During the first week of its release, Once entered the German, Finnish, Norwegian and Greek charts as number one, selling over 80,000 copies in Germany alone. It was also the first Nightwish album to chart in the U.S., reaching #42 on the Billboard Top Heatseekers chart. It was also the band's first album to chart in UK, reaching #102. In May, Nemo was the first single to be released from this album, followed by Wish I Had an Angel in September, Kuolema tekee taiteilijan (only in Finland) in November and The Siren in July 2005. The total sales of the album have been over 1 million copies.
Once is the last of the Nightwish studio albums to feature vocals by Tarja Turunen.
The single Nemo topped the charts in Finland and Hungary, and reached the top ten in five additional countries. "Nemo" therefore remains their most successful single release to date.
In an interview Tuomas Holopainen (main song writer of the band) said that it is up to the listener to find out the meaning of the title Once. Every name has a meaning โ though, he doesn't feel comfortable talking about it. Every song's lyrics on album feature at least one word "once".
Once utilizes a full orchestra in nine of the eleven songs on the album. Unlike Century Child, Nightwish decided to look for an orchestra outside of Finland this time, choosing the London Philharmonic Orchestra, which also features in their sixth studio album, Dark Passion Play. It is also their second album to feature a full-length song in Finnish, "Kuolema Tekee Taiteilijan" (English: "Death Makes an Artist"). Once has sold triple platinum in Finland, platinum in Germany, gold in Sweden and reached #1 in the Greek, Norwegian, Hungarian and European album charts. The following singles were: "Wish I Had an Angel" (featured on the soundtrack of the Alone in the Dark film), "Kuolema Tekee Taiteilijan" (released only in Finland and Japan) and "The Siren".
Dark Chest of Wonders
Nightwish Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴
And this is it
Once there was a child's dream
One night the clock struck twelve
The window open wide
Once there was a child's heart
The age I learned to fly
And took a step outside
Once I knew all the tales
It's time to turn back time
Follow the pale moonlight
Once I wished for this night
Faith brought me here
It's time to cut the rope and fly
Fly to a dream
Far across the sea
All the burdens gone
Open the chest once more
Dark chest of wonders
Seen through the eyes
Of the one with pure heart
Once so long ago
The one in the Big Blue is what the world stole from me
This night will bring him back to me
Fly to a dream
"Dark Chest of Wonders" is a song about returning to a dream once had as a child. The lyrics describe a memory of a child's heart and how time and life's burdens have taken away the ability to dream. The singer remembers a time when they knew all the tales and were able to fly. They long to return to that state of pure imagination and faith. The "Dark Chest of Wonders" is the key to unlocking that ability to dream again. The singer must cut the rope of the burdens they carry and fly across the sea to open the chest once more. This chest represents the gateway to the world of imagination and the pure heart within.
The song is about the power of dreams and imagination. It encourages the listener to never lose the childlike wonder and creativity that exists within all of us. The lyrics evoke a sense of nostalgia and longing for a time when the world was full of magic and anything was possible. It urges the listener to hold on to that memory and use it to fuel their imagination and inspire them to reach for their dreams.
Lyrics ยฉ Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: TUOMAS LAURI JOHANNES HOLOPAINEN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind