It's understandable Tuomas would insert a little 'Enter Sandman' here. It was Tuomas' attendance at a Metallica concert while an exchange student in the U.S. that guided his vision of what Nightwish would be.
Well, Melvin, was I right? Of course I was. This is a masterpiece. I could see how much you loved it. It's my favorite music from Nightwish and it's new and fresh every time I hear it. Thank you for reacting to it.
Yeah - you were right, Gaye 😁 When I reacted to "The Poet and The Pendulum" recently I thought that was the pinnacle. Clearly they had other ideas up their sleeve once Floors joined!
Kai is the drummer on Every form most beautiful. It was written when Jukka was in the band but he retired during the rehersals so Kai took over the recording of the album. It´s also Troys first album as a full member. In the previous albums he was just hired to record the albums and tour with Nightwish
You should also watch the Wembley version ( I was there), Richard Dawkins narrating the final passage, no fireworks but Troy playing the Ebow. Enter Luca Enter Life Enter the god of gaps Enter Ionia Enter History Enter Ratkind Enter Sandman
I personally prefer the London version, but it's really just preference and it's a close run thing. Both versions are awesome. (and again you have to wait right to the end do see Dawkins come onstage for the final narration). In later tours they did a topped & tailed version of the song, which I don't think was as impressive. My all time favourite Nightwish song though is Edema Ruh, from this same album. There's not many live performances of it, but there's an acoustic version they did on a cruise ship, which is awesome. Actually, Floor and Troy together have also done acoustic versions of Nemo and How's The Heart. (Planet Rock sessions) Those are well worth watching.
Inspired by Dawkin's book of the same name, that is his voice doing the spoken parts, the last one over the end credits is a quote from Darwin's book "The Origin of Species". Troy's part here started with Irish Low Whistle, at Wembley 2015 he started with EBOW on guitar, and Dawkins comes on stage there to read that last quote. The Uilleann pipes(ill-en) is the name you couldn't remember Marko, Troy, and Floor were all doing the grunts and growls. The evolution of music section IS the part around the Metallica riff, but it was "Enter Sandman", included before were pieces by Christian Petzold and J.S.Bach, after was some EDM. Floor's dress isn't just for fashion, it has the DNA helix, relating to the song and album. Floor's parents were in the crowd too, making it more special for her. WE WERE HERE!!! 🤘🤘 Btw, Nightwish has performed "Symphony of Destruction" live, 2004ish, with Marko on lead vocals and Tarja offstage for a wardrobe change. And you have 1 inch on Emppu,, he's 5'3", LOL.
Hello, i don't know about other band members, but certainly Floor's parent were there in the stadium. Dutch tv was making a piece about Floor (sarch for dutch reunion floor) and they paid for them being flown to the show, and did small interview before and after the show... i can wholeheartily recommend to you said document, you will see more of how Floor is not only great singer, but also a wonderfull human being 🥰
You said It must be spectacular to be there. I saw this performed at Wembley in November 2022 and it was the most amazing experience. By the way, the male voices including the tribal noises were sung by Marco and Troy. The camera doesn't show Troy much in this version. Although both 2015 recorded versions are great, I prefer the Wembley 2015 version. Not only does it show Troy more, it also features him using guitar with Ebow at the beginning instead of the violin track, but also features Richard Dawkins narrating live at the end. The studio version is even longer!
I was torn between this version and the Wembley version, but the viewers chose for me and I certainly wasn't disappointed. I can only imagine what is must have been like to be there in the flesh, you lucky so and so ☺️👍🤟
@@melvinthinks Funny how for just another bloke (yours truly) it's more like the less Troy and even less Dawkins the better ;) Have met with the guy over here in NL long time ago, in a more "pro" capacity. He was tiny & seemed quite reserved and overwhelmed by us Dutchies acting all informal. He could've been a decent zoologist, but chose the circus-act he became.
The band gave a number of interviews about this song and getting Dawkins to be in the song, on the recording but also live in the Wembley version. Often it is divided with parts 2-3 then another song (maybe GLS) Then 4&5 as an outri. Troy: At some point we ended up watching Richard Dawkins lectures on the internet. After a while I suggested, half in jest, that maybe we should ask Dawkins to be our special guest on the new album. Tuomas: It was an amazing idea, and I immediately started wondering if we could really make it happen. Jukka: We were naturally a bit sceptical, too - we had to try and ask him of course, but it was better not to have such high hopes. Dawkins had pretty much shied away from popular culture apart from one episode of The Simpsons. Troy: I enthusiastically assured them that I can make this work, like "You'll see, guys". Well the next morning I wasn't feeling so confident any more and I remembered Tuomas and Jukka going "Told you so" TUOMAS: Still, there was no way we could let it drop without at least trying. So we started thinking about a proper manner to approach Dawkins. We decided our best option would be to send him a hand-written, polite letter, where we would tell him about the band, the scientific themes on the forthcoming album and the fact that he had been a great inspiration TROY: We got no reply, so we sent another letter. In the end, I guess we had a bit of luck, because it turned out Dawkins personal assistant knew the band and actually liked Nightwish. He suggested that Dawkins should take our inquiry seriously TUOMAS: I was in Paris doing interviews for the Scrooge album. When I got back to the hotel in the evening. I noticed there was an email from Dawkins, something like, "1 went to the internet and browsed your band, and what I heard l liked very much. So I'd be happy to co-operate. FLOOR: Tuomas sent us a triumphant message: "You won't believe what just happened: Dawkins said yes!" TROY: It was obvious from the start that Dawkins' appearance would attract a lot of attention - both positive and negative. His book God Delusion had created a worldwide controversy. after all. JUKKA: We didn't invite Dawkins to be on our album to criticize religion but to speak as a scientist: an evolutionary biologist. Of course neither the fans nor anybody else outside the band knew it at that point. TUOMAS: There has been a lot of unreasonable criticism hurled at him for all kinds of reasons. A lot of people seem to ignore the fact that Dawkins is also happy to listen to contrary opinions and is always open for new ideas. In that sense, he's like Esko Valtaoja, with whom we had the honour to work on Showtime, Storytime DVD. I had endless possibilities in my hands for "The Greatest Show on Earth" What is the sound of crumpling continental plates that mountains are made of? Or the disintegration of radioactive components? Or the sound of space particles bombarding the earth? And how would I refer to immortal works of music composed by man? Well, I included shades of "Dies Irae" by Thomas Celano, "Toccata" and "Fuga" by Johann Sebastian Bach, banjo music from Western movies, "Rock around the Clock" by Bill Haley & His Comets, and "Enter Sandman" by Metallica. I was also thinking about borrowing "Sandstorm" by Darude, but in the end, we just went for an unrecognizable techno loop. Also Petzold and Bach. Recording - and Jukka Resigning: MARCO: Kaitsu handled the drum parts admirably, so we could continue with the other instruments right away, This time we tried to concentrate on one song at a time and kept on working on it till we felt there was nothing more we could add. TROY: And we didn't even have thunder. Rauhala does not have the best sound proofing in the world, so it would have been pretty challenging to mike the instruments if there had been rain and thunderclaps. TUOMAS: I actually got off easier than I expected, because a lot of the demo keyboards from Hämeenlinna were good enough to be included on the album. The stuff in "Sea-Worn Driftwood", part five of "The Greatest Show on Earth", for example, was salvaged straight off the demo. In Hämeenlinna, I had explained to Tero that this passage would be about "whales singing and rats taking over the world". I had just come up with that improvised stuff, and it made it on the album MARCO: Recording the vocals was teamwork in the best possible sense, no matter who was behind the mike. We kicked around suggestions and tried out all kinds of last minute ideas. Like, "Hey Floor, throw in some of that sweet upper octave of yours in the second verse... Yeah, that's a nice touch!" FLOOR: Marco kept on surprising us. He might just suddenly say, "Wait, I have an idea!" Then he'd pull out his bass and introduce an excellent harmony MARCO: It was great fun recording the vocals. I've never had the chance to impersonate a troglodyte in front of a microphone before, so creating gorilla sounds for "The Greatest Show on Earth" was pretty hilarious. I didn't want to undermine the majesty of the song in any way, but I didn't exactly do it with a straight face, either! TROY: I recorded my own ape grunts at home. To get in character, I took off my shirt, banged my chest with my fists, and pretended I was an ancient Homo Erectus. I think my wife was a bit worried MARCO: I cut my bass parts pretty quickly in about one and a half days. I even got a bit lazy towards the evening of the first day - if I had really pushed it, I might have been able to complete them in a single day. Notes: The first part, "Four Point Six", is a reference to the age of our planet -in billions of years. The journey starts with a simple but persistent keyboard theme, interrupted by massive thunder claps - the origin of life that despite the murderous bombardment by asteroids, sprouts time and again and finally manages to grow permanent roots. The word "archaean" in the lyrics refers to the Archean Eon, the first of the geological eons of the world (Gaea). Note that this piano intro is classic minimalism. It sounds repetitive but is in fact very slowly changing. In some ways it reminds me of Spiegel im Spiegel. The second part of the song chronicles the birth and the first on Earth. "Enter Luca" is a reference to an early life form, an acronym for the Last Universal Common Ancestor. We can make assumptions about the characteristics of Luca and other early life forms by reading the DNA of current organisms: "There's a writing in the garden, leading us to the mother of all." Right from the beginning, one of the key characteristics of living cells has been the ability to sense their environment and react to their perceptions: "Ion channels welcoming the outside world." In the third part, chronicling the age of man, there's a fascinating reminder: All of us current organisms are descendants of an unbroken lineage of winners. "Not a single one of your fathers died young". "Little Lucy of the Afar" refers to the famous fossil of Australopithecus Afarensis that was found in Afari, Ethiopia, a hominin that might have been the ancestor of man (genus Homo). In the long run, all species have the tendency to become extinct, and a fitting vision of the future of mankind is presented in the song, "One day'Il cease to be" On the other hand, man had earlier had "a dream to understand" and "[given] birth to poetry" . He wanted to leave his mark stating "We were here!" In the fourth part, man strives to understand it all, and Richard Dawkins takes up the story once again with a surprising claim:"We are going to die, and that makes us the lucky ones. The explanation folows shortly."Most people are never going die, because they are never going to be born. The potential people who could have been herein my place, but who will in fact never see the light of day, outnumber the sand grains of Sahara." In the fifth and final part, Dawkins recites the concuding words of The Origin of Species by Charles Darwin: "From so simple a beginning, endless forms most beautiful and most wonderful have been, and are being, evolved." FLOOR: I felt real good after the final rehearsals [for EFMB] in a New York studio. There were obviously many challenging parts in the set - I'd have to be extra careful in the beginning of "The Greatest Show on Earth", for example because some of the phones rise from the back of the throat but "operatic vocals are produced in the front of the mouth Far too many interruptions mid-phrase. If you have to make inane comments (which I appreciate you do) at least wait for the end of phrases or preferably verses or choruses and then run back 5 seconds to give some continuity. Sorry, have to edit again - yes, great channel nevertheless!👍
@melvinthinks Yes true. And it's your channel after all. Just a suggestion for getting more NW fans to subscribe. I actually like the content apart from those few things.
