Singer Reacts to Ethel Cain--"Preacher's Daughter" FULL and UNCUT

[@jacksonsd6]

Here’s a (kind of) quick summary of the lore if you need it :) Ethel Cain is from Shady Grove Alabama and is the daughter of Joseph (the preacher) and Vera. The album takes place in 1991 when Ethel is 20, and her dad died 10 years before the events of the album. The man she’s singing about in House in Nebraska is named Willoughby Tucker, who was her highschool love (as she says in the song), but the broke up because of Ethel’s actions/behavior. The house isn’t actually in Nebraska, but an abandoned house that they would imagine was there. Western Nights is about another man named Logan Phelps, who is a criminal and in the lore later dies in a police shootout. Her father was also abusive to her, as shown in Family Tree and Hard Times. She then runs away to Texas where, in Thoroughfare, she meets Isaiah. While it seems like a happy song, there’s a missing poster Hayden made that says Ethel was last seen being forced into a black truck, so Ethel could be an unreliable narrator. Then in Gibson Girl, they’ve reached California and Isaiah has began pimping her out and giving her drugs. Ptolemaea is her hallucinating. August Underground and Televangelism is her dying (from being killed by Isaiah) and her soul going to heaven, respectively. Hayden has said they’re kind of two parts of the same song, with AU being Ethel’s physical death and TV being more of her spiritual death. SBF is her reflecting on her life after she’s died and thinking about how she still finds comfort in the church even though she hasn’t had the best experience with it. And finally, in Stranger’s, Isaiah eats a piece of her body which then poisons him. Then the slower part at the end is her talking to her mom :) Her next project is an EP of the b-sides of this album that will focus on Ethel’s teenage years and her relationship with Willoughby :). then her next two albums after that will focus on Ethel’s mom, and then her paternal grandmother making it a trilogy. she also plans to write 3 books (of which she’s currently writing the first) and make 3 movies

[@specificsoup]

you know my one confusion about the lore of this album is, when did her Dad die? in Western nights there's the line about her not having talked to her daddy in a long long time, something about she doesn't want him to worry... how is that possible, if he's already dead at that point?

[@jacksonsd6]

@@specificsoup 10 years before the events of the album in a fire. she hasn’t talked to him in a while because he’s been dead, and by not wanting him to worry she prob means his spirit

[@YmmotSfeccs]

fun fact ethel is actually writing a book about the album!!!

[@angelheart_]

She’s always saying that shes never getting it out

[@pupkru]

@@angelheart_it’s not like writing a good book is simple thing.

[@isasaglam7587]

What's it called?

[@triniskittles_]

One of my favorite things about this album is that the beginning alludes that it was always going to end up like this. "The fates already fucked me sideways" there was nothing she could do to save herself.

[@cl4irv0yanc3]

Before I begin watching oh my god you're so pretty. Your eyes could melt a human being, literally a siren

[@ScarlettSirenOfficial]

Thank you so much! You're so sweet!

[@xoxowena]

She produced almost all of it by herself like actually so grateful to be alive in this time period suddenly

[@alexsatrium]

Family Tree (Intro) 1:13 [Already Knows] American Teenager 8:49 [Already Knows] A House In Nebraska 16:40 Western Nights 27:17 Family Tree 37:33 Hard Times 47:02 Throughfare 55:44 Gibson Girl 1:06:48 Ptolemaea 1:14:39 August Underground 1:23:19 Televangelism 1:27:05 Sun Bleached Flies 1:31:38 Strangers 1:40:30

[@manyyoumas]

but they, alas, did not update

[@alexsatrium]

i forgot ngl@@manyyoumas

[@sunshinehobi8954]

I love this reaction! The fact that you managed to pick up on lots of the plot line without knowing much before hand is amazing!

[@Hybridcomplex12]

Strangers is such a hauntingly beautiful and captivating song that really does compliment sun bleached flies in that she's accepted that's what the man she loves is and she's loving him despite what he's done and doing to her. and the ending nods to her upcoming projects as her next album is from the characters mothers point of view

[@flawed1]

This is the first album I’ve fallen in love with in years. It single-handedly inspired me to actively search for new music that I enjoy. I’m not sure what the line “ labored breath and bedsores..” means in any sort of literal sense, but it certainly sets the stage for the tone of pain and stagnation

[@flawed1]

“I’d hold the gun if you ask me too, but if you love me like you say you do, would you ask me to?” This is another interesting line because there’s some passive aggressiveness here and maybe even some codependency. I’ll do what you ask, but I’m going to resent you for it. Well, just tell him no in the first place….

