EPIC EPIC EPIC! First Time Reaction to NIGHTWISH - "The Poet & The Pendulum"
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- Опубліковано 22 гру 2023
- Please let me know in the comments below what I should react to next! I am always wanting to expand my music knowledge! If you enjoyed today's video, please do not forget to like and subscribe so you never miss the next video!
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Please be sure to listen to NIGHTWISH without my commentary: • NIGHTWISH - The Poet A...
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Non-profit, educational, or personal use tips the balance in favor of fair use.
Tuomas said this about Floor's singing of this song, "Floor puts all the anguish, and hurt, and deep dark feelings I was feeling when I wrote this, she has a way of putting my emotions back into the songs."
Honestly what I feel is often overlooked is Tuomas' songwriting capability. That man is a treasure to mankind and Floor Jansen is one of the most versatile vocalists out there.
Not overlooked by us Nightwish Army though!
I am not even a metal fan, but I acknowledge the skill and dedication of Tuomas and Floor. I just do not share their preferences in music. Pity for me.
This is why Tuomas was given the name "The Metal Mozart" by me, years ago.
after all, he does write almost all of the band's music, plus, his side project "Auri", with Troy and Tuomas's wife
Thomas used to look up from his key boards when Anette would not or could not sing this song live as it was recorded in the studio but I have never heard him say a bad word about the vocals that Floor has brought to Nightwish
Tuomas Holopainen (keyboards) wrote this epic when Nightwish did not have a lead singer between 2005 and 2007... This was after the original female singer Tarja Turunen was fired in '05 after she and her husband kept demanding more from the band (finances and other conveniences) to the point where the band's business was in jeopardy... The band wanted to tour N. America again in '05 for less money in smaller venues (Nightwish was bigger in Europe & S. America at the time), but Tarja refused... She started canceling shows and not rehearsing or traveling w/ the band... And finally, she announced that she would work on a solo album - Nightwish was not the priority for her anymore... Tuomas made the decision to let her go; it was difficult because they were friends for years... and the music business had driven them apart. That was why Tuomas referred to himself as a "wh+re for the cold world" - the business & income had become the priority over friendships within the band... Tarja and Tuomas no longer had the same goals as far as Nightwish was concerned.
Tarja was handed a letter after the last show for the 'Once' tour in '05 and it was posted online the next day to lay out the past year's drama that had led to the split between her and the band... Tuomas told Tarja bluntly that he couldn't write any more songs for her to sing w/ the threat of her departure from Nightwish hanging over him.
From Tarja's point, she wanted her demands fulfilled while touring and employed her husband as her personal manager to talk to Nightwish's managers... She was blindsided by her firing and was hurt that her husband was mentioned as part of the reason she was out of Nightwish.
In the aftermath, the backlash from fans was immediate w/ Tuomas getting the brunt of the criticism... Others blamed Tarja. But a majority of Nightwish fans clearly went in their favor. But Tuomas was left w/ the decision of whether to continue Nightwish... He wrote songs and poured his frustration and uncertainty of the future... the song "Bye bye Beautiful" was directed at Tarja.
After over a year of writing and re-writing the album 'Dark passion play'... Tuomas and Nightwish started auditioning new female singers... Anette Olzon was picked to sing the new songs, even though she was not operatically trained like Tarja... Tuomas wanted a different vocal delivery from their operatic past - Anette was more of a pop singer and it sounded different... 'Dark passion play' was finally released in 2007 and Nightwish had their biggest-selling record w/ a new vocalist.
First singer is an English boy soprano...
BTW her tattoos are in honor of her mother Lily, behind her ears is a wolf and a dog,
her homely and her adventurous side.
As others have explained, this is a deeply emotional song for the band and in particular Tuomas. The "thank you" from Emppu was for the support and love the crowd were showing knowing full well how painful the song is for the band to play. This is probably the last time it will ever be played lived.
Well.... MADRID 2016 I think that was the last time.
If you look closely at the crowds at their concerts, you will see ALL ages represented. Nightwish is Metal for Everyone...
This is a serious story about coming out of a deep personal depression. It's personal because it's Tuomas's story - but it could fit so many others in the situation.
All Nightwish songs are deep stories - their music are sometimes referred to as 'Metal music for adults' - and you will see why, when you starts analyzing the lyrics, and realize how masterfully the music are composed to enhance the stories.
And Floor's abilities to use all kinds of different techniques also to enhance the stories - and the same goes for all the others as well - everything is done for the purpose of enhancing the story. Look at the backgrounds also - everything is there for a purpose !.
