I like the maturity with which you approached the problem. At a (higher) level of life experience it becomes obvious that if you wash your clothes in public, everyone else will feel entitled to have an opinion on your intimate / personal issues. And I heard opinions that they were encouraged to make the public gesture, in the idea that it could be a good promotion for the band, so they found themselves in the middle of a volcano as a result of their own actions. You're absolutely right here, I didn't think so when I was younger, I had to fall head over heels to understand. It is a reminder that all our decisions have consequences, which we will inevitably bear. From an artistic point of view, it is a masterpiece, perfectly executed, with which many of us resonate emotionally. We all fell and suffered, and then we got up, with the support of those really close to us. I'm glad to see you again, Eric.🤘

Eric, this song is the most important song to me. The reason I say this is because it released my soul from darkness. I processed so much pain and I was able to break free and enjoy life and feel beauty in the world again. Tuomas Holopainen wrote these lyrics that changed it all and Nightwish performed it perfectly. This is a extremely deep and personal song to Tuomas but in the process of baring his heart and soul to the world, he managed to save me. I will always be grateful - I call this my cure. Thanks so much for your incredible reactions.

3 minutes and counting. Not many pick up on that. Cheers.

The one thing I never see anyone talking about, that's part of the genius of this performance - The blocking: - When mother and father begins, Floor, Marko, Kai, and Empuu are all sitting together, with Tuomas isolated on his own. - When that act ends, Tuomas, Marko and Empuu are standing together in symbolic fashion while Floor ushers in "the beginning". There's no way this is a coincidence while performing a song with so many layers.

The way Floor projects her voice in chapter V gets me every time. I don't know what it is but she just projects emotion like no other singer I've heard ever.

Here is two straight quotes from Tuomas Holopainen interview in Metal Hammer magazine April 2022: "Every man has his breaking point. You can just imagine how difficult things had to have been for us to deal with things the way we did. And, of course, it should have been dealt with so much better, but I forgive myself and the other bandmembers for dealing with it the way we did because of the state that we were in." About dark time after split: "I was never suicidal, it wasn’t even close, but I was in a really dark place. It was the worst period of my life. Call it depression, but not suicidal. I want to make that clear." I always love and appreciate your reactions and thoughts Eric, and wow wow WOW that old book...

This was written before Annette joined, so there exists a demo version of this sung entirely by Marco. It's on the official Nightwish channel.

There is an additional aspect: External pressure. Nightwish was already one of the biggest Finnish bands at the time. That meant that everybody had an opinion on the situation, including the Finnish prime minister. A lot of the blame of Tarja's departure was put on Tuomas alone, despite the fact that the decision - and also the letter - was made by the entire band. That can be soul crushing. Wrt to the letters: My take is that the band wanted to get ahead of the situation. Tarja was about to leave to pursue her solo career. So by firing her instead of her leaving they might have hoped to limit the damage of her departure. That required some sort of communication before she could spin it.

And Emppu, he is giant in small, smiling body, absolut titan with guitar.

This is nothing short of genius composition and performance. I've seen this video at least 50 times and it still gets me. Every. Single. Time. Congrats for noticing the 3 minutes. Not everyone does and it's just one more facet of Tuomas' genius. And yes, he has the vocals shut of in his in-ear monitors.

One of Tuomas most personal songs as it's about his own bout with depression.

The brilliance, nuance and mastery of Tuomas’ songwriting lyrics and composition never ceases to amaze me. 3 minutes exactly from where he says “I have 3 minutes and counting “ is when he simulates with his hand the pendulum cutting his throat. Amazing!🤘🤘

I've always viewed the 5 sections as the 5 stages of grief. There's just so much symbolism in the song though it can be interpreted many was

Together with The Charismatic Voice and Big Brain Singer you are one of the Top Three Best reaction youtubers out there. Love the in depth reaction!

I don't know if it's because of your background your temperament your life experiences or very being you are but I think you hit the nail on the head with the this song in a way that nobody else I've ever seen watch this has. Thank you for sharing your insights with we the masses.

