men who could not otherwise communicate shared a common language in the game. “After a short while somebody punted across a football,” one subaltern recalled. “The ball landed amongst the Germans and they immediately kicked it back at our men … it was a melêe. It wasn’t a question of 10-a-side, it was a question of 70 Germans against 50 Englishmen.” That scenario was repeated all along the line.
It wasn't really a rebellion again authority if it was all soldiers would have threw down their arms which in those days was a shootable offence like Extra History says this isn't entirely unique to 1914 as small truces happened all the time even to the point patrols ignored each other.
The Christmas Truce is a shining example of how The Great War was the last war between gentlemen. A time when the soldiers were their most honorable rather than the "kill kill kill" fueled by propaganda in modern warfare. But I suppose it depends on the "civility" of either side.
@@frankhorrigan2047 Though it was also the last war when a front was stuck in one place for months, with both sides not making progress
@@frankhorrigan2047 ummm, are we going to ignore the emergence of chemical warfare, the sinking of civilian ships by submarines, the indiscriminate killing of civilians in belgium, the starvation of germany through blockade, the killing of prisoners of war, the various genocides, pogromes and ethnic cleansings in armenia, azerbaijan, turkey and russia, and the and the fact that almost 20 million people died, about half of them civilians? mostly fighting for absolutely nothing? the "gentlemen" were conscripted young boys sent into a meatgrinder. many conscripted from colonies, sent to die for the cause of an oppressor they had nothing to do with and nothing to gain from. so were their commanders and generals gentlemen for sending them in there? and propaganda? really? have you seen a newspaper from 1914?
seriously what the hell are you on about? i've been to ypres and verdun. you can still see the craters from the shells. the whole area is just craters, 100 years later. you can still see the bullet holes in the fortifications that are left. idk what weird romanticised view you have of WW1, but you need to get your head back to reality. if "honor" had any place in that war it would not have happened in the first place.
To show how well known this event was, even in '14/'15: Easter 1915 the Russians tried to trigger the same thing on the Eastern front. It failed misserably due to 2 factors: 1) Officers on the Central Powers' side had more control over the troops by then, and had made it clear that any attempt of dissobeying orders would result in immediate penalty (aka death) of the offending troops, and 2) Russia didn't switch over from the Julian to the Gregorian calender untill February 1918. This meant the Russians were about 2 weeks "behind" when compared to the Germans and Austro-Hungarians. Even though the vast majority of deaths in WW1 can be considered meaningless, the deaths the Russians faced this day, was truelly without meaning. The "advantage" for the officers was, that the Russian soldiers were so outraged, that they never had to be warned again to attempt a sudden truce again.
Since you mentioned having a whole field of people singing the song together, you simply must check out "En Livstid I Krig - Live in Gothenburg." The energy in the audience alone will blow your mind.
YESSSS
I was at that show and I can only agree with you.
YES PLEASE
Yes, THIS!!!
@@Templarofsteel88 It's quite the show. But in Stockholm the day after, Joakim praised the Gothenburg crowd, saying he didn't think you could be topped, but that we did. ;) Just saying
Sabaton - we need a majestic soprano vocal for the outro
Hannes - i know someone
Hannes: “My wife can do it”
it was actually Floor who said ...you need me :)
When I heard the first time , I thought it was Tommy who sang
@@HellStr82 really, tell me more. 😃
"hang on...(Picks up phone)
"Babe, can you do me a favour ... Yes, singing ... Yes, I'll watch the kids.."
The line of "For our nations. Is that why we bury our friends?" is the most powerful line of the song because of that emotional "why are we doing this?" soldier reaction
If you want to listen to another emotional Sabaton song, "No Bullets Fly" is both an absolute banger and a tear-jerker. (For maximum sad, please watch the music video about the incident without taking a look at any prior context.)
I like Cliffs Of Gallipoli
Inmate 4859
Ballad of the Bull too! Doubly emotional when you discover that Allen was such a big damn hero medic that the war left him utterly broken and barely able to function.
”No bullers fly” is hard to watch with out tears.
@@rlindgren78 I can easily watch it without tears
Yes that was Floor, she is the wife of Hannes Van Dahl (Sabaton's drummer, the tall blonde guy who walked out of the trenches first)
& Hannes was great playing his role in this. Just enough emotion, & no campiness
Hannes the movie star.
@@sstrykert Glad to see other people saying this! I swear, if he ever needs to take a break from being a rock star (plz no), he could absolutely go into acting
the thing that I love about Sabaton is that they never write anything extremally complicated, instead they rely on passion and emotion in their music.
And honestly they put on one of the best stage performances I've ever seen. It's a shame I've only been able to see them live once so far.
@@draskuul Joakim's leg is jealous of the attention every1 else gets😉
Music first, technique a distant second - as it should be.
@@draskuul I agree, I have only seen them in smaller venues but the energy they put out is so amazing and you can really tell they love what they do.
@@IanWrigleyNZ Wll yes you can achieve music with simple chords or whatever on the guitar, but you can also achieve music with more complex chords whitout it being some dragonforce noisy screecy just show oof music you know.
Something I didn't think about at first was the idea that, though he was probably terrified, that first soldier to step out into No Man's Land basically had decided that he'd rather die than fight on Christmas.
It wasn't just one battlefield, either, it happened throughout the battle lines. Some truces lasted longer than others, and some battlegrounds had to be shuffled entirely- because the troops couldn't bear to fire at each other.
In the book "Poilu" the author and soldier Louis Barthas describes a moment when the trenches they were in were flooding rapidly. To escape the bitter cold and the crumbling walls of the trenches they decided to climb out of them to relieve themselves from the watery torment. They were surprised to see their enemies do the same.
Barthas wrote that a big beefy German made a speech he didn't understood after which the German soldier smashed his rifle to bits. The author understood that gesture all to well.
I highly recommend the book Poilu if you're interested in first hand accounts of how the war on the western front was like for a French soldier. If you want to know the German perspective of the same western front I would recommend "Storm of Steel" by Ernst Junger.
I first found this video while I was at work. It just destroyed me as a veteran. Had to stop and go outside and breathe for a while. This video, is one of rare instances where we have what can only be called, A Masterpiece.
I've said it before, and I'm sure I'll say it again. The Charismatic Voice is the prime example of how a Reaction Video should be done if you are going to use the entire content rather than just relevant highlights. She pauses, rewinds, analyses, points out details, gives insightful context and experience from her field. Always a joy.
You should probably check out Tankthetech and his roadie reactions series, where he brwaks down the production, and development of various band's instruments and concerts. It's an incredibly unique take on the generic over saturated reaction side of UA-cam.
Thank you so much, ThomBrier! ❤❤
No more to be said
@@reclusiarchgrimaldus1811 Tank is awesome. I love My Name is Earl.
@@TheCharismaticVoice Sabaton did perform this live , can be found on YT with , Sabaton - Christmas Truce / Musikhjälpen 2021
Joakim: "We need a soprano to sing the outro"
Hannes: "I literally have one at home lol"
We have a Soprano at home
@@chadfalardeau5396 I hope it's not Tony Soprano.
@@HerrBert1976 Soprano at home:
This song is so different from Sabaton's sound we're all used to is because the majority of the song is about a brief time of peace. There's a feel of reflection, a catchy chorus to sing along with and the tempo isn't fast or rushed. At the end of the song we get Sabaton's familiar sound because the fighting has started anew. It's a very, very clever way of song writing.
As a historian, the Christmas Truce was something that demonstrated that man could rise above the pain and cruelty of battle and join together even briefly, to show that even the horror of war could not overcome the human spirit and the wish for peace for all... Sabaton truly holds a unique place in musical history with its musical storytelling.
The Cross that is highlighted in the Video is for real.
A Group of Veterans Called "The Khaki Chums" went back in 1999 and placed it in Honor of those who fought and died during the battle there.
Madness
Oh, I remember the sadness
We were hiding our tears
In a foreign land where we faced our fears
We were soldiers
Carried the war on our shoulders
For our nations
Is that why we bury our friends?
We were all friends.
It's in Ypres, Belgium, if I remember correctly; about 20 miles from the border with France.
I've been to Ypres. There are few places that have made me cry so much.
The Russians tried their own truce on Easter, but since their Easter falls on a different day than the Germans, the men that tried it were either captured or killed. The reason why these truces were discouraged is because it humanizes the enemy, which makes it harder for soldiers to want to kill them.
Didn't it take the men about a week to have the will to fight again?
@@DustMug Some actually took longer. Many of the troops on both sides had to be moved to different parts of the front so they could "regain their fighting spirit" or more simply no kill their new friends. Check out Dan Carlin's Hardcore History Series "Blueprint For Armageddon"
not only humanizing the ennemy but the arrogance , incapability and cruelty of the higher officers and commanders disgusted the common soldier , the life of a soldier was less worth than a bullet, all generals looked down upon them as they were cattle or less , mostly it was all about personal glory for most generals
@@andrecostermans7109 is it a fact though, or just a narrative you like spinning
@@reichplatz It is a fact, there are numerous letters these soldiers and low ranked officers send to their families depicting the stupidities of their commanding high officers ,( not the one which were also trapped in the trenches), a lot of them are preserved in war museums . For exemple, since years now the actions/decisions taken by gen.Haig are still on discussion , and there are others... When the germans started using mustard/chloric gas they started coming to their senses as they realised the wounded/blinded soldiers which survived these attacks need care ( costly ) and are a burdon on logistics , the death ones don't .
The fact that the music they used in the credits is on par with the actual song in the video really speaks of Sabaton's talent
Found myself crying more in this reaction video than I did originally watching the video itself; I think it’s because of the joy in your face, I feel like you really appreciate the music in this. There are few people in my immediate circle who know and appreciate Sabaton, my husband is the reason I’ve heard of them. Thank you for this video
This is the kind of video you want to show your children (when they are old enough for it) to teach them about the Christmas Miracle of 1914.
History teachers should just use it in history lessons! Because this moment in history should never be forgotten "LEST WE FORGET" .
It is, or was, taught in schools in the UK and Canada. The tale doesn't have much traction in the US since they didn't join the Great War until April 1917.
Here here, raise your glass!
"Let stories be told and songs be sung, lest we lose our humanity"
I learned about it in German class, but not in my history class.................
Mais bien sur que ce n'est pas enseigné, les raisons même de ce geste ne s'explique que parce que c'était une guerre entre chrétien sur ce front et quasiment sans français qui depuis 70 on perdu l'Alsace Lorraine et on un désir, un besoin de récupérer leur terre et leur compatriote.
Eux, ils partageaient l'essentiel, un culte, les européens étant alors bien plus spirituel qu'aujourd'hui et une culture commune. On parle d'anglais et d'allemand, majoritairement protestant, la video est faite par des suédois encore des luthériens.
Et si il y a bien eu des français en minorité c'est aussi l'universel absurdité d'une guerre industriel qui est pointé du doigts.
Aujourd'hui je doute que ce genre de scène ce reproduise, pour qui Noël a un sens autre que mercantile?
