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)
Remix Candles & Pearls of Light
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 Remix Candles & Pearls of Light depict a sense of darkness and fear, as the songwriter expresses the need to be free from the hands of darkness that have reached for their soul. The cold wind blowing out the candles symbolizes the loss of hope and a feeling of being alone in the darkness. The lyrics speak to a sense of loss and deep longing for something that seems out of reach.
As the song progresses, the image of a thousand dark moons, a thousand winters long, and a million fallen stars reflects a sense of despair and the passing of time. Yet, there remains a glimmer of hope as the candle burns in the womb. This is a metaphor for the possibility of life and renewal, even in the midst of darkness and death. The songwriter reminds us that we must try not to forget those who have gone before us, as they continue to live through us. And, although they may slowly die away at every candle's end, their memory still provides a spark of light and hope.
Overall, the lyrics of Within Temptation's song Remix Candles & Pearls of Light speak to the human experience of loss and the desire for hope and renewal. They remind us that, even in the midst of darkness, we can find meaning and a sense of purpose in the memory of those who have come before us.
Line by Line Meaning
Take away,
Remove the hands of darkness that are trying to grasp my soul.
These hands of darkness.
It refers to something that is trying to take away the singer's essence.
Reaching for my soul.
The hands of darkness are trying to take away the essence of the singer.
Now, the cold wind
At this time, the chilling winds have come along.
Blows out my candles.
The chilling winds have blown away my flames.
Feeling,
Sensing something.
Only fear,
The singer is experiencing fear and nothing else.
Without any hope.
There's no expectation or desire for something better.
A thousand dark moons.
A thousand instances of darkness, possibly referring to grief or sadness.
A thousand winters long.
It's been a long time since the artist felt warmth or positivity.
A million fallen stars,
So many stars, which may represent hopes or dreams, have crashed down.
The candle burns in the womb
Despite everything, the flame still burns from deep within.
We try not to forget,
We strive to remember something or someone important.
They live through us.
The people we remember stay alive through our memories.
Slowly they die away at every candle's end
As time passes and candles go out, the memories and the people they represent slowly fade away.
Contributed by Kennedy B. Suggest a correction in the comments below.