Gave a like before watching. I knew you would do a great reaction! 👍👍👍

I agree on all, all the way - and I would like to add something. Tuomas is a genuine genius, and he gets inspired by people also (besides books and brain spinning). The people around him inspires him - Troy's thoughts about living without meat, his thoughts about Richard Dawkins, Sagan and Darwin - inspired him to create the album 'Endless forms most beautiful'. And Floor's voice and abilities also inspired him during that process. And another thing about Floor - her knowledge and abilities to express emotions, passions and feelings, inspired (still do) Tuomas to write in new ways with new subjects. And this song - Marko did the singing on rehearsals and Anette on the stage - but none of them expressed Tuomas's thoughts. But Tuomas and Floor gave it a go - and as Floor said in an interview afterwards - we are proud of how we managed to get the emotions in story. Tuomas saw that in Floor - her abilities to tell the most intimate passionate and deep thoughts, in the most both gentle but spectacular way - he got inspired by her. And after her performances of this song (Floor sang it multiple times on diff concerts) - he felt 'job done' - no need to go there any more - door closed. And this is a part of the Nightwish evolution many people don't see - Troy's and Floor's influence on Tuomas and the rest of the band - but in my opinion, that might be the most important issues to Nightwish being what they are today. Tuomas's mind and creativity has stepped up. Just my opinion 👍

Wow! Your understanding of this masterpiece is completely spot on. My complements sir.

Tuomas wrote the song about life in 2005, this Wembley show was 2016 - 9 years later and he still “feels” it, with such passion. 17:38 “Try to save them all...” 😢 And you still will always 18:05 - 18:35 . 💔 😢 💜 To me, Floor’s vocals at the end of the song sound like a mother wailing for her son. Every time.. tears 😭

Floors thank you gets me every damn time

I was first attracted to NightWish 2 years ago thru watching a reaction video, at 62 i have never been into Metal but this band drew me in like no other has before . With Tuomas's scoring and lyrics and Floors incredible vocals I have been enchanted. Having watched at least 25 different reactions I liked your point of view on the role communication played and the age of the participants in this saga. We all make huge mistakes in our lives because we could not or were unable to communicate our thoughts and feelings to others. The one good thing for us the listeners is that we get to hear a stunning song written from Tuomas's pain and anguish plus the band ended up with Floor, a woman who has taken this band to heights it would not reach with any other singer. Once again having listened to your reaction I enjoyed your perspective and it made me think of the song a little differently. Thanks.

The time has finally come. (Sorry in advance, if my comment gets too long lol I have a major soft spot for Tuomas and how sensitive he can be) This is a tough one to react to, either if you read about it's story or not. It's brutally beautiful, amazingly devastating, long story short: one of Tuomas Holopainen's most important songs, a complete masterpiece. The Pacific & Mother and Father always get me so emotional, I must say it doesn't affect me now as much as it did when I started listening to it, but still, there are parts of this video where I just want to reach out and give Tuomas a tight hug. Our poet went through literal hell during that part of his life. On the same time, I'm very grateful that he put all those dark thoughts and emotions into paper, and the result is breathtaking. When it comes to their singing, I feel like Marko and Floor worked in perfect sync, almost like the two sides of the same coin. That "coin" being Tuomas, she represents the depression, sadness, angst, the feeling of ending himself, but Marko... Our Brutal Viking King, he brought out the raw anger, how betrayed Tuomas must had felt at the time, then Floor's tone changes completely. These are not Tuomas feelings anymore, but his loved ones, reaching out for him, trying to save him, his mother telling him that, despite all odds, all he needs it's her love, the love of those who really care for him, and want Tuomas to be okay. At the very end, Floor sounds like a siren who had just lost a loved one. One of their many "Ocean Souls". Then we hear "The Beginning" as in the beginning of a new life, a new, bright, positive era.

I concur with all your comments. Hail Nightwish 😇 😇 😇

Very well done Eric, - I’m not gonna lie, I thought you would be an emotional wreck with this one. One aspect of Tuomas’s genius is his ability to allow the listener to invest their personal feelings & circumstances into the song. To be honest I’m not a proponent of thinking reactors need to take a deep dive into the history of what spawned the song. The song itself stands as a masterful work and to perform this live to this lofty standard is breathtaking. This is my favourite formation of the band. All are mature and outstanding artists with their individual instruments. Then you have the timeless genius which is Floor. I’ve never heard another singer who can reach inside my soul and pluck my emotive heartstrings in the manner she can - just unmatched in what she does. Now you can get busy recording The greatest show on earth😀

Hi Eric I love how Emppu and Marko went to church on Tuomas . I like how Floor looks over at Tuomas in the Mother Father part. It helps that Floor is a Highly Sensitive Person or sort by of a Empathy.

also worth to say that Tuomas has said he is an empath so all of the emotions others may feel were felt as though they were his own Floor is a highly sensitive person and she was feeling everything and avoids eye contact with Tuomas A highly sensitive person (HSP) is someone who is thought to have an increased or deeper central nervous system sensitivity to physical, emotional, or social stimuli. i think she has also stated she is an empath as well makes this and every song that much more touching

With much sadness and pain, only 1 man, Toumas, could create out of it the GREATEST MUSICAL COMPOSITION EVER! God bless Toumas for being willing to share this composition with the world!

