#similar to the message of first light by hozier

[stardusted-bookworm]

It ain't the being alone.

She'd been alone all her life. Had grown comfortable with it. Had known loneliness like an old friend. Had known. For never had loneliness wounded her the way it did now. She now knows that loneliness had left her long ago and had not been her companion since he walked into her life.

It ain't the empty home, baby.

She looks around at the house they'd called home. She is haunted by a memory. A memory of the rafters being filled with laughter and joy as he waltzed her around their dining room. A memory of the smell of spiced meats and mouth-watering dishes. Memories of endless hours of talking, of enjoying each others' companies as the fire crackled and the rain poured down outside.

These memories fade, leaving her in the cold, desolate house she had built for them. Portraits smile at her from the walls, cruel remembrances of a time no longer present. The fire no longer crackles. The stove no longer houses their cooking. And the floors remain un-danced.

You know I'm good on my own.

As she stares at a dent in the wall, she also remembers the endless fights. Him complaining that she was always gone. Shouting that she was never around. Her yelling back that she was around. All the time. That she should be allowed her own time and space. That she shouldn't need to be so firmly attached to him at all times that they fuse into one person. They had been born separate for a reason.

She remembers the silence after that. Should've predicted what came next.

You know it's more the being unknown.

He did not speak to her again, except for short words, curt answers. He was never in the house unless it was to sleep, and somedays, he did not even return for that. He no longer remembered the secrets they had shared with smiles. He no longer cared to remember her favorites, her laugh, her song. It was as if he was methodically un-remembering her.

And oh, how her heart broke at that.

And there are some people, love, who are better unknown.

She presses a hand to her chest, surprised to see it come away clean. The pain of her heart is so acute she believes she should be bleeding.

For it was not just the un-remembering. She had found out later, after he had left for the last time, that he had found someone new. Had wooed and courted this other with as much fervor as he had her. Had made them laugh, had danced with them, had enjoyed their company as ardently as he had with her.

It was then her heart cleaved. Was rent in two. Never to be mended. To be removed completely from his memory... to be treated as if she had never existed... No, there was no coming back from that.

It would've been better if she had never met him, she thinks to herself. For the good did not outweigh the bad.

She thinks back to how often he would dismiss her. Would not share in her excitement the closer they got to the end. Was it her fault? Should she have tried harder?

No. Her resolve hardens. The blame is not hers to carry. Not when he left the way he did. Not when he abandoned her before she even knew it was over.

She stands and looks at the match burning in her hand. She lets it fall to the ground and walks out of the burning house, burning the memories of him with it.

Nothing would grow on that patch of land again. She had ensured it. Had coaxed her magic back to her after years of suppressing it to make him happy. Never again would she debase herself the way she had allowed him to debase her.

She is the most powerful witch of her age. And the world would remember her power once more.

Starting with him and his pretty new bride.

[cauliflowermaterial]

1,10,15,23 for the music ask !!! :D

What are your 5 most played songs?

Ohohooo i like this question because i LOVE sharing what im currently listening to!

Sir Sly — High :: There is something so ADDICTIVE about the pre chorus!!! the bass line also tickles my brain. it feels good to be up above the clouds~

Hozier — Eat Your Young :: I was down BAD for this song.... the lyrics, the music, his voice—i mean come on. get some, pull up the ladder when the flood comes~

George Benson — Give me the night (The Tailors Remix) :: Grooving!!!! What more is there to say besides give me the night~

Young MC — Bust A Move :: BOPPING!!!!!! yea!!!!!!!!

Vantage — 50//50 :: chill futuristic vibes :)) badapaaaa badaaa badaaaaaa~

3 songs you have with a name in the title

Will Wood — Mr. Capgras Encounters a Secondhand Vanity :: forgot how much I like this song haha

The Beatles — Eleanor Rigby :: classic.

Encanto — We Don't Talk About Bruno :: hey, it slaps and it counts.

What album will you always listen to all the way through?

