I was waiting for this! Another fan has said that the original S&G was the warning, Disturbed's the anger and Geoff's the sorrow. I just love the way he used the background music/percussion to ramp up the feelings. That last verse, and his Eb4, was incredible! He has the ability to bring out all the feels of a song. I can't wait to see what's next with him.
That super low resonance mentioned at the beginning of the reaction - I can barely hear it but it has that sensation of feeling/hearing your pulse in your ears, especially when you’re alone or in a very quiet place… SUPER COOL sound design!
When you listen to a cover of Geoff, or VoicPlay, you know you're going to be surprised, happy, weepy and stunned, all at the same time and you give us prof of that. The capacity he and the band have is remarkable. The skills, the artistic bravery, the playfulness and the pure joy to give us a good time, we can only be so grateful for. There is a lot to learn for the entertainers who interpreters this kind of music. Such an interpretation can easily become boring and not so good. Thank you for a hilarious analysis and reaction.
I knew you were going to love this one. You are going to love VoicePlay's Golden Hour, too. I immediately purchased both and added them to my playlist. :)
Just had to go back and check - no pause between 14.06-15.17, must be a record 😁❤ Also, your face during the last verse was probably a copy of what I looked like when I heard it the first time 😂
I was torn between again watching Geoff turning into a rock god and watching the face of Mortius when it happened! As an aside, I think we need to see more of Geoff the rock god!!
It's why I'm obsessed with Voiceplay's Queen in 5 mins. I mean, besides all the other awesome goodness in there, we get not only rock god Eli, but also a moment of rock god Geoff.
In my opinion, this is one of Geoff's best performances that he has ever done. Everything about it is just amazing, not that his other stuff isn’t amazing because it is, but just the way he executed this one was so epic and beautiful. This brought me to tears the first time I heard it, it just had such an impact on me and it still does today. I am always impressed by everything that Geoff does and I am so thankful that his music is in my life. Thanks for the great reaction as always friend💜
Geoff is out there on his own when it comes to arrangements. Sheer gemius. Are you sure there's a key change in there? Not hearing it. Change of octave perhaps.
Happy belated birthday, Mortius! From Geoff's description box on his video: CREDITS: Arranged, Produced, Performed, and Edited by Geoff Castellucci Mix Engineer - Ed Boyer Production Manager - Kathy Castellucci Steadicam - Layne Stein Lighting - Eli Jacobson Camera Assistant - Andrew Cox Filmed at Pattycake Productions Studio 😁😁😁
With as over-covered as this song is, I was a little sad that this was the drop we were getting this month. BUT, this direction he went made the song new again and just brought me to tears. It was so good. Thanks for your reaction!
Hope you had a lovely birthday and thanks for this great reaction! Your face was a picture when Geoff went into rock god mode (a mode I think we should see more of)!! I was torn between watching your facial reaction and watching the rock god in action again. I feel we've been rather spoilt these last few days with Geoff's release and releases from VoicePlay and Home Free yesterday. Look forward to your reactions to those as well 😊
This has to be my favorite reaction and analysis from you now - Well, along with the "High & Dry" one. This song meant a lot to me even before Geoff's cover (I love Colm McGuinness' cover and enjoy Disturbed's cover) but this version elevated it for me. An issue I've had with music in general is that it is extremely difficult for me to listen to. I have trouble processing my own emotions, so oftentimes when I feel moved by music I just know that I'm in emotional turmoil and it registers simply as sorrow. Many times I've listened to songs and I've found it becomes hard to breathe because I am fighting back tears and anxious feelings. VoicePlay and Geoff are the only artists I've found so far where the overwhelming feelings go away after the first listen and I can enjoy the song itself and for a long time I didn't understand why. When Geoff released this song on his patreon, I understood why. When the music swelled in the fourth verse, I realized I was breathing. Something I've never experienced when listening to any other cover of this song. I realized it was the same with "House of the Rising Sun" - A song whose lyrics I was never able to listen to until Geoff's cover. I don't know what kind of magic Geoff puts in his arrangements, but it makes me able to listen to songs and breathe. The description you gave at the end perfectly encapsulates my feelings. The ending is accepting that things aren't perfect right now - That it might even be terrible, but there *is* hope. Many songs that are supposed to encapsulate that feeling gives me the opposite thought. I listen to them and although the lyrics seem to tell me that I need to keep fighting, the music seems to tell me that even if I fight I won't be happy. It is a feeling I dread every day and so much music makes me feel that terror. Geoff's music does the opposite - "High & Dry" and "Sound of Silence" especially. It tells me it's okay to not fight and kick and scream right now, but instead to sit down and breathe. Gather my thoughts and face everything when I'm ready. "I *will* face the world, but it will be on *my* terms." As a last note on this already way-too-long message: At 16:40, thank you for pointing out everything those 3 seconds did - It is one of my favorite sections of his arrangement and I couldn't pinpoint exactly why, but I think now this is it! It does so much in such a short time. To add it onto my already weird metaphor from earlier - It honestly feels to me like taking a breath exactly to scream your frustrations in the most cathartic way possible. Thank you for another amazing reaction and analysis and sharing your terrific insights!