Qui serai face a face?
Quelles traditions serai encore assez forte pour rapprocher et lier des adversaires sur un champ de bataille? autant de question qui font de se moment, de ce noël un instant miraculeux, unique et dont le charme c'est dissipé depuis au moins 40 à 50 ans.
Basically use Sabaton as an extension of their history classes. Things not covered there have mostly been discussed in a Sabaton song or will
Due to the natural connection between Sabaton and Nightwish with Hannes and Floor being married I hope we'll see more collaborations between them. Floor contributing to Sabaton songs and Joakim with vocal parts in Nightwish songs... Or any other member from each band for whatever they could add. And of course making an entire song together (studio and live performance).
Yes. A collaboration between Tuomas and Joakim to write a song should be interesting.
if you haven't yet, check out the "Soundtrack" version of "The Future of Warfare". Soooo good. I love Joakim's version as well, but when I heard hers for the first time I had true chills!
Wait, didn't Marco have to step away from Nightwish? Just saying....
A man can dream!
You know, with Marko retiring I could see Joakim doing guest vocals often. I know that they have Jukka playing bass for now, but I have no idea if he can sing. If nothing else we might start getting a song or two per album featuring Joakim to fill that dark character that Marko often portrayed in the stories of Nightwish songs.
I also get goosebumps when the "We are all..." lyrics come in. Then my eyes start to tear up when the Joakim sings the chorus. One of the most beautiful songs I have ever heard.
MADNESS!
How I remember the sadness...
We were hiding our tears...
In a foreign land where we faced our fears...
We were soldiers...
Carried the war on our shoulders...
For our nation's... is that why we bury our friends?
It's so goddamn powerful.
Sabaton has always done a fantastic job of reliving historic military events. This song is a whole different animal. It is very emotional when you sit down and think about it. This was a great video. Thank you!
I have great respect for Sabaton for their ability to make great music out of history. Music that makes us think and often makes us want to know more
They are literally bards.
couldn't agree more, so many events i've looked up due to their songs
You literally have to check out the Sabaton History channel. They cover the real history behind one Sabaton song every week. Indy Neidell, a WW2 historian provides the history, Sabaton provides the music. The combination is amazing. I have learnt so much more about history from Sabaton History than from highschool ;-). ua-cam.com/channels/aG4CBbZih6nLzD08bTBGfw.html
@@crhu319 I came here to comment this
I love Floor’s contribution to her husband’s band…epic!!!
Can't have vikings without valkyries☺
@@sstrykert yes, you are so right. Very good comment 🤗😅
She's basically a de facto member.
@@ChrisPage68 extended family from Valhalla☺🎄🎅
Such an amazing work of cinematography and a brutal, poignant reminder of a terrible war. As a veteran myself, I can truly imagine the gut-wrenching courage it took to be that first man willing to take a chance at such an uncertain moment. An outstanding piece of history that deserves to be remembered and talked about proving that even in the worst aspects of humanity there can always be a shred of compassion among us. Your respect for the song and very emotional feedback in both your expression and words are key examples of why I consider you the best at what you do.
A beautiful song accompanied by a superbly captured film. The haunting finish by Floor just brings you in deeper, wanting more to the story and not only ends the song, but keeps it alive at the same time. Excellent, excellent work and thank you for such a touching review.
I appreciate how Sabaton songs show that war is always cruel and frequently senseless, butit can turn ordinary men into heroes. Heroes such as yourself. Thank you for your service.
This song absolutely gets me every time! It's crazy.
On another note; I'd be so eternally grateful to see your reaction on Tommy Johansson from Sabaton. I do think he deserves more attention.
Not at all, i have tears every time i listen this song
saw them live on their sweden tour and tommy joined in on the crown bullying them to play swedish pagans. joakim poured water over him on stage and then we got swedish pagans
If you really wanted to cry from a sabaton song, their song In Flanders Fields will get to you. It's a choir singing a poem written by one the soldiers in WW1. It's only like a minute long so too short for a video, but feel free to listen to it in your free time.
That song definitely push the tear buttons also.. just cannot wait for their next album.
@@Gripen90 Same, I'm excited!
That song hits differently after listening to the entire album before it.
First time I heard it, it legit felt like a gut punch.
@@howardbaxter2514 That's very true.
Ooooo that song is so good.
There is a German movie about this incident with the title „Merry Christmas“, that mostly follows actual events. It mainly focuses on one case, where a German officer , who was an opera tenor in civilian life, broke the ice with Christmas carols - including silent night, holy night. Talk about the power of music…
The Sabaton title is amazing, and your reaction is as well!
It is a very idealistic and romanticized film, but yes. It is a joint German-French-English collab, titled "Joyeux Noel"
Great film
That movie is more fiction than fact.
I honestly do not believe that you can stop the shooting and create a truce without music first... Announcing something from across the trenches would just be met with suspicion by the other trench.
@@President-JonSnow.Malkowich they movie condensed every different story about thectruce and putted in one movie. But every elements are true (except the characters)
Wow, tears also. Thanks for posting this. I hadn't heard this song. As a Veteran myself, I remember what I was doing on the 25th of December, 2003. We got a 5 minute phone call home, and then we were back out patrolling the streets of Iraq. I remember looking up and down the streets at brothers in arms, scanning for danger, I was thinking that this would be a Christmas to remember.
Maybe this is becoming somewhat of a cliche, but sincerely, thank you for your service.
@@oglschmitt Appreciate it. It was an honor for sure. Some of the best times of my life, the worst also. But you can't have the good without the bad.
