Once (Nightwish album)

Once
Studio album by Nightwish
Released 7 June 2004
Recorded Tempputupa Studios, Kitee, Finnvox Studios, Helsinki and E-Major Studios, Kerava, Finland,
Phoenix Sound Studios, Wembley, England
October 2003–March 2004
Genre Symphonic metal, power metal
Length 60:07
Label Spinefarm (Finland & Asia)
Nuclear Blast (Europe)
Roadrunner (North America and Australia)
Producer Tuomas Holopainen, Tero Kinnunen
Nightwish chronology
Century Child
(2002)		 Once
(2004)		 Dark Passion Play
(2007)
Singles from Once
  1. "Nemo"
    Released: 19 April 2004
  2. "Wish I Had an Angel"
    Released: 15 September 2004
  3. "Kuolema Tekee Taiteilijan"
    Released: 24 November 2004 (Finland and Japan only)
  4. "The Siren"
    Released: 25 June 2005

Once is the fifth studio album by Finnish symphonic metal band Nightwish, released on 7 June 2004 by Spinefarm Records and Nuclear Blast. It is the last album to feature Tarja Turunen on lead vocals. The album cost nearly €250,000 to make,[1] (1,000,000 including the videos[2]) which made it Finland's most expensive recording ever until the release of Nightwish's next album, Dark Passion Play, which cost over €500,000 to produce.[3]

Background

In 2008 Kerrang! interview Tuomas Holopainen remembered: "Doing this kind of really orchestral, symphonic stuff for four albums, you have to be prepared to take the next step and go 10 steps beyond, and that's how we ended up with the London Session Orchestra. At that time we also had the financial resources to do it. This was like our second breakthrough in a way; Oceanborn (1998) broke us, took us to the big league. Musically it was pretty laid-back from our side because everyone involved in the orchestra really knew their stuff, so we basically spent two days lying on the couch hearing all these people playing our songs, enjoying every moment. It was one of the most amazing experiences in my life. The first song they started to play was "Ghost Love Score", we had no idea what to expect, and I just thought: This can't be happening!"[4]

Musical style

The album continues the more streamlined musical approach first heard on Century Child, moving further away from the power metal-influenced sound of their previous albums into a slightly more mainstream, approachable feel. Once utilizes a full orchestra in nine of the eleven songs on the album; unlike Century Child, Nightwish chose an orchestra outside of Finland, the London Philharmonic Orchestra, which has been featured on every album released since.

Once is their second album to feature a full-length song in Finnish, "Kuolema Tekee Taiteilijan". The band added new elements to their music for this album, such as the chorus riff and synthesized drum-beat of "Wish I Had an Angel", and a long prayer chant on "Creek Mary's Blood".[5] The song "Ghost Love Score" is an apt example of the combined work done by the orchestra and Nightwish, which the name hints at.

Cover art

The angel on the album cover is a view of the Angel of Grief, a sculpture by William Wetmore Story.[6] The original is in the Protestant Cemetery of Rome, Italy. The statue shows an angel crying on the tomb of Story's wife; after his death, Story was buried under the same statue, close to his wife.[7]

The cover of the album is very similar to the cover of 1998's Evanescence EP by the American alternative rock band Evanescence.

Tour

Main article: Once Upon a Tour

The success of the album allowed them to perform the Once Upon a Tour, which enabled them to play in many countries the band had never visited before.[8] Nightwish performed at the opening ceremony of the 2005 World Championships in Athletics, held in Helsinki,[9] highlighting the band's recently gained popularity.

Reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[10]
Rock Hard9.5/10[11]
Metal Storm[12]
Sea of Tranquility
[13]
Metal.de[14]
PopMatters[15]
Metal Hammer (GER)[16]

During the first week of its release, Once entered the German,[17] Finnish,[18] Norwegian[19] and Greek charts as number one,[20] selling over 80,000 copies in Germany alone.[17] It was also the first Nightwish album to chart in the U.S., reaching No. 42 on the Billboard Top Heatseekers chart,[21] and the band's first album to chart in UK, reaching No. 8 on the Rock Chart. In 2005, Once was ranked number 383 in Rock Hard magazine's book of The 500 Greatest Rock & Metal Albums of All Time.[22]

Once has sold triple platinum in Finland,[23] platinum in Germany,[24] gold in Sweden[25] and later reached No. 1 also in the European Top 100 Albums chart.[26] The single "Nemo" topped the charts in Finland[27] and Hungary,[28] and reached the top ten in four additional countries.[29][30][31] It remained in the UK Rock Chart for more than a year.[32] "Nemo" therefore remains their most successful single ever, and Once is at number 47 of the best of all time albums in Finland.[33] The total sales of the album have been more than 2 million copies.[8]

Controversy

On the 5th of January of 2013, a member of the Nightwish forum discovered the Lakota language spoken in the song Creek Mary's Blood is not the real language, only spoken gibberish, and even made claims that John Two-Hawks is a fraud.[34] There are other claims that John Two-Hawks broke the Indian Arts Act of 1990 law by "by advertising his music as Native American, and himself as a Native American artisan." John Two-Hawks denied these claims and said that the poem spoken in Creek Mary's Blood has a lot of errors, even though he had a "fluent friend" check to see if the poem has no errors. John Two-Hawks also said that he is native American though he is not in any Indian tribe.[35] The Nightwish forum member even posts the real translation of the spoken poem in Creek Mary's Blood.

Track listing

All lyrics written by Tuomas Holopainen, all music composed by Holopainen, except where indicated.

No. TitleMusic Length
1. "Dark Chest of Wonders"    4:29
2. "Wish I Had an Angel"    4:06
3. "Nemo"    4:36
4. "Planet Hell"    4:39
5. "Creek Mary's Blood" (feat. John Two-Hawks)  8:30
6. "The Siren"  Holopainen, Emppu Vuorinen 4:45
7. "Dead Gardens" (feat. Jouni Hynynen)  4:28
8. "Romanticide"  Holopainen, Marco Hietala 4:58
9. "Ghost Love Score"    10:02
10. "Kuolema Tekee Taiteilijan" (Finnish for Death Makes an Artist)  3:59
11. "Higher Than Hope" (in memory of Marc Brueland)Hietala, Holopainen 5:37
Bonus tracks
No. Title Length
12. "White Night Fantasy" (United States & Platinum Edition bonus track - originally found on the "Nemo" single (Jewelcase version)) 4:05
13. "Live to Tell the Tale" (United States & Platinum Edition bonus track - originally found on the "Nemo" single (Digipak version)) 4:58

Personnel

Credits for Once adapted from liner notes.

Nightwish

Additional musicians

Production

  • Tero Kinnunen — producer, engineer, mixing
  • Mikko Karmila — engineer, mixing
  • Mika Jussila — mastering
  • Pip Williams — choir and orchestral arrangements and direction
  • James Collins — orchestral recordings engineer
  • Aaron Price, Simon Goldfinch — assistant engineers
  • Markus Mayer — cover artwork
  • Toni Härkönen — photography
  • Petteri Tyynelä — layout

Charts

Album

Year Chart Position
2004 Finnish Albums Chart[18] 1
German Albums Chart[17] 1
Norwegian Albums Chart[19] 1
Greek Albums Chart[20] 1
Slovakian Albums Chart[36] 1
European Top 100 Albums[26] 1
Swedish Albums Chart[37] 3
Austrian Top 40 Albums[38] 4
Swiss Albums Top 100[39] 4
Hungarian Albums Chart[40] 5
UK Rock Chart 8
French Albums Chart[41] 9
Dutch MegaCharts[42] 11
Polish Albums Chart[43] 16
Belgian Ultratop (Flanders)[44] 30
Belgian Ultratop (Wallonia)[45] 42
US Billboard's Top Heatseekers[21] 42
UK Albums Chart[46] 102

Singles

Year Title Chart Position
2004 "Nemo" Finnish Singles Chart[27] 1
Hungarian Singles Chart[28] 1
Greek Singles Chart[31] 2
Norwegian Singles Chart[30] 4
German Singles Chart[29] 6
Slovenian Singles Chart[31] 8
Swedish Singles Chart[47] 12
Austrian Top 40 Singles[48] 12
Swiss Albums Top 100[49] 14
Dutch MegaCharts[50] 64
French Singles Chart[51] 64
"Wish I Had an Angel" Finnish Singles Chart[52] 1
Spanish Singles Chart[53] 10
Swedish Singles Chart[54] 11
Norwegian Singles Chart[55] 19
German Singles Chart[56] 36
Swiss Albums Top 100[57] 40
Austrian Top 40 Singles[58] 47
UK Singles Chart[59] 60
Dutch MegaCharts[60] 65
"Kuolema Tekee Taiteilijan" Finnish Singles Chart[61] 1
2005 "The Siren" Finnish Singles Chart[62] 3
Belgian Ultratop (Wallonia)[63] 14
Danish Singles Chart[64] 15
Swedish Singles Chart[65] 30
German Singles Chart[66] 51
Swiss Albums Top 100[67] 59

