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#a nightingale sang in berkeley square
brainwormcity · 3 days
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So, there are only three of the original six verses in Tori Amos's version of A Nightingale Sang in Berkley Square, right? I was writing a scene from episode five, season 2, so for continuity's sake, I checked the approximate place the song starts up in the Bentley when Crowley starts the car in episode 6.
The song begins to play at around 1:09, just before the interlude and right before the last line verse two:
I may be right, I may be wrong But I'm perfectly willing to swear That when you turned and smiled at me A nightingale sang in Berkeley Square
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Out of curiosity, I went back to season one, and though it plays on through the credits, the actual footage cuts off right at the tail end of verse one:
That certain night, the night we met There was magic abroad in the air There were angels dining at the Ritz And a nightingale sang in Berkeley Square
Let's imagine for half a second that since Neil and Tori Amos are friends and her version was recorded specifically for the series, each verse refers to a related event, i.e. Crowley and Aziraphale's season one end Ritz date.
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And that though things go entirely south during the following fifteen minutes, verse two perhaps refers to these moments preceding it:
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Then it's not out of the realm of possibility that the closing scene of season three could end with verse three:
The streets of town were paved with stars It was such a romantic affair And as we kissed and said goodnight A nightingale sang in Berkeley Square
If the established pattern of relating a preceding event continues, then maybe, just maybe, Crowley and Aziraphale will share a kiss- a good, sweet, happy kiss- just before the series ends for good.
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but-sometimes-im-not · 4 months
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phoenix, 2024 post-s2. the Bentley has been left untouched for so long that a nightingale family has made a nest under her grille. nothing will ever be as it was, but something new will be reborn.
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biceratops7 · 8 months
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Y’ALL I JUST FOUND SOMETHING WILD:
I figured this out by pure accident because musically, I’m not a big fan of Tori Amos’s singing style (I’m sorry 🙁, besides the point though!), so I pulled up the original instead to put on my playlist.
And GUYS. I don’t think “A Nightingale Sang in Berkeley Square” is about them at the Ritz together in the 21st century, or at least not at first…
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It’s about this.
“A Nightingale Sang in Berkeley Square” originally came out in 1940 by Vera Lynn, one year before Crowley pulled the most romantic ass stunt Aziraphale had ever seen and, let’s be honest, the vibes uh… changed. I mean there was a reason the rumor of them being an item spread in hell around this time.
And that’s not all, the song was actually meant to be part of a musical, on the West End. The place where they made a fond memory together for the first time in nearly a hundred years, took care of each other, trusted each other. Hell, where Crowley and Aziraphale, both friends of the theatre in different ways, probably heard this song about causing the impossible and falling in love just a year prior for the first time.
Yah so I’ve FULLY drank my own koolaide and completely believe that they already associated this song with each other. Not only saw it as a fond reminder of that night in 1941, but the quiet, gentle reality they might have together someday. But they wouldn’t DARE say that out loud, wouldn’t be ridiculous enough to let themselves hope for it.
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I think this was Aziraphale breaking the unspoken rules and acknowledging this thing they share. Him saying “I know, I see you. I hope so too.”
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livhowlett · 4 months
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I think the Ineffable Husbands' Song tells us something about S3.
S1 Ends with the first Verse:
"That certain night
The night we met
There was magic abroad in the air
There were angels dining at the Ritz
And a nightingale sang in Berkeley Square"
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S2 is the reverse of the 2nd Verse:
"I may be right
I may be wrong
But I'm perfectly willing to swear
That when you turned and smiled at me
A nightingale sang in Berkeley Square"
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The finale verse is:
"The streets of town
Were paved with stars
It was such a romantic affair
And as we kissed and said goodnight
A nightingale sang in Berkeley Square
I know 'cause I was there
That night in Berkeley Square"
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I think S3 will end with this part of the song playing with the husbands kissing under the stars.
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vavoom-sorted-art · 4 months
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Angels don't dance
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As an (almost) final strike in the Angst War on the @goodomensafterdark subreddit, have this 1941 scene inspired by @acheemient's post! (don't worry, part 5 of my comic is going up today as well!!)
