Released 11 August 1999 Recorded May/June 1999 Label Spinefarm | Format CD Length 4:04 Writer(s) Tuomas Holopainen | |
"Sleeping Sun" is a power ballad by Nightwish. The song was written by Tuomas Holopainen and dedicated to the solar eclipse that arose on the European sky in 1999. It was first released on the MaxiCD of the same name in 1999, with a re-recorded version released in late October/early November 2005.
Contents
First release
"Sleeping Sun (Four Ballads of the Eclipse)" is the fifth single by Nightwish. The first recording of the song dates back from May and June 1999, it was recorded at two studios, Caverock and Finnvox, both in Finland. Together with the songs "Walking in the Air", "Angels Fall First" and "Swanheart", Sleeping Sun was released for the first time on the MCD Sleeping Sun – Four Ballads of the Eclipse. Later in 1999, the song was added to most new releases of the 1998 album Oceanborn, and in 2004 also on the compilation album Tales from the Elvenpath.
Sleeping Sun was certified with Gold Disc in Finland with more than 5.000 sold copies, and also in Germany with more than 15.000 sold copies. It reached the number-one spot in the Finnish charts, and was #69 in the German Official Singles Charts.
Track listing
All music composed by Nightwish.
Crew
Personnel
Second release
In 2005, Nightwish announced that they were busy recording a new version of this song for a compilation album, entitled Highest Hopes. Tarja Turunen sang lead vocals on the re-recorded version, this becoming her final studio contribution to the band before being replaced by Anette Olzon.
"Sleeping Sun" would appear on the Highest Hopes album titled "Sleeping Sun 2005 Version". To promote the compilation it was released as a CD & DVD single.
The CD single include the full "2005 version", the radio edit of this new version, and the original 1999 version.
The band also made a video for the 2005 Version; It is a vicious medieval war scene including all the Nightwish band members, with Tarja In the aftermath of the battle. The 2000 DVD single version was filmed with vocalist Tarja Turunen walking about at Pakkahuone, Tampere, Finland. She is the only Nightwish band member featured in the original, far less dramatic video. Both videos for 2000 & 2005 versions are included on The DVD Single.
CD single
- Sleeping Sun - edited
- Sleeping Sun
- Sleeping Sun - original
DVD single
- Sleeping Sun 2005
- Sleeping Sun 1999 version
- Sleeping Sun (Live @ Summer Breeze)
Personnel
Video
A video was shot for the song, in which Tarja Turunen seems to have red hair. The videoclip includes many landscapes characteristic of Finland, for example the forests, the beaches and a large grain field. The video was directed by Sami Käyhkö and shot at Ivalo and Lake Inari, Finland, July 1999.
Together with a new recording of the song found on the compilation Highest Hopes, a new video was released in 2005, which shows Turunen as a valkyrie, walking along a field of dead and wounded soldiers. In the video the other band members appear as soldiers, who are being led away from the battlefield.
Covers
German Dramatic Dark rock band ApoVelation released a demo version in 2006. Spanish Gothic metal band Iris covered the song in 2007. Maryana Borak sang the song Live in Novy Rozdil, Ukraine, 2007. Soprano Maria Lund recorded a Finnish language version of the song (titled "Uinuva Aurinko" on YouTube) for her 2008 album "Ajan Sävel". Classical string quartet group "The Random Quartet" also played the song in 2008. Brazilian Rock band Swianne currently perform the song regularly in their concerts.