Lead singer, Florence Welch, was an art-college drop-out, from Camberwell (London), who was discovered singing Motown covers in a nightclub toilet, drunk. ”The Machine” name originated with an in-joke between Welch and Summers. Musically, Florence + The Machine's sound is sometimes referred to as soul-inspired indie rock. Welch grew up listening to The White Stripes and Kate Bush and says she writes metaphorical songs that are "stories with consequences and weird morality issues."
2008
Florence + The Machine's music has received praise across the British music media, especially from the BBC, who played a large part in their rise to prominence, by bringing them into the spotlight as part of "BBC Introducing" (a program to support unsigned artists) - firstly at South By South West (SXSW) in Austin, Texas in March 2008 and later that year (Sept 2008) the band recorded a full session for the BBC at their Maida Vale studios.
2009 - 2010 - first awards and first studio album - "Lungs"
At the Brit Awards 2009, Florence + The Machine received the Critics' Choice Award at the Brits in the UK. The award was introduced in 2008 (when it was awarded to Adele) and focuses on new and emerging British talent, voted for by a panel of music industry experts.
The band's début album was "Lungs" (Jul 2009, Universal), preceded by third single Rabbit Heart (Raise It Up) (Jun 2009, Moshi Moshi). "Lungs" went on to become number one in the UK album charts in January 2010, and won the MasterCard British Album award at the 2010 Brits, where they performed a hugely popular collaboration, You've Got the Dirtee Love (live at The Brit Awards 2010) with Dizzee Rascal - a mix of You've Got the Love, the Candi Staton cover from "Dog Days Are Over" (Nov 2008, IAmSound), and Dizzee’s Dirtee Cash (Sept 2009, Dirtee Stank).
2011 - second studio album - "Ceremonials"
The second album "Ceremonials" (31 Oct 2011, Island) - with which Welch was inspired for the title and some themes from a '70s Super 8 film of an art installation, she recalls: "... this big procession of kind of coquette-style hippies and all these different coloured robes and masks, and it was all to do with colour, really saturated, brightly coloured pastas and balloons. I saw it a couple years ago, and it was called 'Ceremonials' and then, like, Roman numerals after it. And the word sort of stuck with me, and I think the whole idea of performance ...". The album is also influenced by hymns, poems and church bells.
2012 - MTV Unplugged album - "MTV Unplugged"
In 2012, the band released a live album - "MTV Unplugged" (Apr 2012, Universal) - as part of the MTV Unplugged series. It was filmed in December 2011 in New York’s oldest synagogue building, Angel Orensanz Center, with the band being backed by a ten-person choir.
2015 - third studio album - "How Big, How Blue, How Beautiful"
The band's long awaited third studio album is called "How Big, How Blue, How Beautiful". It was released on May 29, 2015 on Island Records.
2018 - fourth studio album - "High As Hope"
The band's fourth studio album is called "High As Hope". It was released on June 29, 2018 on Republic Records.
Caught
Florence %2B The Machine Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
To try and keep from calling you.
Well, can my dreams keep coming true?
How can they? ‘Cause when I sleep,
I barely dream of you.
As if the dream of you, it sleeps too,
But it never slips away,
To drag me through the day.
And I’m caught,
I forget all that I’ve been taught,
I can’t keep calm, I can’t keep still,
Pulled apart against my will.
It’s the hardest thing I’ve ever had to prove,
You turned to salt as I turned around to look at you.
Old friends have said, the books I've read
Say it's the thing to do
But it’s hard to see it,
When you’re in it,
‘Cause I went blind for you.
Then you leave my head,
Crawl out the bed,
Subconscious, I'm upset.
And for those hours,
Deep in the dark,
Perhaps you don’t exist.
But I’m caught,
I forget all that I’ve been taught,
I can’t keep calm, I can’t keep still,
Pulled apart against my will.
And I was thrashing on the line,
Somewhere between desperate and divine.
I can't keep calm, I can't keep still,
Persephone will have her fill.
And I’m caught,
I forget all that I’ve been taught,
I can’t keep calm, I can’t keep still,
Pulled apart against my will.
And I’m caught,
I forget all that I’ve been taught,
I can’t keep calm, I can’t keep still,
Pulled apart against my will.
The lyrics of Florence + The Machine's song Caught in 2-3 seem to revolve around the idea of being unable to let go of someone and being caught in their hold. The opening lines speak about trying to resist the urge to call someone whom the singer seems to be missing dearly. The following lines suggest that the singer dreams of this person but not enough to make those dreams come true. However, the dream of this person somehow keeps growing stronger day by day, making it hard for the singer to move on.
The following lines talk about the conflicting advice the singer has been receiving from old friends and books that they've read, which suggest that the best thing to do is move on. But the singer is finding it hard to let go of this person. And even as they try to move on, this person invades their subconscious state, leaving them feeling upset and unable to let go.
The song's repeating chorus talks about being caught in a situation where the singer seems to forget all they've been taught about moving on and keeping calm. They're being pulled apart against their will, unable to let go of this person who has a hold on them.
Overall, the song speaks about the struggle of letting go of someone who has a hold on you, even though it may be the right thing to do.
Line by Line Meaning
It's the hardest thing I've ever had to do,
Trying to resist calling you is the most difficult thing I've ever encountered.
To try and keep from calling you.
I am attempting to avoid calling you.
Well, can my dreams keep coming true?
Is it possible to maintain a dream that continues to come true?
How can they? ‘Cause when I sleep,
The dreams cannot persist because when I slumber,
I barely dream of you.
I scarcely dream of you.
As if the dream of you, it sleeps too,
It seems as though the dream of you also slumbers,
But it never slips away,
Yet it never fades,
It just gains its strength and digs its hooks,
Instead, it becomes stronger and more entrenched,
To drag me through the day.
While forcibly pulling me through each passing day.
And I’m caught,
I am trapped,
I forget all that I’ve been taught,
Neglecting all that I have learned,
I can’t keep calm, I can’t keep still,
I am incapable of remaining calm or still,
Pulled apart against my will.
Being pulled in conflicting directions unwillingly.
It’s the hardest thing I’ve ever had to prove,
This is the most challenging undertaking I've ever had to demonstrate,
You turned to salt as I turned around to look at you.
As I diverted my gaze towards you, you transformed into a pillar of salt.
Old friends have said, the books I've read
According to sources such as older acquaintances and written works,
Say it's the thing to do
It is supposed to be the appropriate course of action.
But it’s hard to see it,
Yet, it is difficult to comprehend it,
When you’re in it,
When one is experiencing the situation firsthand,
‘Cause I went blind for you.
It is because I became metaphorically blinded by you.
Then you leave my head,
When you vanish from my thoughts,
Crawl out the bed,
After clawing my way out of bed,
Subconscious, I'm upset.
I am internally distraught on a subconscious level.
And for those hours,
During those moments,
Deep in the dark,
In the depths of the darkness,
Perhaps you don’t exist.
It is possible that you are nonexistent.
And I was thrashing on the line,
I was fervently struggling on the line
Somewhere between desperate and divine.
Somewhere in the grey area between derelict and glorious.
Persephone will have her fill.
The goddess of spring will inevitably exact her revenge in the form of punishment.
Contributed by Madelyn G. Suggest a correction in the comments below.