It's one of NW's most important songs. It's one of the trilogy and a very personal song of dealing with the aftermath of firing Tarja. While this was a unanymous desicion Tuomas got the full load of hate over him. He never explains his lyrics but this one is quite clear. Your reference to Edgar Allan Poe is spot on. It's not only that he killed himself in this song in order not to have to do in real life. He also killed Nightwish as we had known it til then. You're right about them not communicating at that time. Tarja's husband did her talking for her and it rubbed the rest of the band in the wrong way. For me the shoulders that cried more were the fans, that cried harder than he did in a time when he needed support. Tuomas needed to get this out of system, like he wrote his anger away in Master Passion Greed. It really was what you said a purge. He had to do this in order to rebuild both his confidence and NW. This is an incredible song but I seldom play it, cause you can't casually play this while doing something else. You have to pay attention to this one, it's awesome.

I haven't even watched and I concur 😎

I knew you’d recognize the 3 minutes! I’ve so been waiting patiently for you to do this song! I didn’t request it because I knew so many others would be. This song was the very first song I ever heard from Nightwish & was blown away when I heard it. Afterwards I knew I had to find out everything I could about them & I’ve been an avid fan ever since…..I think it’s been about 3 yrs. now. I have no problem listening to their songs over & over again, especially watching reaction videos & seeing one more person falling in love with this band. I love your reaction. 😊👍💚💜

For me the best of the 4 epic songs of Nightwish.

Having watched way too many reaction videos, I think it is fair to say you not only found the Easter egg, you found the PRIZE egg!

Well done spotting the Easter egg. It was indeed 3 minutes! When I saw this come up in my notifications, I was like " Aaaaaaawwwwww shiiiiiiiiiiiiiit!!!! He's diving in! He's gonna do it!!!" It was good of you to do some research on the song. Others have attempted reacting without even looking up lyrics and have been completely overwhelmed by what assails them. It is, as you say, a very deep song, with a lot to unpack. Many thanks for sharing your thoughts on this amazing piece of music. Also, I must compliment you on your taste in literature. Poe is such a brilliant and tragic - or perhaps tragically brilliant - figure of classical literature. And being a fan of E. A. Poe, I imagine you have probably listened to Tales of Mystery and Imagination by The Alan Parsons Project. A musical interpretation of some of Poe's more noted works, including The Raven and Tell Tale Heart - sung by that most raving of madmen Arthur Brown. Also need I remind you that Alan Parsons has a new album called 'From the New World 'coming out soon. That new single, 'Uroboros' with Tommy Shaw from Styx is really good!

Great classic book Eric! You got it Eric! "I cannot cry, cause the shoulder cries more". You found an Easter egg! Great job. Love your praise of Emppu and his sound. He never gets enough credit from most reactors. Without his contribution Nightwish is not a metal band. Yet he is willing and able to play the parts with the sound needed for each composition. Great decision to stay away from the split with the old and new fans. Just love everything that is Nightwish. Tarja, Annette, and Floor! These things happen. Just like a marriage. Making music together is a very intimate and deeply emotional experience. I think what causes the rift is that Annette and Floor sing Tarja's songs and Floor also sings Annette's songs. This makes it a very human reaction to have strong feelings about which vocalist sings these songs in a way that touches each of us differently. It is always this way with art. Especially music that is so emotionally packed with power. Ozzy, Dio, or maybe Tony Martin?

Floor has commented that she thinks the reason she’s able to convey emotions in her singing so well is because shes “hyper sensitive” additionally she tries to sing from the song composer’s state of mind at the time of writing

Queen Floor radiates warmth and understanding which helped everyone in the band...

It's a joy to watch a well read person reacting to this song, the references to the harrowing Pit and the Pendulum (E. A Poe's finest work in my opinion) are there. What always gets me misty-eyed is the last part, with Floor and her thinned and airy vocals at the start growing into her full belt sound. And the end (beginning) with Floor's four descending notes sung three different ways is a song ending like never before. Describing this as a phase in growth story hits the mark exactly, I've heard an interview where it's implicated that what we've heard was the last time the song is going to be performed. Tuomas states he's not the same person he was then. As cruel as it sounds, our scars define something in us when older and wiser.

First edition of Poe! You are a man of wealth.

Ahh, smartphone-keys and parkinson can make one mad. This song still brings me to tears. It hurts seeing Tuomas beeing that deeply wounded. And often I become angry when unprepared reactors misunderstand emppus gesture to Tuomas,asking his friend, if he is alright or kill his monitor ,so he does not need to hear FLOOR singing. His symbolic, dramatic suicide,the Blade coming down on him scares and disturbes me. There was a dark time in life , when i should have written songs too, but wasen't abel. Instead i had to explain the petechiae in my face and eyeballs. Fortunatly most pepole don't know what it is and the cause. But as awfull all might seam, don' t stay allone ,ask for help cause there is beauty inside and outside. Your not alone. And time will come, when all burdens will be gone ...

I was on my way out when I saw this as a recommendation. I stopped, went to my computer for the good sound quality and just sat there watching you experience and unpack this. I really liked the part where you mentioned geniuses are difficult to live with as they lack certain skills. And you definitely hit the rest of the tone/ messages. Main ones being that the shoulder was crying more, you got the 'easter egg' and you noticed the song starts with an ending and ends with a beginning. I'm halfway across the world from you, but hope to one day be able to buy you a beer in Nashville and just learn from your vast experience and knowledge. Thank you so much for having this channel. It gives us international people a chance to hear your thoughts. Cheers from Australia

Oh I've been waiting for this one!!! And it did not disappoint. Well done on catching "3 minutes and counting"... very few reactors pick up on that. Just wait for the little "easter eggs" in Greatest Show on Earth (I know you'll spot those too). As ever, I love listening to your reflections and insights on songs as much as watching the reaction itself. Always fascinating. Thanks so much Eric.

Been waiting for this reaction and was not disappointed. Love seeing that people can still be moved by non-classic rock! Doesn't happen as much as it should. Good catch on the 3 minutes by the way!

Yep. You nailed the Easter Egg. As always, your erudite reaction was on point. I believe that this song and "The Dead Boy's Poem" were the two where Tuomas had the sound engineer cut Floor's vocals out of his in-ear monitors. I was so excited to see a professional video by Dutch TV of Nightwish's Pinkpop concert. Unfortunately, due to copyright, the good version was taken down last night so we are stuck with the crappy cellphone audio-visuals from their recent live concerts. On the plus side, the professional videos of Floor's concert earlier in the day are still up and she was spectacular there as well.

Very good analysis. You understood the background history of the song in a very mature way. Tuomas himself has said that he has passed those feelings a long ago by now. Tarja's leaving was a national grief and trauma here in Finland, even our PM commented it publicly. I personally think that Anette's sacking was maybe even uglier business. Haha, still I love Nightwish. They have some "history". And it's Life, that shit happens, when deep friendships broke.

"I cannot cry, coz the shoulder cries more ... " You know, you're the first reactor who has verbally interpreted that line in the same way I feel about it. You caught the 3 minute easter egg, indeed! I am writing this just as the Nightwish video ends and before your break-down. However I felt prompted to say that watching your face throughout the video was so very moving to me. You obviously had great empathy with/for Tuomas' emotions during this time. Ok. Going to watch your after-commentary now. I'll likely have more to say then!! Lol 😄

And you own a Christmas Story lamp!

What happend then is many today don't understand. The problem was not Tarja, it was her husband who made life hell for Tuomas. Putting the letter public was the best thing he could do, because they could not say anything against him, they couldn't say he said this or that. Tuomas didn't have to explaine hlmself. They made a decission with the band that Tuomas is the only who talks to the press. What hit Tuomas most was how the press the public and the fans responded, attaking him. If you don't know how it teally was, you can't undestand, the press did go on for months attaking Tuomas for everything they could find during the years Tarja was in the band, I remember those days very well. Tuomas vrote this song to heal himself and he never actually wanted to record it, he then showed it to the other guys, Emppu, Marko and Jukka and they all said it must be recorded. Marko sang it on a demo because Anette wasn't in the band yet.

Yes! Wish you could hear me answering your questions and giving 'atta boys' when you figure out themes, meanings and discover Tuomas' little Easter eggs! Floor breathes so much feeling into his words, and the music is so vibrant, you get some level of the anguish and heartbreak Tuomas was feeling from the break with his dear old friend, Tarja. Really like your insight that when this occurred, they were all young and going through major changes and not knowing how to handle that and talk to each other about it. Thinking back to when I was 29, I can so see that would have been very difficult to find a way through with all the angst of youth!

Yes, Eric, you got the easter egg. I knew the moment your eyes widened you got it. You were also spot on for the other line as well.

Young Amanda did a reaction video straight into this piece, without ever hearing any of NW before! And she simply NAILED the understanding of the lyrics in a way, so even Gabriel Bardac was baffled 🤗 And no kidding! She was on point with everything 🤗

Her Thank you always gets me :'(

Well,you're prepared..good luck man.

The beginning is the end, the end is the beginning...

