my friend burned me a CD of non-Fallen CD Evanescence songs, I assembled what I called "The Romeo and Juliet Suite." It consisted of (and do not hesitate to click the links to the lyrics; you will understand!): So Close: This was added last, but comes first. It would be when Romeo and Juliet first meet, including the meeting at the dance, and, later, through the instrumental sections, to the balcony scene, where "this time is sweeter than honey." Anywhere: The beginning, with its "Dear my love . . . " implies writing a letter, so this song begins the morning after the balcony scene with the "message" Juliet promises Romeo at the hour of nine (the song implies it to be more letter-like, though I suppose in actuality it would have been more pure verbal, considering Juliet and the Nurse's educations, lol . . . but the metaphor still works!). The song speaks of running away together (ie: to Mantua), to "where love is more than just your name." After all, "what's in a name?" There's a very organ-like interlude (even though it's done with guitar . . . ), which implies their marriage. Before the Dawn: This airy, yearning piece is night before the two lovers are required to part, the night they spend together as a married couple (you know, consummating their marriage, lol . . . ). The song obviously implies inability to be together yet but for that one night. Whisper: This song, when I first compiled the suite, was arguably the most ambiguous, but all of that has changed now (just wait and see ^_^). It's generically about fear-- and the eventual facing of it-- and so I took it to appropriately fit the scene where Juliet takes the potion that will cause her to sleep until Romeo awakens her in the tomb so that they can run off to Mantua. It mentions applicable metaphors to prayer, ghosts, and the beckoning of death. It has an instrumental passage just long enough (as I have discovered-- believe me, I have, of course, tried it ^_^ though I speak faster than the average human being, lol . . . ) for the speech Juliet gives in that scene in the play, and it ends suddenly-- as she passes out-- and immediately begins a liturgy of requiem-like chanting, implying the discovery of her "death." Even in Death: Obviously implying the fate of the star-crossed lovers (and the optimistic theme they attempt to project to us all), this song suitably fits their final (and fatal) last scene. Particularly, it is as Juliet wakes to discover Romeo dead, and kills herself. There's places for Friar Lawrence to attempt to tug her away ("some say I'm crazy for my love" . . . ), and a long instrumental passage again for the speech. It ends abruptly, but with the lingering echoes of, "We may die, but we are lovers forever" (or something like it; I've never found one consistent source upon it, lol . . . ). (Anywhere Reprise): This is really just a part of the Anywhere song, but, really, the song and its application ends at 5:20, and the song begins anew as an instrumental-vocalization piece with no words, uplifted, a soft, light duet that almost recalls "Before the Dawn" with intertwining female and male solo voices. I like to think of it as the post-ending, sort of reminder that their love goes on . . . yeah, sappy ^_^ Now, on a semi-unrelated (but soon to be oh-so-related) note, I'm sure you all recall the 1996 edition of Romeo and Juliet ("Romeo+Juliet," they call it, lol . . . :-P). Not my favorite movie in the world, and not really an excellent rendention of it, but I'm picky-- and I'm picky about all the versions. Yet I love it because it is Romeo and Juliet, and still watch it quite a lot more than the average movie (which is weird, especially considering me! Lol . . . ). Amongst other things on the soundtrack, there is an opening (and continuing-running) theme, "O Verona." Some horror movie stole it a few years back, actually (what Freddy and Jason had to do with Verona, I'll never know, lol . . . ), but it's meant for Romeo and Juliet. It's very operettic. There is also an instrumental theme for the scene where Juliet is given the potion by Friar Lawrence, and he explains to her what to do with it. It's slow and melancholy, though I suppose rather unnoticable in the context. Yet I listen to it enough that I recognize it. SO, today I was looking up Evanescence music online to yoink, because I love them like no other (yeah, yeah, I know a whole heck of lot of you who read that hate them, but, well, they're one of my more obsessive favorites ^_^). I couldn't find anything to directly take without arousing possible suspicion (lol), but I did find an infinitely useful site where one can listen to music live (JUST CLICK "CLICK TO LISTEN SONG" [sic], lol . . . ). There were 38 Evanescence songs, at least five of which I do not possess in my (semi-vast) collection, including the elusive "Surrender" and "So Close," which I have been searching for for ages, which were once just within my grasp, when Tiffany had them yet could not burn them to CDs or send them through mail because her computer was retarded, lol . . . Anyway, one of the songs was another version of Whisper, labelled "Whisper 2002," right directly following the original Whisper. I listened to it, of course, out of curiosity. So here's how it goes (and here's hoping you were paying attention to all of that above, because all of that is important): It begins with Juliet's Requiem. Yes-- from the 1996 movie. The slow, melancholy strains build up . . . there's a slow, premonitory snap . . . then, suddenly, it bursts into "O Verona." Yes. Freaking "O Verona." Then, finally, it plays Whisper itself. AMY LEE INTENDED ME TO HEAR IN WHISPER EXACTLY WHAT I DID HEAR!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Man, I think she and I have some crazy mind-meld going on. We do share a name, after all . . . I still want to make the music videos to those five songs I arranged once upon a time.