In May 2007, Nightwish announced Anette Olzon as Turunen's replacement. That September, the band released their sixth album, Dark Passion Play, which has sold almost 2 million copies. The album's lead single, "Amaranth", became one of Nightwish's most successful in Europe. The supporting tour, one of the band's largest, started on October 6, 2007, and ended on September 19, 2009. The band released an EP/live album, Made in Hong Kong (And in Various Other Places), in March 2009 as a CD/DVD, and their seventh studio album, Imaginaerum, was released globally on various days in late 2011/early 2012.
On October 1, 2012, Nightwish announced that they had parted ways with Olzon and would be finishing the tour with at that time ReVamp vocalist (ex-After Forever) Floor Jansen. In October 2013, Nightwish made Jansen and longtime session uilleann pipes player Troy Donockley permanent members of the band, and they were featured in the acclaimed album Endless Forms Most Beautiful, released on March 27, 2015. From 2014 to 2019, Nevalainen, while still a member of the band, was inactive due to severe insomnia issues; in July 2019, he announced that he would not be returning to the band, with Kai Hahto, who had acted as his replacement since 2014 (including by performing all drums on Endless Forms Most Beautiful), being promoted as the official drummer, and is featured as such at the ninth album, Human. :II: Nature., which was released internationally on April 10, 2020. After twenty years of performing with the band, it was announced that bassist Marko Hietala had parted ways with the band in January 2021. Jukka Koskinen was announced as Hietala's replacement to play bass during the tour. In August 2022, he was announced as a permanent member of the band.
Nightwish is the third-best-selling band and musical entity in Finland with certified sales of nearly 900,000 certified copies. The group is also the most successful Finnish band worldwide, selling more than 10 million records and receiving more than 60 gold and platinum awards, having released six Number 1 albums and thirteen Number 1 singles. On October 26, 2018, Nightwish was inducted into the Finnish Music Hall of Fame, becoming the honorary gallery's 11th member.
Full Wikipedia article: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nightwish
Studio albums
Angels Fall First (1997)
Oceanborn (1998)
Wishmaster (2000)
Century Child (2002)
Once (2004)
Dark Passion Play (2007)
Imaginaerum (2011)
Endless Forms Most Beautiful (2015)
Human. :II: Nature. (2020)
Ghost River
Nightwish Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Every twist and turn a wonder-dale
It's a scary ride we'd give anything to take
Let yourself bleed
Leave a footprint on every island you see
Hey you, child of rape, the riverbed awaits
Snow white, pitch-black, your life such strife
Believe it, we live as we dream, scream
He will go down he will drown drown, deeper down
The river wild will take your only child
He will go down he will drown drown deeper down
The mills grind slow in a riverbed ghost town
He will go down he will drown drown, deeper down
The river wild will take your only child
He will go down he will drown drown deeper down
The mills grind slow in a riverbed ghost town
He will go down he will drown drown, deeper down
If you want me, then do come across
What is it you dream of, child of mine?
The magic ride, the mermaid cove?
Never met a kinder heart than yours
Let it bleed
Leave a footprint on every island you see
I am the painted faces, the toxic kiss
Sowing of doubt, troll beneath the bridge
Come across
Death by a thousand cuts
Believe it, we live as we dream, scream
He will go down he will drown drown, deeper down
The river wild will take your only child
He will go down he will drown drown deeper down
The mills grind slow in a riverbed ghost town
He will go down he will drown drown, deeper down
The river wild will take your only child
He will go down he will drown drown deeper down
The mills grind slow in a riverbed ghost town
He will go down he will drown drown, deeper down
If you want me, do come across
I am the desert-scape, the sand inside your hourglass
I am the fear and abuse, the leper children
Every eye sewn shut
We will go down we will drown drown, deeper down
The river wild will be our last ride
We will go down we will drown drown, deeper down
The mills grind slow in a riverbed ghost town
Beautifully shy as you are
Never lose your heart
And do come across
The song "Ghost River" by Nightwish is a haunting piece that speaks of a journey down a long and deep river with many twists and turns. The experience of this journey is both exhilarating and scary, with the promise of danger lurking at every bend. The lyrics address both the excitement of adventure and the fear of drowning in the depths of the river.
