#to listen to A Nightingale Sang In Berkeley Square

[mrsmaudieholmesteapot]

Imagine Good Omens would have been filmed in the 1980s (in a universe in which 1980s were as progressive as the 2020s)

Imagine Tom Baker as Aziraphale

Imagine Jeremy Brett as Crowley

Imagine it the other way around

[thelosercenter]

do you also get sad every time you hear A Nightingale Sang in Berkeley Square by Tori Amos or are you normal

[sundayinthcpark]

as a fan of both the west wing (1999-2006) and good omens (2019-) i just have to say that actually tori amos is my lord and saviour

[oneguardian15]

just finished rewatching good omens (s1) for the first time since i first saw it many years ago. and i am, once again, inconsolable

[oh-mother-i-cannot-weave]

feeling an indescribable love for the world at the moment...

[eriksangel666]

New podcast episode is up! This week we ride some vocal slides all the way down Route 66 as we discuss the music of the Manhattan Transfer...and boy do we have some thoughts and feelings on this one

[kingpippthe2nd]

It took me until this week to realise how much season two has changed my perspective on... well almost everything Good Omens.

I finally rewatched season 1 for the first time since Neil broke my stupid little heart. Honestly, I had convinced myself that I was over the heartbreak.

Do I torture myself on this website on a regular basis? Yes. Do I refuse to read fics without a "hurt/comfort" tag? Yes. But I was fine. I was healing. I was good. I was over it.

Did episode 3 hit differently after everything I'd been through after S2? A bit. But nothing I didn't expect.

And then there was S1E6. The Ritz. Nightingales. And I just wasn't ready. I had heard that song a thousand times throughout the last few weeks. But context does seem to matter. Because here I was, three notes in, sobbing mercilessly.

This scene used to be a safe space for me. A warm little patch of sunshine to curl up in, when I felt down. It was hot cocoa on a rainy autumn day. It projected to so much love and comfort. And now it's all twisted.

The contrast to S2E6 couldn't be sharper. Oh, what a beautiful web of similarities Neil has woven for us. Here are our two favourite idiots, smiling at each other, so in love, not a care in the world, because the world is safe and they are toasting it. Yet I know, what the future holds for them. I know, how incapable of truely communicating they are. I know, how they will break each others hearts, paving each others way to hell with all the best intentions.

You have to hand to Neil. He really knows how to tell a good story.

I haven't dared to listen to " A Nightingale sang in Berkeley Square" in the last week. It will take me a good long while to work up the courage again.

I don't even know, how to end this mess of a post. I just hope, Neil will bring the song back in season 3 and make it be all fluffy and comfortable and lovely again.

To the world, my friends.

[charlotteharlatan]

Hey guys. Here’s some (maybe) hope if you need some.

****SPOILERS BELOW*****

The Bentley plays almost exclusively Queen when Crowley is in the car; this happens regardless of what Crowley would actually like to be listening to. Even when he puts other cassette tapes in, they morph into Queen in a matter of hours if not minutes, like we saw with “I’m in Love with My Car” in S1.

But as we saw on Aziraphale’s little solo road trip this season, the Bentley is much more amenable to the angel’s musical requests.

So it’s very unusual that “A Nightingale Sang in Berkeley Square” plays on the stereo right after Crowley brought up the song during their last conversation. It’s the absolute last thing Crowley would *want* to hear at that moment, and there’s a second where he seems to sit and process the fact that it’s playing, before he turns it off without much fuss. If it just happened to be playing, I think Crowley’s reaction would have been much more dramatic.

Which is why I think Aziraphale was responsible for it. I think he was actually under duress - others have already pointed out how threatening and manipulative the Metatron actually is, how much danger his presence means to Crowley and Aziraphale. How it’s possible this was a hostage situation and Crowley didn’t even realize it because Aziraphale was protecting him.

But if Aziraphale was trying to get a message across to Crowley without tipping off the Metatron, this was actually a brilliant way do it. It’s a message only Crowley would understand.

He may have been saying, “I’m still on our side.”

[m-artsoul]

01/08/23

it was such a romantic affair and when you turned and smiled at me a nightingale sang in Berkeley Square

NOTE: last time we had some angst, time for fluff! if we don't get them dancing together in the rain to A Nightingale Sang In Berkeley Square while performing a miracle then what's even the point. i was actually listening to that song while painting :]

hope you enjoy the weirdly realistic nightingale birds lol (i have no clue how to stylize animals)

here's also glass-less version:

[neil-gaiman]

hi neil, not sure if this is a question that should be directed at you or david arnold but is there an instrumental version of tori amos' a nightingale sang in berkeley square that exists out there somewhere to listen to because the orchestra is so incredibly beautiful

I don’t believe so. I mean, we can unpick the “stems” so the track could be heard without vocals, but we’ve never released it into the world. We like it with Tori singing.