Enjoy the ride into this incredible Universe of emotions wrapped in music 🎶
in your vid at 9:43 the voiceover says: now i have only 3 minutes and counting. After exactly 3 minutes in the song Tuomas making that gesture where blade cutting off his head. Every time when i see this i have shivers! What an amazing songwriting by Tuomas!!! Moreover in this song you can see present drummer of Nightwish, Kai Hahto! This man is a machine behind the drumset, you should check his videos also! Speaking about Kai i have to mention of another band he played, Wintersun. Wintersun is a melodic death metal band, i think it will be good to start with their song TIME as the first one, this song is a killer masterpiece!
Many people mistakenly believe that this song is about breaking up with Tarja, Nightwish's first singer - it's not. It's about the consequences: The feelings that Tuomas felt when, after Tarja's dismissal, the music press and many fans turned away from the band, blamed Tuomas and the rest of the members for for the breakup and proclaimed the death of Nightwish.
I believe you are right. It is about social death through the negative opinions of fans and press (and even the prime minister?) after firing Tarja. Tuomas got the blame. "Crows feasting on the Poet" is people or/and press picking on someone. The unconditional love of Tuomas parents kept him mentally alive, helped him recover.
@randomphantom 1. No, it's not about the breakup. Tuomas has talked about this many times in various interviews.
He wrote another song about Tarja for that album - it's called "Bye Bye Beautiful". ;)
2. You should read the official biographical book "Once Upon a Nightwish", where those events are described in detail from the words of a variety of people:
- The whole "mess", as you called it, was caused by Marcelo, Tarja's husband and manager, who decided that Tarja's "irreplaceability" allowed him to impose his business decisions on the whole band, constantly threatening them that otherwise "Tarja would not perform."
- Tuomas was also not the only one who wanted to fire Tarja - Marko and Jukka were even more angry at Marcelo and Tarja, to the point that Marko even wanted to quit the band because of their behavior.
- And the only reason why they kept their decision a secret from Tarja until the last moment was that they were afraid that Tarja would sabotage the rest of the tour if she found out that she would inevitably be fired.
It is the same event, not two separate events
@@SokolRockWhile most of what you state seem accurate and collaborated by the band members and others in various interviews and books over the years, you might still want to take a lot of it with a grain of salt.
Not only was Marko an alcoholic at the time, he has had untreated adhd and rsd (which made him quite unstable at times), and he and the band has given a lot of evasive and conflicting comments about various things over the years. Also, Tuomas has clearly changed public narrative on many things over the years to be more amiable
He is obviously the type of person who would not confess his true feelings to anyone but himself while publically telling politically correct white lies to preserve group harmony. Which is also one reason I think he felt such a need to burst down the floodgates of his emotions with this song lest they consume him
tl;dr; I think only Tuomas will ever know what his songs really meant for himself, since I don't think he'd ever tell the actual truth to anyone but himself
I so wanted to watch this but I have a personal belief that I only watch this video reaction if they did the research of the backstory history in my opinion without the history of the song this is just any ordinary song sorry I know not everyone would agree but I do I've watched hundreds of reactions and what seems to be hundreds not watching I love this song so much and feel that I should be emotional along with the reactor both this song and The greatest Show on Earth should be done later on down the road when you have more of an appreciation for the greatness of this band also probably just me but we all have our opinions and I'm actually looking forward to your next reaction which I think since you've done my other three favorites I would love to hear you do devil and the deep dark ocean or 7 days to the wolves which would round out my top five thank you and merry Christmas
Such a passionate masterpiece. It's so good to know Tuomas is well past this point, and is happy with his wonderful wife, Johanna. He is simply the greatest composer of my lifetime, and his compositions beyond this song are masterpieces that will live longer than any of us! Enjoyed your reaction!
Check out "While your lips are still red" for more Marco singing.
My favorite song from them is "Song of myself"
100% yes to both of these!
I personally have no problem for people to react to the song without knowing the backstory, but this song defiantly hits different when you know it. Great reaction! :)
Got to one of the big ones pretty early. Knowing everything behind this, the backstory, makes it all the more powerful. It is an outpouring of Tuomas’s soul, the grief and torment he felt having had to part ways with Tarja. It is a masterpiece all around. His magnum opus in my opinion. Only performed 20 times with Floor, who takes it to another level, and not since 2016, and not likely ever again. Stay on your Nightwish journey. Get to know the band and the history, then come back to this one and experience it again, like new, with even more emotion. You’ll appreciate it even more. - Nightwish Army North Texas division.
I concur.
I think this is second only to "The Greatest Show on Earth" at Tampere, as far as Nightwish epic performances.
Some will be butt-hurt that you don't know the story behind the song, but it is such a masterpiece, it can be appreciated as a musical work of art, without knowing the background. The context raises the level even further, but it is not necessary to appreciate the songwriting and musicianship.
I so very much agree with the whole comment
Totally agree. As a german i also since 50 years mostly just listen to english vocals as just another instrument and not because of the lyrics. Good lyrics are nice to have, but in the end for me the music comes always first, else i would just listen to Bob Dylan maybe.