The song talks of leaving a mark on every island, always moving forward and exploring without holding back, bleeding and leaving a footprint as proof of the journey. However, it also warns of the danger of the river, telling the story of a child who will drown and be taken by the wild river. This child is possibly a metaphor for innocence or purity, representing something that will be lost on this journey.
The song also mentions the singer as a painted face who brings doubt, fear, and abuse, and who resides beneath the bridge. The repeated phrase "we live as we dream, scream" speaks to the idea that our fears and desires manifest in our waking lives similarly to how they do in our dreams. The final lines of the song encourage the listener to remain true to themselves, to not lose heart, and to take the journey represented by the river.
Overall, "Ghost River" is a complex and poetic piece that encourages exploration, bravery, and encourages its listeners to seek out adventure. It's also a reminder of the dangers of the unknown and the importance of staying grounded in who we are.
Line by Line Meaning
It's a long road down the river deep 'n wild
The journey down this river is long and full of adventure.
Every twist and turn a wonder-dale
Each bend in the river is unique and awe-inspiring.
It's a scary ride we'd give anything to take
Even though it's a terrifying journey, we are willing to take it because of its beauty.
Let yourself bleed
Allow yourself to feel emotions and experiences fully.
Leave a footprint on every island you see
Make the most of every opportunity you encounter.
Hey you, child of rape, the riverbed awaits
Speaking to someone who is the product of rape, the journey down the river is still waiting for them.
Snow white, pitch-black, your life such strife
Describing they have experienced both pure and dark moments, yet their life has been full of struggles.
Heavenward, deep down, I'll show you such sights
Despite the troubles, there is still beauty in this world, and the person is promised to be shown it all.
Believe it, we live as we dream, scream
The line emphasizes the importance of dreams and how we should live our lives passionately.
He will go down he will drown drown, deeper down
Warning of the danger the river holds and how it will take everything down with it.
The river wild will take your only child
The river will claim everything, including the person's child.
The mills grind slow in a riverbed ghost town
Life may proceed slowly or stop entirely like a ghost town if one follows the river's path downward.
If you want me, then do come across
The singer is beckoning to the person to come to them if they want to experience the journey together.
What is it you dream of, child of mine?
The singer is asking the person what they desire from life.
The magic ride, the mermaid cove?
The person may desire magical and enchanting moments or places.
Never met a kinder heart than yours
The person is recognized for their pure and genuine heart.
I am the painted faces, the toxic kiss
The artist is admitting to their darker and manipulative side.
Sowing of doubt, troll beneath the bridge
The singer is capable of spreading doubt and is warning of the trolls hiding around the journey's path.
Death by a thousand cuts
The singer will not harm the person abruptly but may slowly cut them down over time.
We will go down we will drown drown, deeper down
Reiterating that they will all eventually follow the river's path downward.
The river wild will be our last ride
The final journey is the one the river provides, leading to whoever knows what.
Beautifully shy as you are
The artist admires the person's quiet and gentle nature.
Never lose your heart
Don't forget what makes them themselves during this journey.
And do come across
A final inviting gesture of joining together on this journey.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: ERNO VUORINEN, JUKKA NEVALAINEN, MARKO HIETALA, TUOMAS HOLOPAINEN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Erdymus
When I hear this song, I see this disturbingly beautiful scenario before me;
0:00
A small child is playing close to the river, playing, exploring, jumping on stones.
The female vocals represent Mother Earth, guarding and watching over the child as he plays. The male vocals represent The Neck. (Male scandinavian mythical creature; calls children into his river with beautiful music, then drowns them.)
0:26
Mother Earth and the Neck fights over the child. They both try to make him go their way; safely over the river or slipping down into the dark waters.
3:40
The Neck makes a hard attempt to pull the kid away, and he slips on a rock.