My most favorite Nightwish song. So deep, so emotional.

As a 40 year old friend of heavy metal and all that goodness that can be called rock! Does anyone anymore know what that means, I sure dont, but I really love the show you got here and your voice brings me nostalgic vibes even though I never listened to American radio. Love what you do and love being part of all this. Keep it up and kippis for the sake of Juhannus and the hot Finnish summer.

And you clocked the three minutes .....well observed.

Great reaction. I still can't watch this song without tears welling up. It is very emotional, even if I don't share the intent of the lyrics. It is a song about being alone, and not knowing where to turn or how to process and I think you nailed the reaction.

Nightwish is at the same time a thinking persons metal as well as a feeling persons metal. Grabs you and moves you at a primal DNA level while making you think.

Thanx a lot I am crying again and loving every second of it. I've heard this many times and cry every time. Tuomas is AWESOME but Floor hits me in the FEELS. Thank-you.

Great reaction to a true masterpiece it sounds silly but when Tuomas wrote this song he wrote it for Floor to sing on that night at Wembley although Annette sang it on the album it doesn't matter its one of the great performances in metal and the band and particularly Floor captured it perfectly they have said they will never play it again it was a moment in nightwish history that will never be repeated one of my favourite songs of all time yes you got the 3 minutes and counting you nailed it and as usual great reaction 👍 thank you .

Thank you for again giving Emppu the credits he deserves. He is truly a great artist, just because he is never aiming to be a "great" artist. This song although written from a very personal standpoint, has truly risen above it's origin. And in doing so, has become a very relatable an healing song for so many. Me included.

Sir, better late than never. Your reaction's great as always. This is Tuomas' the most impressive song ever. Our metal Mozart ❤🤘The last part was Tuomas' mother's letter to him. So heart warming and soothing 💕

well done hound dog. I was watching to see if you caught it. I liked when you caught the excitement of the crowd when floor first came out at Wacken. I think I have seen all your Nightwish reactions. I am a super senior 73 and you bring senior knowledge to your reactions unlike the teens on their cell reacting to something they know nothing about. peace!!

I think, I know what you did with "Music" and "The Poet and the Pendulum" and I'm so glad you did it. I'm learning so much from your videos. They are considerably more than reactions. They are very deep and inspirational and your beautiful personality shines through in them. Thank you so much for sharing your insights with us.

This is how your explane a song and the feelings thanks Mr Clark about this epic song .

You really did well with the reaction to this one. The Poet and the Pendulum is a masterpiece that will make most people emotional. The album this is from has a few other deep songs. Master Passion Greed is probably the heaviest song NW has released. It is also a release of pure rage. To my knowledge, Master Passion Greed has never been performed live. I hope you do a reaction to it next.

Thanks brother! Every time I experience this journey, I feel the weight a little more. The emotional exchange involved with this masterpiece is immeasurable. Each iteration builds upon the previous and creates a momentum that becomes seemingly perpetual. You are correct about Tuomas having Floor's vocals muted...it recalls to him the pain and turbulence of that period and becomes a haunting distraction. You DID also discover the 'Easter Egg' of the 3 minutes reference. I feel that you will, like myself, find deeper meaning each time you visit this legendary experience. The passage that hits me hardest, most beautifully, is "Sparkle my scenery..." It's difficult at times to leave the experience without suffering the pain shared in the journey, but it becomes more beautiful. Thanks again Eric. This is exactly the reason your channel is held in such high esteem by the Nightwish community and by myself as well.

Thank you for another fantastic reaction video. :) I'm very happy (but not surprised) that you found the "Easter egg" with the 3 minutes part. I, too, am trying to practice brevity. I have so much to say but don't want to write a novel here. I completely agree that there is a lot to unpack here and I believe you did a great job with it. Thank you for also putting into words that make complete sense to me as to why this is such a great piece of music. I think you completely nailed it in that it comes down to communication and personal growth. Your analysis including the letters and from a mature, experienced perspective feels spot on. To be honest, I hadn't thought of the song like this before. Having listened to this song since the album was released with Annette and somewhat recently with Floor taking the vocal reins, I never really sat down and put that much thought into this song other than how it made me feel and how Tuomos felt at that time. Granted, I was in a completely different part of my life back then with a completely different mindset. Now that I'm older (hopefully wiser) and in the healing phase of my life, I'm starting to see this song in a whole new light. Maybe that's why it's such a relatable song for me. All these years, I felt it on an emotional level but not from another perspective until now. You've given me quite a bit to think about. This is now my favorite reaction video to this song. Again, thank you! :) Speaking of Marko, I highly recommend listening to "Master Passion Greed" from the same album with just Marko on vocals. It's a very intense, angry song from the same album and you can probably guess why so much anger. Although, for something lighter, I recommend "Everdream" from the 2013 Wacken concert. One more thing. Please don't apologize for pausing to share your thoughts or how long your video may be. We're here to experience it with you and to listen to what you think; otherwise, we can just go listen to the song by itself. :) You wrote in response to another comment about not wanting to appear to "drone on". Personally, I would not mind one bit if you did another video with just your thoughts on this song. I really do enjoy hearing your insights and I'm probably not the only one. Sorry this comment wasn't brief by any means. :)