@@beldin2987 For me, I got Bob Dylan #1, Nightwish / Led Zeppelin, #2/#3.
But Floor is levels higher with Bob as a song writer
If you want to dive in some more metal music with Nightwish as a starting point, i would like to recommend the following bands:
Epica (another symphonic metal band / they are from the Netherlands and their lead singer Simone Simmons is Floors best friend / sometimes Floor is featured in a few of their performances)
Sabaton (a swedish power metal band, who is singing songs about real stories which happend in war, mostly WW1 and 2 / the drummer is Floor's husband)
Arjen Lucassen (a dutch prog metal composer, who has created the projects Ayreon and Star One in which musicians of different groups come together and play his awesome compositions / Floor is seen very often in these projects)
Floor has of course some solo projects and was a guest in the dutch show "Beste Zangers" as well as the german show "Sing meinen Song". There she is singing her own version of the songs of the other artists and vice versa. Perhaps you want to check these out as well?!
The combination of Floor Jansen and Nightwish is a match made in heaven - a once in a lifetime occurrence - 2 great albums recorded together, with a third currently in production for a 2024 release, and Floor is now heading into her 12th year as front lady for the music of The Metal Mozart
They weren't having a conversation. Empuu was checking on tuomas making sure he was ok. This is a very emotionally taxing and personal song for tuomas. Even at the end Marco even stands by him in support.
Tuomas is such an amazing song writer. This song consists of 5 sections. In one section where you hear the boy say “now I only have 3 minutes and counting”. Thats where it goes into a new section and, that section is exactly 3 minutes before it goes into a new section.
This song is a very personal song for Tuomas. And it is so lovely to see Emppu and Marko checking with Tuomas how he is doing.
P.S. Dive into the backstory of this song and listen to it again. It will get even richer. There is nothing better than then the catharsis of the last part 'Mother And Father'. But as a whole song, listen to The Greatest Show On Earth live at Tampere(!) that in my opinion is their best. Watch it until the end titles are done
Concur
Totally concur because I'm a concurpa!
Absolutely will do :) we can even discuss it on stream sometime! It’s an absolute masterpiece!
@@StaceyRPGReacts yes, please: there's so much to discover about this band, its story and all of the artists, past and present.
On another topic: FYI, there's a bot using your picture and your channel's name in the comnent section...
I reported it for Spamming (could also be some sort of scam aimed to your viewers)
Hope this helps you...🤞
Greetings from Italy, Merry Xmas and Happy New Year!✨🎄✨
👋🇮🇹🖖
@@StaceyRPGReactsyes I agree... When you understand the song a bit better (pretty much impossible on a first listen, especially if you're non-initiated on the story) it just becomes even more epic. For your second listen, and after gaining a bit of knowledge, choose the video with lyrics... you'll have the shivers in no time. I already saw you acknowledging someone commenting on "3 minutes and counting", and others have left comments that'll also help understand it better.
I can't wait for you to check out The Greatest Show on Earth... a masterpiece on the evolution of the universe, Earth, nature and mankind (and music 😊).
Dang...this woman always makes me cry with her vocals..
If you like to hear Floor growling, it´s worth to hear Nightwish - Yours Is An Empty Hope.Vehicle Of spirit Live at Wembley (2015)
Great reaction, many thanks👍🏻
Tuomas borrowed heavily from "The Pit and The Pendulum" when he wrote this, which is a short story written in 1842 by Edgar Allan Poe. The story describes the psychological torment of a prisoner during the Spanish Inquisition who is publicly tortured and executed for opposing the Catholic Church. The prisoner is trapped in a dark, rat-infested room with slippery, sloped floors leading to a Pit with a swinging Pendulum above. The Pit signifies Death, the Pendulum represents Time and the sloped floors, rats and darkness symbolise Fear.
The protagonist of the story opposed the Catholic Church because he was angry with God for taking away his birth mother, adopted mother and wife with plague and disease.
I wonder whether Toumas's anguish was NOT due to the fact that he fired Tarja (the original singer) from the band, but because he felt he was being publicly tortured and executed by his so-called fans for doing so.
I also wonder whether the song was arranged into 5 parts to reflect the 5 stages of grieving: Denial, Anger, Bargaining, Depression and Acceptance.
An awesome musical adaptation of classical literature.
Stacey, welcome to the Nightwish Army! Great to see you enjoying the magnificence that is Floor Jansen and Nightwish. Check out "Sleeping Sun", another live performance in Tampere. It's softer and Floor sounds amazing. Also, check out Beste Zangers from 2019 to see Floor singing different types of songs in different languages. She's always awesome!