I'm not chasing subscribers. I'm just being genuine and me, and if people subscribe then cool. If I was chasing subscribers, then I wouldn't make half the videos I make! lol I'd just do Taylor Swift videos.
@melvinthinks Just so, and that's one of the things I like. It's a good approach. Just hopefully constructive criticism. As to TS, I hope I never have to see a reaction to her. Bland is about the top rating I could give. Added to that, she charged 3 figures for tickets on the recent tour for shows that were mimed to prerecorded vocals. A disgrace.
19:30 the history of music section begins several easter eggs: gregorian chant, dies irae, tocatta and fugue in D minor, a few other then ends with enter sandman riff.
👍Hey Melvin, great comments,It's just such an epic song that,without even knowing all the details,it's already mindblowing but, if you even listen more and dive a bit in the meaning of some lyrics and unraffel al the hidden surprices in the music it makes it even more impressive as it already is. For me,the big wonder/miracle is ,that these musicians found each other and make such epic "scores"as only they can do in this fantastical genre. Making some jokes doesn't hurt anyone but,you showed also your admiration and your facial expressions told us that you realy liked this,wich makes for a genuine reaction. thanks .😉🤘
Ahhh - thanks for noticing these kinds of things, Stra 🙏 Of course I try and have fun here and there, and make the videos light hearted hopefully without being disrespectful. But I will also give credit where it's due, and show a serious, almost analytical side too for those that care to hear it. Cheers!
Watch the video of the reunion of the 'Rock Academy' with some backstage footage of this concert and meet Floor's parents and an emotional Floor. There is a recording with English subtitles available on UA-cam.
Haha, great reaction to this mastodon of a song. I've seen them doing this song live. I happen to have tickets to the Tampere-talo (a music hall) 29.8.2025, where they play they new "Yesterwynde" album with a full symphony orchestra and two choirs. Without the band unfortunately, because they decided to not promote this great new album by touring. 😅🤘 And well, Emppu might be little short in his stature, but he is also a black belt judoka, so...
Cheers Pekka! It was definitely a journey during this song, and thanks for sticking along for the ride. 😬 And I forgot about Empu's black belt! lol Thanks for reminding 👍
Nightwish is The Greatest Show on Earth !! Yes always play till the end of their concerts as the band always comes out and bow`s before the audience, Empuu and Marco throw their pick`s and Kai throws his drum stick`s to the crowd.
I love both versions but for me the Wembly version is far superior ... Never quite understand how many don't see that .. hey ho ... Having said that you can't fault Nightwish in anything they do !!
Loved your reaction Melvin, in fact I enjoy them all because you are genuine and honest, glad you enjoyed it, have a great Christmas from a fellow Brit. My dog couldn't care less about fireworks she sits in the garden and watches them🙂🇬🇧
Hahaha! Your dog is certainly one of a kind and probably looking forward to the new year fireworks then 😆 Have a lovely Christmas and cheers for the support Tracy 🙏
I already did! You are such a nice one! ...and for someone(me)who spent 1 year studying english in Ashford( small town of Middlelsex) back in 1997,it is very enjoyable your British accent and your diction 😊😊@@melvinthinks
Thank you Anita ☺️ I wasn't going to try and be something I'm not in this video, like some evolutionary expert and intellect! 😆 Hence the disclaimer at the beginning.
Go juice your lamps. There was a time when YT would "force" this song on me (basically no matter what I had playing, it was the next). I did not get tired of it. At all.
Being English I prefer the Wembley 2015 version as Troy plays on guitar and E-bow at the start and Richard Dawkins appears live on stage at the end. Plus you see more of Troy and what he contributed vocally.
I was tempted for the same reason as you for the Wembley version, but am still glad I chose this version for all of the reasons I mentioned late in the video.
We Love you and well done picking up the Metallica Enter Sandman chords in there, very few reactors do notice them, so you must be at minimum above the average mate ;)
Oh, what a great reaction! I always get emotional at the end, too. And don’t underestimate yourself. You are intelligent. You don’t fool anyone! 😄 I wonder if you’ve ever heard of Wintersun? Kai plays drums, and Jukka (NW’s current bassist) is also in that band. They also have Teemu Mäntysaari, who plays with Megadeath at the moment. If you’re interested, please check their song “Time”. Or “Sons of Winter and Stars”. You won’t be disappointed, I promise!
Thanks for the kind words Aenea 😊 I'll send your cheque in the mail 😆 I actually reacted to "Sons of Winter and Stars" on this channel. Not "Time" yet. I wasn't really sure about Wintersun but viewers have told me to persist and try and few more tracks.
Listen mate.... You need to check out Markos solo stuff. You have a way to narrow understanding of his insane range. He is incredible in his own right!