This song is one of the few reasons I was able to battle my depression. Even my psychologist was moved by this song. You nailed many of the emotions and feeling of the song.

Love the riffs of the heavy parts, both on guitar and bass.

To answer your question yes this is the track that Tuomas is not listening to Floor singing. It was too painful for him to hear. Very good reaction Eric with all the reactors I had seen thru YT alot of them miss the depth of this masterpiece. So far your reaction to this song has been on point and I'm glad to witness your reaction. Good Job! ☺️

about the meaning of the song: In the aftermath of firing Tarja, Tuomas got really depressed. He had fired a friend, his muse, no chance anyone could sing the songs that were created for Tarja's voice. He had lost his innocence (Dead boy's Poem, Storytime show how that would hurt him) On top of that he got completely fried by the media and Tarja's fans (Tarja was as popular in Finland like Lady Diana in the UK). Popularity of Tuomas and the band dropped way below zero. He might have ended Nightwish (aka "The Child") by firing Tarja. Tuomas wrote this "suicide by song, so he did not have to in real life" (in his words) To me (and others) the parts represent the stages in the mind of a person with suicidal thoughts: I *White Lands Of Empathica* : Traumatic loss of innocence/security II *Home* : Raging thoughts of self hatred and a feeling of being uprooted (longing for home even if you are already home) III *The Pacific* : Acceptance of the fact death is the only right answer to your problems, romanticising how peaceful it will be if it just all stops. IV *Dark Passion Play* : raging thoughts about actually committing suicide and how it will settle the scores and what will happen after your death V *Mother and Father* : Acceptance and getting help.Moving on (without suicide) In addition to this song (that he wrote in anger to himself), he also wrote Bye Bye Beautiful (in anger towards Tarja) and Master Passion Greed (in anger towards Marcello, Tarja's husband/manager)

My Respect Eric. Amazing Reaction.

Next The Greatest Show on earth. Absolutely Tampere show. Small suprise

Great reaction, please react to Master Passion Greed , it complement this work of art, as it show the other sentiment during this time ( anger) The drums and Marko is just a masterpiece.

Great Reaction Eric one of the greatest songs ever written that most people will never here.....

Eric , i am sillent now, the song sits deep in my hart, and sinds you started youre channel, i was hoping and asking you to react on this one, my day is great now, you made it worth the wait, you are the nr1 reactor for me, thnxxx Eric you unpacked this Perfectly

This is my favourite version of the Poet, some of the tracks used are the same ones as on the album, but Floor sang instead for 2 of the tracks, she really put heart and soul into this perfomance. I believe Tuomas had the vocals removed from his IEMs though you can see he knows it so well he is singing along in perfect unison. I cannot watch this without more than the odd tear in my eyes, it is that moving, This has pretty much replaced The Wall as my reset song, which shows its power I think you understand the song very well, it was a dark time for all of the band who had shared a stage with Tarja, Tuomas's use of language is so profound and from a time that could have ended Nightwish, fortunately he wrote this and Nightwish ar stronger than ever

This song was not performed very often up to this point. I think this performance was done because of Floor. I think that he finally felt he had a singer that could do the song justice, and with this performance ,the song is"put to bed" and will not be performed again by Nightwish.

Very Well Done my good sir !!!!! This song is one of the Tarja departure Trilogy. The other two are "Master passion greed" and "Bye bye beautiful". These three are very different from each other, yet awesome in their own way. "The poet and the pendulum" is an epic symphony "Master passion greed" is thrash metal "Bye bye beautiful" is kind of like a pop-rock song That 3 min. thing, You nailed it to the head !!!! This song is Powerful,... I love this song and at the same time, I am afraid of it ... This song is only one, that I can't listen very often, I am ashamed, and here is why : The reason for Tuomas’ depression was not the firing of Tarja itself, it was what came after that. The fans idolized Tarja and they could not accept the fact that she got fired. In their heads Tarja was the one that made the band famous and they became really angry and hostile, especially towards Tuomas. They really took it out on him. They called him all kinds of ugly things and a lot of them expressed that they did not care if he would die. Even the prime minister of Finland got in on the act. It was headline news. I was that kind of a Fan , when this happened .... I was disappointed, angry, sad .... in one time I was on a doorstep of a suicide myself ( I know those feelings well...). SO,....This reaction goes to my Favorite Reactions List on a heartbeat !!!! (I think I have only 3-4 "perfect" reactions of this song in there ). Thank You Eric !!!!!!! NWSU/Ayreonaut/Epican 🤘😎🤘.