The Postal Service — Give Up :: the songs are just different enough for them to have their own feel and message, but just similar enough to maintain a consistent... vibe... energy... all the way through. perfect for those nights sitting on the balcony looking at the city lights and just.... reflecting. yea.

Put your phone on shuffle, what song comes up first? Do you know every word to this song?

Frank Sinatra — My Way :: hmm no i don't think I actually know every word to this song. the only song I can say for certain that I know every word to would be Yakko's World lmao but the odds of that coming up out of the well over 500 songs on my phone were slim.

————

I hope all the links work!!! i could make a seperate post for each of these songs <33333

[akookminsupporter]

okay so i have recently watched this video "https://youtu.be/_ueqjLflefQ" which i highly recommend!! anyways, it reminded me of how some insecure jikookers which most are from the west deem that jikook would never come out and thus would blame south korea's homophobic stance. however, as you have said before, "gay (lgbtq+) people exist everywhere". i think this comes from a techno-orientalist stance where from a western perspective those in the east would /never/ have gay people bc /of course/ they're all robots and serve their government. (sarcasm). i'm southeast asian from an extremely christian-catholic country, most of my country's values derive from homophobia and misogyny. however, time and time again in my country lgbtq folks always make their presence known. sure, the media we consume come off as stereotypical, however, other lgbtq folks do their best to break off these stereotypes and put out newer media with even better representation. not to mention, how lgbtq+ folks would always create safe spaces for each other away from homophobes. (again why would drag bars even exist?) -----------separate topic lol about the core of the video mentioned above. elliot (the bestie talking in the vid) states how extremely different an audience's reception of a dark-themed album in comparison with something bright? light-themed. the example given there was fake love in comparison with the three english songs the boys have put out. i don't like ptd, musically i don't like listening to it but whenever it's mentioned i cry bc of how beautiful its message is, especially the sign-language incorporated in the dance. such a truly great song! (and i'm extremely jealous of you who like listening to it SDNASD). n e ways, i noticed how it received such a mixed reception, with others stating how bad it was because it's "not bts" even tho bts wouldn't even release a song they're never satisfied with. remember that bangtan chose to dance to this song in the un, bc they wanted to present a song positive song about allowing one's self happiness in a time of tragedy alongside their heartfelt speeches. so truly disheartening that a song not dark-themed would be deemed as something not art bc it's light. i remember when it was rumored that hozier was going to release an edm song and how his fans became enranged bc it strayed away from his usual "deep, dark, depressing art". i think we should learn to appreciate light-hearted songs and not already dismiss its message and lyricism because of its outward appearance. -----sorry just wanted to talk about the video above and scream into the void of your own askbox ansds. thank you for taking the time to read this!! (and i know the ptd discourse has been talked about a ton but i wanted to put some of my thoughts about it, now that the hostility towards the song has cooled down) thank you once again! i hope you have a wonderful day/afternoon/night rosie 💗✨

I am ashamed to admit that this ask was sent weeks ago and I never had time to post it. In my defence answering this ask meant watching a relatively long video that I knew was going to force me to concentrate and think aahhaah.

Anon I finally watched the video and I think I can answer your ask. I'll try to do it paragraph by paragraph and part by part.

First part:

Paragraph 1: Thanks for the video recommendation and yes, it is very good. I have watched several videos from that YouTuber and they are good.

Yes, I think some of you remember how at the beginning of this blog and among the many discussions we have had about LGTBI+ and what that means in countries like South Korea, I received asks with similar arguments. I remember they ranged from 'South Korea is homophobic in general ergo they will never come out of the closet' to 'In Korea being LGTBI+ is not something that society agrees with so I don't think they are a couple' and there were also those who said that Jimin for example, once said he wanted to be a dad so he couldn't have a relationship with another man.

As if going against who you really are is that easy.