I just found this reaction, so I'm a couple years late, but you mentioned at 14:35 that you could imagine a whole audience sing the chorus. I got to experience that when they went on tour last year and it was truly something to behold. One of the best moments of the whole concert.
I must have heard this song 50 times by now. Everytime J starts to sing and H opens his eyes I got chills and then at the end the tears come, every fucking time.
You're not the only one☺
I feel the same
@@octavarium800 the same here man.
Siilence ,oh i remember the silence . . .
Hey friend, we are all sobbing together! Hugs all around!
I lost two great grandads and a great uncle in the western front trenches so this song and video felt very personal to me, especially the bit where Par walks toward the cross at the end. I was full out crying by the time I got to that but.
Even after multiple times watching this it still gets me.
It’s an amazingly respectful and reflective song and video.
Thank you for your honest reaction xx
You're not crying, those are mini tanks of water rolling towards freedom!
Sabaton is just a band that emulates old times where they sung great stories of both heroism and tragedy, of legends and myths and of evils and good men.
They're, quite literally, real life bards that tell the stories of conflict, and managing to somehow punch all the emotional strings that make men weep and wish to be part of such stories of heroism, legend and myth.
To charge a battlefield, to make a glorious last stand, to fight for the brothers by their side for something more profoundly powerful, noble, glorious, and beautiful than their individual life. Even at the cost of giving one's life...
And they do it very well. But they also excise the hopelessness of war. And you really see it in many of their WW1 songs.
Watching how emotional you get let's me know I'm not the only one that can go from fine to crying depending on what music I listen too. Beautiful video.
Wow. I cannot remember you ever being quite this emotional during a reaction to a song. You are not alone. This song, along with "No bullets fly“, also by Sabaton, never fails to bring tears to my eyes. As a grandson and great-grandson of German enoisted soldiers in both wars, this reminds me of the millions and millions of lives wasted for nothing on all sides.
Thank you for thiis beautiful, beautiful reaction.
My grandfather had his life spared by a German soldier during WW2. My family is Polish btw. My grandfather's village was visited by German military trucks and they were rounding up the villagers. My grandfather asked a soldier if he could go to the bathroom, and the soldier agreed. So my grandfather went behind a barn and then started running for his life through a field. He quickly looked back and saw the soldier looking at him, but to his surprise the soldier didn't raise an alarm, he let him go. I don't know why he didn't do anything to stop my grandfather, maybe he was lazy, or maybe he was compassionate, but he made a real difference that day.
@@X-Prime123 humanity exists even in the worst periods
Shes pregnant lol
I have forgotten how many times i have listened to this song, and every time by the end I'm weeping. I think that Sabaton have created a master piece of music that will largely go unnoticed, lost amongst the mass produced Christmas pop that is every where. Sabaton have captured the hope, tghat small moment of peace, that the "common man" who fought at the command of those in power had for one brief day, just those few hours, before they had to go back to hell the very next day.
As a New Zealander, that phrase "Lest we Forget" is engraved on our collective psyche, every year we say it, and every year we remember. We will not forget, we Will remember.
Same here in Canada, Lest we forget. Lest we forget!
Actually, I'm adding this song to my Christmas list of what I play to my classes. It's great, and the idea how common men brought the nonsensical powerplay to a stop should absolutely be promoted.
It's not lost if it impacts even a handful of people to go out and spread its message.
Lest we forget is carved into my psyche as a Brit as well. This song is a masterpiece and will be in my Christmas playlist for the rest of my days.
I saw them live this June in Belgium at a metal festival. The vibe that went true the crowd when they started playing this song was out of this world. Everybody just grabbed their neigbour by the shoulder and there was so much camaraderie.
The reason Sabaton is good is because they use music to tell a story, paint a picture of something and that’s what’s so good about it.
I think the "2021" carved on the cross is more to signify that even after all this time we haven't forgotten the sacrifice made by those who came before us, but it's nice to think about it as in remembering to be peaceful this year too!
Blessed are the peacemakers☺👍
While I desperately want to believe in this interpretation and want to stand by it.... I must also take it as a warning that we are edging ever closer to the same insanity as a society... it's not just governments but pure controlling evil that has latched around our throats and seeks to dominate everything and drag us down... WE. ARE. HUMANS. Brethren, sisters, all one race of many colors... Humanity stands at the brink of greatness... or collapse... it is the choices we make now that will decide... the madness creeping and oozing across the world is a sickness that we must overcome... far more deadly than any virus, for it poisons the mind... Sadly, as far as I can see it has only been Rock-n-Roll, as a genre, that has consistently pointed to the warning signs across the years and decades. The words echoing down the ages as a beacon of what could happen if we don't stand vigilant and strong, and an urge to remain united in music and our humanity.
Major recommendation for “No Bullets Fly”
Along with the accompanying story that one kills me every time. Also sent me down the rabbit hole learning more about it. Amazing from the war and then generations later Sabaton as well.
agreed, no bullets fly has an incredible story behind it
The entire song, no major emotion, the story, no major emotion. The interview with Charlie brown and the German pilot, that got me,
"No Bullets Fly" was my favorite Sabaton song before they released "Christmas Truce". I love it when they cover these songs because it shows incredible moments in history that sometimes get forgotten.
yes, yes and yes.
It's ashame that the music video is absolutely horrendous.
The best Christmas song ever. EPIC!
I'm a 64 year old veteran of service in the military of the US.
I very much appreciate Sabaton.
Thank you Elizabeth.
ua-cam.com/video/LYI3eegIJlI/v-deo.html
I am a 78 year old US veteran whose grandfather survived WW1. Sabaton's incredible production brings back memories of my grandfather who rarely talked about his war but would if we badgered him enough. My father served in the Pentagon all during WW2. I served in Europe in the early '60s.
