Nightwish is a Finnish symphonic metal band from Kitee. The band was formed… Read Full Bio ↴Nightwish is a Finnish symphonic metal band from Kitee. The band was formed in 1996 by lead songwriter and keyboardist Tuomas Holopainen, guitarist Emppu Vuorinen, and former lead singer Tarja Turunen. The band soon picked up drummer Jukka Nevalainen, and then bassist Sami Vänskä after the release of their debut album, Angels Fall First (1997). In 2001, Vänskä was replaced by Marko Hietala, who also took over the male vocalist role previously filled by Holopainen or guest singers. Although Nightwish have been prominent in their home country since Angels Fall First, they did not achieve wider success until the release of the albums Oceanborn (1998), Wishmaster (2000) and Century Child (2002). Their 2004 album, Once, has sold more than one million copies and was the band's breakthrough in the United States. Their biggest US hit single, "Wish I Had an Angel" (2004), received MTV airplay and was included on three US film soundtracks to promote their North American tour. The band produced three more singles and two music videos for Once, as well as a re-recording of "Sleeping Sun" for the compilation album, Highest Hopes: The Best of Nightwish (2005), before Turunen's dismissal in October 2005. Her last performance with Nightwish was during a concert recorded for the live album/DVD End of an Era. After the concert, the other members informed Turunen with an open letter that she was no longer a member of Nightwish.

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)

Lagoon
Nightwish Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Imagine a perfect beach
Without a mermaid
Imagine a perfect hideaway
Without a time

Ocean Soul

Imagine a perfect Eden

Without a friend without a serpent

Ocean Soul
Lonely Soul

"Feeling lonely and content at the same time,
I believe,
Is a rare kind of happiness"

Ocean Soul
Lonely Soul

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to "Lagoon" by Nightwish are an interesting and thought-provoking look at the idea of perfection and what it truly means to be content. The opening lines encourage the listener to imagine a perfect beach, but without a mermaid, and a perfect hideaway, but without a sense of time. This juxtaposition of perfection and imperfection sets the tone for the rest of the song, as it suggests that the concept of perfection is not always as clear-cut as it may seem.

The following lines then introduce the idea of a perfect Eden, but again, without friends or serpents. This suggests that even in a perfect world, there must be some sense of imperfection or struggle to make it truly fulfilling. The chorus then repeats the haunting phrase "Ocean Soul," which seems to embody both the beauty and loneliness that come with the vast expanse of the ocean.

The final lines bring the message of the song full circle, as the singer muses on the idea of feeling both lonely and content at the same time. This idea of finding happiness in the midst of imperfection is a powerful one, and it serves as a reminder that true fulfillment may not come from striving for perfection, but from embracing the flaws and struggles that make us human.

Line by Line Meaning

Imagine a perfect beach
Picture an idyllic seaside setting

Without a mermaid
Without magical creatures inhabiting the beach

Imagine a perfect hideaway
Envision an ideal retreat

Without a time
Devoid of temporal constraints

Ocean Soul
Suggestive of a deep, emotional connection to the sea

Imagine a perfect Eden
Conjure a flawless paradise

Without a friend without a serpent
Absent of both companionship and deceit

Lonely Soul
A description of one who is solitary and introspective

"Feeling lonely and content at the same time, I believe, Is a rare kind of happiness"
A reflection on the unusual sentiment of being at peace with one's solitude

Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: ERNO MATTI JUHANI VUORINEN, JUKKA ANTERO NEVALAINEN, MARKO TAPANI HIETALA, TERO KALLE SAKARI KINNUNEN, TUOMAS LAURI JOHANNES HOLOPAINEN

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