Such a beautiful cover. So melancholy and sad, but there is a light at the end of a long, dark tunnel. This song literally touches my soul and makes me cry every time I listen to it. There just are no words to properly describe how it makes me feel.
Mortius! You're birthday is Pi Day?! Yes, math nerd here. Loved your reaction to this. I don't know why, but the first few times I heard Geoff's video, I did not hear that very low grumble in the backing vocals that just tickles your brain into thinking "Did I really hear that?". Very cool. Kisses to Ella.
he is an artist of the highest caliber. the way he just plays with the concept of silence in this. {{buffer noise building up}} "Hear my words that I-" {{SILENCE}} "-might teach you." "Echo-" {{"Echo"}} and so on. just a gorgeous piece of work. he deserves all the accolades.
Oh, Mortius, I love the Ella logo! She is so sweet. Happy Birthday, a little late, I'm afraid. 🎉 I hope it was a lovely day. You remain in my top 3 list of reactors. You are positively delightful. Good luck with the merch.
I think that rumbly crackly undertone has kind of an ASMR element to it. It provokes a bodily response. Geoff’s low notes already kind of do that. LOL.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY 🎉🎂🍨🎁🥳🥂 I so love watching your reactions and as soon as I saw this drop I have been anxiously (excitedly) waiting for your reaction. I was not disappointed. Love to you (Ella too) ❤❤
I love how the two people I’ve watched react to this so far have had two different thoughts on more deep feelings of this piece, but neither contradict each other: Charismatic Voice’s thoughts are that it’s about how we are never actually in silence, and Geoff is attesting to that, but Mortius’ thoughts are more like life sucks, to life can be good, but this is where I’m at now, and are about hope. I like both ideas, and can’t wait to see what other people think!
Your reaction is pretty much how I felt listening to it the first time except maybe without all the joy because I don’t have the musical training to truly appreciate his brilliance. It took me a few tries to really grasp the genius of this. The first time I was wearing headphones, and was absolutely gob smacked. I really wasn’t sure how I felt about it. It was extremely unsettling to me. The next day I didn’t have my headphones handy and listened to it without headphones and it’s a lot different! It wasn’t nearly as (almost) ominous sounding and it was a little easier for me to process. Now I’ve gone back to headphones. It is an amazing piece of music but it’s not something I can relax to. 😊 I remember the original, and as I was the correct age for it, I remember the despair in the lyrics. He’s brought them back but in a different way and I do think there’s a little bit of hope when he’s doing his rock god. It’s almost like it’s a warning not to let it happen again. At any rate I loved your reaction. I did catch the “almost Mortius drop” at that one spot but I did not catch the second one! I’ll be very interested to see your reaction of VoicePlay’s recent Golden Hour. Anthony is a great addition to the group.
Awesome reaction as always Mortius. Happy Belated Birthday🎂 He did an absolutely beautiful job on this. Voiceplay released their video yesterday.. Golden Hour. Kathy plays a toy maker in it. Very cool and sweet video.
There is a form of music, that uses Industrial noises in them. My in-house musician told me it's called Musique Concret. An example would be 1812 overture with cannons. There is an orchestral piece that uses airplane fans! My guess, Geoff is sampling.
I loved your reaction. You get so into it! Geoff did such a beautiful job with this song. I've listened to it again and again. Also, I hope you had a wonderful birthday 🎂! Thank you, Mortius.
