"Bittersweet" is a single by the

cello rock Cello rock and cello metal are subgenres of rock music characterized by the use of cellos (as well as other bowed string instruments such as the violin and viola) as primary instruments, alongside or in place of more traditional rock instrument ...

band

Apocalyptica Apocalyptica is a Finnish symphonic metal band from Helsinki, formed in 1993. The band is composed of classically trained cellists Eicca Toppinen, Paavo Lötjönen, and Perttu Kivilaakso, and jazz drummer Mikko Sirén. Originally a classic ...

in collaboration with

Ville Valo Ville Hermanni Valo (; born 22 November 1976) is a Finnish singer, songwriter and musician. He is best known as the lead vocalist of the gothic rock band HIM. Born and raised in Helsinki to a Hungarian mother and Finnish father, Valo began h ...

(of HIM) and

Lauri Ylönen Lauri Johannes Ylönen (born 23 April 1979) is a Finnish singer-songwriter, best known as the co-founder and frontman of the Finnish alternative rock band The Rasmus. Biography The Rasmus When he and Heinonen started at Suutarila high school ...

(of

The Rasmus The Rasmus is a Finnish rock band that formed in 1994 in Helsinki while the band members were in upper comprehensive school.Main source of the band's history: The original band members were Lauri Ylönen (lead singer-songwriter), Eero Heinone ...

). The music is by Apocalyptica, the lyrics by Ville Valo and the vocals by Ville Valo and Lauri Ylönen. The song is written for four

cellos The cello ( ; plural ''celli'' or ''cellos'') or violoncello ( ; ) is a bowed (sometimes plucked and occasionally hit) string instrument of the violin family. Its four strings are usually tuned in perfect fifths: from low to high, C2, G2, D ...

(

quartet In music, a quartet or quartette (, , , , ) is an ensemble of four singers or instrumental performers; or a musical composition for four voices and instruments. Classical String quartet In classical music, one of the most common combinations ...

) and

voice The human voice consists of sound made by a human being using the vocal tract, including talking, singing, laughing, crying, screaming, shouting, humming or yelling. The human voice frequency is specifically a part of human sound production ...

, but there are versions for just the cello quartet. The lyrics are about a love triangle, in which a woman loves a man, who does not love her back, and another man who is in love with the woman, while she does not love him back. "Bittersweet" was released on 29 November 2004. The song peaked at number 1 on Finnish Singles Chart. It also peaked at number 6 in Germany, number 8 in Switzerland, number 11 In Austria, and number 53 in Sweden.

Video clip

The band produced a video clip for the song "Bittersweet", shot in the band's hometown Helsinki and directed by renowned Finnish director Antti Jokinen, who had previously worked with artists such as

Nightwish Nightwish is a Finnish symphonic metal band from Kitee. The band was formed in 1996 by lead songwriter and keyboardist Tuomas Holopainen, guitarist Emppu Vuorinen, and former lead singer Tarja Turunen. The band soon picked up drummer Jukka N ...

Celine Dion Céline Marie Claudette Dion ( ; born 30 March 1968) is a Canadian singer. Noted for her powerful and technically skilled vocals, Dion is the best-selling Canadian recording artist, and the best-selling French-language artist of all time. Her ...

, and

Shania Twain Eilleen Regina "Shania" Twain ( , ; née Edwards; born August 28, 1965) is a Canadian singer and songwriter. She has sold over 100 million records, making her the best-selling female artist in country music history and one of the best-s ...

. The video opens with Ville Valo and Lauri Ylönen sitting at opposite ends of a long table with red candles at each end, using a

ouija The ouija ( , ), also known as a spirit board or talking board, is a flat board marked with the letters of the Latin alphabet, the numbers 0–9, the words "yes", "no", occasionally "hello" and "goodbye", along with various symbols and grap ...

board as they both sing. Occasional clips of Apocalyptica playing in a misty forest at what appears to be mid morning are strewn randomly throughout the video. As the video progresses, the camera follows a woman dressed in black occasionally flashing back to Valo and Ylönen still singing. The woman runs through the same forest Apocalyptica is playing in. Later Apocalyptica is shown playing upside down on the ceiling where Valo and Ylönen are sitting with their hair dangling just above them as they (being Valo and Ylönen) continue moving the dial of the ouija board. In the last few seconds of the video, the song ends and the woman is shown laying down to sleep as the moon descends into the horizon. Suddenly the candles at the table blow out, and the video ends with Ylönen and Valo glaring at the camera with wholly black eyes, presumably having been possessed by demons.

Track listing

#"Bittersweet" (Edit) – 3:23 #"Bittersweet" (Acoustic version) – 3:21 #"Bittersweet" (Instrumental version) – 3:22 #"Misconstruction" – 3:59

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

References

2004 songs 2004 singles Apocalyptica songs Songs written by Eicca Toppinen Songs written by Lauri Ylönen Universal Music Group singles Songs written by Ville Valo {{2000s-rock-song-stub