Paragraph 2: Oh yes, the West has a singular and mostly ignorant? concept of countries in the East in general. For many in the west, eastern countries are all about machismo, religion, tradition, hierarchy and in the case of some countries, war. The same goes for African and Latin countries. Even, and in this case, I will say the USA as a synonym of the West, has a singular concept of what Europe is (I still find it incredible that many people in the USA refer to Africa, Europe and AMERICA as if they were countries and not continents with several countries inside!)

In the case of South Korea or in the case of Jimin and Jungkook these are two of the arguments you hear most often. Funny how some people see things in black and white when it is convenient.

Paragraph 3: I agree with you. Just because something is "not allowed" or frowned upon by society doesn't mean it doesn't happen. In countries like South Korea the exposure to globalisation, technology and simply that times are different, that many generations for some time now come with a different chip, with a different way of thinking and although they still live in a society that in general is still homophobic, the LGTBI+ community is gaining ground every day. Space. Their voice is being heard and people are seeing them.

It is impossible to deny that societies like South Korea still have a long way to go on many issues but we cannot deny that changes, although small, are happening.

Part two.

In my opinion, that's one of the biggest problems with this fandom in general.

I think we've all at some point read a fan say that the BTS of today is different or that the music of their first albums was so much better, maybe some of you have said something similar. And it's their right to say it but it's unfair.

Human beings in general are selfish beings, we generally want what makes us happy no matter at whose expense. In the case of artists, many fans want them to transform their feelings, situations etc., into songs or into the art they perform so that they can identify with them. This demand sometimes doesn't matter if the artist doesn't feel that way or it's simply not art that they want to show the world. Or they just don't care that for an artist to give them that kind of art would mean that the artist must be basically sad, as Elliot put it. That's where the selfish part comes in.

I understand that as fans we can make certain demands on the artist but I don't think those demands are to tell them what kind of art to release.

In the case of BTS they have said several times how their albums reflect what they were feeling at the time, what they were living at the time, what they wanted to criticize at the time. What they wanted to say at the time. And you can see that in all their albums.

As fans we have the right to dislike something but we have to be respectful of other people's work.

I remember when Butter was announced we had discussions about it here and I remember saying that everyone had a right to feel that way but they had no right to criticize BTS's commitment to their art and reason for releasing X song.

For an artist, their art is their means of expression. It is the way, sometimes, they show their fans how they feel, what their current existence in the world is like. If the song isn't sad, isn't dark, isn't deprecating but just the opposite, shouldn't we be happy?

You can definitely like dark songs, sad songs etc., in fact, those are the songs I like the most but that should never be at the expense of the creativity or mood of an artist no matter if they are your favourite or not.

I saw this sentence in one of the comments of the video and I want to finish my answer with it:

"If you need trauma from another to enjoy yourself, you might wanna look into that."

[whatiwillsay]

DA3

DA3: costumes

1.10.19

geometry

questo amore

bowery

moonlight (hold me in the)

on the dl

kitten

a 13 dollar bill

—

The title of this album is a lyric from “kitten.” More generally, though, masking/secrets are a theme of this album, making the title thematically appropriate.

“1.10.19” is a song that confirms that Klossgron did, in fact, hook up between two and four times. The song is sonically a mix of “Still Into You” by Paramore and “This Love.” (I know that sounds impossible, but trust me, it works.) In it, Dianna reminisces about how she had a casual hookup(s) with this one person, but she ultimately found herself in over her head. She mentions the baggage and drama surrounding the situation and admits that she only pursued this person initially out of a sense of revenge and satisfaction—almost like, Karlie’s not into you anymore, Taylor, but now she’s into me, so what does that say about the fact that you left me for her? (even though I know that Taylor did not actually primarily leave Dianna for Karlie—this is my fake fan fic album, lol, so I’ll fan fic some Swiftgron/Kaylor drama too, haha). The title is the date of the infamous Klossgron blind item.