Happy Birthday, Mortius, and to be sure, 364 times "Happy Un-Birthday!", for they're MAAANY MORE 😉, and more than that, because ALL and Every day deserves to be celebrated... And heck, it SHOULD be! 🙂 That said, I was looking forward to your reaction to this one... To hear your take on a couple "controversial" things in the song. 🙂 I'm not so sure that I agree with the "hope" in the end. To me, at least, exactly because of how it ends, dropping off everything to get right back to that "...of silence...", with that body language and expression... What I get from that is some kind of disheartening. But obviously I may be wrong, it wouldn't be the first time, nor the last time either 😅🙂. Now I'll wait for your take on the latest Voiceplay... "Golden Hour". 😁 Thank you for your reaction, and see you next time! 🙂
Was really looking forward to your reaction to this and like Geoff Castellucci you didn't disappoint. Thanks for getting to this masterpiece so quickly
I've already watched your reaction multiple times since I'm a patron, and have enjoyed it immensely every single time. 💜 The look on your face when you realize the background bass note was in the song and not from outside is priceless 😂
Thank you so much for pulling out so many nuances of this and helping me appreciate it even more. I love Geoff and Voiceplay and it's so evident that you do as well.
There was a point there where I thought you were gonna stand on a box to just get up higher...that point is my favourite in this reaction... Added to my playlist as always...💗
Honey, I was waiting for this. Geoff outdid himself. Pretty sure I had the same reaction the first forty times I watched this 😊. Excellent reaction. ❤️
It's so cute how big a Geoff fan boy he is! I can see him almost fainting if he got to meet him in person and heard that voice. I mean we can see the man literally getting weak in the knees listening it through headphones, so imagine him seeing them perform live?
I was so looking forward to watching you lose your mind over this one, and I was not dissapointed 😂 it's so hauntingly beautiful and somber. Also you aren't the first reactor I've watched who thought the first few deep bass background notes were something external and not from the song 😁
Please react to voiceplay golden hour please 🥺🥺🥺🥺 I m so excited for every reaction you done but a little more excited when it is Geoff or voiceplay (guilty 😊😊)
Before watching the video I must say that I love your reactions especially when the videos are longer, it seems to me that they were more appreciated (maybe?) So, let's go to the video... I don't think this song has ever been able to make me as emotional as it did in Geoff's voice. This was the first cover I saw on his channel and it simply left me floored, so I learned not to watch his videos standing up.😅 I loved your reaction, your sensitivity towards something so beautiful is really moving. Thank you for that. ❤
Thank You Mortius for your reaction......Geoff keeps on bringing us back in!!! He'll start out with the Buttered Biscuit and then Pour on The Hot Sauce!!!
Haunting is exactly the feeling I get, too. Even when Geoff chooses a song I don't think I'm going to care about, he blows me away. I grew up with the Simon & Garfinkle version (yes, I'm a codger), and this is emotionally miles beyond that.
The Simon and Garfunkel's version sang with warning, Disturbed's version sang with anger, Pentatonix's version version had hope, and Geoff's version was with haunting sadness and moves into a new hope.
I love the context that you gave... the way that this one really accentuates the hope within the song. I was thrown off at first by the fact that this is so different from both S&G and Disturbed, but as I've listened to it, and heard reactions to it (well, yours and Peter Barber's), I've come to appreciate more of what he did with this one. One of the big things that Peter pointed out is how much he takes this from minor to major, and I've felt those nuances of this performance, which have really started clicking with it. Heck, a lot of those elements of sadness giving way to that feeling of "this is what it could be," followed by hope... REALLY resonates for me right now. Not going into a lot of it, but the last several years have been rough in a lot of my core personal relationships, and I'm finally starting to come to some sense of resolution with them, and I'm coming a long way to finding myself once more.