This is the song and version that started my Nightwish journey. I have not looked back one minute. The amount of talent on that stage is insane! Texas division checking in.
Ah you finally reached the pinnacle of what I consider "big 3" songs from them. Always a good listen Much Nightwish left to do? Or maybe you get more into Epica now? Also waiting on that Blind Guardian reaction (no rush of course just anticipation), best crowd interaction ever. Where ever you go its been fun so far, thank you.
Nightwish have a squillion albums and I've done... 9 reactions? Always plenty for me to dig in to. New and old 😁 I've been contemplating a bit more Epica and some of the symphonic metal colabs, Ayreon etc. I don't think I've touched the surface, not will I ever get to the bottom of the rabbit hole! And thanks for sticking along for the ride, mate. It is genuinely appreciated 🙏👍🤟
I’ve only seen this version a couple dozen times, but I watched it all the way through again because I wanted to see your reaction! Also, because it is epic as f***! Great reaction dude. So, when are you going to watch Floors husband Hannes? He’s the current drummer for Sabaton and they do some awesome metal you would probably love! Start with Bismarck and enjoy the rabbit hole ❤
Hahaha! Cheers Jennifer. Hopefully I added a different spin on it for you 😊 And cheers for the rec. I am aware of Sabaton, of course. Never done a video on my channel for them before, and I'll never say never. Apart from just then 😆
You should look at the symphonic metal band Nightwish and their songs Ghost Love Score, Storytime (Peter Pan, the text/subtitles). The song/show The Greatest show on earth, it's about the birth of the earth, its evolution and goes in several chapters (text/subtitles on!). It's amazing..... 👇👇👇 NIGHTWISH - The Greatest Show on Earth (with Richard Dawkins) (OFFICIAL LIVE) It's based on The book 👇👇👇 The Greatest Show on Earth: The Evidence for Evolution is a 2009 book by British biologist Richard Dawkins, which was released on 3 September 2009 in the UK and on 22 September 2009 in the US. It sets out the evidence for biological evolution, and is Dawkins's 10th book, following his best-selling critique of religion The God Delusion (2006) and The Ancestor's Tale (2004), which traces human ancestry back to the dawn of life. Then you should look at this from the musical The Phantom Of The Opera, it's really amazing, Floor's high note in the end is for real, a bit lower D6 than the original, but live with a microphonein the hand, the original one E6 on Broadway is prerecorded and a layover. Most sopranos that does this are mechanical building up to the high note in the end, but Floor gently plays with her voice until she gets there, Floor is amazing! Ready for a Floorgasm? Look and listen to this amazing duet 👇👇 Floor Jansen & Henk Poort - Phantom Of The Opera | Beste Zangers 2019 Nightwish have had three lead singers, Finnish Tarja Turunen, Swedish Anette Olzon, and now Dutch Floor Jansen and their all schooled sopranos.
Nice one, liked. Trusting the search button here I'll throw an other rabbit warren at you: Ayreon, with a popular introductionary video; The go to video here is 'The day the world breaks down' from the @ArjenALucassen channel. This is both an introduction to the marvels of Arjen as wel as a gateway drug to many more interesting ensembles/bands. While there is also a live version there, for the full impact I would suggest you go for the 'the source (2017)' version first, mainly for the added narrative in there.
![NIGHTWISH - The Greatest Show On Earth ( Tampere ) [ Music Reaction ]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/WP9r0G0ca3Q/mqdefault.jpg)
![NIGHTWISH - The Greatest Show On Earth ( Tampere ) [ Music Reaction ]](/img/tr.png)
Check out more of my Nightwish videos 👉 ua-cam.com/play/PLF8rPuJ_-62IfK0QcftQfBBP-jmOY-Lgq.html
Thanks for watching everyone 😁🙏👍
It's understandable Tuomas would insert a little 'Enter Sandman' here. It was Tuomas' attendance at a Metallica concert while an exchange student in the U.S. that guided his vision of what Nightwish would be.
Very beautiful
Well, Melvin, was I right? Of course I was. This is a masterpiece. I could see how much you loved it. It's my favorite music from Nightwish and it's new and fresh every time I hear it. Thank you for reacting to it.
Yeah - you were right, Gaye 😁 When I reacted to "The Poet and The Pendulum" recently I thought that was the pinnacle. Clearly they had other ideas up their sleeve once Floors joined!
... greet the last light of the library... we were here!
Me: *cryies like there's no tomorrow*
Thanks for this mate. Love watching your joy. There is still a LOT more Nightwish out there
Cheers Chris! And agree - there's so much for me still to hear 😀
Floors parents and sister Irene was there , very proud on the first row . Greetings from NW army . Sweden
Cheers Roland and hope it isn't too chilly in Sweden. I have a friend in Stockholm and they had snow over the weekend 🥶
@@melvinthinks For the moment plus 2C , that is nothing :-)
You Swedes are definitely better built for the cold than us whiny Brits! lol
Kai is the drummer on Every form most beautiful. It was written when Jukka was in the band but he retired during the rehersals so Kai took over the recording of the album.
It´s also Troys first album as a full member. In the previous albums he was just hired to record the albums and tour with Nightwish
Not a bad replacement for Jukka, right? 😊
You should also watch the Wembley version ( I was there), Richard Dawkins narrating the final passage, no fireworks but Troy playing the Ebow.
