"Storytime" by Nightwish

Finishing September with an epic song by the formidable Nightwish. I'm going to keep it short, since I had a lengthy early morning rant.

"Storytime" encompasses the spirit of imagination. Every feeling, every thought, every memory goes into Creation, which lives in the human imagination. Children understand this but - with the indoctrination into societal norms like ultra-productivity and competitiveness - it gets beaten out of them until they become the husks that we call adults. Being able to see beauty and magic in the world is so important to a person's well-being. That seems so obvious, but it's really something we're just barely being able to understand in psychological studies of happiness. I think it might be safe to say that an hour of creativity and daydreaming a day keeps the psychiatrist away. Not that there's anything wrong with seeing a psychiatrist if you need to. But the majority of mental illness treated in the United States is stress and anxiety-related, mostly because we're working too hard and not spending enough time doing anything fulfilling. And by fulfilling, I mean something you get excited to do. Like reading a book or painting a picture. Cooking or baking a special meal to share with loved ones. Dancing or singing with your children. Spending time with friends. We haven't forgotten how to do these things, we just don't make the time to do them like we did when we were younger. But it's never too late to start....

I am the voice of never, never land

The innocence, the dreams of every man

I am the empty crib of Peter Pan

A soaring kite against the blue, blue sky

Every chimney, every moonlit sight

I am the story that will read you real

Every memory that you hold dear

For those who are unfamiliar, Nightwish is a metal band from Finland. They incorporate symphonic elements into their music, which makes all their music sound epic. They are female-fronted and have had three lead singers to date. The singer on "Storytime" is Anette Olzen, but the current lead is Floor Jansen (gotta love these Finnish names). As for the content of their music, they tend to focus on fantasy and mythological influences and have taken inspiration from "The Lord of the Rings," the Dark Tower series by Stephen King, and various Disney fairy tales. They also have an amazing rendition of the theme from "Phantom of the Opera," which is a personal favorite of mine.

"Storytime" Video