Thanks for the reminder that "The Words of the Prophets" messages are all about hope! I'm old enough to *just barely* remember when Simon & Garfunkel's original recording of this song was still played on pop radio. But it wasn't until I listened to / watched Disturbed's cover video on repeat, a couple years ago, that I really thought about what was happening in the lyrics. This cover by Geoff is the first rendition I've heard (including the *original* from S & G) that really tries to illustrate the story being told, not just visually ("In restless dreams, I walked alone" -- throughout the entire video, he's alone on screen) but also sonically ("Take my arms, that I might reach you" -- he is reaching down with his voice, as if trying to pull someone up from the abyss, and also in the line "But my words, like silent raindrops fell," Geoff's 'lead' voice is pulled back in the mix, so it's almost inaudible, and then the chorus ends abruptly at "of silence") ~Chef's Kiss~
Back when I was in high school, I did poetry interpretation in Speech Club (I was a proud member of the National Forensic League). I have interpreted this poem (as well as I Am a Rock, also written by Paul Simon) many times. It was then, and remains, very powerful.
@@parkerbrown-nesbit1747 Paul Simon's lyrics have always struck me as supremely poetic. Even his later work, like "Rhythm of the Saints," stabs me right through the feels.
@@parkerbrown-nesbit1747 Ngl, there were times when it felt like I Am a Rock was my personal theme song, especially back when I was getting bullied in school.
Love the enthusiasm! Slight theory correction- there is no key change. The root stays on C. There are some pretty chords transitioning the register change, but the tonic remains C.
3/14 must be a very popular birthday ... Mortius is now the 4th person I know, who was born on this day 😮 (hope this grammar is correct 'cause I'm 🇩🇪) Love your reaction ... as always❤ hope the cute merch will sell good and love goes out to all teachers... Stay strong ❤
Thank you for another priceless reaction to V Geoff . The look of excitement & pure joy in your face says it all. I hope you had a great Birthday Mortius.
I think the only thing that gives me more serotonin than watching Voiceplay/Geoff covers is watching your reaction videos to them! The songs/videos from Geoff/Voiceplay are so hugely deserving of your high-energy (and very entertaining) reactions, and honestly you are *very* relatable. I get so excited by your excitement/shock/awe that I'm often a very wiggly ball of stims on my bed, and I *love it!* And the fact that you were so amazed by the video when you weren't even a minute in? Man I was just *waiting* for your reaction to the tonal shift, and you did not disappoint! (It's truly brilliant, my jaw dropped the first time I watched it too - this man is a multi-talented genius)
Mortius Are you going to react to Voiceplay new video... Golden Hour? Its really beautiful. Besides Anthony the guest, Geoff's wife Kathy does a cameo as a toymaker.
I don't think this song has ever been able to make me as emotional as it did in Geoff's voice. This was the first cover I saw on his channel and it simply left me floored, so I learned not to watch his videos standing up.😅 I loved your reaction, your sensitivity towards something so beautiful is really moving. Thank you for that. ❤
I felt Geoff’s cover of this song uses his vocals to actually define the shape of silence. How sound can form silence is absurd. Geoff does the impossible.
Thank you! It's so joyful to witness the process of co-creation of something (music, for example), when the co-creator, the side that perceives, has an open heart, a skillful mind and such a fine tuning of perception...
This song has a deep place in my heart. It was a favourite as a child (which surprised the adults around me - I think they considered it pretty melancholy/ serious for a kid) and I was thrilled when I realised it was originally released the year I was born. My favourite covers have all brought something very different (Disturbed and Pentatonix being my faves... till now!) but this is the first that actually made my eyes well up and created such a mix of emotions in me. Mortius, I love how you verbalised what I felt when I first heard this. I wanted to point at the screen and say "THAT! That's what I mean!" I adore how you connect with the feeling of a piece as well as the technical side. By the way... it's a joy for us that you do this too!
Geoff floors me every time. I think this song is the best showcase of his vocal versatility. I don't blame you for being gobsmacked by this one. I think he also used his mix in Shenandoah. Great reaction Mortius 😊
I will always love the original by Simon and Garfunkel but Geoff did an amazing cover, and I do believe he nearly dropped you on your butt with this one
So you're a Pi baby! Happy belated birthday! I couldn't wait for the reaction with all the little audio treats you can only hear with headphones. I knew it was going to be an incredible reaction to an amazing song. First time I listened to it with headphones, I thought trains were going by.
Marwan is of course a marvel, but now I wonder how awesome Geoff would be as the arranger or sound engineer for a The Bass Gang song - featured singing with them or not even? Of course I don't know how much Ed Boyer added to the sound effects in this?