[ineffabildaddy]

i listen to the good omens s1 score on a regular basis but this is still my reaction every time 'a nightingale sang in berkeley square' comes on

it shouldn't take me unawares every single time but it does lmao

[weirdly-specific-but-ok]

post-s2. good omens mascot here, coping unhealthily.

This is the first proper post I'm writing since the audio breakdown, good thing I queued a POTC one last week, I suppose. Yes I slept through the entire day today, missed the theatre workshop I was supposed to attend and may or may not be listening to A Nightingale Sang in Berkeley Square on loop. Have an update on my coping because my social life and family are both Tumblr now:

Every song is about them now. A lot were before, but now every single one. Even an old Hindi song from a 1900s Indian military movie that I have not watched, by the way. But the lyrics (thank you Google translate) are: Everybody wants a handful of the sky, everybody searches for a handful of the sky, there is a world waiting to be hugged to the chest, the moon is a fair full of stars, but this heart is still lonely. And of course that makes me think of Crowley as the starmaker. Ow.

I made the very intelligent decision to rewatch the first three episodes of season 2, knowing what the Job minisode and the Edinburgh minisode do to me. I'll be here clutching Crowley, well, hugging him close to the chest, just like that song... ah, fuck, here we go again.

I listened to you all and am drinking a lot of water, since my tear ducts were emptied yesterday and now I'm unable to cry. I also ate too much chocolate.

I searched for sad Aziracrow edits and watched them. Don't look at me. I'm in a hell of my own creation.

I used too many emotions last night and now I feel hollow and achy. Maybe I should cope with humour and write the summaries.

Or maybe that will backfire and I will be filled with horrifying levels of emotion.

I slept. A lot. Many hours. Lots sleep.

So. Well. You know. Adopted child of divorce. You were all right, this is exactly like dealing with a breakup or divorce, but much more painful.

Someone please, please, please stop me from clicking the Crowley whump tag to find fanfiction.

I remember my initial Good Omens posts. I remember calling the fandom sad, desperate, queer and masochistic, and also pointing out how you all blame Neil and then sit and make headcanons that are a hundred times worse than canon.

I was so right. Look at me now, sad, desperate, queer and masochistic, making headcanons that are a hundred times worse than canon.

Wahoo.

[brainwormcity]

So, we've all had the idea that the Bentley began to play "A Nightingale Sang In Berkeley Square" of its own volition, but I was thinking about the fact that if Crowley had turned it on himself, then he was most likely listening to it right before he asked to watch Aziraphale invite the other shopkeepers to the meeting.

That would mean that without knowing about the ball and without planning to confess his love, Crowley was just casually rolling around, sweet as hell, listening to their song. It's so cute and so fucking painful. 😭

[zootisswag]

guess who was in the top 0.003% listeners of A Nightingale Sang In Berkeley Square

Im winning the loser competition

[queer-reader-07]

the thing that gets me about the fandom’s reaction to azi and crowley’s Kiss is how many people somehow missed that the point of the Kiss was not to show they were in love.

i feel like you have to have SUCH a narrow view of what love looks like if you think that two people need to smooch for it to be love. azi and crowley are so unbelievably in love the whole of season 1 & 2 (and the book) and it’s SOOOO obvious. and we all knew that, right? we all knew that they had something going on, there was love there regardless of what kind of love you thought it to be. it was undeniably there.

and yet. so many people have talked about how the Kiss is “the proof they’re in love” or have wondered why beelzebub and gabriel didn’t kiss too. and i’m just like. what about gabriel and beelzebub’s dynamic needed a kiss? you can tell they’re in love and a kiss would’ve felt so awkward in my opinion.

and i think in the end what this boils down to is that i don’t think kisses are inherently romantic, and a lot of people apparently do think they are. and i don’t think you need to have two characters kiss for them to be in love. are azi’s stolen looks, genuine smiles, and desire for closeness not enough? is crowley running into the burning bookshop and walking on hallowed ground not enough? what about a kiss would make their love any more real?

that Kiss was crowley’s last ditch effort to tell azi how he felt. to convey what he means when he says he wants to be an Us. The Kiss was crowley realizing that the acts of service weren’t enough to show azi how he loved him, his words weren’t clear enough, he had to /show/ azi. that Kiss was not there to be a “oooo they’re so in love” moment. and i think a lot of people missed the point because they were happy that they kissed in general.

i honestly couldn’t have cared less if azi and crowley ever kissed. and i don’t really care if they get a “proper” kiss in season 3 (whatever that means). because what makes their love so special is that they don’t need physical intimacy for it to be clear to literally everyone that they’re in love.

i’d rather they get to ride in the bentley as they go off for an extremely alcoholic breakfast at the ritz while listening to tori amos’ rendition of a ‘nightingale sang in berkeley square’. i’d rather crowley be able to walk into the bookshop and be able to take his glasses off again, because it’ll finally be a safe space again. i’d rather they actually fucking talk to each other. and if they kiss? whatever. because kisses shouldn’t be the end all be all of what love is. they shouldn’t be the thing that *has* to happen for love to be valid and real.

and maybe that’s me being unpopular on main, but oh well.