I've been struggling with depression for the last few years, and this song always brings tears to my eyes. Some of the emotions and feelings Tuomas describes in the lyrics are the same ones I feel every day. And the emotion that Floor puts into it... Uff!
I know that feeling, you are not alone. We are family and we love you 🤗
Same here, it makes me wanna go on
the Floor's voice and your eyes..........paradise......
Welcome on the Nightwish train, greatings from the Netherlands
Metal is moden classical music. Im classical trained piano teacher. Ive had vocal training and have sung in choirs. Harmonies and dynamics are crucial for me. Nightwish gives me everything in music. Never boring!
I noticed you have yet to do any Epica. This should be another must-listen-to band if you want to continue on your symphonic metal journey. I suggest you start with the live version of Sancta Terra (feat Floor Jansen).
Epica coming soon :) I promise!
Epica is much heavier but still same genre and same epic 😉 I give to you 3 other suggestions from their live performances: Unleashed (Afas), Kingdom of heaven (Retrospect) and Consign to oblivion (Zenith). Enjoy your symphonic metal journey 😊
Floor was not mommy yet during this performance (2015)! Freya was born in March 2017😌
I just binge watched all of your videos you posted so far and .... congrats you just gained a new follower😊😊😊❤❤❤❤ loved all of them and especially the nightwish ones.... there's only one thing left to say from me.... welcome to the nightwish army, private Stacey 😊😊😊😊😊
Nightwish, although existed from 1996, is showing the direction to the future of Music, the saviour of the Music from it's decaying money only matters status and showing how one can advance from only songs performing band into the larger than life spectacles with an ingenuity of a composer/Lyricist and the perfectionist performance on the band members creating together a wholeness of a another dimension or world. If I would be a Musician, I'd do everything to achieve the same "second level" performance and skills!
Boy Soprano at the start was Guy Elliott from St Mary's Choir School, Reigate, UK. "Sparkle my scenery...." was also sung by another boy soprano on the album but Floor said that she could do it and Tuomas agreed! This opus was one of a trilogy about the tempestuous history of the band in 2004/5. The other two are "Bye, Bye Beautiful" and "Master, Passion, Greed" - the latter has never been performed live. So glad Tuomas took his way out in song rather than reality! WE need his music! and it's his birthday and mine! Merry Christmas!
Wow that is a hard one to sink your teeth into right about Christmas. Tear jerker defo. Looking forward to more music reactions by you.
Keyboardist Tuomas is the brains behind Nightwish's songs
This song hits hard on every Nightwish fan including myself, you should really learn the story behind this one.
Love you reactions, keep it up!
To get your journey easier
Nightwish with lyrics may be helpful
Or get them pull up before
And every time it's journey through emotions
🔥❤🤘❤🔥
More to explore
Thanks for reaction 🙏
Thanks for another great reaction! A lot of people will insist that one do some research before listening to this piece. There are plusses and minuses to that approach, but, on the whole, I prefer that people experience this piece the same way most of us did; as a surprise. You were clearly focused on the music instead of the lyrics and that's great! The music speaks for itself and you felt the message. As you listen to this more on your own, you will learn the lyrics and discover how somber they are. That's what we all did.
Not Floor in the beginning but a child
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
Idk why. You loving nightwish, makes me happy.
Floor just does what she does best in every one of her songs - shows her raw heart, emotions and feelings, and because we, fans, know what this song is about, it hits so much deeper to realise what Floor must have felt there, on stage.. I still can't watch this ong without tears in my eyes...
Hi Stacey not sure your aware but you keep mentioning the guy on the keys (Tuomas) who is actually the heart and founder of NIGHTWISH. Most of these songs are his babies and this one is in particular you should research what this one is about. Great reaction as usual
And now you really must listen to Epica ft Floor sancta terra. You need to meet Simone a close friend of Floor .
I love how you talk about your awakening to metal music. I was the same as you before and when I finally got into the genre (thanks to reactors like yourself) I realized just as you did the incredible skill, talent and pure hard work they put into their music. I guess we don’t know what we don’t know right? I’m grateful that I and many people like you are now awake :)
This is their masterpiece. The harshness is necessary, the softness too, to tell the story. This is not only metal, it is more than that (I am not a metal fan).
Hi Stacey! Love your videos and Nightwish is my favourite band so it's always awesome to see how others react to their amazing music! I think you're ready for the big one by Nightwish... the 20 minute spectacle that is "The Greatest Show on Earth". I would love to see your reaction to that as it's a song about the big bang and the creation of life on Earth and it's amazing.
It's really too bad that out of all of those requests, not one person told you about the story that you were about to be swept up in.
The place was Helsinki, Finland. The time was right after the band had fired their first singer, Tarja. She was Tuomas' closest friend, they went through school together, he almost certainly loved her. It was probably the hardest thing that he ever had to do.