Preceded by
To the 5 Boroughs by Beastie Boys
The Cure by The Cure		 European Album Chart number-one album
10 July 2004 - 16 July 2004
24 July 2004 – 30 July 2004 		Succeeded by
The Cure by The Cure
Anastacia by Anastacia

Certifications

Country Organization Year Sales
Finland IFPI Finland 2004 3x Platinum (+ 90,000)[23]
Germany BVMI 2012 3x Gold (+ 300,000)[24]
Sweden IFPI Sweden 2004 Gold (+ 20,000)[25]
Switzerland IFPI Switzerland 2004 Gold (+ 20,000)[68]
Norway IFPI Norway 2004 Gold (+ 15,000)[69]
Austria IFPI Austria 2004 Gold (+ 7,500)[70]
Greece IFPI Greece 2004 Gold (+ 3,000)[71]

Release history

Country Date Record Label Catalog Number Note
Finland 7 June 2004 Spinefarm Records 981890-4[72]
Europe Nuclear Blast 27361 12912[72] released in four different editions
Japan 21 July 2004 Spinefarm/Universal UICO-1067[72]
Australia 5 October 2004[73] Roadrunner Records RR 8216-2[72]
New Zealand
Canada 168618217-2[72]
United States
Brazil 15 December 2004 Spinefarm/Universal AK5000[74]
Argentina 12 February 2005 NEMS Enterprises NEMS 335[72] released in two different editions
Japan 3 December 2008[75] Spinefarm/Universal UICY-91258 Super Audio CD