[@mattbeaven1847]

I imagine the bedsores lyric as her dreaming about growing old with Willoughby (he ex-lover), even in “sickness and death” he’d still be by her side singing to her “all day long”, but he’s obviously left. It’s sad

[@CrimsonTide72]

The gun line is about the kind of love where you'd do whatever they want/need, but if it's something that isn't good for you and could harm you, then would someone that loves you in return even ask you to do that in the first place? No. It's an unhealthy love. And this line isn't about her first love, Willoughby. It's about the men who hurt her, asking her to do things they know will hurt her and her willingly doing it out of "love".

[@CrimsonTide72]

It has multiple meanings. That's how much time they spent in that house in Alabama, pretending they were living in a house in Nebraska. It's about the trope "in sickness and in health, for better or worse, til death do us part", and a physical interpretation of the intergenerational trauma she has experienced and being loved still by Willoughby, while fully aware of what she has experienced. She's broken and he still wants her made physical.

[@sainteamelie]

i watched the whole thing without skipping anything because you’re so real and honest and nice that it felt like we were sharing this together, thank you 🙏❣️

[@ScarlettSirenOfficial]

That is so lovely! Thank you so much! ❤️

[@Fiveash-Art]

There's definitely something about her music that touches deep ... First time I heard her I was crying ... it was really weird. I rarely have that sort of reaction with most contemporary musicians ... She hits hard. An incredible artist for sure.

[@DioJeans]

i'm honestly impressed, you're the first reactor I've seen that recognized what Ptolemaea was on first glance

[@ScarlettSirenOfficial]

Sometimes, being a librarian has its advantages!

[@jnknoire9781]

Amazing reaction! I’d do anything to experience my first listen to this album all over again. And yes she did play the piano in Televangelism! She writes and produce all of her songs but I think she did get a musician or two to help play the instruments in some songs. She’s such an amazing and creative artist and definitely deserves all the success in the world.

[@badmiracle]

this was such a wonderful and thoughtful reaction - loved how you hit the nail on the head with so many of your thoughts especially re: gibson girl. it’s such a layered album - though “ethel” herself is a character and her larger arc is mostly fictional, hayden has talked at length about how it (and her music in general) stems a lot from abuse she experienced growing up in the church and how her relationship with religion has changed over the years, especially struggling with sexuality and gender and ultimately coming out as trans.

[@badmiracle]

and yes, hayden played the piano for televangelism herself! she said it was mostly an improvised piece.

[@mattbeaven1847]

@@badmiracleapparently it was all 1 take too. So amazing 😭😭

[@enpastillao]

my favorite reaction ever i love this, i love you mam

[@avamai]

i love how spot on you were with Gibson Girl

[@fugostrawberries]

i have watched many people to react to this amazing album but I've got to say, this one might be one of my favourites due to how authentic it is! Your vibes are very much comforting and I really enjoyed just listening and watching you process the album on your own with little to no context and not following along with the story! thank you for the video

[@randychavez1979]

Iconic!

[@ayelen483]

Firsr of all, you're eyes and voice are BEAUTIFUL, GORGEOUS! Thank you for clarifying about the "Del" part, I'm from Argentina and details like that passes me by- being things so intricate in the culture of a country. Thank you for reacting to this album, one of the best ones and top three of the last years, at least, for me. Im sorry about your divorce, I send you all the love and light and peace in the whole world 😔 I'm sorry for any grammatical mistakes, too ❤

[@cookiehustle]

this is the first concept album i’ve ever heard and it shook me to my core 😭 if anyone has more recommendations let me knoww

[@AmyAberrant]

Fight like a girl - Emilie Autumn

[@nickwolf6116]

The Downward Spiral - Nine Inch Nails

[@shortinsomniac76]

Some of the best known that weren't mentioned are Electra Heart by Marina and the Diamonds, The Wall by Pink Floid and The Black Parade by My Chemical Romance. Then almost every Mountain Goats album counts also a little shitty scify The Mechanisms is a steampunk band, if you are into that

[@AnxietyRat]

I second Electra Heart by Marina and the diamonds. I would also like to recommend Melodrama by Lorde. It's one of my favorite concept albums.