Afterwards the fans turned against Tuomas, leveling their hate on him for firing her, even though it was a joint decision by the whole band. It was so bad that the Prime Minister of Finland had to call for order. Tuomas fell into despair, nearly ending his own life. Thankfully he decided to write this song instead of walking into the ocean, otherwise we would have lost almost two decades worth of music.
This is the second song of what is called the holy trinity of Nightwish: Ghost Love Score, Poet and the Pendulum, and The Greatest Show on Earth. TGSoE is a 22 minute long song about the formation of our planet, the evolution of life, and the rise (and fall) of mankind. Here's a link:
ua-cam.com/video/45brzDJKZ3o/v-deo.html
When you do the greatest show on earth, you need to see the words. 🤘😁👍
Great reaction , Please react Nightwish ,, Greatest show on earth ,, live Tampere . (That"s a 20 min. masterpiece)
The singer at the start is a boy treble from an English choir not Floor. Boy treble voices are used in choirs (especially Church choirs) for the purity of tone.
This is an absolutely beautiful composition from Tuomas, full of emotional elements! Floor makes such a good job of singing this as does Marco. It’s just a masterpiece!
Very nice reaction to this epic song 🌹
Edit: you really should listen to Floor on Yours is an empty hope - Live at Wembley!
Floor offered to sing the opening (as she surely could have), but Tuomas wanted to use the original recording.
@@TheRealRedAce and…….. I was just making a statement of the fact!
You can't feel the same when you have the whole backstory of this song. It's more and more difficult for me to listen to it without tears
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….
Awesome piece of Music.
Love it.
Thanks for the time !
All Hail Queen Floor !
Great Nightwish reaction again S. although it felt a bit strange when you smiled and laughed so much during the song, but you didn't do anything wrong, because you didn't know what the song was about. I love how Marko and Emppu move close to Tuomas at the end of the song as if to support him and how Floor looks at him tenderly for a long time after the song has ended. - A tip: Please react (or at least watch) Floor's own reaction to that legendary Ghost Love Score performance in Wacken Open Air festival in 2013. It's about 20 min video on UA-cam. She talks about that concert, her singing techniques, her relationship with that song, her fears, her uncertainties, etc. etc. It's very interesting and Floor is as lovely, kind and down-to-earth person as always. You will love it... and you will fall in love with her even more! 😉
Search: Floor Jansen REACTS to Nightwish - Ghost Love Score (Wacken 2013)
This song is perhaps one of the most personal. Written to reflect the depression Tuomas felt when attacked by the public for firing Tarja in such a public manner. What he did, while not prudent, had a significant backlash that he didn't expect. Many of his friends betrayed him publicly. A Finnish government official publicly criticized him. When Anette was singing this at a concert, she found out she lost a custody suit. This song rattled her so much that she broke and ran off stage in tears. Floor puts such emotion in it that you feel it every time to your core.
Awwww you call Floor mommie, that is so cute. ❤❤❤❤❤❤
What I find amazing is Tuomas is just brilliant when you hear the spoken words "Now I only have three minutes and counting" if you start a timer at that point it's exactly 3 minutes to where Tuomas chops his head off. now that's easy to do in the studio but this is live it's amazing the timing of this song is really amazing.
You’re killing it Stacey👍🤘
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 and experience in music art!🤘🤘
If nobody addressed your question. The haunting voice in the intro is Nightwish’s SECOND singer, Anette Olzon. Not to take anything away from Floor but Anette sings this song better. It is said that Tuomas composed songs to fit their singer at the time. With that said, Floor is their best singer, having the most vocal range.
Having said THAT! You need more EPICA in your life. Just like Nightwish, their catalog of songs is so diverse. Songs for homework: Sancta Terra, Storm the Sorrow, Serenade of Self-Destruction, Code of Life. Ok. Honestly, too many to list. Soon, You’ll love them as much as we all do.
A must listen is Floor with Simone singing Stabat Mater Dolorosa
...she is really a GREAT and BIG singer 😜😉
Tuomas is truly a musical genius. To compose, arrange, write the lyrics, and conceive the stage presentation, lighting etc is just remarkable. Plug into that, absolutely top level musicianship and you have magic...... Oh, and then there is the Goddess that is Floor Jansen..... Vocal beast!!! ...... Btw it is a boy singing in the intro
So my apologies for whoever encouraged you to dive into this complex masterpiece without the backstory. Most fans advise people to wait until they know the band and it's history well. This is Tuomas's (keyboardist and 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. 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. Both letters are on the internet and worth reading to get a feel for their emotions at the time. 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. Tuomas has said that he never got to the place of killing himself in real life but that he killed him self in this song as a form of carthsis and recoverry . 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 refuge.