“geometry” is a song in which math terms are used as metaphors/symbols for specific relationship issues. It’s a jazzy song that includes a sample of Oscar Peterson piano playing. Notably, the chorus includes the lyric: “Your treacherous slope / Had me falling, falling / Down the rabbit hole / Blind with love but running out of hope.” (Slope is a math term indicating the steepness of a line. I gave the equation for it in my original submission.) This lyric is significant for a few reasons. First, it is an obvious parallel to “this slope is treacherous” in “Treacherous.” Second, it mentions falling down the rabbit hole. Lastly, “blind with love” is a parallel to Taylor’s “BLIND FOR LOVE” jacket in the LWYMMD music video.

“questo amore” is an Italian phrase that translates to “This Love” (yes, like the Taylor song). The entire song is sung in Italian, and its genre is jazz standard/swing (think early Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, even a little bit of Ella Fitzgerald influence, etc.) It has a full band, including an extensive saxophone and brass sections. The song is a pretty cookie cutter love song for Filippo. But here’s where things get interesting—in one lyric, Dianna mispronounces an Italian word so that it sounds more like “Taylor” than the actual word. All of us have flashbacks to when Taylor misspelled Hyannis Port to make it look closer to Dianna—Dianna is doing the same thing here, but with a mispronunciation rather than a misspelling.

“bowery” is the most emotional song on the album. It’s a song about how she had to live in a lot of different hotels as a child, and nowadays, she feels more at home in a temporary, lifeless hotel than any permanent settlement that forces her to make the place hers and become vulnerable. She mentions the Bowery Hotel in the song, since it’s a song about wanting fleeting flings that take place at hotels such as the Bowery, rather than a real Let’s Buy A White Picket Fence House Together type of love. This song leads you to change your blog to a William Bowery truther blog claiming that Dianna is William Bowery. (Note: the song is more so a general reminiscence on love rather than about one specific woman.)

“moonlight (hold me in the)” is a response song to “Daylight” and also about the Hunger Games date. It features the same jazz standard style as “questo amore,” but is certainly more sad, mournful, vengeful, and bitter. Dianna sort of is calling out Taylor, pointing out the hypocrisy of the song “Daylight” since Taylor is still closeted and no longer with the love of her life (Dianna). The parenthetical title “(hold me in the)” is a reference to Liz’s song “Shut Up and Hold Me.” Dianna sings a lyric about how Taylor never shut up and never held onto anything good—and as a result, Dianna is left helplessly standing in the moonlight, trying to see despite only having mere reflections of the sun’s (Taylor’s) light. 

“on the dl” is an Ivankie anthem! It’s sonically a little bit similar to “Talk” by Hozier, but with a gossip-y tone rather than a serious one. The title is a reference to Don Jr.’s mistress’s tweet, in which she said that Ivanka is a lesbian on the DL. Because Dianna hooked up with Karlie a few times (see the first track of this album for my evidence), Karlie told her that she also hooked up with Ivanka for a few months. It was pillow talk; you know how it is. So now Dianna wrote “on the dl” about how everyone surrounding her has secrets and how she feels caged by secrets. But that theme is more subtle—the main message of this song is that Dianna feels a bit powerful in that petty popular girl way, because she finally has some shred of power: the knowledge of this secret.

“kitten” is a reference to the Swiftgron costume party in which Taylor dressed up as a cat on a leash and then later wrote that note on Dianna’s door about a kitten needing to nurse. “kitten” is the album’s sex song; sonically, it’s similar to “So It Goes…” but in a more alto range and sung with a more condescending, seductive tone. This song outs Dianna as a kinky top. At one point Dianna refers to her partner (whose gender is otherwise never specified) as a greedy girl—straight twitter will defend Dianna, saying that this line was sung from the male perspective. Gaylor twitter will have a meltdown at this Bottom!Taylor content. One verse strongly implies that Dianna has a choking kink and a knife kink (I say this because of those posts you found on her secret tumblr).

