Evanescence, Lithium - A Classical Musician’s First Listen and Reaction

Рет қаралды 12,052

5 ай бұрын

#evanescence #virginrock
Can happiness be something negative? Should we be “Against Happiness”? This song excellently presents these questions and explores them!
Here’s the link to the original song by Evanescence:
• Evanescence - Lithium
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Amy Shafer, LRSM, FRSM, RYC, is a classical harpist, pianist, and music teacher, Director of Piano Studies and Assistant Director of Harp Studies for The Harp School, Inc., holds multiple degrees in harp and piano performance and teaching, and is active as a solo and collaborative performer. With nearly two decades of teaching experience, she teaches privately, presents masterclasses and coaching sessions, and has performed and taught in Europe and USA.
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Credits: Music written and performed by Evanescence
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Пікірлер: 73

@AmyLeeForever 5 ай бұрын

I want to thank Amy and Vlad (Vlad especially) for being patient with my constant change of mind on what 2 songs to go with for reactions. And ofc for being tolerant with my seldom understood jokes. I believe this reaction is my absolute favorite Lithium reaction. I just love love love it. Ofc, I would add more Amy Lee vocal magic on emotional delivery explanation for the reaction to be perfect, but our lovely Amy S. adds her unique charm and understanding of musical ornaments that makes it so special. I've been advocating left and right for the 2 Amys to join forces on a project or since both are in Nashville to meet up for a music chat, someone (Vlad) just might record for our viewing pleasure. So... share the idea lovely people. And now, for the 10th time, off I go to re-watch the reaction.

@MrRobot22 5 ай бұрын

oh wow, it would be AWESOME if the two Amys met, I wholeheartedly support the idea

@morrigan_fayre3778 5 ай бұрын

This was absolutely amazing, quite possibly my favorite too. Also not gonna lie I cried a little when I heard it on the harp. Thank you girl, love you bunches

@helenespaulding7562 5 ай бұрын

This is my first time hearing this song. Love it!!! It almost sounds like symphonic metal to me. I can hear Floor Jenson singing this in my head.

@morrigan_fayre3778 5 ай бұрын

@@helenespaulding7562 a lot of people pit Amy and Flour against each other. Both are different and similar at the same time. Amy Lee has been singing with this band since she was 16, they became big in 2003. Evanescence depending on the album can be very symphonic, some songs more rock. Just depends. For sure check more of them out. They are my favorite 😍

@helenespaulding7562 5 ай бұрын

@@morrigan_fayre3778 will do! 😁

@sleeplessstar7969 5 ай бұрын

Please react to more Evanescence: -Lacrymosa & The End Of The Dream (Synthesis Live) -Lost In Paradise -Far From Heaven -Good Enough (Synthesis Live) -Speak To Me (Synthesis Live)

@Vann132 5 күн бұрын

Please!!!!!

@LeeKennison 5 ай бұрын

Great words of wisdom from both Amy's in this video. Particularly on how artists (and others) need to feel and be aware of their emotions, without always masking the unpleasant ones through artificial means (not that there is never a need for these types of medication). Many of these emotions are a normal part of being human, which artists can express through their art. This is also the type of song that I would have preferred Amy to have her initial introduction to the metal sound early in her journey. At least to have a chance of enjoying it and not just being analytical. I know this is way too poppy for the hardcore metal fans, but it is more accessible to those not immersed in this genre. Great reaction.

@checobaran4895 5 ай бұрын

I’m so curious to see your analysis on Evanescence’s lacrymosa!

@jeuxderobin 4 ай бұрын

Yeah I'm sure we would learn a lot

@darkphoenix2 3 ай бұрын

I feel like Amy and her band mates really experimented and let their musicianship show on this album. Lithium was one of the first songs I heard from it, and it made me go get the album years after it released and I'd kind of forgotten about the band. To this day it's my favorite album just because of the varied and creative songwriting. There's good material on their other albums, but they just don't have the level of complexity I enjoy. Even though this track is relatively short, I've always found the music fascinating, especially that clean acoustic guitar in the verses. And Amy's vocals...

@stanleymyrick4068 5 ай бұрын

10:20 reminds me of one of my fav poems: Ode to Melancholy by John Keats

@netuno60 5 ай бұрын

The orchestral arrangement is also beautiful.

@jamesvargas8698 5 ай бұрын

Wow.. the best reaction for this song. This song is so important to many because of how it relates to our feelings. Those feelings that we can't even describe, just numbness and feeling to let it go but you're already comfortable with the sorrow. Then this song came out and perfectly described those feelings. Hope you react to some Evanescence's songs that are played with Harp like the "Secret Door".