It would take too much space to explain everything going on in this song. Best analysis of this song I have ever read is by the artist and musician Annika Hausen. It is a Master's Thesis level analysis that is very insightful. I won't provide a link (YT algorithms delete my comment every time I do) but a google search on her name and Poet and the Pendulum will get you there. 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. The final section's lyrics are the actual words Tuomas's mother spoke to him during the depth's of his depression. Floor perfectly captures the anguish of a mother who has lost her child. 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. He often would have the sound engineers turn off the vocal feed in his in ears because it would make him too emotional. Read the open letters. Read Annika's analysis and listen once again and I know you will get the full emotional impact and the greatness of this song! If you do I would love to hear how your reaction to the song changed.
Does Tuomas place a sticker on the cds telling them to do research? What happened to self-discovery and not given some list to follow? Like people need a secret decoder ring to get it. It's silly.
@@SpartanGuy83very silly
I came across the song rather early in my journey and did not know the backstory, and was so impressed that I found the lyrics after the I had listened the song 3-4 times in a row. And it took me about a week to recover from astonishment.
@@SpartanGuy83 If people choose to go in blind more power to them. Having seen dozens and dozens of reactions to this song my observation is that reactors feel this song and "get it" if they know the backstory and "get it" even more if they have some experience and personnel investment in the band. I see nothing wrong in wanting everyone to have that experience and they can't if we don't advise them ahead of time to learn the backstory. If they knowingly choose not to do the research to preserve a blind reaction then I respect that choice. But if they didn't know that understanding the backstory has a big impact on how you react to the song then I feel, as a fan, that I have let them down.
@@rnowak85 you're missing the whole point of discovery. Same with GSOE. Let people interpret things individually. Music is about discovery and not others people's experience. Tuomas alluded to this in a print interview when he was asked about reaction vids.
you need to hear this: Epica - Sancta Terra (feat Floor Jansen)
Watch out !
Your smile can melt the sun !
👍👍👍💕🇸🇪😎🎅🏼
Of all the amazing and wonderful Nightwish songs, this one has been my favorite ever since I first heard it.
Even without knowing the backstory, this song is freaking amazing, but once you’ve learned the story behind it, it just ratchets up your appreciation even more!
Nightwish - > Epica (sure you will like Simone) - > Delain - > Within Temptation - > Sabaton - > Xandria...
Have fun, greetz from The Netherlands 🇳🇱
I remember when I first heard this song on The Poet and the pendulum album, which came out after their first singer was kicked out of the band and replaced by Annette Olson. It still sends chills down my spine to this day.
Hello stacey and Merry christmas to you and your family and your two babies cats 🎆 another albums it's almost a 30 minutes song (The Greatest show on earth )but its for another time .the Poet and the Pendulum is about the depression Tuomas (the keyboard player and composer of Nightwish °) suffered after they fired their first singer Tarja ( its controversial because they gave her a letter after their last concert together in 2005 but some rumors said she never came to rehearsal and stuffs and started to behave like a diva) the second singer is Anette Olzon but not a lot of live with her and in 2012 she left or was fired and Floor came in the band and had 48 hours to learn the setlist and of course she did 🙂
Beautiful, this is a very emotional song ..good job .. you need to read more about the meaning of this song .. the band leader Tuomas ( keyboard player) killed himself in this song because he couldn’t in real life .. deep stuff .. read about the meaning
❤️💯 Agreed!! @StaceyRPG - please take the time, and search and read the open letter from the band to Tarja and her response open letter back to them about what led to Tuomas mindset, wanting to take his life and wrote this song instead. Rewatch this version of this song, with either subtitles on, or find the version with subtitles to hear each word that was written in this song. Then pay attention to the band as they watch over him during the performance of this song.
Your reaction was amazing, heartfelt, and beautiful. But if you take the moments to deep dive and learn and watch this on your own again, you’ll understand how amazing he is as Composer, and his heart, and how wonderful this band truly is.
This song, in my opinion, is truly one of the great masterpieces you will hear and experience in your lifetime.
Much love - Nightwish Army, Florida division ❤
Not a criticism at all … what you do brightens my day … you will get a lot more from this song if you know the back story
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
Thank you Stacey, it's always a pleasure to see how different a first reaction is without knowing the background of the song. It always strucks me again the moment that the 3 minutes counting starts in the song before Tuomas commits suicide in the song. Luckily only in the song... I'm catching up on some of your reaction video's as you may have noticed. 🙂Really enjoy them! To give you some other direction: do you know songs from Genesis? For example "tell me why?"from 1992
I cry river’s every time I take this journey.
Nice! Nightwish will never disappoint-Tuomas is a genius 👍
Stacey, you need to understand the meaning, the reasoning, the timing of this song in the Nightwish chronicles to really give it some justice. You will then understand why Marko and Emppu stand at the side of Tuomas. This is not just a masterpiece, this is a moment into the life of the the one, the only Metal Mozart. You'll also understand why they have said they will never play this song live again.