“a 13 dollar bill” relies on my own fan fic narrative about Swiftgron (that actually contradicts the previous fan fic narrative I made in this very album, lol), so you’ll have to bear with me here. Basically, the song is about how Dianna sold her one and only true love (Taylor, represented by the number 13) for the financial security of being married to a rich man (such as Winston and Filippo). She’s sad that she had to give up Taylor, but she sings that she has no regrets. Sometimes she’s left wondering what could have been, but she’s secure in knowing that she’s in an okay place now. Sonically, the song is similar to “Alanis’ Interlude (Stripped)” by Halsey.

submission⬆️⬆️⬆️

truly iconic you definitely win the conest

[elmyre]

Tagged by @belovedyuuri (Thank you!! ^^ I’m sorry about getting to this so late, stress + my usual habit of putting things off/straight up forgetting things constantly has been getting to me)

Rules:

1) Always post the rules. 2) Answer the questions given by the person who tagged you. 3) Write 11 questions of your own. 4) Tag 11 people.

I’ll just tag @sakuracat96 @wheredidvictorleavemenow @peanut-musings @gotvodka @l3monsoda @mostladylikeladythateverladied @dragonsrulemyheart and anyone else who wants to answer my questions (if I tagged you and you don’t want to do it that’s fine too)

1.  What is the last song you listened to on repeat?

I’m not usually the type to put songs on repeat just cause I get tired of them really quickly but last one was Cherry Wine by Hozier cause omg how amazing is that song????? ; ;

2.  Which Yuri on Ice fanfic would you recommend to somebody who’s never read yoi fanfic before?

I mean I’d definitely say the Rivals Series (a canon divergent series of fics with some delicious angst) cause it’s my absolute favorite and I’d pretty much recommend those fics to EVERYBODY but there’s also AU fics like The Merman in my Private Bath (merman Victor and human Yuuri AU with very cute art sprinkled in the chapters) and Expomise (amazing Harry Potter AU) that are just so unbelievably fluffy and sweet. There’s also really good long fics like Met by Accident (the title says it all but the fic itself has a nice balance of romance and angst and friend/familial relationships + it has some Otayuri + the original characters the author made are so extremely lovable). Starstruck is another favorite of mine as well (Actor/Single Dad Victor and his adopted son Yurio meet new babysitter Yuuri, it’s also hilarious and one of the very first fics I read when I started reading YoI fics) I’d keep going since there are so many more fics I’ve read and loved but this is long enough as is so I’ll cut it off here. If anyone who is reading this wants some more personal recommendations feel free to hmu via asks or pm’s ;D

3.  You can take any smell (and I mean any smell) and make a candle out of it. What would the candle smell like?

You know that scent in the air at the beginning of spring where everything smells really earthy and fresh? That smell.

4.  Your comfort book/fic/movie/TV show that you indulge in when you need a ‘pick me up’ is…

Okay it’s totally Yuri on Ice XD I rewatched the entire thing not too long ago since I’ve been worrying myself too much recently and my poor sleep deprived brain keeps making me dream about the upcoming YoI movie and I really just needed something to hold me over

5.  What is your headcanon for Yuuri and Phichit’s first meeting?

(You know, I’m really loving all these YoI related questions XD) I have actually never even thought of that before now but I’d like to think it started when Phichit and Yuuri first became roommates in their college days, when Yuuri had first moved to Detroit.  Yuuri was so incredibly nervous to be in an entirely new country with people who speak a completely different language and rooming with someone who he barely knew.  So he set his bags down in front of the door to his new shared room, and barely even a second after knocking the door swings open and there’s a crazy excited Phichit on the other side.  He goes, “Yuuri, you’re finally here!!! Hold these.” And dumps some hamsters into his arms before grabbing his selfie stick, throwing an arm around Yuuri’s shoulder, and snapping a “First Day with the New Roomie” selfie.  Yuuri is absolutely reeling while Phichit just carries his bags in for him and helps him move in while telling him about the hamsters.  He even helps Yuuri with his Victor posters while Yuuri begins to talk about his poodle and they share stories about their families back home.  He starts out so shy and awkward (and kinda overwhelmed by Phichit being so giddy and talkative) but by the end of the night he’s really happy he gets to room with him.