Enter Luca
Enter Life
Enter the god of gaps
Enter Ionia
Enter History
Enter Ratkind
Enter Sandman
I personally prefer the London version, but it's really just preference and it's a close run thing. Both versions are awesome. (and again you have to wait right to the end do see Dawkins come onstage for the final narration). In later tours they did a topped & tailed version of the song, which I don't think was as impressive. My all time favourite Nightwish song though is Edema Ruh, from this same album. There's not many live performances of it, but there's an acoustic version they did on a cruise ship, which is awesome.
Actually, Floor and Troy together have also done acoustic versions of Nemo and How's The Heart. (Planet Rock sessions) Those are well worth watching.
Inspired by Dawkin's book of the same name, that is his voice doing the spoken parts, the last one over the end credits is a quote from Darwin's book "The Origin of Species".
Troy's part here started with Irish Low Whistle, at Wembley 2015 he started with EBOW on guitar, and Dawkins comes on stage there to read that last quote. The Uilleann pipes(ill-en) is the name you couldn't remember
Marko, Troy, and Floor were all doing the grunts and growls.
The evolution of music section IS the part around the Metallica riff, but it was "Enter Sandman", included before were pieces by Christian Petzold and J.S.Bach, after was some EDM.
Floor's dress isn't just for fashion, it has the DNA helix, relating to the song and album. Floor's parents were in the crowd too, making it more special for her.
WE WERE HERE!!! 🤘🤘
Btw, Nightwish has performed "Symphony of Destruction" live, 2004ish, with Marko on lead vocals and Tarja offstage for a wardrobe change. And you have 1 inch on Emppu,, he's 5'3", LOL.
After reading all of this, sadly for you, all I can think about is I have an inch advantage over Empu 😆
@@melvinthinks 🤣🤣 . Shouldn't have expected anything else here. 😁😁
Hello, i don't know about other band members, but certainly Floor's parent were there in the stadium. Dutch tv was making a piece about Floor (sarch for dutch reunion floor) and they paid for them being flown to the show, and did small interview before and after the show... i can wholeheartily recommend to you said document, you will see more of how Floor is not only great singer, but also a wonderfull human being 🥰
You said It must be spectacular to be there. I saw this performed at Wembley in November 2022 and it was the most amazing experience. By the way, the male voices including the tribal noises were sung by Marco and Troy. The camera doesn't show Troy much in this version. Although both 2015 recorded versions are great, I prefer the Wembley 2015 version. Not only does it show Troy more, it also features him using guitar with Ebow at the beginning instead of the violin track, but also features Richard Dawkins narrating live at the end.
The studio version is even longer!
I was torn between this version and the Wembley version, but the viewers chose for me and I certainly wasn't disappointed. I can only imagine what is must have been like to be there in the flesh, you lucky so and so ☺️👍🤟
I find it always hard to say which version I like most, the fireworks or e-bow and Richard Dawkins.
@@melvinthinks Funny how for just another bloke (yours truly) it's more like the less Troy and even less Dawkins the better ;)
Have met with the guy over here in NL long time ago, in a more "pro" capacity. He was tiny & seemed quite reserved and overwhelmed by us Dutchies acting all informal. He could've been a decent zoologist, but chose the circus-act he became.
@Columbasta he clearly chose the right career path 😁
@@melvinthinks oh yes, he's quite entertaining.. /s
The band gave a number of interviews about this song and getting Dawkins to be in the song, on the recording but also live in the Wembley version.
Often it is divided with parts 2-3 then another song (maybe GLS) Then 4&5 as an outri.
Troy: At some point we ended up watching Richard Dawkins lectures on the internet. After a while I suggested, half in jest, that maybe we should ask Dawkins to be our special guest on the new album.
Tuomas: It was an amazing idea, and I immediately started wondering if we could really make it happen.
Jukka: We were naturally a bit sceptical, too - we had to try and ask him of course, but it was better not to have such high hopes. Dawkins had pretty much shied away from popular culture apart from one episode of The Simpsons.
Troy: I enthusiastically assured them that I can make this work, like "You'll see, guys". Well the next morning I wasn't feeling so confident any more and I remembered Tuomas and Jukka going "Told you so"
TUOMAS: Still, there was no way we could let it drop without at least trying. So we started thinking about a proper manner to approach Dawkins. We decided our best option would be to send him a hand-written, polite letter, where we would tell him about the band, the scientific themes on the forthcoming album and the fact that he had been a great inspiration
TROY: We got no reply, so we sent another letter. In the end, I guess we had a bit of luck, because it turned out Dawkins personal assistant knew the band and actually liked Nightwish. He suggested that Dawkins should take our inquiry seriously
TUOMAS: I was in Paris doing interviews for the Scrooge album. When I got back to the hotel in the evening. I noticed there was an email from Dawkins, something like, "1 went to the internet and browsed your band, and what I heard l liked very much. So I'd be happy to co-operate.
FLOOR: Tuomas sent us a triumphant message: "You won't believe what just
happened: Dawkins said yes!"
TROY: It was obvious from the start that Dawkins' appearance would attract a lot of attention - both positive and negative. His book God Delusion had created a worldwide controversy. after all.
JUKKA: We didn't invite Dawkins to be on our album to criticize religion but to speak as a scientist: an evolutionary biologist. Of course neither the fans nor anybody else outside the band knew it at that point.
