After the release of their debut album Enter in 1997, the band became prominent in the Dutch underground scene. It was not until 2001 that they became known to the general public, with the single "Ice Queen" from their second album Mother Earth, which reached No. 2 on the Dutch charts. This was followed by the band winning the Conamus Exportprijs, a Dutch music award, four years in a row, and a fifth in 2016. Their next albums The Silent Force (2004) and The Heart of Everything (2007) debuted at No. 1 on the Dutch charts and expanded their international recognition. In 2008, they released Black Symphony, a live album recorded with the Metropole Orchestra. This was followed in 2009 by An Acoustic Night at the Theatre, another live album, this time with acoustic renditions of the songs.
The band's fifth studio album, The Unforgiving, was released in March 2011 and was one part of a transmedia effort, alongside both a comic book series and a series of short films that together encompass a story. The album saw the band increasingly venturing on new musical territories outside symphonic metal. Their sixth studio album, Hydra, was released in early 2014 in Japan, Europe, and the United States. The album advanced the band's exploration of new musical genres and features guest appearances from various artists: Finnish singer Tarja Turunen, who appears in the lead single "Paradise (What About Us?)"; Howard Jones, former vocalist of American metalcore band Killswitch Engage; Dave Pirner, lead vocalist of American alternative rock band Soul Asylum; and American rapper Xzibit. The band had extensive airplay on BBC Radio 2 in the United Kingdom with one of the songs from the album, "Whole World Is Watching" featuring Pirner.
Their latest studio album, Resist, was released in February 2019 and incorporates influences from other musical styles such as industrial and EDM. By 2016, the band had already sold more than 3.5 million albums worldwide.
Full Wikipedia article: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Within_Temptation
Studio albums
Enter (1997)
Mother Earth (2000)
The Silent Force (2004)
The Heart of Everything (2007)
The Unforgiving (2011)
Hydra (2014)
Resist (2019)
Bleed Out (2023)
Candles
Within Temptation Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
these hands of darkness.
Reaching for my soul.
Now, the cold wind
blows out my candles.
Feeling,
only fear,
without any hope.
A thousand dark moons.
A thousand winters long.
A million fallen stars,
the candle burns in the womb
We try not to forget,
they live through us.
Slowly they die away at every candle's end
A thousand dark moons,
A thousand winters long.
A million fallen stars,
the candle burns in the womb.
We try not to forget,
They live through us
Slowly they die away at every candle's end.
The lyrics of Within Temptation's song Candles are filled with metaphorical meanings that allow listeners to experience deep emotions. At the beginning of the song, the singer talks about taking away the hands of darkness that are trying to snatch her soul. The imagery of hands reaching for the soul symbolizes the struggles and challenges that individuals face as they try to find their place in the world. As the song progresses, the singer talks about the cold wind blowing out her candles, making her feel afraid and hopeless. This imagery highlights the natural struggles that individuals face as they navigate through life, often facing obstacles that lead to fear and despair.
The chorus of the song talks about the candle burning in the womb, which is a metaphor for the potential of every human being to achieve great things in life. The lyrics, 'we try not to forget, they live through us, slowly they die away at every candle's end' suggests that every individual has the responsibility to live life with purpose and achieve their true potential. As we live our lives, we have to remember those who have come before us and who have passed on their knowledge and wisdom. At the end of each candle's flame, we are reminded that time is fleeting, and we must strive to make the most of our time and potential.
Line by Line Meaning
Take away,
Remove these negative and evil forces from me.
these hands of darkness.
The darkness represents the negativity surrounding the singer and the hands refer to the force attempting to harm them.
Reaching for my soul.
The darkness is trying to overpower the singer's very being and essence.
Now, the cold wind
The bleakness of the situation is represented by the cold wind blowing in the background.
blows out my candles.
The candles are symbolic of hope and positivity, and the darkness and negativity is overpowering them and putting them out.
Feeling,
The singer is experiencing a strong emotion in response to the current darkness surrounding them.
only fear,
The emotion the singer is feeling is fear which is caused by the overwhelming negativity.
without any hope.
The artist feels powerless and hopeless in the face of the darkness.
A thousand dark moons.
A metaphor for the never-ending cycle of darkness and negativity that surrounds the artist.
A thousand winters long.
Another metaphor highlighting the duration of the cycle the artist is trapped in.
A million fallen stars,
A metaphor for those who have been defeated by the darkness and negativity before the singer and have lost their positive light.
the candle burns in the womb
Symbolic of the hope still burning within the artist, even though it is being overshadowed by the darkness.
We try not to forget,
A call to remember the positive lights that have been lost in the past and the importance of keeping them alive.
they live through us.
A reminder that we carry the positivity and light of those who came before us within us.
Slowly they die away at every candle's end
A recognition that the positive lights will eventually be overtaken by darkness, but a determination to keep them alive for as long as possible.
Lyrics Β© Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Downtown Music Publishing
Written by: CHARLES FARRAR, WARREN MOORE, PRUDENCIA RENFRU, SMOKEY ROBINSON, WILLIAM ROBINSON JR., MARVIN TARPLIN, TROY TAYLOR
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Danilo Lapierre
To this day my favorite WT song. Candles got it all. The slow build up, Sharon's bright heavenly vocals, Robert's growls, the dark guitars and bass, the piano mimicking wax pearls falling down, the overall dense sound in the second half... Masterpiece.
himbux terrafux
Mee too...This is simply a masterpiece...Despair, doom, goth...This whole album brought to me sometimes tears in my eyes...But I love it so much...
KendrixTermina
Still gives me chills after all these years
Mme.Tenebrae
Wonderful song. Sharon has such a beautiful voice... It could on one side tame a beast, but on he other side evoke some dark forces. And her voice always give the listener a comforting shiver. Sharon's a real enrichment for the world of music
Taynara Castro
Minha segunda preferida do Γ‘lbum β€οΈ
Calvin Lee
i so miss the within temptation's doom era. this is utterly beautiful
Lenne Thium
Gosh how I love this album. This song is my favorite.
WhiteRoseWithering96
Such a beautiful, haunting song. I miss old WT (Enter and Mother Earth) they really had something special back then.
Alex Samuel
You need to include the EP The Dance, such a wonderful masterpiece.
Metal Fan
A masterpiece!