A true epic. First-time reaction and vocal analysis feat. 'The Poet and the Pendulum'

It took me a few listens to wrap my head around this one. Today we're watching the official live video for Nightwish's "The Poet and the Pendulum."

#nightwish #reaction #vocalcoach

[schout]

Floor offered to sing the intro also, but Tuomas wanted to keep the feel of innocense of a boy's voice. In this case boy soprano Guy Elliott.

[nemo]

I think Marko never gets enough credit for those amazing harmonies in the last part. Their voices mix so perfectly together.

[CCEDE]

It's a track that makes grown men cry. It is emotion condensed into a sound experience. Great art.

[michaelwanklin]

Emotionally this is Thuomas' most powerful composition. Too emotional to play ever again. I believe this was possibly the last live version we will ever hear. Bless you TH - your gift is immeasurable.

[shannonmanning]

"Be still my son, you're home". Kicks my butt, every single time.

[jorluo]

I love how Marko and Emppu move close to Tuomas at the end as if to support him and how Floor looks at him tenderly for a long time after the song has finished.

[purpleir]

For me this is Tuomas' masterpiece! It is one of these songs that tilt your world's axis when you hear it for the first time. It is my most cherished Nightwish piece!

[clivematthews]

And to think. All three of Tuomas's longest masterpieces were all performed at this Wembley concert. Ghost Love Score, The Poet and the Pendulum and finishing with The Greatest Show on Earth featuring Richard Dawkins live on stage. What a concert to have attended !!

[kentk]

Finally getting to see one of my reactors, watch my favorite Nightwish song. A true masterpiece of music and emotion from Tuomas. His magnum opus in my opinion. You are correct, the beginning was sung by a choir boy, Guy Elliott. On the studio version, he also sang the middle portion, The Pacific, but Floor said, she’ll take it. This is the ultimate performance of this amazing song. They only performed it 20 times with Floor, not since 2016, and never to be again. Thank heavens we have this. Great analysis and commentary Bethany! As always. Keep exploring Floor and Nightwish. ♥️

[ronaldderooij]

I am not a metal fan, but I will say, this is their masterpiece. Raw and loud when the storytelling needs it. That is the way art is made (in my view). This song gets to me every time. And I don't know why.

[shirazzza]

It's good to get emotional to this song, it's doing what it says on the box. I played this to my parents a while ago. Mum was sobbing & I asked her why & she said that when I left my abusive ex I was that broken kid coming home. It gets me every time now

[chadbennett]

Three of my favorite words on YT ... "We're going back!" To me, it translates to "I'm gonna learn something!" Hahahaha, you are such a delight. As this is a song regarding Tarja's firing, it was pre-Anette, so there is a version of the entire song being sung by Marco. Of course, Floor absolutely embodies the passion and pain. As I'm sure others have said, it's terribly emotional and you can see Emppu and Marco checking on Tuomas throughout the performance, and gathering around him at the end. The decision was with all of them in agreement, but he took most of the heat from Tarja's fanbase, and still does to a point. It's unlikely it will ever be played live again, but this stands as a pinnacle of performance.

[AviatorLuber]

Nightwish is one of the groups I have not listened to yet but have been wanting to for some time. I finally did with this reaction! This is one of the most amazing performances I have ever seen! I am hooked! I will definitely be listening to more! Thanks so much for the analysis and your reaction!

[greeniesr]

WONDERFUL reaction to the finest vocalist, and band, that I have ever heard....I'm 80 years old, I was stunned a few years back when I heard Floor, and Nightwish, combined the best on the planet....Bob from New Jersey

[taherdhaif]

That was insane. I don't remember seeing so many emotions and expressions, in one video, on Bethany's face as I've just seen in this one. Nice to have another Nightwish reaction. Thanks Beth.

[tonyg]

Thanks for the reaction to Poet. This is one of the greatest live performances I have ever seen. And I have 5 Nightwish DVDs in my modest collection of live concerts. Floor not only sings this, she performs this music. Along, of course, with the rest of the band. Professionals is an understatement. Anyone that loves music and does not know the magic of Tuomas Holopainen, is really missing out on one of our lifetime's most precious gifts.

[NickBR]

Notes, comments from band, my accumulated thoughts:

My no 1 song. A masterpiece.

Tuomas refers to the ocean frequently - the second album is called Oceanborn, Dead Boys Poem ends with reference to ocean soul and Devil and the Deep Dark Ocean ends with lyrics about setting the dolphins free and "we shall wash the darkened blood red sea, our voices shall echo over the mountains and seas".
Tuomas' had thought of becoming a marine biologist.


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.
Tuomas' did know her of course and his mother was for a while her piano teacher, but it was Emppu who suggested her.

[MrNikolidas]

Marco's part in this blows me away, every time. I'm not a bass player, nor a singer, but I can tell that playing and singing two different rhythms is damn difficult.

[just_gut]

I've heard this performance of this song a zillion times now, and when Floor hits "You have such oceans within", no matter where I am or what I'm doing, I tear up. There is a reason this song is on my "Don't listen in public" playlist. Everything that comes before it in the song, for me, perfectly builds stress and tension until this sort of perfect release of emotion at the end, followed by this kind of soothing, gradual ending to the song. This is my singularly favorite performance of a Nightwish song across everything they've ever done and all iterations of the band. I also greatly appreciate how Emppu goes and checks on Tuomas as well as the two guys that were around for this period of Tuomas' life going over to play with him as the song comes to its conclusion is so wonderful to see. You rarely see that kind of non-toxic vulnerability and support between men.

[OsoAloc]

The last part always kills me. Doesnt matter how often i heard it