[@basti8389]

honestly the best reaction i've seen from this album ty so much

[@ScarlettSirenOfficial]

Thank you!

[@Dragon09431]

Love how eloquent you are, loved this reaction ! + the color of your eyes is so mesmerizing

[@DannBP1]

There's a pdf out there somewhere with all the Ethel Cain lore. Just Google it. And she's done loads of other songs - all equally traumatic. Inbred is soul-crushing. I can't get enough of her music. Ethel toured Australia in June and all her shows sold out instantly - sadly, I was unable to obtain one due to the insane demand. She collapsed during one of her shows in Sydney, but she was okay by the next day. I hope the poor thing isn't pushing herself too hard. Your reaction to "the scream" was priceless. And I admire that you picked up on what was happening in most of the songs a lot quicker than other people I've seen. "Did he eat her?"

[@AniLuna14]

Best reaction to this album I’ve seen 👏🏻

[@carsen9566]

its always so wonderful to see people experience an album you love. ethel cain is a wonderful storyteller, and even when you separate these tracks from their narrative context they don't lose any of their impact or emotional weight. this was such a thoughtful reaction ❤️ i'd love to see you react to "And In The Darkness, Hearts Aglow" by Weyes Blood if you haven't already heard it. it's beautiful

[@kevenpeoples]

Thank you for a heartfelt review and being vulnerable enough to share with us what you are going through. And your eyes are gorgeous!

[@rebdominerebismine3975]

This album brings me some tears and sadness, but think it’s definitely pure art. It was like I watched the whole good serial on Netflix with so atmospheric southern gothic vibes ❤ wow. Thanks for this simple but sincere analysis

[@luvraekens334]

Thank you for this amazing reaction!! I enjoyed this so much. Ethel has released four projects - 3 EP’s and this album. I very much recommend that you listen to/react to her EP titled Inbred, especially if you like the electric guitar/rock side of her music like you said. It has some lore to it, it’s not quite related to the Preacher’s Daughter storyline but the title track Inbred has an amazing amount of lore for a 3 minute song 😭 Can’t wait to hopefully see more Ethel reactions soon, and hopefully the reaction to the next project which will be the b-sides to Preacher’s Daughter!

[@SpiritHunterDSG]

It’s so sad because even in strangers, she still wishes to please Isaiah from the afterlife and it’s tearing her apart seeing him get sick from her. 😭

[@kornflixi5247]

so nice you referenced florence welch - she's her biggest inspiration! don't forget to check out their collab

[@matheus8530]

5:45 "Excuse me? Miss Ma'am" lmao

[@jack2653]

Oh I loved your reaction to this! Ethel is one of my absolute favorite artists so seeing anyone experience and enjoy this album for the first time brings me so much joy. She has plenty more work to dig through if you're interested. Three prior EPs, Carpet Bed is very accoustic and lo-fi, Golden Age has some electronics to it, and Inbred is very 90s alt rock inspired (and closest thematically to Preacher's Daughter). She also just put out a new song today called Famous Last Words. Later this year she has another body of work coming out that will focus on the character Willoughby (the man she's singing about in House in Nebraska)

[@Ag8844]

hard times is about her father

[@ishouldhelpthisguy]

Loved your reaction very much!! Such a heartwrenching album 😢

[@aaa-sk6vl]

Amazing reaction,, thank you for sharing

[@specificsoup]

August Underground is the name of a really gross horror movie - it’s not a snuff film but it’s sort of made to resemble one. So that was a fitting track title lol

[@gaurangsharma7097]

loved your reaction sm❤

[@davewindburn]

I loved your reaction to this amazing album so much, thank you! You have very acute hearing. By the way, Hard Times is actually about her dad r*ping her when she was a child. The "I'm tired of you still tied to me" line has a literal meaning.

[@nahuelconstantine]

It always crashes me when she asks for “her daddy real bad” when he was abusing her. The one who should protect you abuses you, and you need protection from the only figure you have, parents. Too much to handle.