Thank you for your service to my country! My Father served in Korea, I served in Operation Desert Storm during my term in the Army, And now my son graduated and is now a Marine.
Thank you, From E-4 Jason B. Bartley.
@@jb111082 Back atcha from this former USAF E-5, whose wife made O-3. I was a combat engineer and she helped to evaluate and test aircraft systems, which she now does as a civilian working for the US Navy.
Just a note: J. R. R. Tolkien wrote his great stories under impressions he gathered in the trenches of World War 1.
I've heard he wrote Bilbo as a goodnight story for his son by letter from the trenches.. Not sure if it's correct though
Also the phrase: "You shall not pass" by Gandalf was also directly taken from the Aftermatch of the Battle of Verdun. Where the phrase "Thou shalt not pass!" became the strong symbol of French patriotism, resistance and defiance against the Germans.
@@tramachi7027 not true, the book says "you cannot pass" the film says "you shall not pass" so it was added for the films so no he didn't write it with that in mind. It's important to point out too the original commenter is wrong too tolkien never write allegory and insisted that his books had nothing to do with the events off ww1 or any real world events, the only thing that is certain in the Lord of the rings books is the biblical aspects he put in due to his faith.
I don't have any argument one way or the other whether he did or not, but I'll tell you I'm trying to put as much real war in my writing as possible. More importantly, the culture behind them
@@dale897 Well, the ride of the Rohirrim was absolutely inspired by the arrival of the Winged Hussars that broke the Siege of Vienna (only the real world forces were about three times as many, 18,000 riders (3,000 actual elite Winged Hussars) instead of 6,000 Rohirrim 🤘)
You just have to watch "Sabaton-En Livstid I Krig - Live in Gothenburg". They sing this song in their mother tongue Swedish about the 30 Years' War. Be sure to turn on subtitles. Tears guaranteed. Greetings from Dresden, Germany.
i second this. En Livstid i Krig and Ruina Imperii were their most emotional songs until this master piece.
Ayyy greetings from Dresden back
A lifetime of war gets me every time. It seems so impossible for us now, that our country had such a bloody and violent history, whole generations of young men lost to war basically.
Having seen Sabaton in October of 2022, I can say that this song live was an unforgettable experience. It started off with everyone holding their phones out with the flash lights on. Even with no other lights, the power of 5000+ small LEDs was enough to illuminate the entire venue. However, by the end the entire crowd was singing together with our arms around each others shoulders. It was an unreal experience especially when the last chorus came around and it was just the sound of 5000 people singing together.
I found your channel via this reaction yesterday, and I think I've gone through about 7 or 8 hours worth of your videos now. The depth of analysis and your ability to explain the technical aspects of the songs in laymans terms is second to none.
But more specifically to this song and reaction... the respect shown to the subject matter by both Sabaton and yourself is truly admirable. As ex-defence force and a history buff, it really saddens me when moments like this are cheapened or dismissed. The way Sabaton has told this story, along with all their works, and the amount of genuine emotion you show during this reaction moved me to borderline tears.
Without a doubt, this is my Christmas song for the year.
Another Sabaton recommendation: The Ballad of Bull. An amazing demonstration Joakim’s non-metal singing. I find it impossible to keep my eyes dry listening to it because of his singing and the message of the song.
agreed! and one of the best sounding grand pianos aswell
Yes please! Makes me tear up every time
Same here. "Long Live The King" and "A Lifetime of War" and their Swedish versions too.
I love that song!
He's from here in Ballarat, VIC, and my mum has told me that he worked with my grandfather at Sovereign Hill later on.
"Precious moment..." Excellent choice of words.
It happened early in the War, at a time when no one thought it would last as long as it did. The soldiers weren't as battle hardened, but that doesn't take away from the miracle it was. I can't sing this without tears. In fact, as I am writing this, I can hardly see my phone screen though those very same tears.
There is a Capaldi Doctor Who episode that centers around this event. Mark Gattis is in it, and is absolutely magnificent.
Never seen anybody patiently reading credits full of czech people... I'm proud of my country now!
I'd never felt urged to listen a Sabaton sing until this song started being done by all the reactors. I think I'll definitely check out some more though.
Elizabeth is one reactor to this who I believe is actually feeling the emotions she's showing. She always feels the music whatever she's listening to.
I found the use of the gunfire as the percussion (or percussion as gunfire maybe) in the final scenes to be very very moving and haunting.
Sabaton will definitely make my music search playlists after this I think.
Awesome. This is my youngest sons favorite band and he's been asking me to listen to them. Very impressive. I'll be listening to more for sure.
On the subject of parents being introduced to Sabaton by their kids, take a look at Sabaton's "No Bullets Fly" animated story video.
There's an important parent and kid connection.
How nice. :) Listen to The Last Stand, there's a video for it. It is beautiful.
To this day, one of the best concerts I've ever been to has been Sabaton at the House of Blues in Boston. They just get the audience so pumped up with their energy, and you can really tell the guys are all friends. While they were performing Shiroyama, Chris basically tackled Joakim right in the middle of the chorus, he just kept singing through laughter. It was just great stuff.
God, I wanted to go to that so badly, but I couldn't because I had a gig that night!
The outro reminds me of Ecstasy of Gold by the great Ennio Morricone played in a Clint Eastwood Western movie.