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while I was looking for gabriels in the intro, I noticed this redheaded person w dark clothing and lighthaired person w light clothing that appear to kiss in the theatre:
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i'm making this about the 1941 kiss theory
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edit oct 7: a few kind people have mentioned that they remember a post from the official good omens account (possibly on twitter) that said the two people kissing are War & Pollution, and the shadow beside them is Famine. (If you have the link please send it this way! I have done a fair bit of searching but with no luck and it's haunting me bc it must be real but i can't find it)
@0owhatsamsays also pointed out that in the X-Ray bonus video "Title Sequence Easter Eggs" Peter Anderson says there are specific characters from season 1 in the highlighted boxes, and as you can see, the kissing booth (top level, far right) is one with a little trail of stars coming off of it.
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neil-gaiman · 9 months
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Hello! I was wondering if you could explain what Crowley meant by “…no nightingales.” Aziraphale seemed to not be happy to have Crowley point that out.
I think it must have something to do with the song that played in his car, and I remember the narrator mentioned a nightingale singing, but that no one heard it, at the end of season 1 as well. However I didn’t understand why it was mentioned by Crowley right at that moment, nor at the end of season 1 actually.
If it won’t spoil anything coming in future would you mind explaining that line please? (Ps. I am completely smitten with this show and the characters. powerful television, bravo.) Thank you
The song is from Season 1. It was playing in the Ritz when they dined:
And the lyrics of the song may help to explain things.
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actual-changeling · 5 months
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Welcome back to Alex's unhinged meta corner, and today I have something surprisingly not kiss-related—though it is still about the final fifteen because hey, gotta keep the brand image.
I read this post by @goodoldfashionednightingale and began typing a small response. Then I made the mistake of drinking half a litre of coffee on an empty stomach right after taking my adhd meds and my brain began vibrating at the speed of light.
But oh, have I discovered parallels. This, my friends, is about the nightingale, where it comes from, what it means, and what the fuck happened in part 3 of 1941.
Ready? Let's go.
Now, as OP said in her post, s1e3 is important. In the script book, Neil himself says that these flashbacks are where the producers would tell him to cut scenes to save money. They suggested every single one—except for the one he ended up taking out, which was the bookshop opening scene set in 1800. The others are building blocks, you need them to see how their relationship progressed and what kind of important milestones they had.
(side note: author is very miffed that english does not have a separate subjunctive form like german which makes quoting lines way more confusing than it has to be)
The one I want to mention is neither 1941 nor 1967. No, what I want to talk about is 1601. This might be about to get a bit rambly but I will do my best to keep it tidy.
The focus of that flashback is on the Arrangement, yes, but it gives us a lot more information than that.
they both see Shakespeare's plays regularly, maybe even meet in the crowd
Crowley prefers the comedies
Aziraphale does not seem to have a preference, he enjoys the tragedies and presumably the comedies too
there is an oyster woman selling food -> reference to their meeting in Rome when Aziraphale tempted him to try some oysters
Aziraphale reflexively denies their relationship
Crowley might say he is not worried but circles Aziraphale the entire time, keeping watch
they both ask favours of each other and both agree to do them
What stands out to me in relation to what I am about to expand on is the line that Crowley delivers after Aziraphale's little 'buck up'—which Crowley finds adorable btw but that's a post for another time.
"Age does not wither nor custom stale his infinite variety."
Why would he say that? What exactly is prompting this? WHY say that specific line?
At first I thought it might be to tempt Shakespeare because he does commit art theft by just copying that line down, BUT I think there is more to that. So much more, in fact. I am wiggling now because I am very excited about this and my adhd meds are kicking in anyway.
First things first: the line itself.
It appears in Shakespeare's play Antony and Cleopatra, a romantic tragedy, which was first performed in 1607 aka six years after this meeting. Enobarbus is talking about Cleopatra and describing why Antony won't leave her. Her.
Ccrowley uses his—again, who is he even talking about? Hamlet? Shakespeare? Random poetic quote?
No, I think this line is about Aziraphale and it's a code. Right after, the next line from Aziraphale is "What do you want?", meaning that this is their code phrase for 'I have a favour to ask of you'.
Age does not wither nor custom stale his infinite variety
Age will not affect his appearance nor will he ever become boring to Antony. Crowley, who later chooses the name Anthony for himself, tells Aziraphale, an immortal, that he will never age and that he will never grow bored of him.
It's flattery, pure and simple, and it's code at the same time. This establishes the important fact that they might use more of Shakespeare's work as code/already have a system in place (even though he steals Crowley's line for later).
They play their little morality game of back and forth, Aziraphale agrees, Crowley probably manipulates the coin toss, and THEN we find out that the oyster woman is called Juliet.
Why? What is the meaning of that? Why give her a name and that name in particular? Why bring the sexy oysters back into it?
Romeo and Juliet premiered in 1597, so it is safe to assume they have both seen it by 1601, but this is mostly for the audience, not for us-or is it?
Aziraphale gives Crowley puppy eyes until he agrees to make Hamlet popular, and while I don't think Juliet itself is a code word, although it's very interesting that the OYSTER woman is the one with that name (especially adding what we now know about Job), Romeo and Juliet might be.
Yes, the Nightingale song came out in 1940 but the bird has been around for much, much longer, and, as many probably know by now, also shows up in Romeo and Juliet.
This is where I am starting to vibrate at the speed of light because listen to me. Listen.
Crowley is Juliet. Anthony J. Crowley. Antony Juliet Crowley.
(side note: I'm not saying that Crowley chose it based on that—though I am not not saying that—but that it is a clue for us at the audience.)
Why do I think that? In the play, Romeo spends the night with Juliet and then goes to leave as the night begins to end. Juliet tries to stop him and tells him that the birds they are hearing aren't larks, which sing at dawn, but nightingales, which sing at night.
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Who is the one always pushing for more? Crowley. He is the one trying to convince Aziraphale it's safe, they're safe to spend time together.
Romeo disagrees with Juliet and says 'I must be gone and live, or stay and die'.
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Leave and stay alive, or stay and hell/heaven will punish us. It gets even better though.
We all know how Romeo and Juliet ends: Romeo thinks Juliet is dead, kills himself, Juliet finds him and then kills herself too.
Hey, do you know how Antony and Cleopatra ends?
Antony thinks Cleopatra is dead, kills himself and dies in her arms, then Cleopatra also kills herself—by snake poison; Romeo also died by poison.
The parallels are THERE. They are jumping down our throats! Two tragedies, two sides, several familiar names and phrases, same fear, same ending.
I think by now you can guess how this ties back to 1941.
We do not see how that night ends, but we know it ends. One of them wants to stretch it out, maybe even quotes Romeo and Juliet because look at the setting!
Candlelight, wonderful night they spend together, the threat of Crowley's early demise, and, to quote the play once more, this time Romeo: I have more care to stay than will to go.
Crowley thought it was his last night on earth and went with Aziraphale to his bookshop, to be with him, because he cares more about that than the fact that he will be dragged to hell come morning. Do you remember?
"Expect a legion to come for you first thing tomorrow" THAT is the threat. They have until dawn, just like Romeo and Juliet, which is why she is so desperate for the birds to be nightingales. Fortunately for them, Aziraphale saves the day, BUT there is NO SECURITY. They do not KNOW if a legion will still show up or not. If dawn is a deadline and they will need to fight.
Sure, they improved their chances, but who knows? Maybe they will come for him anyway, it's not like hell is all fair and square.
The best part: it gets even better.
Juliet eventually panics and tells him to go, and Romeo drops a line that huh, sounds oddly familiar, doesn't it?
'More light and light, more dark and dark our woes!'
Remind me, what does Aziraphale say again? Ah, yes. Perhaps there is something to be said for shades of grey.
There is more. Yes, even more. We know the whole rescue relies on a magic trick, a switch. Guess what Juliet yearns for while telling Romeo to go save himself?
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Oh, now I would they had changed voices too. While they did not for Romeo and Juliet—they kiss and part—they did for our two. One fabulous switch and we're good.