References

  1. ↑ "Interviews at Metal from Finland". Metalfromfinland.com. Retrieved 16 March 2010.
  2. ↑ Everley, Dave (8 December 2015). "How Nightwish became a modern metal phenomenon". Metal Hammer. Team Rock. Retrieved 2 January 2016.
  3. ↑ Ahlroth, Jussi (24 September 2007). "Nightwish release Finland's costliest-ever album". Helsingin Sanomat. Retrieved 8 September 2014.
  4. ↑ Ruskell, Nick (16 August 2008). "Treausre Chest. An Ultimate Portrait of a Life in Rock. Tuomas Holopainen.". Kerrang! 1223. London, UK: Bauer Media Group. p. 54.
  5. ↑ Ovington, Jacob, "Nightwish collaborator denies allegations that his Oglala heritage is false" in The Dark Domain, 17 January 2013. Accessed 5 June 2015. "Upon listening to a song he contributed to, a young member of the tribe and fluent Lakota speaker found that the lyrics Two-Hawks supposedly wrote in the language were “nothing more than absolute gibberish.” This was later confirmed by David Little Elk, a certified Lakota language expert."
  6. ↑ "Emelyn Eldredge Story (1820 - 1895) - Find A Grave Memorial". Findagrave.com. Retrieved 13 July 2014.
  7. ↑ "William Wetmore Story (1819 - 1895) - Find A Grave Memorial". Findagrave.com. Retrieved 13 July 2014.
  8. 1 2 "The Band - Biography". Nightwish Official Website. Archived from the original on 3 February 2009. Retrieved 8 September 2014.
  9. ↑ "Helsinki skies open as World Championships get under way". Helsingin Sanomat. 9 August 2005. Retrieved 8 September 2014.
  10. ↑ "Nightwish - Once review". AllMusic. Rovi Corporation. Retrieved 8 September 2014.
  11. ↑ Albrecht, Frank (June 2004). "Rock Dynamit". Rock Hard (in German) (205). Retrieved 24 May 2013.
  12. ↑ "Nightwish - Once". Metal Storm. 7 June 2004. Retrieved 6 September 2014.
  13. ↑ Pettengill, Steve; Pierce, Ken (7 April 2005). "Nightwish: Once". Sea of Tranquility.org. Retrieved 6 September 2014.
  14. ↑ Weeber, Thomas (6 July 2004). "Nightwish - "Once"" (in German). Metal.de. Retrieved 6 September 2014.
  15. ↑ Begrand, Adrien (23 January 2005). "Nightwish: Once / Over the Hills and Far Away". PopMatters. Retrieved 30 August 2014.
  16. ↑ "Nightwish: Once" (in German). Metal Hammer. June 2004. Retrieved 6 September 2014.
  17. 1 2 3 "Charts- Nightwish/LongPlays". PhonoNet. Retrieved 1 June 2010.
  18. 1 2 "Nightwish – Once (album)". Finnishcharts.com. Media Control Charts. Retrieved 11 September 2014.
  19. 1 2 "Nightwish – Once (album)". Norwegiancharts.com. Media Control Charts. Retrieved 11 September 2014.
  20. 1 2 ""Once" is #1 in Greece". Nightwish Official Website. 10 June 2004. Archived from the original on 2 January 2010.
  21. 1 2 "Once Billboard Albums". AllMusic. Rovi Corporation. Retrieved 11 September 2014.
  22. ↑ [...], Rock Hard (Hrsg.). [Red.: Michael Rensen. Mitarb.: Götz Kühnemund] (2005). Best of Rock & Metal die 500 stärksten Scheiben aller Zeiten. Königswinter: Heel. p. 56. ISBN 3-89880-517-4.
  23. 1 2 "Tilastot - Nightwish" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland. Retrieved 25 August 2014.
  24. 1 2 "Gold / Platin Datenbank - press suchen". Bundesverband Musikindustrie. Retrieved 11 September 2014.
  25. 1 2 "Insert Nightwish, press "visa lista" Once, press "visa"". Sverigetopplistan. Retrieved 11 September 2014.
  26. 1 2 "Number One in Europe". Nightwish Official Website. 18 July 2004. Archived from the original on 2 January 2010.
  27. 1 2 "Nightwish – Nemo (song)". Finnishcharts.com. Media Control Charts. Retrieved 11 September 2014.
  28. 1 2 "Single (track) Top 40 lista: 2004. 24. hét" (in Hungarian). Mahasz.
  29. 1 2 "Single – Nightwish, Nemo". Charts.de (in German). Media Control Charts. Retrieved 11 September 2014.
  30. 1 2 "Nightwish – Nemo (song)". Norwegiancharts.com. Media Control Charts. Retrieved 11 September 2014.
  31. 1 2 3 "Nightwish: 'Nemo Single Unstoppable". Blabbermouth.net. Roadrunner Records. 27 May 2004. Retrieved 11 September 2014.
  32. ↑ "Nightwish: 'Nemo' In U.K. Charts For More Than A Year". Blabbermouth.net. 4 June 2005. Retrieved 17 January 2011.
  33. ↑ Statistics by IFPI Retrieved on 17 March 2009
  34. ↑ http://www.nightwishforum.com/index.php?/topic/1026-john-two-hawks/?p=74950
  35. ↑ http://www.nightwishforum.com/index.php?/topic/1026-john-two-hawks/?p=75090
  36. ↑ ""Once" goes gold in Germany". Nightwish Official Website. 22 June 2004. Retrieved 14 September 2014.