YES! That's what I was thinking! It sounds very Morricone, almost like it's a metal cover of one of his creations. Not Ecstasy of Gold, though, but check out this part of "The Wild Horde" ua-cam.com/video/6vo9J26PdMM/v-deo.html
I used to travel the world on business and I was always welcomed by the people of every country. This song brings into sharp focus that it's politicians who cause the problems in the world and not the people of different countries. Sabaton really know how to tell incredible tales of bravery and true heroism of ordinary people. Elizabeth really narrates this magnificent moment of humanity beautifully and with true passion. Kudos to both Sabaton and Elizabeth....
I knew that you would recognise Floor's wonderful voice even without prompting and then only use the credits to confirm it.
Something I hear in Floor's voice is the heartbreak of all the families at home, with their fathers, sons, brothers or husbands away at the front.
Which given the starring role played by her husband Hannes in the video, is rather appropriate.
Joakim is also able to convey strong emotion in his voice, even along with the grit and tone he includes as if he were a front line soldier in those trenches, and does so in this to great effect. The whole song is beautifully produced, so I was really looking forward to your reaction to it, and now delighted by it.
The video is of astounding accuracy, even the instruments are period or very good replicas, and the different types of construction used by each side for their trenches, uniform details, weapons, even the style of stitching on the football! Any movie studio in the world would be proud of such a high standard of set-dressing and costume. Typical Sabaton to credit everyone involved!
The only thing I can see at all that is out of place is the haircuts of the band members (which is fair enough), and the mixed forces on the allied side - they actually fought by unit, in their own sectors, but clearly, it is used and excusable here as it shows the extent of the Christmas truce.
And yes, I've now listened to this song dozens of times and it still hits me - if it doesn't, check your pulse!
The truce broke out spontaneously in a number of areas of the western front and spread along a large portion of it. I believe the cross used at the end (not the shot where Pär carves this year into it, but the rest of it) is the one erected near Ypres as a memorial for the 1914 truce in 1999, on the 85th anniversary. If it isn't the actual memorial, it is a very good copy.
There had already been local truces to bury the dead in no-man's land and recover the wounded, but these were very local and the opposing forces kept to themselves instead of mingling.
The reason the generals were so furious was that troops who had befriended the enemy were less effective, and had to be rotated from the front line and returned to face different opposing units - it is very difficult to force men to shoot at friends with whom they have more in common than they do with their own REMF (look it up if you don't know the acronym) commanders. Many fake fought, firing over the heads or otherwise deliberately missing. So it was firmly forbidden in the following years - classed as mutiny and fraternisation with the enemy, a court-martial and firing squad offence.
& the same forces behind ww1 2 generations later are making us fight over an injection
Much more effective to dehumanize your enemies than to sing and play with them. It's such a unique and complex situation - to be in a situation where you are expected to fight, but to have humanized each other? A difficult situation to be in as a soldier, I can only imagine.
Fraternization, actually, yes. The lyrics even mention being brothers. How is love a crime? Ask the Generals of nations... The people in charge really have their entire heads on backwards. There is no humanity left in them.
@@sstrykert so true and so sad that history is repeating itself.
This is the best reaction/analysis if this song. And Elisabeth recognized Floor immidetly! Elizabeth, you are the best, and congratulations on your pregnancy!
SABATON! True masters of story-telling Metal music!
2:14 the production for that intro is insane! Gives me chills every time I watch it!
When he sings of "the war the never ends," I felt he REALLY meant "never." I was even more sure when I saw the carving of "2021." It really does never end. Greed, envy, fear, hate... These really do lead to the "Dark Side." War, fighting, pain & death are what lives there.
This lady is an absolute stunner.
I was at their concert in Cincinnati which was honestly legendary. i mean this not for the fact that they said its the largest crowd they have had in America but this song in particular. when it was played they shut the lights off in the venue and had everyone raise their phones with the camera lights on and for the duration of the song we held the arena in that light provided by everyone in unison working together. We all performed that chorus. Im telling you a more beautiful moment i have never felt. Tommy especially is known for his love of all things Christmas and considering his immense talent i am really happy that he was with Sabaton on this. I hope that you will check him out actually as the singer for Majestica and his own covers on his youtube channel. i would love to hear your thoughts on him.
En Livstid I Krig live in Gothenburg is a must and its a request coming from an Indian ❤️
I’m hearing this song for like the hundredth time right now… and I’m still crying. Just the way Joakim sings certain parts, like, ‘then all the cannons went silent…’ it’s just so raw, so full of pain and awe. Also, being from the Czech Republic where they filmed this… I’m very proud.
they did an excellent job brother🇸🇪❤️🇨🇿
You just helped me with an important piece of my essay which is of the significant points of this song exactly
I dont usualy like long reaction videos but you have some magic within, i dont regret every spended min. Here. When i see you and listen to you i beleve you, you are one amazing woman keep doing it i whish you all the best 🌹
"Winged Hussars" has got to be one of the most fun songs by Sabaton. The chorus has got to be one of the catchiest ones they have in any of their songs.
That was the longest reaction to this song I've seen. It contains lots of right words and captures the spirit of the song perfectly. Thank you, Elizabeth.
Some people blame Sabaton that their metal is not the true metal -- it allegedly has primitive sound, poorly written English lyrics, etc. I don't know much about metal and music, so maybe they're right. But Sabaton does not only the music -- they tell us stories about our controversial human nature, that help people from different countries to understand each other in a better way. And I take that back -- Sabaton does an amazing music! I don't care about sophisticated hating aesthetes.
Greetings from Russia, friends. Lest we forget.
Amen brother
You'll find poorly written English lyrics from plenty of bands who don't have English as their native language... so yeah, that's just a shit argument in general.
Lest we forget.
They are their own genre of metal.