Also, Phichit totally gave Yuuri a framed picture of their first selfie a year after he moves in, along with a very sweet message.  He may or may not shed some tears over it.

6.  Have you ever named a pet/plushie/object after a character from YOI? What was it and why did you choose that name?

Uuuhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh does the Yuuri nendoroid count?

7.  Your top 5 headcanons for what life at the Katsuki-Nikiforovs’ place looks like?

They’ve got a bunch of sticky notes around the house. Just everywhere. Victor is a very forgetful person and I’d imagine that Yuuri leaves them for him so he doesn’t forget important things, like meetings or chores. Victor really appreciates it, especially when Yuuri writes a little heart at the end.

They totally massage each other’s feet after a hard day of practice.  No question.

On a similar train of thought, Victor probably does a lot of things for Yuuri that he brushes off as just looking after him for “”“Coaching Reasons””” like running him warm baths or tucking him in or bringing food to him in bed. But really Victor just loves spoiling Yuuri. Yuuri appreciates Victor’s sweetness as long as he doesn’t go overboard, like putting his slippers on his feet or carrying him to the bathroom in the morning. Which Victor has definitely done. More than once.

Anyone who walks into their house without knowing either of them very well would probably think that all the toys strewn out across the living room floor are for their child.  They would be mistaken.  They’re all for the dog.

When Yuuri first came to stay with Victor in St. Petersburg, after having spent about a year back at his old home in Hasetsu, he begins feeling a little homesick.  Victor notices how Yuuri sometimes looks a bit sad and quiet when they’re just relaxing at home, so Victor finds some old Japanese music that Yuuri used to love and asks Yuuri to dance with him. It ended up putting a huge smile on Yuuri’s face for a long while afterwards, and it became a regular activity for them to do when they want to take their minds off something, get some extra exercise, or just have a little fun. They have a playlist with hundreds of songs set up for it now.

8.  Have you drunk water recently? Eaten something? Taken your meds? Untensed? Please do so if you haven’t.

I mean that hardly qualifies as a question but omg that is so sweet?????? ; ; Thank you <333

9.  What is the one quote/song lyric/poem that resonates with you?

“And in the middle of the night when you’re on your own,

I’m chasing down light in the indigo,

It’s just the way you are when you’re overgrown...

...And I will never let you go.”

A quote from this amazing song, which the creators also explained a bit about on their facebook if you wanna check it out!

10.  If you could effortlessly learn one skill in no time at all, what would it be?

I never really have time anymore to study languages so I’d totally try and learn either fluent Spanish or Japanese (since I really want to travel to Mexico or Japan someday)

11.  What is the one question you wish people asked you? What is the answer?

I mean this isn’t really a question with a specific answer, but I’m so absolutely awful with asking other people for help when I need it, so I’d appreciate it if people asked me if they could help me with something.  And then I’d say YES I’VE BEEN WAITING SO LONG EVEN THOUGH I KNOW I SHOULD HAVE BEEN THE ONE TO ASK  FIRST BUT ANYWAY

--------------

My questions would be:

What events are happening this year/next year that you’re looking forward to?

If you could drop everything and go somewhere right now without consequences or limitations, where would you go? What would you do?

What is your favorite mythical creature?

Do you have a song/playlist that you listen to for relaxation? If so, what is it?

What do you usually do when you have trouble falling asleep?

What was your favorite toy/game to play as a child?

Your opinion on wearing socks?

How do you like your coffee or tea?

If you’ve ever done cosplay before, who did you cosplay as most recently? If you’ve never done it before, what is your dream cosplay?

Who is the fictional character that you most relate to, and how are you two alike?

What is the most fond memory you have from the past few years?

[mhuchette15-blog]

Hozier: Singer-Songwriter or Activist?