TUOMAS: There has been a lot of unreasonable criticism hurled at him for all kinds of reasons. A lot of people seem to ignore the fact that Dawkins is also happy to listen to contrary opinions and is always open for new ideas. In that sense, he's like Esko Valtaoja, with whom we had the honour to work on Showtime, Storytime DVD.
I had endless possibilities in my hands for "The Greatest Show on Earth" What is the sound of crumpling continental plates that mountains are made of? Or the disintegration of radioactive components? Or the sound of space particles bombarding the earth? And how would I refer to immortal works of music composed by man? Well, I included shades of "Dies Irae" by Thomas Celano, "Toccata" and "Fuga" by Johann Sebastian Bach, banjo music from Western movies, "Rock around the Clock" by Bill Haley & His Comets, and "Enter Sandman" by Metallica. I was also thinking about borrowing "Sandstorm" by Darude, but in the end, we just went for an unrecognizable techno loop.
Also Petzold and Bach.
Recording - and Jukka Resigning:
MARCO: Kaitsu handled the drum parts admirably, so we could continue with the other instruments right away, This time we tried to concentrate on one song at a
time and kept on working on it till we felt there was nothing more we could add.
TROY: And we didn't even have thunder. Rauhala does not have the best sound proofing in the world, so it would have been pretty challenging to mike the instruments if there had been rain and thunderclaps.
TUOMAS: I actually got off easier than I expected, because a lot of the demo keyboards from Hämeenlinna were good enough to be included on the album. The stuff in "Sea-Worn Driftwood", part five of "The Greatest Show on Earth", for example, was salvaged straight off the demo. In Hämeenlinna, I had explained to Tero that this passage would be about "whales singing and rats taking over the world". I had just come up with that improvised stuff, and it made it on the album
MARCO: Recording the vocals was teamwork in the best possible sense, no matter who was behind the mike. We kicked around suggestions and tried out all kinds of last minute ideas. Like, "Hey Floor, throw in some of that sweet upper octave of yours in the second verse...
Yeah, that's a nice touch!"
FLOOR: Marco kept on surprising us. He might just suddenly say, "Wait, I have an idea!" Then he'd pull out his bass and introduce an excellent harmony
MARCO: It was great fun recording the vocals. I've never had the chance to impersonate a troglodyte in front of a microphone before, so creating gorilla sounds for "The Greatest Show on Earth" was pretty hilarious. I didn't want to undermine the majesty of the song in any way, but I didn't exactly do it with a straight face, either!
TROY: I recorded my own ape grunts at home. To get in character, I took off my shirt, banged my chest with my fists, and pretended I was an ancient Homo Erectus. I think my wife was a bit worried
MARCO: I cut my bass parts pretty quickly in about one and a half days. I even got a bit lazy towards the evening of the first day - if I had really pushed it, I might have been able to complete them in a single day.
Notes:
The first part, "Four Point Six", is a reference to the age of our planet -in billions of years. The journey starts with a simple but persistent keyboard theme, interrupted by massive thunder claps - the origin of life that despite the murderous bombardment by asteroids, sprouts time and again and finally manages to grow permanent roots. The word "archaean" in the lyrics refers to the Archean Eon, the first of the geological eons of the world (Gaea).
Note that this piano intro is classic minimalism. It sounds repetitive but is in fact very slowly changing.
In some ways it reminds me of Spiegel im Spiegel.
The second part of the song chronicles the birth and the first on Earth. "Enter Luca" is a reference to an early life form, an acronym for the Last Universal Common Ancestor. We can make assumptions about the characteristics of Luca and other early life forms by reading the DNA of current organisms: "There's a writing in the garden, leading us to the mother of all."
Right from the beginning, one of the key characteristics of living cells has been the ability to sense their environment and react to their perceptions: "Ion channels welcoming the outside world."
In the third part, chronicling the age of man, there's a fascinating reminder: All of us current organisms are descendants of an
unbroken lineage of winners. "Not a single one of your fathers died young".
"Little Lucy of the Afar" refers to the famous fossil of Australopithecus Afarensis that was found in Afari, Ethiopia, a hominin that might have been the ancestor of man (genus Homo). In the long run, all species have the tendency to become extinct, and a fitting vision of the future of mankind is presented in the song, "One day'Il cease to be" On the other hand, man had earlier had "a dream to understand" and "[given] birth to poetry" . He wanted to leave his mark stating "We were here!" In the fourth part, man strives to understand it all, and Richard Dawkins takes up the story once again with a surprising claim:"We are going to die, and that makes us the lucky ones. The explanation folows shortly."Most people are never going die, because they are never going to be born. The potential people who could have been herein my place, but who will in fact never see the light of day, outnumber the sand grains of Sahara."
In the fifth and final part, Dawkins recites the concuding words of The Origin of Species by Charles Darwin: "From so simple a beginning, endless forms most beautiful and most wonderful have been, and are being, evolved."
FLOOR: I felt real good after the final rehearsals [for EFMB] in a New York studio. There were obviously many challenging parts in the set - I'd have to be extra careful in the beginning of "The Greatest Show on Earth", for example because some of the phones rise from the back of the throat but "operatic vocals are produced in the front of the mouth
Far too many interruptions mid-phrase. If you have to make inane comments (which I appreciate you do) at least wait for the end of phrases or preferably verses or choruses and then run back 5 seconds to give some continuity.