You find poorly written lyrics by English speaking bands as well. That’s a terrible argument. Funny how music always trumps nationality, religion, race, politics. Maybe the whole world should just elect bands to settle all disputes. Merry Christmas my friend.
If you really wanna feel emotional from acts of humanity, watch their video for No Bullets Fly and make sure you watch the whole thing. I’ve watched it many many times and cry every time
Yes the animated story version.
That can make the coldest heart cry.
Not to mention the Sabaton song The Final Solution. 😭
I livstid i Krig or a lifetime of war does that to me as well
There's a detail that strikes me during that exciting buildup ("...we sing the Holy night, our guns rest...") - it invokes a childish feeling of eagerly anticipating the time to unwrap your Christmas presents (like when you could barely wait for it), which is extra heartbreaking considering the average age of the frontline soldier (some were barely grown-up men).
Yes! It’s something about lightness (bounciness?) of that part
You do a fantastic job describing the skill, talent and technical expertise that comprises songs I enjoy. It adds a new depth and pleasure to hearing them when I understand and recognise the things that you have pointed out.
I have no real talent for music and have little ability to judge tones, notes and the "quality" of a song. There is so much to the quality of a song or a singer that I simply do not know or recognise. This is why I value your channel so much.
Thank you for providing such a deep and insightful breakdown of what makes these songs great. I really appreciate your effort and how much it improves my own enjoyment of the song as I hear the details that you've identified. I hope that your students recognise how fortunate they are to have such a knowledgeable coach.
When I first learned about this, I was blown away that enemies that were killing each other for months at the time came together for a holiday that meant a lot to them. I absolutely love this song and video. I can't help but get emotional to this.
Being away from your family for months on end is hard on any soldier. With there also being times they would overlook patrols and small moments of peace where they eat at the same times they got used to it all.
Then mix in that it have been raining so much before then before finally freezing and letting them all have a decent footing to walk around instead of sinking into the mud made them want to enjoy some form of peace for Christmas.
But it also mostly depended on the commander and the soldiers themselves if they wanted to and if it was genuine.
That's because they weren't enemies. Their leaders were enemies, the soldiers themselves weren't. War is disgusting
Great reaction as always. If you want to hear Sabaton sing about the rest of WW1 and how bad it was outside this truce, I recommend "The Price of a Mile" :)
And Gallipoli,
God. price of a mile.. always gets me. Just the sheer thought of it.
A personal favorite is no bullets fly.. for the story behind it.. of the daughter actually hearing the song and contacting them.
@@Talatharas I only recently heard of that story, and it was so touching. Music really does bring people together.
The original had me in tears... hearing your voice crack tore me apart and had me straight up bawling. Had to take breaks to finish watching the vid.
If I may say, this is your best reaction video yet. Sabaton is simply amazing and in a class of their own. Emotion and passion throughout. They never disappoint. And neither do you! Keep it up!
Would love a reaction to "En livstid i krig" live in Gothenburg, its a really cool live-video, and the song is fantastic.
Yesss
and everyone will cry, again. lol
Yes, more content like this, please.
I was there it was amazing
GAIS
The Christmas Truce was basically a one off. Only certain sections took part mostly French and German lines and a few British. As should come as no surprise higher ups frowned upon this sudden friendliness (can't get a proper war off the ground if everyone decides to stop) and took steps to make sure this ceasefire would never happen again.
Hitler himself refused to allow the soldiers under his command to participate in the truce, unsurprisingly
& war has never stopped churning since to the delight of the bankers
It wasn't just high ranking officers forbidding any other truces, chemical warfare got introduced into the after in the years afterwards, families were joining to avenge their loved ones deaths. Hatred and dissent was seeped into the ranks, the war just got way too brutal for a truce to happen ever again
Sabaton has a very unique and special gift with music and lyrics. I greatly appreciate your full comments on the video and music not just on Joakims voice like most other vocal reactions. I also greatly appreciate how much you appreciate this song and video. This song, like the actual event, brings people together. My wife is very adamantly not a metal fan (lol) but I showed her this music video and she said it brought her to tears and that I needed to send that to my family who are also not metal fans haha. Your emotional response brought me to tears at times too. You are so genuine and I cannot put into words how that touched me. Thank you.
I enjoy how you play Sabaton on any channel on the YT...and we fans just show up
Wow 😮 First time hearing this group and what an introduction. This was a fantastic piece of work and Floor was an excellent choice/addition.
While it wasn't everywhere, it was sporadically wide spread and lasted through New Years Day in some places. I can't imagine what it was like to resume fighting.
It must have been hard to describe that feeling. When you're saying your goodbyes to a person knowing that when the morning comes, both of you will try to kill the other.
@@Navajonkee Apparently during the first world war, there were a lot of regions that swapped news, food, etc, even visiting back and forth ... just people being people. Charles de Gaulle was appalled at it and publicly called it out.
Wouldn't it be a great thing of the leaders alone did the fighting in the wars they unleashed?
@@DaBlondDude to quote another band and sort of reword your last sentence... Why don't presidents fight the war, why do they always send the poor?
@@OrionOnion "War: a massacre of people who don't know each other for the profit of people who know each other but don't massacre each other" Paul Valery
I don't usually tear up, but the part where the battle starts up again always gets me with this video/song.
I'd recommend checking out Wrong Side of Heaven by Five Finger Death Punch. That song deals with the impact of war on veterans, different but still very emotional.
Brutal indeed!
I’m not crying, you’re crying. Shut up!
Or the song Gone Away. Both are epic.