I first heard Hozier at a music festival in Maryland a few summers ago. I decided to take the opportunity during what I thought was a filler act to grab something to eat before the main acts came on.  Little did I know that after his first song the hundreds of people within just 50 feet of me would be asking their friends who the guy performing was and gushing about his incredible voice.  Soon after the festival the impression of his performance fell to the depths of my memory and until the following summer, while on a road trip with my dad, it remained there. The peaceful catchy lyrics and calming melody of Take Me To Church drew me in once again and it became my favorite song for the next few months.  I went on a church mission trip a few weeks later and introduced it to my friends and they quickly became obsessed too.  We listened to it on repeat, only to find out later what the song is all about…

The lyrics:

The first time few times I heard Take Me To Church I took the lyrics for what they were at the surface level and I’m sure most of the other people at the festival were doing the same and paying more attention to the overall sound.  It wasn’t until I was in a car full of Catholics on my mission trip that I realized what Hozier was actually trying to present with his lyrics.  I’ve faced similar situations to this one, especially when in the car with my mom and a song like “Side to Side” comes on and finally the dirty lyrics hit me. Then the rest of the song is occupied by me debating changing the station and bringing more attention to it or waiting it out and hoping my mom isn’t actually listening to the lyrics. So, not surprisingly,  it took a full car of Catholics and some self-reflection for me to realize that Take Me To Church was written specifically against the church and its anti-gay ideals.  

Hozier wrote the song after longstanding frustration with the Catholic Church’s homophobic preaching’s and failure to accept same sex couples, even when the rest of the world seemed to be becoming more tolerant.  He expresses his message by comparing love and the church and by pointing out the differences between them.  In the context of the speaker being gay, the song alludes to the idea that his partner has been loving and accepting whereas the church has not. Since the Catholic church has a very strong belief that same sex couples are sinful and that a real relationship in God’s eyes is between a man and a woman, he will never be accepted by the church as a gay individual.  One strongest messages in this song is in the chorus:

“Take me to church

I’ll worship like a dog at the shrine of your lies

I’ll tell you my sins and you can sharpen your knife

Offer me that deathless death

Good God, let me give you my life”

Here, Hozier is expressing his overall frustration with the church in that many individuals go to church, worship God’s teachings even if they believe some of them are lies, and confess their sins so they can be forgiven, but as long as that individual is gay the church will never accept him and will believe that he is living his life in sin.  This contrasts with the idea that the speaker’s lover is accepting of who he is no matter the insignificant details of his life.

The speaker states that

“Ever Sunday’s getting more bleak

A fresh poison each week”

which shows his growing frustration over time with the church and the “poison” that they preach every week during sermons and readings. Following the progression through the song as a timeline the speaker beings to stand up for his “illness” that the church believes he has when he says

“I was born sick But I love it Command me to be well”.

This shows that the speaker is stating that although the church believes he is “sick” and demands that he be cured of his illness to be accepted, he loves who he is and is happy with his sexuality.  He believes that the church is on “a fine-looking high horse” which ultimately shows that he believes the church thinks that they are above homosexuals and that if they got off their pedestal they would understand that they are real people too and that they should be treated just like any human being.  The phrase “There is no sweeter innocence than our gentle skin” shows that Hozier believes that homosexuality is something that is slightly different about some people but is not as big of a deal as the church sees it to be.  Someone being gay is an innocent part of their life that should not be seen as a sin and that the church should learn to accept it.  

The bridge of the song:

“In the madness and soil of that sad earthly scene

Only then I am human

Only then I am clean”

exposes the brutality of the church to only see a homosexual as a real person after they have died and been buried because then they are not living in sin anymore.