@leytonandrei 5 ай бұрын

Really great and lovely reaction. Lithium is one of my personal favorite song of Evanescence ❤️. Thanks for sharing. Hope you review more of them in the future. 🙌✨

@BorisCampan 5 ай бұрын

Amy's commenting on Amy ... perfect !

@arminguillen1795 4 ай бұрын

!Jesus! Those are not reactions 😮 they are masterclass in music … truly talented!!! Whish you were my teacher 20 years ago 😂

@jasonrichardson1208 5 ай бұрын

Fantastic analysis and commentary! Wonderful song that's saturated with emotion , with Amy's signature voice.

@morrigan_fayre3778 5 ай бұрын

Thank you so so much for reacting and teaching me about music! Amy Lee wanted to be a composer and has indeed done some independent compositions for film soundtracks. It’s so cool to hear the breakdowns and music theory. They are my favorite band. Also I cried when you played it on harp so honestly I would adore a full harp version

@davidlopan7152 5 ай бұрын

LOVE THIS VDEO! Thank you!!!!!

@cameronk6205 5 ай бұрын

Chiming in with requests for "Lacrymosa" & "End of the Dream" (Synthesis versions). I find your commentary and harp playing super fascinating and can't wait to see more. 🙂

@fathertedcrilley3988 5 ай бұрын

Get in! Been waiting for this one :D

@sandercohen5543 Ай бұрын

I never understood the stigma behind evanescence. I always liked them since i was a kid, in no small part because i have TICS and i can't help but sing along to music, whether there's vocals or not, so hearing a singer who has a similar range to pre-pubescent me was quite reassuring. I sang one of her songs as a demo for a music school "audition" when i was like 12, and they said i was better than the people who were auditioning for singing (i wanted to play in an orchestra) and they wanted to put me in a singing class instead 🤣

@splitimage137. 5 ай бұрын

There is an interesting little book by English philosopher and mathematician (and inventor of the hippie "peace sign," originally part of the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament movement of the 1960s) Bertrand Russell, called "The Conquest of Happiness." In it, he compares the Byronic unhappiness of artists with his common gardener, whose entire focus in life was to get rid of rabbits who invaded his gardens.

@rdpjr89 4 күн бұрын

I think the maelstrom description comes in because it feels like you are in an intense storm that is coming and going

@Clovka 4 ай бұрын

I absolutely adored your reaction to one of my fav bands through adolescence and young adulthood. I went to a performing and fine arts high school in CA and appreciate the fellowship point of view. Especially the attention to her transition, and release on the high note into her head voice. And the accompaniment and breathwork😍

@jorgecarrillo9757 5 ай бұрын

Just watched the whole video and what a great review! You playing the harp makes me want to go listen to" Lithium Synthesis version". This version starts out with the harp and you playing the harp triggered my memory. You should give that version a try!

@netuno60 5 ай бұрын

I never heard this song, but it seems pretty beautiful. A little less noise would be better for me, but I think that style needs that. Beautiful voice, beautiful piano.

@leytonandrei 5 ай бұрын

Hi. There's an acoustic version of Lithium... And they released a Synthesis version of this song (they redid it with orchestral arrangements) so, if your up to, may I suggest "Evanescence - Lithium synthesis live DVD version". 🤗

@morganqorishchi8181 5 ай бұрын

Lithium is used as a mood stabilizer, but it's both bad for the body long-term and a last resort drug because it's not so much that it makes you happy, it makes you unable to feel sad at all, even as a response to things you very much *should* feel sad about. That is not the same thing as happiness, so it unfortunately results in numbness a lot of the time. And if you're going through such severe moodswings you're in danger of ending your own life, then lithium is very much an attractive option - but then when you're on it, the lack of feeling the full range of human emotions can make you feel like you're not really yourself or really alive. There's a reason why psychologists don't give out lithium based drugs unless they've found nothing else has worked. For some people it turns being alive into two choices: numbness, or deep sorrow as a price you have to pay for things to matter to you at all. Some medical literature actually indicates that lithium based medications, for some personality disorders, lead to an increase in people taking their own lives. If your options are numbness or a darkness in which you know yourself, and you go off of your lithium based meds, the fear of being forced back on them can outweigh the fear of dying if they're having a depressive episode. My mom is a psychologist and one patient she had described it as "choosing to die as myself rather than live as someone else". And at the same time, you'll get people asking their psychiatrist for lithium based meds because they're so depressed they're afraid they won't survive without it. Lithium has a controversial reputation in the medical community for a reason. It either works fine with a reduced quality of life or it ruins lives. There's very little inbetween. In summary: there's a lot of layers to this song if you know what lithium does to the human mind.