OK! That was well worth the wait. So glad you held off long enough to "see" it!

I’ve been patiently waiting on this. My favorite Nightwish song, Tuomas’ most personal magnum opus, analyzed by the the most insightful, well-spoken reactor. Thank you Eric! Always love hearing your thoughts on any song, especially this one. Yes, Tuomas sometimes had them turn off Floor’s vocal for the final movement, Mother and Father, which to me is one of the most beautiful pieces in music history. For more insight through Nightwish, there are two other songs from that album related to the breakup; Bye Bye Beautiful, pointed at Tarja, and Master Passion Greed, pointed at her husband. Both are much angrier pieces. They never performed the latter ever. They only performed the former with Anette, never with Floor. They only performed TPaTP with Floor 20 times and not since 2016. It was a purge, and the band has moved on. You got the 3-minute mark, and the first/last words, and the meaning behind the song in general. Now The Greatest Show on Earth should be a piece of cake ;). Great job!

Marco playing some difficult shit all while singing impressed me

I find I have to be in the right frame of mind to listen to this song. It hits a little too close to home sometimes. But it’s cathartic to work through these things with the help of music :)

His anger is far more evident and obvious in "Bye Bye Beautiful" (against Tarja) and "Master Passion Greed" (against her husband/manager), both on the same album as this (Dark Passion Play). He blamed him more than her for the rift, claiming poisoning her against him. But this was his catharsis, and clearly his deepest, most personal work (akin to the older "Dead Boy's Poem"). He was feeling suicidal but couldn't bring himself to do it in real life, so instead he killed himself in song. It was his parents that pulled him out (the 5th act is, supposedly, what they told him) and convinced him to move on with his art, as he had more in him to give the world. Very few songs go so deep into the artist's mind, heart, and soul as this. Marko and Emppu stood by him during that troubled time and it's represented again with them on-stage, going over to him at the end to make sure he was still ok. Yes, he mutes the vocals in his monitor for this song, as he can't go through it all again over and over every time they perform it (which is very seldom). Luckily, he had a good support structure in true friends and family, his parents, his remaining bandmates, all staying true and helping him through the worst time of his life (the almost-demise of his lifelong dream). And through it all, the Metal Mozart managed to create another masterpiece in every respect, with the perfect construction of the song (3 minutes, natch) and lyrics that bring the listener to tears.

Brilliant....Chapeau..... After scratching for years at the surface of the meaning/reason of the song ...Tarja and Tuomas and so on......YOU gave me a complete new perspective..... Thank you very much for that.... And you should not be too sure that your audience doesn`t want to listen longer to you. I want to !!!!! Btw that Brirish-Club-Style chair is giving a relaxed and more intimate athmosphere. Thanx for your time Eric.

I cannot cry, cause the shoulder cries more.... Tuomas and Tarja were very close once upon a time, and Tuomas uses to share his pain with her. But after the split he couldn't do it anymore, cause "the shoulder" cried more. That's what I get from this, knowing the story...