Loving the nightwish reactions but please also react to EPICA for a different take on Symphonic metal that is truly epic every time. Anything from the live performances from Retrospect, Omega Alive or AFAS will make the point.
Still not their longest song. That honor goes to their "Greatest Show on Earth"
This and songs like "7 Days to the Wolves" are epic NW masterpieces.
Love this! Ordered their blue ray ❤
Love your reaction Lady ❤.... you're pure and Authentic.... thank you for being here 🦋🦁💜🕊💥🪷🐬🙏
Great reaction, thanks and greetings from Colombia
You said you like marco's voice, good drumming and emppu's guitar...well i have to recommend, Nightwish performing Pink Floyd song, High Hopes...i know you will love it. Greetings from finland ❤️🇫🇮
This is Your interaction with Nightwish. : Strong ,
extremly talented worldknown singer Floor Jansen , And Tuomas on keys are the songwriter.
Kai Hahto , extreme , current drummer (replaced by withdrawn Jukka , (Loved) -Bassplayer / singer Marco (Loved!) Now replaced by Jukka Koskinen - Guitarist : Emppu Vuorinen ! All Highly talented musicions!! Huge proudctions , songs ! One of the greatest bands out there! .
..I am not sure why YOU would possibly want to have a conversation with me. ..But I would LOVE to... You are Young and Beautiful. I am not. .. I know something about music.. Since I have been a "musician" for the last decades. And I am keeping up with contemporary music..@UCB4FUsGpvnClKIc8lRviOnw
Epic song love your reaction Stacey
After this.. EPIC,EPIC, EPIC... it's time for EPICA, EPICA, EPICA !!! 🤣 Begin with EPICA - Consign To Oblivion - Live at the Zenith (OFFICIAL VIDEO) Must See ! as good as Nightwish, little bit harder.... with Lead singer Simone.
Thank you for a thoughtful reaction.
Beautiful song, beautiful transitions, great Nightwish.
When I heard the song for the first time all those years ago it broke me emotionally.
This Song is special to me, as someone who have had some real los in his live which made me question if living is still worth it.
Even till this day if I hear this song I still cry with the memories and feeling of los and despair this song brings with it.
Especially the soft crying that Floor does at the end hits me really hard.
Truly one of the most epic songs.
BTW, you look very much like the singer of a band called Unleash the Archers, Brittney Slayes. They are an incredible metal band out of Vancouver and her voice is amazing. Listen to the song Awakening. You'll love them. She also sings in the Star One project by Arjen, the brilliant composer of Ayreon.
Good music is Good music.
It can not be disputed.
These guys are such talented professionals; they care about the music and the fans.
I agree what was said a few comments ago, there is a huge backstory that goes with this song. It needs a bit of research to fully understand this song.
I'm not a fan of metal, but Nightwish is symphonic melodic metal, and that is different. I love that band, and Floor of course. Glad that you've found this sub-genre.
Great reaction! By exploring Nightwish you have opened an entire world! There are so many great songs. I would love to se you reaction to: "The greatest show on earth" Wembley,- and enjoy who is entering the stage late in the song to tell this epic story of the entire history of this planet, and the small part belonging to humans. Also the same song performed at Tampere is fantastic.
Yes its Kai Hahto the current drummer , doesnt have the swag of Jukka Nevalainen but hes actually a better technical drummer ....hes a beast ....Jukka asked him to take over his seat and Kai has said he'll gladly return it , if he ever decided to comeback .
You've got to listen to The Greatest Show on Earth next. It's the third song of what we call the Nightwish trifecta. Another masterpiece.
Please react to Floor Jansen & Henk Poort - Phantom Of The Opera | Beste Zangers 2019 i think you will live this version
@StacyRPG: Actually, Marko and Emppu -- the two guitarists -- are checking in on Tuomas, given how personal the song is to him. He wrote it at such a depth of depression, that he "killed himself" figuratively in the song, hence the eulogy and obituary.
To put no finer a point on this song, Tuomas is so masterful at composition that when you hear "I have but three minutes and counting," three minutes later in the performance, you see Tuomas' hand slice his own neck from front to back right before the pendulum swings past, everything goes dark, and you hear the heartbeat that stops.