  37. ↑ "Nightwish – Once (album)". Swedishcharts.com. Media Control Charts. Retrieved 11 September 2014.
  38. ↑ "Nightwish – Once (album)". Austriancharts.at (in German). Media Control Charts. Retrieved 11 September 2014.
  39. ↑ "Nightwish – Once". Hitparade.ch (in German). Media Control Charts. Retrieved 11 September 2014.
  40. ↑ "Top 40 album-, DVD- és válogatáslemez-lista: 2004. 24. hét" (in Hungarian). Mahasz.
  41. ↑ "Nightwish – Once (album)". Lescharts.com (in French). Media Control Charts. Retrieved 11 September 2014.
  42. ↑ "Nightwish – Once (album)". GfK Dutch Charts (in Dutch). Media Control Charts. Retrieved 11 September 2014.
  43. ↑ "Nightwish: Once- Charts". aCharts.us. Retrieved 1 June 2010.
  44. ↑ "Nightwish - Once". Ultratop (in Dutch). Media Control Charts. Retrieved 11 September 2014.
  45. ↑ "Nightwish - Once". Ultratop (in French). Media Control Charts. Retrieved 11 September 2014.
  46. ↑ Nyman, Michael. "Chart Log UK - 1994-2010". Zobbel.de. Retrieved 8 September 2014.
  47. ↑ "Nightwish – Nemo (song)". Swedishcharts.com. Media Control Charts. Retrieved 11 September 2014.
  48. ↑ "Nightwish – Nemo (song)". Austriancharts.at (in German). Media Control Charts. Retrieved 11 September 2014.
  49. ↑ "Nightwish – Nemo". Hitparade.ch (in German). Media Control Charts. Retrieved 11 September 2014.
  50. ↑ "Nightwish – Nemo (song)". GfK Dutch Charts (in Dutch). Media Control Charts. Retrieved 11 September 2014.
  51. ↑ "Nightwish: Nemo Part 2". aCharts.us. Retrieved 11 September 2014.
  52. ↑ "Nightwish – Wish I Had an Angel (song)". Finnishcharts.com. Media Control Charts. Retrieved 11 September 2014.
  53. ↑ "Nightwish – Wish I Had an Angel (song)". Spanishcharts.com. Media Control Charts. Retrieved 11 September 2014.
  54. ↑ "Nightwish – Wish I Had an Angel (song)". Swedishcharts.com. Media Control Charts. Retrieved 11 September 2014.
  55. ↑ "Nightwish – Wish I Had an Angel (song)". Norwegiancharts.com. Media Control Charts. Retrieved 11 September 2014.
  56. ↑ "Single – Nightwish, Wish I Had an Angel". Charts.de (in German). Media Control Charts. Retrieved 11 September 2014.
  57. ↑ "Nightwish – Wish I Had an Angel". Hitparade.ch (in German). Media Control Charts. Retrieved 11 September 2014.
  58. ↑ "Nightwish – Wish I Had an Angel (song)". Austriancharts.at (in German). Media Control Charts. Retrieved 11 September 2014.
  59. ↑ "Artist Chart History - Nightwish". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 11 September 2014.
  60. ↑ "Nightwish – Wish I Had an Angel (song)". GfK Dutch Charts (in Dutch). Media Control Charts. Retrieved 11 September 2014.
  61. ↑ "Nightwish – Kuolema Tekee Taiteilijan (song)". Finnishcharts.com. Media Control Charts. Retrieved 11 September 2014.
  62. ↑ "Nightwish – The Siren (song)". Finnishcharts.com. Media Control Charts. Retrieved 11 September 2014.
  63. ↑ "Nightwish – The Siren". Ultratop (in French). Media Control Charts. Retrieved 11 September 2014.
  64. ↑ "Nightwish – The Siren (song)". Danishcharts.com. Media Control Charts. Retrieved 11 September 2014.
  65. ↑ "Nightwish – The Siren (song)". Swedishcharts.com. Media Control Charts. Retrieved 11 September 2014.
  66. ↑ "Single – Nightwish, The Siren". Charts.de (in German). Media Control Charts. Retrieved 11 September 2014.
  67. ↑ "Nightwish – The Siren". Hitparade.ch (in German). Media Control Charts. Retrieved 11 September 2014.
  68. ↑ "Awards 2004". Media Control Charts. Retrieved 11 September 2014.
  69. ↑ "Sok I Base Salgstrofèer - insert Nightwish and 2004". IFPI Norway. Archived from the original on 22 July 2011. Retrieved 11 September 2014.
  70. ↑ "Gold & Platin - insert Nightwish". IFPI Austria. Retrieved 11 September 2014.
  71. ↑ "Nightwish: 'Highest Hopes' To Receive North American Release In October". Blabbermouth.net. Roadrunner Records. 9 August 2006. Retrieved 11 September 2014.
  72. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Albums / ONCE". Dark Chest of Wonders.com. Nightwish.fr. Retrieved 12 September 2014.
  73. ↑ ""Once" Roadrunner Release". Nightwish Official Website. 12 September 2004. Archived from the original on 6 October 2009. Retrieved 12 September 2014.
  74. ↑ "Nightwish - Once (2004)". Musik-Sammler.de. Retrieved 12 September 2014.
  75. ↑ ""Once" Japan Release". HMV Group. Retrieved 13 October 2010.

External links

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