@HayashiMasahiro 5 ай бұрын

I'm sure others have said this before in other reactions by you on Evanescence, but Amy Lee does play harp on a couple of songs. I'm not 100% sure from the top of my head, but I think "Swimming Home" (Self-Titled Album) and "Secret Door" (Self-Titled Album [Bonus Track]/Lost Whispers) both feature harp. In Synthesis, an album that re-imagines their popular songs with a full orchestra and electronica elements, Amy's initial harp teacher, Kirsten Copely, plays the harp.

@holdyourfire74 3 ай бұрын

I had never thought about when she goes up to that last note in her head voice that she's finally letting go and escaping. Love this reaction! Thanks for your analysis!

@sandercohen5543 Ай бұрын

Well, that's her interpretation.

@GeneralChannel-sc6gh 5 ай бұрын

Very well done! Amy was very cautious whether "think of reading a sentence" was a good metaphor. But instantly two funny examples popped up in my head, which fit that comparison and (Amy's explanation worked very well, anyways). Both are from the song "Idiot school": "I know I fell on my ... Ask me why [...]" As well as"I gave you a kick in the ... Not so long ago you loved me [...]" Share the logh (:

@jovana_r 5 ай бұрын

Seems like our Amy listened to my recommendation to hear her singing. I like it. Don't stop singing. 🖤

@LeeKennison 5 ай бұрын

Can't wait to hear our Amy's harsh deathcore metal voice. Or perhaps that might be taking things a bit too far.😉

@jovana_r 5 ай бұрын

@@LeeKennison Haha, I cannot even imagine that. 😆 But, if she gets friends with Elizabeth, who knows. Amy likes to surprise us and, actually, hearing her growling would be the most epic thing on YT. 😁

@LeeKennison 5 ай бұрын

@@jovana_r Lol, yeah I was going to bring up Elizabeth if you didn't. Suggesting Amy could always take the harsh vocal course that Elizabeth did with Will Ramos from Lorna Shore.😁 BTW, if you want to hear more Amy singing check out her Beatles reactions, since I think she probably sings more of their lyrics than any other band. If you watch the YT version, you don't even have to listen to the Beatles themselves.😉

@jovana_r 5 ай бұрын

@@LeeKennison I really think that Amy and Elizabeth would be a great match and I wrote it in one comment. I hope they will be able to colaborate. Thank you for letting me know about Amy's singing in The Beatles series, because I honestly don't watch it, simply because I've never liked them and also, here on YT, I cannot even hear a song so I wouldn't have idea what Amy talks about. But I might give it a try, I don't know.

@LeeKennison 5 ай бұрын

@@jovana_r Yeah, I assumed you didn't like the Beatles based on all our prior music discussions, which is why I joked that you wouldn't even have to listen to them.😉 I also understand not wanting to watch when you don't have the song context. You would probably have to go through a fair amount of them just to hear her sing a lyric or two for a few seconds. I agree Amy and Elizabeth would be a good match based on their similar backgrounds, among other things. I know Amy and Vlad have tried contacting Elizabeth, but they have never received a reply.😥

@frankylaseure2641 5 ай бұрын

Another call for the song "Travel" by The Gathering, the TG25 live version. "I wish you knew your music was to stay forever".

@noneofyerbeeswax8194 3 ай бұрын

She will never do that. She only does mainstream stuff. Which is fine by me because she seems incapable of appreciating the music itself, and programmed to hate everything that’s less than 100 years old. The Gathering is my favourite female-fronted band, and I’m glad that it’s been spared of becoming the fodder of reaction channels.

@frankylaseure2641 3 ай бұрын

@@noneofyerbeeswax8194 I regret you react so negative. I stopped posting this by the way. But to counter your arguments: 1) the song selection is not done by Amy as far as we know. 2) we all saw some very positive reactions to things less then 100 years old, both for compositional and emotional reasons 3) the song I asked, and by extend Anneke van Giersbergen, has certainly not been ignored by reaction channels. In the 90's I liked TG a lot, and for "reasons" I forgot to update my collection and knowledge of this band until 3 - 4 years ago when I saw her popping up on youtube rather frequently. Slapped my head that I ignored new material of her all that time, my loss. And this will sound not so fun for you perhaps: the reason I repeatedly asked for this song was the connection with "music that is more then 100 years old", it's all about her favorite composer. But I never wanted to put it so obvious, I wanted to see if the community would pick up on it, after all, it's the community here that counts, not some individual preference of a random channel subscriber like me. It's all about sharing, so be glad if something special is "fodder" of reaction channels. And I value Amy's analysis, so it's also interesting for me to see if a song like this that touches my emotions so strongly has any real substance musically. If not, I will love that song all the same, and if so, I will understand just a bit better why I like it that much.

@mikeira 5 ай бұрын

Ahh, yes, more Evanescence, please! You could maybe even react to some pre-Fallen songs like Even in Death or Understanding or Lies, it's a unique music experience I promise. Or more songs from Fallen and The Open Door. Love your analysis, keep it up!

@mrpocock 4 ай бұрын

Evanescence is to 90s evangelical Church music what the 60s and 70s R&B+mowtown were to the Black Gospel music. It's impossible to loosen to them without hearing that form of composition and pro-am arrangement you get in a small church music group.

@garmbeliblis9791 5 ай бұрын

I'm not trained enough in music to know the terminology, but the way you discussed the sort of circular melody where the beginning and end meet each other in verse phrases really made me think of Peter Gabriel's Solisbury Hill. It does a similar effect with the rhythmic phrasing. Check it out if you haven't before.

@betohvenn 4 ай бұрын

You are so professional! Please react to Lacrymosa.. Evanescence.

@DocttorBR 5 ай бұрын

Amazing music. Try Lost in paradise sessions. Very powerfull Voice. Tranks.

@tradain 5 ай бұрын

Just a point to take note of -- I am not an authority on the subject by any stretch, but I've heard some with bipolar disorder describe lithium as a mood stabilizer in that it removes or moderates the lows, or depressive episodes, but that it also tamps down on the manic high episodes. It thus leaves patients feeling numb by comparison to their 'normal' or 'natural' state, or stated another way they don't feel like themselves, or maybe just don't really feel alive. Feeling sad isn't great, but at least it's feeling _something_, and it doesn't take much of a stretch on my part to understand why one could prefer the former over the latter. This struggle with ones' own self and identity has been how I always interpreted this piece of music.

@welbervaz.1967 3 ай бұрын

please react to the song my heart is broken from evanescence's third album. This is a song that was originally written on the harp. It would be interesting to see your point about this.

@KM769 5 ай бұрын

Nirvana - Lithium

@user-mq7de9yz9o 5 ай бұрын

would love to see your reaction to a long symphonic prog composition like Spock's Beard - At The End Of The Day, Dream Theater - Six Degrees Of Inner Turbulence, Liquid Tension Experiment - When The Water Breaks

@netuno60 5 ай бұрын

always happy!!....unless you are someone that would like to be in a Barbie pop band.

@betohvenn 4 ай бұрын

Please react Missing by Evanescence ❤ thanks

@AmericaTheEnslaved 5 ай бұрын

Depeche mode.

@EnriqueAlvarez-fs9no 3 ай бұрын

Don't guess... hear the complete songs first, and then you will catch better the metal songs (even if Evanescence may not fit completely there 😅)

@martyfrancis1011 5 ай бұрын

Sorry, I had to do this. Actually still present at Galigulas Horse live show in DC. You have to see them live. Incredible!!!!!!!!!

@CarlosKdo 4 ай бұрын

i really miss the "scratching the sheet music and explaning " part

@nickmastro6870 5 ай бұрын

I think you would be very interested in Soft Machine's "Third" album. Probably the track "Slightly All The Time" Very very interesting early "jazz-rock" pioneers

@user-oj9oy7mi1j 5 ай бұрын

Hi! Great voice and a great song. Have you heard Kate Bush and the song "Wuthering Heights"? If not, it´s about time. Greetings! /Ulf

@jaklumpp 5 ай бұрын

This seems to be a pretty common theme in alternative rock. I think Nirvana may have influenced artists who sang about it later. It's just my guess, but consider: The song, Lithium by Nirvana, released in 1991 -> Lithium by Evanescense, 2006. "I miss the comfort in being sad", Nirvana, Frances Farmer will Have her Revenge, 1993 - > "I'm in love with my sadness" The Smashing Pumpkins, Zero, 1995 "I think I'm dumb, or maybe just happy," Nirvana, Dumb, 1993 -> "Am I retarded or am I just overjoyed?" Green Day, Jesus of Suburbia, 2004

@dethdef 5 ай бұрын

lith I um.

@helenespaulding7562 5 ай бұрын

Can anyone else imagine z Nightwish covering this? I would love to hear Floor tackle this.

@gregor1O1 5 ай бұрын

The title creates an obvious reference to the more famous song "Lithium" by Nirvana from the early 90s where Kurt Cobain talks about his drug use and famously starts out with the verse:"I'm so happy cause today I found my friends in my head. I'm so ugly, that's okay, 'cause so are you, broke our mirrors."