Most of his technique is self-taught, even though he had a few guitar lessons early in his life. He is endorsed by Ibanez and plays a Destroyer DT 200 Custom, the Ibanez JPM4, John Petrucci's signature model and his own custom shop RG Series guitars. He cites Freak Kitchen, Dream Theater, and Pain of Salvation as his biggest musical influences.
As well as playing, he has also contributed to the band's songwriting with "My Selene" on 2004's "Reckoning Night" and "Prelude for Reckoning", their introduction tape in "For the Sake of Revenge". He has also co-written three songs for the band's first album, "Ecliptica", "8th Commandment", "Replica" and "Picturing the Past".
In May 2007, as a result of his failure to do his mandatory civil/military service he spent one month in a Finnish prison until he decided to perform these duties, because of this he and the other members of Sonata Arctica reached an agreement that they would go their separate ways. He left the band on good terms and was then replaced by Elias Viljanen.
Jani also played with Altaria, recording two full-length albums, before leaving them to concentrate on his work with Sonata Arctica. In addition, he has (or possibly had) a melodic death metal side-project called Graveyard Shift with former Sonata Arctica band-mate Henrik Klingenberg. He also plays in a band called Sydänpuu (Hearttree), that plays rock music in Finnish. In Sydänpuu, he sings and plays guitars, bass, and keyboards alongside drummer Risto Koskinen.
In October 2007, he was the lead guitarist for metal singer Paul Di'Anno's Finnish tour. Since mid-September 2007, Jani has been working with new band Dream Asylum with Altaria singer/song-writer and former band-mate Marko Pukkila. They are yet to make any formal releases but have recorded a few demos.
In April 2009, Jani announced on his MySpace page that he would be playing in a band by the name of Cain's Offering. Info about the new lineup was also released in the April issue of Burrn!-magazine. Timo Kotipelto of Stratovarius and Mikko Härkin (ex-Sonata Arctica) are also a part of the band.
What Do You Want
Jani Liimatainen Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Once you were a friend of mine
Once you had a heart
Once you knew right from wrong
But those days are gone
You fell with the wrong crowd
It came to an ugly end
When you fell down
Once there was a better time
Once you had my heart
Once we sang the same song
But those days are gone
Sometimes what we paid for
Is less than we asked for
I hope you'll get what you need
But you won't get it from me, so
This ain't a place to call your own
This ain't your heart, this ain't your home
This ain't your song , this ain't your throne
This ain't your life so sense the tone
Don't need you near, don't want your touch
Why are are you here, what do you want
Sometimes we'll have to go
Sometimes say goodbye
Some things are meant to break
The pieces left behind
Some wows will be broken
Some wounds remain open
Some words we need to say
No matter how it hurts
No price will keep me here
No lie will make me stay cause
Those words were heard
Time and time again
Sometimes what we paid for
Is less than we asked for
I hope you'll get what you need
But you won't get it from me, so
This ain't a place to call your own
This ain't your heart, this ain't your home
This ain't your song , this ain't your throne
This ain't your life so sense the tone
Don't need you near, don't want your touch
Why are are you here, what do you want
What do you, what do you want
What do you, what do you want
This ain't a place to call your own
This ain't your heart, this ain't your home
This ain't your song , this ain't your throne
This ain't your life so sense the tone
Don't need you near, don't want your touch
Why are are you here, what do you want
This ain't a place to call your own
This ain't your heart, this ain't your home
Don't need you near, don't want your touch
Why are are you here, what do you want
The song “What Do You Want” by Jani Liimatainen is about a former friend who has taken the wrong path in life and is trying to come back into the singer’s life. The first stanza of the song sets the stage for what is to come. It speaks of a time when the friend was a good person, had a heart and knew the difference between right and wrong. However, something eventually changed, and the person fell in with the wrong crowd, and the friendship between the two fell apart.
The second and third stanzas express the singer’s feelings towards the situation. He acknowledges that there was a time when he and the friend were close, but those days are long gone. He also expresses his disappointment at the way things turned out and that the friend won’t be getting the support they are looking for from him.
The chorus of the song is a message to the friend that they are no longer welcome in the singer’s life. The singer tells the friend that this is not their home, this is not their heart, and that they are not wanted.
The fourth and final stanza expresses the inevitability of change and the need to say goodbye to people and things in our lives that are no longer serving us. The closing of the song reinforces the message of the chorus, that the friend should not expect to find a home, heart or throne with the singer.
Overall, “What Do You Want” by Jani Liimatainen is a song about the consequences of bad decisions and the importance of recognizing when it is time to let go of people and things in our lives that are no longer serving us.
Line by Line Meaning
Once you were a friend of mine
There was a time when we were friends
Once you had a heart
You used to be compassionate
Once you knew right from wrong
You used to have a moral compass
But those days are gone
That time has passed
You fell with the wrong crowd
You associated with the wrong people
I felt I was left out
I felt excluded
It came to an ugly end
Things didn't end well
When you fell down
When you hit rock bottom
Once there was a better time
There was a time when things were better
Once you had my heart
You used to be important to me
Once we sang the same song
We used to have common interests
Sometimes what we paid for
Sometimes the cost is less than what we had hoped for
Is less than we asked for
We don't always get what we want
I hope you'll get what you need
I hope you find what you're looking for
But you won't get it from me, so
I won't be able to provide it for you
This ain't a place to call your own
This isn't where you belong
This ain't your heart, this ain't your home
You don't have a place here
This ain't your song , this ain't your throne
You don't have a say in this
This ain't your life so sense the tone
You need to realize that you don't belong here
Don't need you near, don't want your touch
I don't want to be around you
Why are are you here, what do you want
Why did you come here? What do you expect to gain?
Sometimes we'll have to go
Sometimes we have to leave
Sometimes say goodbye
Sometimes we have to say farewell
Some things are meant to break
Sometimes things are destined to fall apart
The pieces left behind
The remnants that remain
Some wows will be broken
Some promises will be broken
Some wounds remain open
Some emotional wounds never truly heal
Some words we need to say
Some things need to be expressed
No matter how it hurts
Regardless of how painful the words may be
No price will keep me here
I am not obligated to stay
No lie will make me stay cause
Even if you deceive me, I won't be convinced to stay
Those words were heard time and time again
I am not fooled by empty promises
What do you, what do you want
What is it that you want from me?
This ain't a place to call your own
You don't belong here
Don't need you near, don't want your touch
I don't want to be around you
Why are are you here, what do you want
Why did you come here? What do you expect to gain?
Lyrics © PFIVE Entertainment Mexico
Written by: Jani Liimatainen
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind