"Mother Earth" is the third single of Dutch

Netherlands

The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...

 symphonic metal

Symphonic metal

Symphonic metal is a term used to describe heavy metal music that has symphonic elements; that is, elements that are either borrowed from classical music or, as with progressive rock music, create a style reminiscent of it, e.g...

 band Within Temptation

Within Temptation

Within Temptation is a Dutch symphonic gothic metal/rock band founded in 1996 by vocalist Sharon den Adel and guitarist Robert Westerholt. Their music is described as symphonic metal, although their earlier material, such as Enter, was gothic metal. In an interview, Den Adel said they fell into a...

 from their second studio album, Mother Earth

Mother Earth (album)

Mother Earth is the second studio album by Dutch symphonic metal/rock band Within Temptation. Originally released on December 4, 2000 in the Netherlands, and August 21, 2001 in other parts of Europe, it quickly became a success in the band's heartland, reaching platinum status in the Netherlands...

. The song peaked at #14 on the Germany Singles Top 100.

Along with the singles Ice Queen

Ice Queen

"Ice Queen" is the second single of Dutch symphonic metal band Within Temptation from their second studio album Mother Earth.The song is one of Within Temptation's most successful songs to date in Europe....

and Stand My Ground

Stand My Ground

"Stand My Ground" is the first single from Dutch symphonic metal/rock band Within Temptation's The Silent Force. The song is also included on the U.S. edition of the band's 2007 album The Heart of Everything. It became a top 10 hit in 3 countries and became a top 40 hit in 4 other countries...

, Mother Earth has become one of the bands signature song

Signature song

A signature song is the one song that a popular and well-established singer or band is most closely identified with or best known for, even if they have had success with a variety of songs...

s and is present on the setlist at almost every concert. It was also used as the theme for the German translation of the anime X

X (manga)

, also known as X/1999, is a Japanese shōjo manga series created by Clamp, a creative team made up by Satsuki Igarashi, Nanase Ohkawa, Tsubaki Nekoi, and Mokona. It premiered in Monthly Asukas May 1992 issue and ran there until the magazine's editors showed concern with the increasingly violent...

.

Track listing

CD single (2002 Dutch release)

1. "Mother Earth (Single Version)"
2. "Bittersweet"

CD single (2002 Dutch release)

1. "Mother Earth"
2. "Bittersweet"
3. "Ice Queen"
4. "Mother Earth (Live at 013, Tilburg 2002)"
5. "Our Farewell (Live at 013, Tilburg 2002)"
6. "Mother Earth (Live at Paris, 2002)"

CD single (2003 German release)

1. "Mother Earth
2. "Mother Earth (Live at Lowlands)"

CD single (2003 German release)

1. "Mother Earth"
2. "Dark Wings"
3. "Our Farewell"

CD Maxi (2003 German release)

1. "Mother Earth (Single Version)"
2. "Jane Doe (Non-Album-Track)"
3. "Ice Queen (Live Acoustic Version)"
4. "Never Ending Story (Live Acoustic Version)"
5. "Mother Earth (Live at Lowlands)"

Video

Although it's their third music video, the video for Mother Earth is the first professional one. It was directed by Patric Ullaeus

Patric Ullaeus

Patric Ullaeus is an award winning director, photographer and artist. He is the founder of Revolver Film Company which is based in Sweden.-Videography:2011Patric Ullaeus is an award winning director, photographer and artist...

. Filming location was by lake Delsjön near Gothenburg

Gothenburg

Gothenburg is the second-largest city in Sweden and the fifth-largest in the Nordic countries. Situated on the west coast of Sweden, the city proper has a population of 519,399, with 549,839 in the urban area and total of 937,015 inhabitants in the metropolitan area...

, Sweden

Sweden

Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....

. The video has a strong nature/pagan theme, with several aerial shots of lakes and forests as well as different animals. Sharon den Adel

Sharon den Adel

Sharon Janny den Adel is a Dutch singer and composer, best known as the lead vocalist and one of the main songwriters in the Dutch symphonic metal/rock band Within Temptation...

is first shown as a woman (presumably "Mother Earth") transforming into an owl that flies around rivers and mountains. She is then depicted as walking around in the forest as a sort of magical spirit, interacting with nature, and performing in a forest glade with the rest of the band.

Charts

Chart (2004)	Peak position
Germany Singles Top 100	14
Dutch Top 40	25
Swiss Singles Top 100	81