10:53 "For years I've been strapped unto this altar. Now I only have three minutes and counting. I just wish the tide would catch me first and give me a death I've always longed for." The underlying meaning of this is extremely deep and dark. Keep in mind this is my interpretation, so Tuomas may be trying to say something else. When I first heard this part, I sat and thought about it, and the remainder of the song for a while. This is in the section of the song called The Pacific, and it is tied to the lyrics "On the shore, we sat and hoped. Under the same pale moon. Whose guiding light chose you. Chose you all." In the beginning, the guiding light of the moon(metaphor for fate) brought them together to form the band. They all stood on the shore, happy and hopeful of what's to come when they set sail on the Nightwish boat into the "Ocean of Opportunity". The ocean gave him everything, but he was unaware of the storm brewing on the horizon. An altar in religious terms is a table for sacrifice. Tuomas gave his all into Nightwish, so much so that he strapped himself to it becoming one with it(captain of the Nightwish boat). Having to fire a member was equal to cutting one of his own appendages off(the Nightwish boat lost its engine, and is now drifting into deeper and darker waters of the ocean). Now he's feeling lost and helpless. Without warning, the storm hits. Heavy rain, lightning/thunder, and massive waves start pounding the boat(the backlash). The altar he's strapped to and sacrificed himself on; the ship he is captain of; has begun to sink. With all hope lost, he is now willing and ready to go down with it(suicide). The human brain can only last for 3 minutes(roughly) without oxygen. The storm of backlash is now drowning him. Knowing that he will be tortured for the next 3 minutes, he hopes that a giant wave will come and smash everything instantly, giving him a quick and painless death. He becomes angry and spiteful(Dark Passion Play), deciding to give in to the torture. Screaming cynically, underwater, no one to hear, with a smile of a broken man, back at the storm who sunk him(the people who went after him), "Rejoice my friends. I will give you what you want. You can all come to feast on my rotting body, like crows to an animal's carcass. And what once were friends, will spit the bad taste out on the broken remains of my altar, without any shame. Goodb..." This was the scene played out in his head, while sitting alone in a dark room. 1000 pages of erased text strewn across the floor, his lifeless body, covered in ink and blood, would be how they would have found him, if he didn't have his parents to save him from the depths of mental darkness. Luckily, before he could finish uttering, with his last bit air, the word "goodbye", the lifeline of love from his parents pulled him out from the depths. They pulled him out of that dark room, where he was drowning himself, on the edge of ending it all. Being told that he's home, and asked why he's become so cold, he realizes that it is not over even if he lost the love from the world's ocean. The world always has a blade pointed at you. All he needs is his parents love. Told the ocean you seek is within you. Find your own beauty, find your own shore to sit on. Don't seek fulfillment from outside, seek it from the people who love you, for in the end, they are the ones who will unconditionally guide you through any storm. Don't captain a ship alone. You have your family and band members, and though you are the captain, you need a navigator, a mechanic, a helmsman, a chef, ie. a crew of loved ones to support you and keep the ship sailing. Again, this is my interpretation. I'm not saying I'm right either lol

I was so happy when you spotted the "Three minutes and counting" Easter egg 🙂

Its amazing how the mind of musical genius works.. I wish that I could spend a one day inside such a mind.

OMG, you did it. By the way, Dark Passion Play is exactly three minutes. The " shoulder" is the band itself, and Tuomas said he had to kill himself in this song to not to do it in real life. Later he softened that stance and said that he never even came close though he thought the band was over. He got a lot of hate for firing Tarja but she had it coming. Besides she was gonna leave the band anyway. Her crocodile tears in that press conference is just for the fact that she could not leave the band on her own terms. Because of her idiot husband, she actually fired herself. Great reaction as always, Thank You for this.

Well done. No matter how many times I've heard an analysis of a song you always bring new insight. I think you could unpack this even more and perhaps that is something you could even do down the track. Good catch on the Easter Egg. Did you also notice the position of the band members changing on stage? Even that has significance. Again, thank you for adding even more to the experience of one of my favourite songs.

I’ve been waiting for this one. It got a lot of “I concur” from me.

About to start the video and I have to say I've been looking forward to your reaction to this, especially seeing how much Nightwish bring out emotions for you, me and many more of us. Wil add a thought or two once I reach the end.

I have shed more tears during this song that all other extorting tear songs combined.

This song will never not get me right in the feels. Currently I am in the middle of a really big loss & the grief is huge. This is about as low as I've been in a long long time. One of my best friends, my "lil sister", my gig buddy & singing coach lost her battle with cancer 3 weeks ago. I'm so broken & lost. There's no one to talk to in my ever shrinking friend group as everyone is struggling. But one day at a time. When I returned to my parents house at age 30 due to fleeing domestic violence I know they were very much like "where has our daughter gone?" cos there wasn't much left of me emotionally. I think this was such a great way to get out the sadness, anger, depression etc. Better than Tuomas going the way of many.

8k subs? Damn I got to get the word out on this channel. Easley in the top 3 music of all music reaction channel on KZfaq.

You got to realize that in Finland, Nightwish are like the Beatles. The PM had a comment when Tarja was fired. I may disagree which how he did it in a letter but toumas was 100% correct. Tarja did not want to tour North and South America in small venues. Metal bands tour, if she wasn’t up for that then it was time to go. He was so traumatized by the response, I think he jumped the gun and hired the wrong person for the wrong reasons. Rumor is Floor turned him down at that point. But it did work out in the and Floor had much easier time being 3rd because it was such a massive upgrade.

I'd say you nailed it on all points, and yes you got the easter egg.

Another Easter Egg. I believe that the words "1000 pages of erased text" refers to Tuomas losing his life's work. All his songs had been written for Tarja's unique voice and who could ever sing them like her. Until Floor came along and made him happy.