Sleeping Sun

Music video

The original music video was directed by Sami Käyhkö and shot at Ivalo and Lake Inari, Finland, in July 1999. It features lead vocalist Tarja Turunen with what appears to be red hair, and includes Finnish landscapes such as forests, beaches, and a large grain field. A second video was made for the 2005 re-recorded version, depicting Turunen as a valkyrie walking through a battlefield with dead and wounded soldiers played by the other band members.

Covers

A demo of "Sleeping Sun" came out in 2006 from German dramatic dark rock band ApoVelation. The next year, Spanish Gothic metal group Iris did a cover, and Maryana Borak performed it live in Novy Rozdil, Ukraine.

Soprano Maria Lund recorded a Finnish version, "Uinuva Aurinko," for her 2008 album Ajan Sävel. The Random Quartet, a classical string quartet, also played the song that year. Brazilian rock band Swianne now regularly includes it in concerts, and New Mexico acoustic duo Chile Pi put it on their 2017 album Out in New Mexico.

2005 re-recorded version

In 2005, Nightwish recorded a new version of "Sleeping Sun" for the compilation Highest Hopes: The Best of Nightwish. Tarja Turunen sang lead vocals, marking her final studio contribution before being replaced by Anette Olzon. The single was released on CD and DVD.

The CD included the full 2005 version, a radio edit, and the original 1999 version. The DVD featured two music videos and a live performance from Summer Breeze Open Air 2002. The band lineup on the re-recorded version consisted of Tarja Turunen, Tuomas Holopainen, Emppu Vuorinen, Marko Hietala, and Jukka Nevalainen.

Did You Know?

• The 2005 re-recorded version was Tarja Turunen's final studio contribution to Nightwish before she was replaced by Anette Olzon.
• The song reached number two in the Finnish charts and number 69 in the German Official Singles Charts.
• Soprano Maria Lund recorded a Finnish-language version titled "Uinuva Aurinko" for her 2008 album Ajan Sävel.