(side note: Toads? Associated with hell. Larks? Associated with the dawn, yes, but also heaven since Romeo says 'Nor that is not the lark, whose notes do beat the vaulty heaven so high above our heads.')
So, this was a whole lot of information, let's see if I can summarize my thoughts.
I believe the nightingale is a code word that has existed even before 1941 and gained a lot of importance over the years. In 1941, the song is added to the meaning and whatever happened between the two that we have not seen yet, it fundamentally changed their relationship. Maybe they kissed, maybe one of them tried to convince the other to prolong the night but they parted on not-great terms.
The nightingale and the song become a symbol of hope, a goal to achieve, another uninterrupted night, maybe, or an uninterrupted life.
When they part in the final fifteen, it's morning. Crowley points at the sky and says "no nightingales", which at that point has several different layers to it.
No nightingales because their night is over, just like with Romeo and Juliet, and please, please allow me to add another detail, because I am frothing at the mouth over this. The scene I quoted, known as balcony scene, do you know what it is preceded by?
A ball.
Star-crossed lovers defying their sides, falling in love at a ball, getting a hurried, wonderful night together but torn apart by danger of punishment, the nightingale as a dream, as a wish for unhurried time together. Family rejection, torn apart by parents, willing to die for each other so they can reunite in death.
No nightingales. The ball, the romance, is over, their dancing is over, heaven is tearing them apart, and Aziraphale returns to heaven while they are both stuck in a pit of misunderstanding and miscommunication, all bound together by fear for each other.
The thing is, Crowley hates tragedies, he never liked the "gloomy ones", and he does not want them to end in one—luckily, this isn't the end. Yes, they kiss and part, but the play keeps going. We have an entire act 3 to fix what Romeo and Juliet couldn't, to ensure that this is a COMEDY, not a tragedy.
Both Antony & Cleopatra and Romeo & Juliet died out of fear, hurried into making bad decisions because they knew what would happen if their sides were to catch up with them.
Crowley and Aziraphale can reunite heaven and hell with love, not death. This is THEIR story and they are writing the ending. No more day and night, no more deadlines, no more hiding and sneaking about, no more fear of larks and sunshine.
Good Omens will end the way it began: In a garden with two no-longer-star-crossed lovers embracing the song of a lark as well as that of the nightingale.
I hope this made sense to everyone who was no present while my mind started to vibrate itself into a puddle because the thing is I can see Neil doing all of this completely on purpose.
Thoughts? Questions? Additions? Come and join me in my insanity and until next time I have a mental breakdown over this show (probably in like two hours).
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youryurigoddess · 3 months
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Aziraphale knew that a nightingale has never sung in Berkeley Square before, and may never sing there again, but if it does it will probably mean something.
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This is a complete set. Do not separate.
**WARNING: separating this set could cause the following symptoms: anxiety, heartbreak, uncontrolled crying, depression, no more nightingales, no more us.
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berrypaints · 4 months
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Cute Aziraphale and Crowley as nightingales 🪶🎨
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Joined a fun GO discord and this weeks sketchbook theme was nightingales 🪶
and here are some studies I did over the week
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Instagram | Twitter
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carowleysposts · 5 months
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What happened to Aziraphale and Crowley between 1941 and 1967?
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It is well known by the fandom that Aziraphale realizes he’s in love with Crowley after Crowley saves him and his books from the n4zis in 1941. That moment marks the shift of their relationship, when Aziraphale sees that not only did Crowley know him well enough to save his books, but also was there for the sole purpose of rescuing him - because he cared. This moment led to their most romantic adventure yet, which involved the car “is there anything i can do for you in return?” scene, the magic trick performance, the “trust me” moment and a very intimate, private, candlelit dinner.
They had crossed a very visible line in their relationship, you could see it in the way they were looking at each other, being more open, talking and drinking together. They were acting romantically towards each other, even if they couldn’t admit it or talk about it.
But then, the next time we see them, it’s almost like they moved backwards in they’re relationship. Aziraphale is practically unable to look directly at Crowley when he first gets in the car. And then we get the iconic, yet heartbreaking and confusing “you go too fast for me, Crowley”. And you can see that Aziraphale looks almost mournful after saying that.