The choir of children represents the previous victims of the Neck.
4:05
Mother Earth calls on her own power, and miracoulously prevents the child from being swept away. He crawls ashore on the other side of the river.
4:35
The Neck tries to lure him into staying, but the kid has already run away.
I know this is probably not what Tuomas had in mind, but please imagine this while you listen and tell me it does not fit pretty well!
Repe Sorsa
@Hamster Munchies This is an old comment, but still.
In Finnish mythology there is a river called "Tuonen joki" or "Tuonen virta" which is old Finnish and translates to "River of Tuoni". 'Tuoni' roughly translates as death so it was indeed a river of death.
Tuoni was a place where dead people lived, in their own land apart from living, and they needed to cross the Tuonen joki to get there.
It was said that in that river there were "man's swords, axes of heroes and women's needles" and sometimes there was even fire, but normal people were allowed to cross the river with ferryboat. Those who did not live well but were rather f.e. murderers needed to wade through that river and get hit by those swords, axes and needles.
What I think this song is more about (if we watch it from the pointview of Finnish mythology) it tells us about Näkki and vedenväki in general. Vedenväki translates (again, really roughly and poorly) as "the power of water" and at the same time "the people of water" meaning the magical creatures that lived under the water (they actually had their own towns and villages there). There was good and there was bad creatures, but one of the bad ones was called Näkki. S/he lured people underwater with different methods (showing themself as an beautiful or handsome young woman or man, brushing their long hair, singing or playing violin so beautifully that person lost their mind and couldn't resist drowning) but they were a great danger to swimming children. They were believed to cause children to drown. Usually it was said that those cramps you can sometimes get on your leg when you swim were caused by a Näkki, who was sucking blood from the said swimmer. There is an old saying
"elä katso veteen, Näkki tulee ja vie."
Which means something like
"do not watch into the water, Näkki will come and take you."
(It was used to make children not go to near-water alone without a parent.)
The song telling about "he will go down, he will drown, drown" really makes me think about Näkki. Even the "I will show you such sights" can give a vibe to Näkki who is showing something that ain't real so the child would be lured to water to drown.
I am not too surprised if this song has got some inspiration about Finnish mythology. Näkki is not so big a thing anymore but most Finns still know the consept.
eMBo twentyfour
Anette sings beautifully on this. I am grateful for each phase NW has passed through. They are a precious gift. Thanks for posting with the lyrics.
Sonia Romaih
Anette is so incredibly nuanced, the siren call of the Ghost River ... 🧜♀️
Madigan0895
No Nightwish album took me on a journey quite as well as Imaginaerum did, Tuomas's best work in my opinion.
Mohammed M
Aurinkohirvi
Because it was more mainstream than Imaginaerum,Besides the two good singles of DPP gave a good promotion to it ,DPP contain some tracks that are more memorable than any track in Imaginaerum but Imaginaerum as a whole is perfection and that is what make it special
vernon roche
Fuck that pretty boy ass clown
Mohammed M
You can turn it on,lay down and enjoy the jorney from the begining to the end without skipping a track ,that is what I used to do when It was released .Even the instrumental songs are phenomenal and not just a filler .I wish that Tuomas would try to release a masterpiece similar to it with Floor next time.
Aurinkohirvi
I think Dark Passion Play was a bit better. Like Tuomas said, he had free hands to compose what he wanted, without thinking the singer. And apparently I'm not alone, as DPP sold everywhere double compared to Imaginaerum. But both are very good albums.
J.C van Eekelen
So true when i buyed this album and turned it on while i was laying at bed....greatest musical journey of my life :)
Quietus Q
Sounds weird even saying this but the two Anette albums really were Nightwish's high point in my opinion. As full albums (Imaginaerum more than DPP) they're just so full of character and story telling that really works with the band. It's a shame we never got to see more albums from Anette since i think she was really getting into a groove on this album.
timestimesx
Idk if it's just me but Floor has a way of making every song sound similar while Anette does the opposite. Every single song sounds new and fresh with her.