Amaranth (song)

Infobox Single
Name = Amaranth
Format = single


Artist = Nightwish
from Album = Dark Passion Play
Released = August 22, 2007 (Spinefarm Records) August 24, 2007 (Nuclear Blast Records)
Recorded = 2006–2007
Genre = Symphonic power metal
Length =
Label = Spinefarm Records
Nuclear Blast
Producer =
Reviews =
Last single = "Eva"
(2007)
This single = "Amaranth"
(2007)
Next single = "Erämaan Viimeinen"
(2007)Infobox Song
Name = Amaranth


Cover size = 220
Artist = Nightwish
Album = Dark Passion Play
Released = 2007
track_no = 3
Recorded = 2006 - 2007
Genre = Symphonic power metal
Length = 03:57
Label = Spinefarm Records
prev = Bye Bye Beautiful
prev_no = 2
next = Cadence of Her Last Breath
next_no = 4"Amaranth" is the second single of Finnish symphonic power metal quintet Nightwish's "Dark Passion Play" album. [http://www.nightwish.com/en/files/audio A sample] has been added to their official website.

The single features a song called "While Your Lips Are Still Red", which is featured on Finnish film "LIEKSA!", released in September 2007. The song features all the band members but Emppu Vuorinen and Anette Olzon, and its video (with clips from the film) was released on June 15, 2007. [ [http://nightwish.com/en/news Nightwish.com - News] ] The song leaked onto the internet before the official release, [ [http://www.komodoisland.net/forum/index.php?act=Print&client=printer&f=9&t=54970 Komodo Island _ Metal _ NIGHTWISH - Amaranth (2007) - cd single PROMO] ] though the exact date it leaked is unknown.

On August 24th 2007, the official Nightwish website reported that "Amaranth" had already achieved gold status in their native Finland two days after its release, meaning sales of over 5000 singles. On August 29th, it was announced on the same website that "Amaranth" had topped the Finnish Singles Chart. On the 6th September the official site also announced that Amaranth had reached the top of the charts in Hungary and Spain too.

Music video

The video of the song is the first from the "Dark Passion Play" album, succeeded by another, Bye Bye Beautiful. In June 2007, Anette Olzon said that the video (which was released together with the single) is based on a Finnish painting called "The Wounded Angel", [ [http://nightwish.com/en/fans/nightmail?month=06&year=2007 Nightwish.com – Nightmail] ] which was painted in the turn of the last century by Hugo Simberg [ [http://tuomasholopainen.net/news.php TuomasHolopainen.net - News] ] and voted Finnish national painting in 2006.

The video begins with two boys playing by a stream, having a good time, but when one of the boys rounds up a small point, he looks up, and sees an angel lying on a few rocks, unconscious and bleeding from her eyes. The first boy points out the angel to his friend, and they run to her aid. Throughout the video, they are seen carrying the angel blindfolded and on a journey to a nearby village to heal the angel.

One of the boys goes to a house, and touches the angel's wings. She then regains consciousness, and some of the blood that was bleeding from her eyes drops into the boy's hand. Men then arrive and they and the boys begin to fight. The angel, meanwhile, is thrashing, possibly because of the blindfold. A man outside suddenly sets the house on fire, but when the video ends, the angel manages to escape back to heaven.

Subsequently, the band can also be seen performing underground.

The music video was uploaded by European distributor Nuclear Blast to YouTube on August 8, 2007. [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GdZn7k5rZLQ Amaranth music video on YouTube] ]

Track listing

pinefarm version

The first version of the single is presented by Spinefarm Records on August 22, 2007. The track listing was revealed on the website of Nightwish's official fanshop on June 21, as the pre-sales began. It is two-disced and includes two versions of "Amaranth", and two versions of "Eva"; orchestral versions and demo versions. [ [http://www.nwshop.fi/productinfo.cfm?tuotenumero=196561&lang=en Nightwish-Shop - Spinefarm Amaranth Single] ]

Disc 1

[ [http://www.nwshop.fi/productinfo.cfm?tuotenumero=196577 Nightwish-Shop - Nuclear Blast Amaranth Single Version 1] ]

Version 2

[ [http://www.nwshop.fi/productinfo.cfm?tuotenumero=196598 - Nuclear Blast Amaranth DVD] ]

Charts

"Amaranth" is one of Nightwish's most successful singles reaching number 1 in Spain, Hungary and Finland. It went straight to number one in Finland and stayed at number 1 for 3 weeks, dropping to number 2 in its fourth week on the chart. "Amaranth" then returned to the top spot the following week and remained there for a further 6 weeks. In total it spent 21 weeks inside the Finnish Top 40. In the UK it failed to chart on the mainstream chart but topped the Rock Singles Chart for 5 weeks.

References