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I saw a post on twitter comparing the two car scenes - the one where Aziraphale is practically throwing himself at Crowley and then the one where he’s hesitant towards him.
And it made me think. Like, whatever happened between those two car scenes has an impact that lasts for many years, as we can CLEARLY see that 2008 Aziraphale and Crowley were still a bit colder and more distant than their 1941 selves. Their relationship backtracked a lot from that candlelit dinner. And i don’t think that’s a plot hole, i truly think there’s something we don’t know yet.
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Of course, after the events of season one, they’re back to being really close, their dynamic is pretty much restored and we can see them hold hand in the bus - which David Tennant has confirmed happened, and it is heavily implied that Aziraphale stays at Crowley’s that night, where they did the body swap for the trials.
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BUT! In the first episode of Season 2, Aziraphale mentions that he had to do the “i’m sorry” dance in 1941. It definitely happened after that candlelit dinner, so could that event - which led to the apology dance - be connected to why they had a temporary falling out? What was it that happened after that dinner? Are we going to see more from 1941?
It has been the only time period that was shown in both seasons, and it was perhaps the most romantic and significant time they’ve spent together prior to the events of season two. Perhaps they went a little too far and weren’t prepared for that? Perhaps they’ve miscommunicated and had a big fight? I don’t know, i’m hoping our dearest @neil-gaiman has an answer for that.
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Also, when Crowley says “no nightingales” before kissing Aziraphale, Aziraphale seems to understand perfectly what he’s referring to. He looks absolutely crushed after Crowley says that. So it led me to believe something in the past made them associate “A Nightingale Sang in Berkeley Square” to their relationship and perhaps talk about it. And i believe that, if i am correct and they have talked about the nightingales before, it was in 1941. But then, what do I know?
I would REALLY love to see your theories as to what happened between them after that dinner, if anything at all. Also, does anyone wanna be moots? My posts have been very successful but i’m not getting followers and i really want to meet more of you.
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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.
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brainwormcity · 1 month
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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.
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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. 😭
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fuckyeahgoodomens · 9 months
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Hi! Hope you’re having an Armageddon free day! So you don’t even have to answer this at all if this sounds like a hopeless or pointless ask, but I’ve been reading all these analyses of literally EVERY SINGLE PART of s2, and there’s one thing that threw me off that I was hoping you might be able to give some input or theories on!
Something that’s been confusing me is the significance of the song “A Nightingale Sang in Berkeley Square” both as a component of the show and in the actual GO universe. I know they play it during the s1 credits and also as Crowley is driving in s2, but the thing that threw me off was when Crowley explicitly mentions nightingales towards the end. Now it can’t just be something only the viewers hear anymore, but it has to also mean something between Aziraphale and Crowley too.
I couldn’t figure out why this song (or maybe just nightingales?) would be so important to Crowley and Aziraphale within the story itself? Like so important to be brought up in their big breakup fight?? And what does it mean when Crowley points out there are no nightingales singing??? Does it symbolize the absence of hope? Love?? Trust?????
TLDR; Why does Crowley know about the nightingales, why would they be important to the both of them, and what does it mean when the two can’t hear them? Would love to hear your thoughts because I honestly have no clue!
Hiya! I am pretty sure they do hear it. It has been said that their presence influences the surroundings - such as when the Witchfinder General movie plays in the background when Crowley meets Shadwell in the café. So I think them being so happy and together in the Ritz made the Ritz play...
That certain night, the night we met, There was magic abroad in the air. There were angels dining at the Ritz And a nightingale sang in Berkeley Square. I may be right, I may be wrong, But I’m prefectly willing to swear That when you turned and smiled at me A nightingale sang in Berkeley Square…
And it was a them and love and hope and happy ending moment and Crowley is saying that this is not a them and love and hope and happy ending moment...:'(, not the right way to go.
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bluessom1 · 4 months
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The streets of town were paved with stars ✨
Aziraphale x Crowley short comic page 2/2 - First page : Here
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