Sorry, have to edit again - yes, great channel nevertheless!👍
I did warn you of my reaction style and approach at the start 😬 But thanks for watching nevertheless.
@melvinthinks Yes true. And it's your channel after all. Just a suggestion for getting more NW fans to subscribe.
I actually like the content apart from those few things.
I'm not chasing subscribers. I'm just being genuine and me, and if people subscribe then cool. If I was chasing subscribers, then I wouldn't make half the videos I make! lol I'd just do Taylor Swift videos.
@melvinthinks Just so, and that's one of the things I like. It's a good approach. Just hopefully constructive criticism.
As to TS, I hope I never have to see a reaction to her. Bland is about the top rating I could give.
Added to that, she charged 3 figures for tickets on the recent tour for shows that were mimed to prerecorded vocals. A disgrace.
19:30 the history of music section begins several easter eggs: gregorian chant, dies irae, tocatta and fugue in D minor, a few other then ends with enter sandman riff.
Well, I spotted the last bit 😆
👍Hey Melvin, great comments,It's just such an epic song that,without even knowing all the details,it's already mindblowing but, if you even listen more and dive a bit in the meaning of some lyrics and unraffel al the hidden surprices in the music it makes it even more impressive as it already is. For me,the big wonder/miracle is ,that these musicians found each other and make such epic "scores"as only they can do in this fantastical genre. Making some jokes doesn't hurt anyone but,you showed also your admiration and your facial expressions told us that you realy liked this,wich makes for a genuine reaction. thanks .😉🤘
Ahhh - thanks for noticing these kinds of things, Stra 🙏 Of course I try and have fun here and there, and make the videos light hearted hopefully without being disrespectful. But I will also give credit where it's due, and show a serious, almost analytical side too for those that care to hear it. Cheers!
Watch the video of the reunion of the 'Rock Academy' with some backstage footage of this concert and meet Floor's parents and an emotional Floor. There is a recording with English subtitles available on UA-cam.
Awesome! Cheers mate. I'll add it to my watchlist 👍
Haha, great reaction to this mastodon of a song. I've seen them doing this song live.
I happen to have tickets to the Tampere-talo (a music hall) 29.8.2025, where they play they new "Yesterwynde" album with a full symphony orchestra and two choirs. Without the band unfortunately, because they decided to not promote this great new album by touring. 😅🤘
And well, Emppu might be little short in his stature, but he is also a black belt judoka, so...
Cheers Pekka! It was definitely a journey during this song, and thanks for sticking along for the ride. 😬 And I forgot about Empu's black belt! lol Thanks for reminding 👍
Nightwish is The Greatest Show on Earth !! Yes always play till the end of their concerts as the band always comes out and bow`s before the audience, Empuu and Marco throw their pick`s and Kai throws his drum stick`s to the crowd.
I love both versions but for me the Wembly version is far superior ... Never quite understand how many don't see that .. hey ho ... Having said that you can't fault Nightwish in anything they do !!
Exactly! 😊 Am sure I will watch the Wembley version in my own time and gain even more things each time I watch/hear it.
Loved your reaction Melvin, in fact I enjoy them all because you are genuine and honest, glad you enjoyed it, have a great Christmas from a fellow Brit. My dog couldn't care less about fireworks she sits in the garden and watches them🙂🇬🇧
Hahaha! Your dog is certainly one of a kind and probably looking forward to the new year fireworks then 😆 Have a lovely Christmas and cheers for the support Tracy 🙏
No time to see your reaction...
I just pressed like...😊😊😊
Well, it is a long one! 😆
I already did!
You are such a nice one!
...and for someone(me)who spent 1 year studying english in Ashford( small town of Middlelsex) back in 1997,it is very enjoyable your British accent and your diction 😊😊@@melvinthinks
🤩👍💯💥🎼
*OPUS PERFECTUM*
🤘😎🇫🇮💙🎶
Great composing by Tuomas
👍👍👍
ofcourse we like you... it was a great reaction and I like the humor> life is to serious as it is
Thank you Anita ☺️ I wasn't going to try and be something I'm not in this video, like some evolutionary expert and intellect! 😆 Hence the disclaimer at the beginning.
Go juice your lamps.
There was a time when YT would "force" this song on me (basically no matter what I had playing, it was the next).
I did not get tired of it. At all.
Very unprofessional of me, I know! lol
I don't think you can get tired of it really, can you? It's about 10 different songs in one!!!
@@melvinthinks basically half of a whole show...
Being English I prefer the Wembley 2015 version as Troy plays on guitar and E-bow at the start and Richard Dawkins appears live on stage at the end. Plus you see more of Troy and what he contributed vocally.
I was tempted for the same reason as you for the Wembley version, but am still glad I chose this version for all of the reasons I mentioned late in the video.
You are a part of The Greatest Show on Earth. The evolution of life.
I thought you were gonna say "UA-cam" 😆😉😬
Great you loved it. If I want the song without interruptions, I just put on the cd. I love your comments and first impressions.
Well, some people in the comments clearly want me to sit in silence for 22 minutes! lol
It´s called Uillean Pipes.
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🤗🍒🤘🏻 well done again
Nightwish are big fans of Thrash Metal, so whenever you think something might be inspired by Metallica, Megadeth or Pantera, you're probably right 🙂
They clearly have great taste in music, as well as being a great band 🤘🤘🤘
We Love you and well done picking up the Metallica Enter Sandman chords in there, very few reactors do notice them, so you must be at minimum above the average mate ;)
Really? 😲 That surprises me. When I hard that pinch harmonic squeal from Empu it instantly hit me. And I love you too 😘 I'll take above average!