Take Me To Church made it to Number 2 on the top charts when it first hit the radio, but most people probably didn’t grasp Hozier’s message at first.  Although the message is strong and important, if he had made the message more clear and surface level, then people could have been quick to reject it if they do not agree with his support.  However, his ability to mask the real message and leave it up to the interpretation of the listener allowed the song to gain popularity.  Although some people believe that popular artists shouldn’t present their political and social opinions in their music, when they express them in metaphor like Hozier did it allows for more people to relate and create their own opinions and beliefs about the song without being smothered by the artist’s agenda.

The music video:

While drafting ideas for the music video for Take Me To Church, Hozier decided that he did not want it to be strictly against the church, but rather express more about his personal beliefs on equal rights for people of all sexual orientations.  The anti-gay movement is not exclusive to the Catholic church, but also is present in certain political groups and individuals themselves.  By incorporating religious, political, and social rejection of homosexuality, Hozier is able to further reach his campaigning and show the more widespread effects and presence of homophobia.

The storyline of the video is that of two men who are deeply in love but cannot expose their relationship out of fear of being harmed by members of the anti-gay movement.  In the scene at 1:30 a TV screen is shown with what could be a protest in Russia to fight for gay rights after Putin enacted laws to criminalize homosexuality.  The violence of the hooded men is rather ironic because they are burning down homes and jumping men just because they do not agree with their actions and way of life, but their violent actions are condemned by many as well.  This can be related to the irony of the church’s disapproval that the lyrics present in that the church is supposed to be a loving and accepting place for people to seek solace but instead many are faced with repudiation and struggle when it comes to being a member of the church.

I didn’t immediately watch the video when it came out, but it quickly gained popularity on YouTube and is currently up to 140,000,000 views.  It got a lot of attention for the message that it presented and received both backlash and praise.  If you read the comments on YouTube there is a mix of people thanking Hozier for speaking up and bringing the problems with homophobia to the attention of the public, and a fair amount of people ridiculing him for his opinions and activism.  

LeBron James Beats commercial:

The big take away of Take Me To Church’s lyrics and music video is that everyone should accept themselves for who they are and embrace their qualities. Love is a great way to claim your individuality and find people who appreciate you for who you are rather than who they want you to be.  In 2014 Beats released a TV advertisement featuring LeBron James who had just announced that he would be leaving Miami and going to play for his home team of the Cleveland Cavaliers. He faced a lot of backlash from fans around the country, but the people in his hometown welcomed him back.  This instance is a prime example of how in certain situations we have both people that support our choices and people, like the church, who will not accept us for who we are and what we want to do.  

By choosing Take Me To Church to feature in this advertisement, Beats was able to promote their product in a serious manner and appeal to people’s emotions.  As you can see from the ad, walking through his old high school and looking at his Akron tattoo makes LeBron feel comfortable and at peace with his decision.  The intertwining of Hozier’s message to embrace who you are and find love that will help you reclaim your humanity and LeBron’s actual steps to pursue that makes the ad that much more effective.  By incorporating LeBron’s story and the somber and meaningful lyrics of the song, the advertisers were able to make the world feel as though they can use their product when following their heart along the path it wants.  

On a more surface level interpretation of the product itself, the wireless aspect of the earphones can be related to the severing of ties to something that might tie you down.   This can be related to the song because the message can also be seen as telling us to sever ties that hold us back from being who we really are, and being free to live the lives we want.

Hozier as an activist: 

Hopefully the discussion and interpretation of the lyrics and music video of Take Me To Church has brought light to the admirable activism that Hozier takes part in.  I find the balance that he maintains between amazing music and self-purpose incredible because there are many artists that put too much of themselves in the music, and others that seem distant from it.  Take Me To Church is not Hozier’s only song that deals with issues that he wants to bring to the attention of the public.  His song Cherry Wine deals with relationship abuse and how problematic it can be for both the abuser and the abusee when neither of them do anything to stop it and no one steps in.  Although these are just a few of Hozier’s songs that currently have an activist vibe, I’m sure he will later find more causes that he wants to support and incorporate that into his future albums.

References: 

The New York Times

Harvey Fierstein

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/07/22/opinion/russias-anti-gay-crackdown.html