Nightwish - 'Dead Boy's Poem' Reaction: FIRST TIME HEARING

Nightwish - "Dead Boy's Poem" Reaction: FIRST TIME HEARING

#nightwish #reaction
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[Duskwind_]

Nick - "She could lead an army."
Nightwish army - "We exist"

[sulliken]

"The next Nightwish-song you listen to is your favourite"
-An old NW-army proverb.

All of the shows works, early or late.

[dreamflight]

I heard this song live, not in Buenos but in Prague and it made me cry hard, I mean this song is sad and all this but her voice ... One of million, really ! Also when I was at my first Nightwish concert noone wanted to go with me, so I went alone. I was 19, standing like 30 meters before the stage and I was so nervous around all these metal heads :D But when they started playing, it quickly gone off and in middle of that show something happened. I was like WTF is happening right now. There is one song that I completely LOVE, it is from their album Dark passion play and it is called The poet and the pendulum. And guess what, they played it When I was checking their tour setlists it was kinda rare to play this song but on that evening they did, I was there alone and when they started playing it I felt like it was for me. From then there was just me and them, me and her .... Give this song a try becouse it also truly shows what Floor Jansen can do with her voice. I will never forget this special evening and I will always be proud of me for going there alone !! Stay metal ! :D

[ValtteL]

Background things
Swan on the screen: In Finnish mythology and folklore, the swan was the divine messenger between the living and the dead. Tuonelan Joutsen (Swan of Tuonela) carries the dead to afterlife.

Tuomas composed this when he was 22 years old. This from their book, timeline year 2000:

Besides the choir, the album featured some other guest artists, Ike Vil of Babylon Whores contributed some deranged self-inspection for 'The Kinslayer', and 'Dead Boy's Poem' featured a child's voice. "I had an idea of a song with a young boy reciting a poem", Tuomas says. "The trouble was that no Finnish 12-year-old could pronounce English so that it sounded right, so I had to find a native speaker to do it. My mother's sister, actress Miitta Sorvali, knew (the English-Finnish director and writer) Neil Hardwick well, and my mom remembered that Neil had a son called Sam. I called him and asked him to do the poem, and Sam agreed right away. It was just funny that when I talked to this 15-year-old boy, he seemed like such a citizen of the world and was actually familiar with our band, too. Sam said he'd be free to record the poem anytime; I'd just have to give him a call. He even knew where Finnvox was and promised to meet us there."

The professionalism of young Sam Hardwick made a deep impression on Tuomas. "When he arrived at the studio, I had to ask him to wait for ten minutes or so, and he just pulled a book from his pocket and sat down to read", Tuomas says. "I gave him the poem, and he read it through a few times. We did some editing, and Sam just sat down on the studio floor and read his book, after which I asked him to read the poem a couple of more times."
"When I started talking about his reward, he wouldn't hear anything about it. He just said "It's okay, it was fun". I insisted on giving him at least a couple of hundred marks, and then he left. A very puzzling young man, but a real pro and a very nice person. He later did the beginning of 'Bless the Child', too, and once again, everything worked like a charm. 'Dead Boy's Poem' continues to be a sort of a signature song for Nightwish, and after 'Wishmaster' came out, the song was voted on our web site as the best Nightwish song ever. There's certainly something about it that defines us, and - for me at least - the poem is the absolute high point of the song. So Sam Hardwick made a big contribution to our music."

For Tuomas, 'Dead Boys Poem' is a deeply personal song. "The idea for that song came to me when I was thinking that if I die tomorrow, what kind of a message do I want to leave behind", Tuomas explains. "That song is all about apologizing, about saying thank you to those who deserve it - and likewise telling those who deserve it to fu*k off. It's kind of a testament. I had to make a song like that, just in case I happened to die tomorrow. A Finnish man rarely thanks anyone, or says he's sorry, but for me at least, it was possible through music."
"I still live at my mom and dad's, who are the best people in the world, but I've never been able to tell them what I think about them", Tuomas confesses. "Maybe if they listen to the song and read the lyrics, they'll understand that it's partly about them, too. It's also about my best friends and Nightwish, the band that has come to be a significant - if not the most significant - part of myself in the course of years. My band mates are really important to me, but it's hard for me as a Finnish man to show my feelings. I'd rather write a song like 'Dead Boy's Poem' and ask them to listen to the words, because I just can't say it out loud. It's such a personal song, and I think it has the best lyrics I've ever been able to write. Musically, it's really good, too, definetely the best song on 'Wishmaster' - maybe the best Nightwish song ever."

It had not gone unnoticed by Tarja (1st lead singer) that Tuomas expressed his feelings through music. "The melodic power of music - and the fact that music can be beautiful even at its heaviest - has always meant an awful lot to Tuomas", Tarja says. "He's able to show all his feelings in his music. I think Tuomas is very brave, because not many people can do the same. He may not look like a macho man, but when it comes to music, It's all or nothing for him."

[paulhazley]

Great reaction i love this song! The spoken word parts are performed by Sam Hardwick. Nightwish army UK division signing in 🤘

[scwebb]

If you want to hear Floor at the extreme of her abilities, check out the song Shoemaker from the Deichbrand Festival. It’s from the most recent album and tour and she claimed in a launch interview that it was such a challenge for her that she didn’t think it would ever be performed live. Naturally Tuomas immediately added it to the set list 🤣

Sadly it’s a post-Marko show, but look out for Jukka Koskinen (Jukkis) as the new bassist. Very laid back, very smooth sound.

Song starts at 51:20 here:

[Btriode]

It is, as Tuomas has said, his self-written epitaph and obituary.