[wistfulnightingale]

The Nightingale DID Sing! (Hope & Reassurance)

Part 7 of 8 in The Chess Moves Theory Set by @wistfulnightingale.

Crowley broke our hearts when he said, "No Nightingales." And then The Kiss did us in. But moments later, the nightingale DOES sing. We're distracted, emotionally and visually, and we're meant to miss that moment. It's part of a series of complicated chess moves that are happening between Our Ineffables and the Metatron. (See The Chess Moves Theory Set for the full explanation on that.)

The singing nightingale was discovered by others long before I found it. It's not my idea, and I'm not claiming it. But I don't think it's well known or well circulated, at least not recently, so I thought it was important to talk about it again and include it here. (My search attempts couldn't find anyone who thought the birdsong was a nightingale. I'd love to give proper credit, so if you've run across this before and can let me know where, I'd be grateful!)

It always struck me that Crowley specifically mentioned Nightingales. If they are not actually a couple, if they don't have an "Our Song", why does he even think to say that? We were told (by God as narrator) about the nightingale singing in Berkeley Square, but Our Ineffables weren't! I believe it's because they've been a romantic couple since the bus stop (see An Old Married Couple for more thoughts on this). "A Nightingale Sang In Berkeley Square" is Their Song. It has been since they dined at the Ritz, with that song being played on the Grand Piano. (I have a headcannon about 1941, but that's another story!)

Under the street noise, as Crowley goes out the door in the Final 15, the Nightingale is singing for them again!

I think Crowley miracled the nightingale song there, as a reassuring message for Aziraphale. Not only as an affirmation of their Love, but as a quiet battle cry. When he said "No Nightingale's," Crowley was saying, "Pay attention, Angel. Listen for when I remind you that it's gonna be okay. We'll fool the bastard yet."

And the audio of a nightingale song is there... Hidden under layers of distraction, but actually there.

When a nightingale sings, there is a combination of melody and clicking sounds. Sometimes it is melody followed by a distinct series of rapid clicks that resembles buzzing or whirring. This buzzing sounds so mechanical that it may remind a person of a typewriter, or a street sound. You can listen to it here, in this YouTube video: Singing NIGHTINGALE-the best BIRD SONG.

Even with earbuds or headphones on, it is difficult to focus on the birdsong in the scene, especially the buzzing part that distinguishes a nightingale from other birds.. It can be heard at regular volume, though. I'm sorry I don't know how to make an audio clip for you!

"I Forgive You." "Don't Bother." We're still emotionally reeling, focused on the pain in their faces. Crowley strides towards the door, pulls it open, the familiar bell on the door tinkles. The camara cuts to Aziraphale, his stammering lips. As we are focusing on his sounds, trying to make out barely-breathed words, the Nightingale sings, a sweet twittering chirp, starting at 47:30. At around 47:32, the buzzing part of the call is heard. By 47:33, the sound ends, the door slams shut, and we're sobbing and trying to pull ourselves together, right along with Aziraphale.

The entire thing goes by in 3 seconds.

In the recent YouTube video by MyWorldIsSpinning, BirgitPa talks about "Nightingale" as possibly being a code word between Our Ineffables:

Did Crowley and Aziraphale fool The Metatron? | Scene Reflection

I'm completely on board that SOMETHING happened during The Kiss, and I love their theory that "No nightingales" was a pre-determined code that helped Azi know what was about to happen.

........

There's also a fascinating discovery/analysis by @sendarya on her Youtube channel about the nightingale song.

Good Omens || End Credit SECRET || A Nightingale Sang in Berkeley Square

She demonstrates how, if you overlay the song to match with its brief play in the Bentley, "A Nightingale Sang in Berkeley Square" corresponds with the timing of the ending sequence as if made for it! Another (hopefully hopeful?) Clue?

Look for the rest of the Chess Moves Theory Set at @wistfulnightingale to see how I think it all might fit together, in a step by step breakdown.

Thanks for joining me on this crazy ride!

The 8 Chess Moves MetaTheory Set:

1 - The Metatron Misdirection

2 - The Metatron's Second Coming

3 - Ineffables in Check

4 - A Hefty Jigger of Death

5 - Nothing Lasts Forever

6 - The Circle Kiss Theory

7 - The Nightingale DID Sing

8 - Aziraphale's Jubilant Smile (Not the crazy elevator grin)

Also: The Chess Moves Theory Set, Why Chess & Magic?