Oh, what a great reaction! I always get emotional at the end, too. And don’t underestimate yourself. You are intelligent. You don’t fool anyone! 😄 I wonder if you’ve ever heard of Wintersun? Kai plays drums, and Jukka (NW’s current bassist) is also in that band. They also have Teemu Mäntysaari, who plays with Megadeath at the moment. If you’re interested, please check their song “Time”. Or “Sons of Winter and Stars”. You won’t be disappointed, I promise!
Thanks for the kind words Aenea 😊 I'll send your cheque in the mail 😆 I actually reacted to "Sons of Winter and Stars" on this channel. Not "Time" yet. I wasn't really sure about Wintersun but viewers have told me to persist and try and few more tracks.
Kiitos.
And thank you for watching 🙏
love to see your reactions..up to the next one...
Listen mate.... You need to check out Markos solo stuff. You have a way to narrow understanding of his insane range. He is incredible in his own right!
Troy Donoclley plays uilleann pipes ( en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uilleann_pipes )
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This is the song and version that started my Nightwish journey. I have not looked back one minute.
The amount of talent on that stage is insane!
Texas division checking in.
Wow! You started on this song?!? 😲 Fair play to ya 👍
Ah you finally reached the pinnacle of what I consider "big 3" songs from them. Always a good listen
Much Nightwish left to do? Or maybe you get more into Epica now? Also waiting on that Blind Guardian reaction (no rush of course just anticipation), best crowd interaction ever. Where ever you go its been fun so far, thank you.
Nightwish have a squillion albums and I've done... 9 reactions? Always plenty for me to dig in to. New and old 😁
I've been contemplating a bit more Epica and some of the symphonic metal colabs, Ayreon etc. I don't think I've touched the surface, not will I ever get to the bottom of the rabbit hole!
And thanks for sticking along for the ride, mate. It is genuinely appreciated 🙏👍🤟
Good one.
Cheers John 😀
Brilliant. Loved every second. Well done. And they have covered Symphony Of Destruction. You should give that a wee watch.
Your shitting me? They covered Megadeth?!?Just when I thought I couldn't like them more!!!
Two members of Finnish band Wintersun play in Nightwish and one in Megadeth 😂@@melvinthinks
@AH-li7ef I forgot about that!
I’ve only seen this version a couple dozen times, but I watched it all the way through again because I wanted to see your reaction! Also, because it is epic as f***! Great reaction dude. So, when are you going to watch Floors husband Hannes? He’s the current drummer for Sabaton and they do some awesome metal you would probably love! Start with Bismarck and enjoy the rabbit hole ❤
Hahaha! Cheers Jennifer. Hopefully I added a different spin on it for you 😊 And cheers for the rec. I am aware of Sabaton, of course. Never done a video on my channel for them before, and I'll never say never. Apart from just then 😆
You should look at the symphonic metal band Nightwish and their songs Ghost Love Score, Storytime (Peter Pan, the text/subtitles).
The song/show The Greatest show on earth, it's about the birth of the earth, its evolution and goes in several chapters (text/subtitles on!).
It's amazing..... 👇👇👇
NIGHTWISH - The Greatest Show on Earth (with Richard Dawkins) (OFFICIAL LIVE)
It's based on The book 👇👇👇
The Greatest Show on Earth: The Evidence for Evolution is a 2009 book by British biologist Richard Dawkins, which was released on 3 September 2009 in the UK and on 22 September 2009 in the US. It sets out the evidence for biological evolution, and is Dawkins's 10th book, following his best-selling critique of religion The God Delusion (2006) and The Ancestor's Tale (2004), which traces human ancestry back to the dawn of life.
Then you should look at this from the musical The Phantom Of The Opera, it's really amazing, Floor's high note in the end is for real, a bit lower D6 than the original, but live with a microphonein the hand, the original one E6 on Broadway is prerecorded and a layover. Most sopranos that does this are mechanical building up to the high note in the end, but Floor gently plays with her voice until she gets there, Floor is amazing! Ready for a Floorgasm?
Look and listen to this amazing duet 👇👇
Floor Jansen & Henk Poort - Phantom Of The Opera | Beste Zangers 2019
Nightwish have had three lead singers, Finnish Tarja Turunen, Swedish Anette Olzon, and now Dutch Floor Jansen and their all schooled sopranos.
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Thank you for watching 🙏
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Thank you for watching 🙏
Nice one, liked. Trusting the search button here I'll throw an other rabbit warren at you: Ayreon, with a popular introductionary video; The go to video here is 'The day the world breaks down' from the @ArjenALucassen channel. This is both an introduction to the marvels of Arjen as wel as a gateway drug to many more interesting ensembles/bands.
While there is also a live version there, for the full impact I would suggest you go for the 'the source (2017)' version first, mainly for the added narrative in there.
😍😍
Cheers for watching Jarno 🤟👍😁
🤘🇫🇮😁🇫🇮💙🪄🎼✨💯👍 🌅
Gave up listening after the tenth pause to talk about nothing at all.
Shame. You missed the other bit where I talk about nothing at all.
Tampere not best. They're not as tight in this performance. Aside from the fireworks, which don't make it best one,