This is what Tuomas said about this song: "This is the most personal song I’ve ever written. My testimony for the whole world. With this song I want to apologise everyone who deserves my apology. It also makes an “I don’t care” -statement to them who deserve it. The song is also about what Nightwish means and has meant to me. It’s all, without it I’m dead. I have created it and it has created me. When I pass away, this song’s lyrics are of what I wish to be remembered. An Ocean Soul".

It might help you to know Tuomas uses several pseudonyms to refer to himself in various Nightwish songs which he writes from experiences or imagination, he says he is a man with a boy's heart and you will see that directly in places, here for instance, or elsewhere as "one with a pure heart", a line Floor sings in a high head voice as you might hear from an excited small boy.
Of course, you hear the narration spoken by a young boy. . . . . . .

Tuomas commonly uses boy as a pseudonym, he will also use poet, dreamer, writer/song writer or ocean soul - Tuomas has an affinity for the ocean, he was studying to be a marine biologist. Whenever these names appear, it is Tuomas speaking of himself.

This song is his self-written obituary/epitaph, he is the dead boy and appears in the back drop imploring the swans, which in Finnish traditions, carry you off to the afterlife.

There's two Shakespeare quotes in this song almost verbatim from Sonnet 71 and 72, Sonnet 71 starts, "No longer mourn for me when I am dead" and Tuomas used the line " Nay, if you read this line, remember not the hand that writ it"; and Sonnet 72, "And live no more to shame nor me nor you."

Read by a young boy narrator of course. . . . . . . . . .

The only time too you will see a very serious Emppu, not his usual joking and happy self; he knows exactly what this song means.


Does it all make sense now ?

[alinemckenna]

This song is beautiful. Nightwish really has songs foe any mood, they are blessed with talent ❤

[tuuli]

Thank you!!
This is such a beautiful song. And you know, that it's serious when Emppu is not smiling when he is playing his solo.

This song is my favourite song from the Wishmaster album (you can see the album cover on the backround). It came out in 2000, so it's quite old but the song has never lost it's beauty nor it's meaning. And it was also written for a different singer and 13 years before Floor joined the band, yet she has gotten so into it. She is a masterful storyteller.

Tuomas is a masterful writer of the stories. He writes beautiful lyrics for someone else to sing.

[len]

Floors beautiful voice accompanied by flawless musicians. So good!

[mvellis]

"Dead Boy's Poem" is a Nightwish masterpiece

[jen]

Subscribing specifically for all the upcoming Nightwish reactions!! It's so much fun to see your love of this beautiful band! Tuomas (keyboards) is the composer, almost exclusively.

[Jason_xofilos]

Every Nightwish song was my favorite or one my favorite upon first time hearing. Depending on my mood rewatching/listening the song I choose at the moment is my favorite Nightwish song. While Floor is my favorite singer of Nightwish the other two previous singers brought to Nightwish unique vocals and inspiration to Tuomas. So each era of Nightwish is is precious. Most of not all miss Marco especially us male vocal which blended so well with Floor. Doesn’t mean we don’t appreciate Jukka the Base guitars as a musician and band members. So each era holds something precious for me as each band member brings something brilliant and amazing to the sound.

[jasonmarshall]

Great reaction. Floor's growl is impressive as well as she does at the Wembley stadium that song is: Yours is an empty hope.

[paulchapman]

Nightwish Army south Brittany France reporting.
My favourite Nightwish song, Emppu's solo always chokes me.
Sam Hardwick was eleven years old when recited the poetry sections of the song.

[kentfisher]

This Buenos Aires concert is underrated in my opinion. Several more great songs to check out, including Devil and the Deep Dark Ocean, Slaying the Dreamer, Come Cover Me, Gethsemane and Sacrament of Wilderness. Appreciate your reactions to NW!

[robertsheeler]

Tuomas ( keyboards) wrote this when he was a young man its basically his eulogy in a song

[timotimo]

Folks often make the 'bad ass" warrior queen type analogy...thing is, with Floor, it'd be an army for good. Not death and destruction, but tolerance and understanding with love and empathy and respect for the natural world. I luvs our Floor I do

[rnowak]

Great reaction. Marko's guitar here, known as The Beast" is a Warwick bass on top and a Framus guitar on the bottom (Warwick and Framus are owned by the same German company). He is using piezo pickups which allows an electric guitar to sound like an acoustic guitar. Tro is playing an Irish Bouzouk.

Dead Boy's Poem is one of my top 5 Nightwish songs. One of the more personal songs for Tuomas and the fans. An old song written by Tuomas when he was young. Inspired by the question, what would you say if you knew you were going to die tomorrow. Tuomas has said this song was a way of thanking all those who deserve his thanks and a piss off to all those who deserve it as well. Tuomas often uses the dead boy as a symbol of the loss of childhood innocence and imagination that we experience as we grow into adulthood. When you hear dead boy or poet in his lyrics he is usually referring to himself. He also has a strong connection to the ocean and sees it as a place of peace and tranquility. A refuge from the modern world. So in this song Tuomas is saying that he no longer lives for himself or his friends but only for the music. He puts all his feelings into the music and his music is what gives his life meaning. He tries to make his life better but can never get back to the innocence of his youth. He wants to be loved but can't connect with people. He asks that they remember his music, not him, after he is gone. Thus a lonely soul, an ocean soul. Note that on the video wall behind the band the boy is holding up his arms to several swans. In Finnish mythology swans are the creatures that guide your soul to the afterlife.

[blackpienus]

There is still a lot for you to unpack when it comes to Nightwish and Floor's talent. Every song you discover will be your favorite for that moment. lol. That happened to so many people who react to Nightwish. Every song they react to: This is my new favorite! lol. Maybe you could try out a song from their new(est) album. 'Shoemaker' is a good one. The last part of that song will blow your mind!