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)
Ice Queen
Within Temptation Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And skies turned to grey
The night keeps on closing in on the day
A nightingale sings his song of farewell
You better hide for her freezing hell
On cold wings she's coming
You better keep moving
Come on just feel it
Don't you see it?
You better believe
When she embraces
Your heart turns to stone
She comes at night when you are all alone
And when she whispers
Your blood shall run cold
You better hide before she finds you
Whenever she is raging
She takes a life away
Haven't you seen?
Haven't you seen?
The ruins on our world
Whenever she is raging
She takes a life away
Haven't you seen?
Haven't you seen?
The ruins on our world
She covers the earth with a breathtaking cloak
The sun awakes and melts it away
The world now opens its eyes and sees
The dawning of the new day
On cold wings she's coming
You better keep moving
For warmth, you'll be longing, nightingale
Come on just feel it
Don't you see it?
You better believe
Whenever she is raging
She takes a life away
Haven't you seen?
Haven't you seen?
The ruins on our world
Whenever she is raging
She takes a life away
Haven't you seen?
Haven't you seen?
The ruins on our world
The lyrics of Within Temptation's "Ice Queen" evoke a dark and haunting atmosphere, with its references to winter, death, and destruction. The opening lines set the scene for a desolate winter landscape, with the leaves fallen and the skies gray, signaling the onset of a harsh winter. The night is closing in on the day, and the only sound is that of a nightingale singing a farewell song. However, this is not a comforting farewell, instead signaling the arrival of an ominous and dangerous force, the eponymous Ice Queen.
The Ice Queen is described as coming on "cold wings" and bringing a freezing chill that makes you long for warmth. When she embraces you, your heart turns to stone, and she comes at night when you are alone. Her whispers make your blood run cold, and you must hide from her to avoid being taken by her raging fury. The chorus repeats the warning that she takes lives away and has left ruins in the world.
Despite her destructive powers, the Ice Queen also brings a kind of beauty, covering the earth with her breathtaking cloak of snow and ice. However, this is a temporary reprieve as the sun soon melts it away, and the world must confront the ruins left in her wake.
Overall, "Ice Queen" is a powerful and evocative song that paints a vivid picture of winter's deadly beauty and the dangerous allure of the Ice Queen.
Line by Line Meaning
When leaves have fallen
As autumn arrives, the leaves of trees fall, indicating a change in season and a sense of foreboding.
And skies turned to grey
The skies become gray and overcast, suggesting a mood of gloom and despair.
The night keeps on closing in on the day
The darkness of night seems to be encroaching on the light of day, creating a sense of danger and uncertainty.
A nightingale sings his song of farewell
The sound of a nightingale's song hints at the approach of winter and the end of something beautiful and joyous.
You better hide for her freezing hell
The 'her' referred to is the Ice Queen, whose freezing power can bring misery and suffering to those who encounter her.
On cold wings she's coming
The Ice Queen is depicted as coming on 'cold wings', emphasizing the chill and danger associated with her.
You better keep moving
To survive the Ice Queen's bitter cold, one must stay in motion and constantly seek warmth and safety.
For warmth, you'll be longing, nightingale
Even a creature as naturally hardy as a nightingale will pine for warmth and shelter when the Ice Queen arrives.
Come on just feel it
The presence of the Ice Queen can be felt as an ominous, menacing force that permeates the air.
Don't you see it?
The warning signs of the Ice Queen's arrival are all around, if one knows where to look.
You better believe
The danger posed by the Ice Queen is real and must be taken seriously, even if it seems unbelievable or fantastical.
When she embraces
If the Ice Queen is allowed to touch or enfold someone in her icy embrace, their heart will turn to stone, indicating a literal or metaphorical death of the spirit.
Your heart turns to stone
The Ice Queen's embrace is so cold and deadly that it can freeze a person's heart and make them emotionally numb or deadened.
She comes at night when you are all alone
The Ice Queen is often associated with darkness and isolation, and tends to strike when people are most vulnerable or separated from others.
And when she whispers
The Ice Queen's voice is a whisper that can be heard in the stillness of the night, hinting at both her otherworldly power and her eerie, spectral nature.
Your blood shall run cold
Hearing the Ice Queen's whisper or feeling her presence can trigger a physiological response of fear and panic, causing the blood to chill and slow.
You better hide before she finds you
The only way to escape the Ice Queen's wrath is to avoid her entirely and find a place of safety or warmth where she cannot reach you.
Whenever she is raging
The Ice Queen's anger and wrath can be as powerful and destructive as any natural disaster or cataclysmic event.
She takes a life away
The Ice Queen's cold, deadly touch can kill or freeze anything it comes into contact with, symbolizing the chilling effect of fear and despair.
Haven't you seen?
The devastation and destruction wrought by the Ice Queen are evident in the ruined landscape and desolate wasteland she leaves in her wake.
The ruins on our world
The phrase 'ruins on our world' refers to the destruction and decay caused by the Ice Queen's reign of terror, and the sense of loss and hopelessness it can engender.
She covers the earth with a breathtaking cloak
The Ice Queen's snow and ice can blanket the world in a pristine, beautiful white, but this cloak is also deadly and suffocating, covering everything it touches with a layer of cold and danger.
The sun awakes and melts it away
Just as the Ice Queen can bring winter and cold, the sun (a symbol of warmth and light) can counteract her power and melt away the snow and ice.
The world now opens its eyes and sees
As the Ice Queen recedes and the world wakes up from its winter slumber, people begin to sense the possibility of rebirth and renewal.
The dawning of the new day
The motif of the 'dawning of the new day' is a common one in literature and myth, indicating a sense of hope and optimism that comes with the arrival of morning and the return of light.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: OSCAR C. HOLLEMAN, RENE J. MERKELBACH, ROBERT WESTERHOLT, SHARON J. DEN ADEL
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@rvb9411
When leaves have fallen
And skies turned to grey
The night keeps on closing in on the day
A nightingale sings his song of farewell
You better hide for her freezing hell
On cold wings she's coming
You better keep moving
For warmth, you'll be longing, nightingale
Come on just feel it
Don't you see it?
You better believe
When she embraces
Your heart turns to stone
She comes at night when you are all alone
And when she whispers
Your blood shall run cold
You better hide before she finds you
Whenever she is raging
She takes a life away
Haven't you seen?
Haven't you seen?
The ruins on our world
Whenever she is raging
She takes a life away
Haven't you seen?
Haven't you seen?
The ruins on our world
She covers the earth with a breathtaking cloak
The sun awakes and melts it away
The world now opens its eyes and sees
The dawning of the new day
On cold wings she's coming
You better keep moving
For warmth, you'll be longing, nightingale
Come on just feel it
Don't you see it?
You better believe
Whenever she is raging
She takes a life away
Haven't you seen?
Haven't you seen?
The ruins on our world
Whenever she is raging
She takes a life away
Haven't you seen?
Haven't you seen?
The ruins on our world
@Medea86730
Director: How many special effects you want?
WT: yes
@nietzscheente1271
Give us all the cheesyness, please.
@jayzippo
My thoughts exactly, LOL. Still love it though.
@alucytratata
Seriously I love this song, but your comment made my day 😁
@pedrowadt
@@alucytratata best comment ever
@DJGots
Their best album for me personally but when I saw this, I was like WTH... they are still a great band, but sad they steered so much towards the commercial mainstream nowadays :(
I guess kids nowadays want the show more than the music. It's sad tbh, like everything being autotuned. Yes it creates "perfection" every time, but it takes all the imperfections out which create the emotion and feeling out of the music. Kids are emotionless enough alrdy nowadays... (and dont take me wrong, not saying Sharon uses autotune, was ment as an example in modern music as a whole)
@brianalandorfcomposer
Sharon has to explain me a couple of things:
1- how she can hit those high notes so easily;
2- where she keeps the portrait that grows old in her place.
@999wilf999
1 - She's a goddess.
2 - She's a goddess!
@MajinGatomon
You never went to a WT Concert did you? It all is a black mess where we sacrifice our youth to make her immortal.
A bargain if you ask me.
@Phanya_Lil_Ghosta
her voice is terrible to be honest... not in every song but in this one exactly is