I love that you're still experiencing Nightwish and enjoying them. I just hope you don't limit yourself to just them (like a lot of these channels do), because there is so much more Symphonic Metal has to offer:
Epica: Sancta Terra (It features Floor, so it's an easy one to transition to) - ua-cam.com/video/cx22Yuj2nzg/v-deo.html
Epica: Kingdom of Hevean Part 3 (Live Omega Alive stream) - ua-cam.com/video/BdBCVMD8TiM/v-deo.html
Epica: Design Your Universe - ua-cam.com/video/9nlPx-HEpCU/v-deo.html
Epica: Rivers (feat Apocolyptica): ua-cam.com/video/7imPLmvLyQA/v-deo.html
Within Temptation: Sinead (they're the poppiest of the symphonic metal bands, so it's another good beginning point): ua-cam.com/video/KuMB2pTsZP0/v-deo.html
Within Temptation: Candles (Feat George Oosthoek) - ua-cam.com/video/KuMB2pTsZP0/v-deo.html
Within Temptation: Ice Queen - ua-cam.com/video/KuMB2pTsZP0/v-deo.html
Within Temptation - Somewhere (feat. Anneke from The Gathering) - ua-cam.com/video/ScjEJRIZGvg/v-deo.html
Within Temptation - Angels - ua-cam.com/video/m5fMRcFjBHc/v-deo.html
Blackbriar: Cicada - ua-cam.com/video/cKYTrDM2mpw/v-deo.html
Oceans of Slumber: A Return to the Earth Below - ua-cam.com/video/eR5x8NNHy4o/v-deo.html
Vintersea: Crack the Light - ua-cam.com/video/1qWrrvPtZ4g/v-deo.html
And when you're ready to see the band that started the whole Dutch/European female fronted metal movement. Their singer, Anneke Van Giersbeirgen, is credited as an inspiration for both Epica and Nightwish's singers:
The Gathering: Strange Machines (Live in 1996) - ua-cam.com/video/1HUMwinV2AQ/v-deo.html
The Gathering: Travel (Live in 2016) - ua-cam.com/video/Y46Lft_BZxo/v-deo.html
You really need the history of the band to understand this, the masterpiece of Nightwish.
Here are my accumulated notes and band comments.
Listen again now you have had comments
No 1!!!
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.
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.
Edit: when you come to understand this song you will realise you had many inappropriate as miles and talked over many critical moments. I urge you to listen again.
Also there is a close link between classical and metal. Most metal musicians really understand music; many have classical backgrounds; many of the fans have classical backgrounds. Those who don't clearly feel instinctively what the musicians know through training.
And by the way, Emppu is one of the best guitarists in modern music - Floor considers him her "guitar hero"
Ha,Stacey again!😊..If I'm correct, they not playing this song anymore..
This is one song in Nightwish history you should do deep dive on. Its really abour Tomas deep depression after firing lead singer and fans negative reaction . Its necessary to understand this. This is one of Floor all time best performances.
I agree with those who are on "team blind discovery" with this. Without prior knowledge, this song really showcases a reactor's sensitivity tt composition & arrangement, the overall tone, the on stage attitude of the band members, the background visuals, the lyrics and so on.
None of this was picked up. Great that the song was still valued tho. Yet another example in a recent series of very fascinating & total emotional disconnects. Weirdly entertaining. Cheers from Amsterdam! 🤘
This song is about the roller-coaster of feelings during a self-destructive depression Tuomas had after the backlash he experienced from media and his own guilt from firing Tarja in such an ugly way, that made him perform a su****e in a song as a cleansing rite, so he wouldn't have to think about doing it in real life
It is a an extemely emotional ride of mixed emotions, from deep depression to mania to apathy and anything in between
I couldn't help but notice, you fancied Jukka a bit. Meet Kai!
This song might be a bit too soon in your Nightwish journey. It is amazing by itself, but only once you really get to know the band you 'll grasp the full significance of this masterpiece.
The talking of Emppu to Tuomas is Emppu asking if Tuomas will make to the end of the song without breaking down.
It's a very personal song about betrayal from and betraying of a former band member (Tarja) that was poorly handled and resulting in splitting the child (Nightwish) in half, infanticide.
Tuomas had lost his muse, his singer, his repertoire (no one could sing like Tarja, or at least he thought so at the time), his innocence (he was so into when producing Story Time, Dead Boys Poem and many other songs), many of the fans and it lead to a quite deep depression. He wasn't 100% confident Nightwish could fully recover from this.
He wrote three songs in anger: Bye Bye Beautiful (in anger to Tarja), Master Passion Greed ( In anger to Marcello, Tarja's husband) and The Poet and the Pendulum (in anger to himself)
This song is divided in 5 chapters (afaik) This is what they are about:
I White Lands Of Empathica : Traumatic loss of innocence/security
II Home : Raging thoughts of self hatred and a feeling of being uprooted (longing for home even if you are already home)
III The Pacific : Acceptance of the fact death is the only right answer to your problems, romanticising how peaceful it will be if it just all stops.
IV Dark Passion Play : raging thoughts about actually committing suicide and how it will settle the scores and what will happen after your death
V Mother and Father : getting help and coming to terms with yourself, forgiving your mistakes