Ffdp wrong side of heaven always gets me. Especially with the video. It is so good
Most definitely that final scene always chokes me up
I'm not going to lie... this one legitimately brought me to tears. And that callout to 2021 in particular... to think that all of these years ago... there was this shining moment where people who were at literal war with one another were able to take a pause at Christmas to lay down their battles and share a moment of peace... it is something that we desperately need in the world today. And, at the end of the day, it is up to each and every one of us to be the bigger person in that, and to recognize that... even through arguments and disagreements, we have to still recognize that the other person on the opposite side of an ideological conflict is still a _human_... often times is a family member in some capacity... and that the conflict doesn't take that fact away. It makes that fact even more important to not lose sight of. And... that's even with me speaking as someone who has lost friends and family to ideological conflicts within the last couple of years. I don't know that there's really a way back with many of them, but it just... it is a sobering moment of reflection to know that there was a time before the division that has torn through the country in the last two years that they were our friends, who we could rely on to have our back. But... with some in particular for me, their blind devotion to a corrupted view of the world... there's not really a coming back from that, and we would not be able to trust them again after this. And that is a truly heartbreaking realization to come to.
The more I dive into your channel, the more I absolutely love it. Your knowledge and appreciation of all kind of music is just beautiful. Not to mention the background checks and humour. I've also found new bands and artists through your reactions. Wow. Thank you so much and happy holidays! 🤗
When I finally sat down and listened to this on my own, I was coming off a bad day at work, and I started bawling immediately at the chorus. So powerful. The men involved all got in serious trouble from command for this, and it never happened again. There was an attempt on the Eastern Front, but because the Orthodox calendar puts these holidays on different days, all of the men who tried were killed.
I also love that they brought in all of the re-enactors with their own costumes and props. If you look there are actually multiple different uniforms. Some were grouped, but there were a lot of variations in the British Troops hats.
Only Floor can do that, she sings so sadly, but gives hope at the same moment.
I’ve wanted this vid at least 10 times and it always brings me to tears ♥️
One of the primary reasons that this never happened again was that the senior officers/governments viewed this as a breakdown of discipline and were worried that the troops would become more sympathetic to the "enemy" forces and refuse to fight. Due to this worry any attempts and another "temporary truce" were punished heavily and swiftly.
As usual good things ruined by a few people
Didn't happen to Canadian forces. We didn't get to the Western Front until January of 1915, but by the time next Christmas rolled around, we were answering "Merry Christmas, Canadians," with gunfire and grenades.
yes it was Floor Jansen who sang the outro at the end credits. She is of course the wife of Hannes!! ( the drummer of Sabaton ).
That single reaction is what music is all about, goosebumps, emotions, sadness and mixed tears of sadness and joy. To orchestrate a song that invokes all that is the art of a true musician. Your tears had me in tears. Sabaton regularly manage to do this - there’s a lot of nostalgia in their songs too which take every veteran of any campaign right onto the battlefield. Excellent appraisal, fantastic reaction!
Joakim, the lead vocalist, has such an amazing singing voice.
So many of their songs instill such a viscerally emotional feeling.
When I first heard this one among others, and several re-listens later I cried by the end.
Hi Elizabeth, this is my first time listening to this song, and I loved the performance. This definitely was a powerful song w/ an emotional history, and it showed that even something horrible as a World War, there can be a glimmer of humanity. The end credits was also the perfect ending to this song/video. Thank you, Elizabeth!!! 💙
Kirby S if you enjoyed this song and the emotional history then I highly recommend you check out the rest of Sabaton’s songs. They sing about some extremely heavy parts of history because their songs are all military history related.
Should check out the animated music video for "No Bullets Fly" It is just as emotional and also shows a glimpse of humanity in war.
'Christmas in Sarajevo', by Savatage, now known as TSO, Transe-Siberian Orchestra!
*Christmas Eve/Sarajevo 12/24
Great song but no vocals
Savatage and TSO are two different bands. It's just that they share some of the members. Call it a sister band.
@@icedviking4485 I was a fan of Savatage in my early youth, then they disappeared. When TSO emerged, the radio implied that Savatage had transitioned into TSO due to the tragic death of the family / band member.
Definitely check out Savatage, especially material from Gutter Ballet or Streets, their two best albums. Jon Oliva was truly a wonder back in the day, and brother Criss was truly outstanding on the guitar. It's a shame that the band didn't get more of their dues, with TSO getting much of the success that should have been theirs.
This is the first time I have heard of Sabaton Elizabeth. Joakim has an incredible voice that has so much emotion and "suppressed anger" at the uselessness of war. I actually have tears in my eyes.
And watching the video further I see you also are also all teared up Elizabeth.
Exceptionally powerful band - wonderful stuff!!
I just saw Sabaton live for the first time a few weeks ago. Even more powerful live.
I can't watch the video without thinking about how it must have felt for those soldiers. Gets me everytime. 😭
Thank you for the reaction. Loved it.
One of the best songs I've heard in a long time. Goosebumps from the start to the end
I can’t listen to this song without feeling effected by the story of the Christmas Miracle of 1914. How the goodness of man overcame the violent proclivities of their governments.
This has always been one of my favorite stories about the Great War. Thank you for this breakdown of an amazing song. Thank you to Sabaton for turning this amazing story into to such an epic song.
I love how much emotional wisdom you have and how you can relate to feelings of other people. Also the depth you analyse all the subtle vibes and details is just amazing! You feel kind a person with I would like to sit down and have a cup of coffee and just talk about life.
All the best for you!
I first listened to this with my 12 year old nephew. He knows how much I love Sabaton so he wanted to see my reaction. After the first chorus, we both were tearing up!!