[@msandrie]

so excited to see what you think! also you have really pretty eyes 💗

[@CianKiejun]

Wonderful reaction, I have had the tendency to look up reactions to this album and I'm always glad to come across any new ones. You have a lovely voice yourself, I want to add, when you sang along to the songs you already heard and knew. It has that nice tremble/vibrato - I'm sorry if I'm butchering terms here, I do not have a musical background whatsoever; I just enjoy music, storytelling, and lyrics. I would like to add to the many comments that have been made, which are all very insightful and give more depth to the story. Someone already mentioned on how Hayden herself is a trans woman, this can also apply to Ethel, though Hayden has been very ambiguous about that. Nonetheless, when looking at the lyrics and a variety of the songs it does tie in nicely: Family Tree especially, where she is baptised like you noticed, in a sense reborn as the woman she was always meant to be. 'That will make a woman out of me' while it can be interpreted very negatively and correlate to abuse, hurt, and trauma - it shows she is a fighter, if that is what it takes to become the woman she was born to be, then so be it. Which also alludes to the struggle of trans people and the violence they are often subjected to during their lives that are unfortunately cut short quite often. Gibson Girl is also a prime example, where Ethel is pimped out by Isaiah and her body exploited; trans women often resort to sex work, where they are subjected and turned into a fetish by men. Other little things: - Ptolemaea, you mentioned Dante, is the circle of hell that represents a (lover's) betrayal. - If you would like to, you could check out her EPs or even the recent release Famous Last Words (Ode To Eaters) which is another song about cannibalism and part of a compilation album for a brand she is working with I believe. Ethel did state that her previous work is not linked to the narrative and the story of Ethel Cain, it is separate as she was still discovering her sound and trying to figure out what direction she wanted to go but it are amazing songs regardless. Cheers from the Netherlands. x

[@GUGATWP]

need to see more, did a phenomenal job

[@brysonolivarez9178]

I love your reaction so much 🥰

[@unidentifiedflyingbill8311]

love your reaction ❤

[@crysta11ine]

11:08 COME ON VOCAAALS YAAAAS

[@momaroria15]

Absolutely adored your reaction! It's one of my all time favorite albums and I love the way you react. Also an interesting thing to note that while the character of Ethel Cain is intended to be a cis woman, Hayden (the artist behind it all) is in fact a trans woman which does come across in a lot of the themes of these songs.

[@varianrazer5447]

Was the sexual abuse from hard times fictional as well?

[@momaroria15]

@@varianrazer5447 yes

[@eltonfan62]

I'm 61 and a little confused on all the "trans" going on.Does this mean Hayden is actually a guy transition to a girl or the other way around.

[@momaroria15]

@@eltonfan62 hayden is a woman

[@mxh098]

@@eltonfan62she was born in a man’s body but is a woman on the inside so she has transitioned the outside of her body into a woman’s. she is female

[@mirrorballmemories]

That was a really, really amazing reaction. You have a first person who understood what Ptolomea was immediately. Ethel has a couple other EP's I would really enjoy it if you reacted to her Inbred ep - it was the release she did before preachers daughter.

[@gannonyouth]

I died laughing when you realized she was being cannibalized 😭😭

[@pariahcarrey]

Gibson Girl 🙌

[@yesterdayssjamm]

i believe ethel is 20 for most of the album then turns 21 right before she gets killed

[@Hey_Jamie]

Hi scarlet! I know you didn’t ask for it and it’s not my place at all to offer suggestions unprompted, however… if you accept outsiders-critique meant _purely_ to provide insight and not to criticize, I would suggest moving the camera much further back from your face, and then zoom cropping it to be the frame size you want. As opposed to having it pulled in so close to your face and using that footage as is. Reason being, having it so close distorts the image and warps the shape of your head. Whereas having the camera further away and then cropping the frame in editing to be where you want it will be a much more aesthetically pleasing visual.

[@selenacarpenter6550]

I thought the crosses all over my body was SH scars

[@CharleeXK]

Stalkerish Florida man, 🚩 red flag 🚩

[@CharleeXK]

How did we get here? Short answer: men

[@ademirjunior2395]

I need the Norman Fucking Rockwell! by Lana Del Rey full reaction. love your channel, +1 subscribe. kiss kiss 🇧🇷