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.
Lover to Lover
Florence %2B the Machine Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I've been keeping myself awake
I've been wandering the streets
For days and days and days
Going from road to road
Bed to bed
Lover to lover
But I believe
I believe
There's no salvation for me now
No space among the clouds
And I feel I'm heading down
That's alright
That's alright
That's alright
That's alright
And I've been taking chances
I've been setting myself up for the fall
And I've been keeping secrets
From my heart and from my soul
Going from road to road
Bed to bed
Lover to lover
And black to red
But I believe
I believe
There's no salvation for me now
No space among the clouds
And I feel I'm heading down
But that's alright
That's alright
That's alright
That's alright
Road to road
Bed to bed
And lover to lover
And black to red
And road to road
Bed to bed
And lover to lover
No space among the clouds
And I feel I'm heading down
But that's alright
That's alright
That's alright
That's alright
That's alright
That's alright
Road to road
Bed to bed
And lover to lover
And black to red
And road to road
Bed to bed
Lover to lover
To lover to lover
To lover to lover
To lover to lover
To lover to lover
To lover to lover
No salvation for me now
No salvation for me now
No salvation for me now
No salvation for me now
The lyrics to the song "Lover to Lover" by Florence + the Machine express a sense of restlessness and loneliness, as the singer confesses to losing sleep and wandering the streets aimlessly. They have been seeking comfort and intimacy with different partners, moving from "road to road, bed to bed, lover to lover, and black to red," indicating a cycle of seeking temporary satisfaction but never finding true solace. Despite this, they hold onto a belief in something higher, as they repeat the phrase "I believe" throughout the song. However, they acknowledge that there's no salvation for them now, implying a sense of resignation and acceptance of their current state.
The chorus of the song repeats the phrase "That's alright" multiple times, perhaps serving as a personal affirmation for the singer that their current struggles and actions are acceptable, even if they might not seem ideal to others. The repetition of "road to road, bed to bed, lover to lover, and black to red" serves as a reminder of their constant search for something that they haven't found yet. Overall, the lyrics convey a sense of longing and vulnerability, as well as a recognition that true salvation and peace may be elusive.
Line by Line Meaning
I've been losing sleep
I've been struggling with something that's been keeping me up at night
I've been keeping myself awake
I've been trying to stay up at night to avoid facing my problem(s)
I've been wandering the streets
I've been aimlessly wandering around trying to find something or someone
For days and days and days
For an extended period of time
Going from road to road
Traveling from place to place
Bed to bed
Going from person to person that I'm intimate with
Lover to lover
Going from person to person that I'm romantically involved with
And black to red
Experiencing various emotional states from good (black) to bad (red)
But I believe
Despite my struggles, I still have hope and faith
There's no salvation for me now
I don't think I can be saved from my current situation
No space among the clouds
I don't see any sign of hope
And I feel I'm heading down
I feel like I'm going down a negative path
That's alright
Despite everything, I'm okay with my current situation
And I've been taking chances
I've been taking risks in my life, which may or may not be working out for me
I've been setting myself up for the fall
I've been putting myself in situations where I'm likely to fail
And I've been keeping secrets
I've been keeping things hidden from myself and others
From my heart and from my soul
Hiding things from myself that should be dealt with emotionally and mentally
Road to road
Traveling to different places
Bed to bed
Going from person to person that I'm intimate with
And lover to lover
Going from person to person that I'm romantically involved with
And black to red
Experiencing various emotional states from good (black) to bad (red)
And road to road
Traveling to different places
Bed to bed
Going from person to person that I'm intimate with
And lover to lover
Going from person to person that I'm romantically involved with
To lover to lover
Continuing to move from one romantic relationship to another
No salvation for me now
I don't think I can be saved from my current situation
No salvation for me now
I don't think I can be saved from my current situation
No salvation for me now
I don't think I can be saved from my current situation
No salvation for me now
I don't think I can be saved from my current situation
Contributed by Layla E. Suggest a correction in the comments below.