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.
Only If for a Night
Florence %2B the Machine Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
About my old school
And she was there all pink and gold and glittering
I threw my arms around her legs
Came to weeping
(Came to Weeping)
And I heard your voice
And you told me I should concentrate
It was all so strange
And so surreal
That a ghost should be so practical
Only if for a night
And the only solution was to stand and fight
And my body was bruised and I was set alight
But she came over me like some holy rite
And although I was burning, you're the only light
Only if for a night
And the grass was so green against my new clothes
And I did cartwheels in your honour
Dancing on tiptoes
My own secret ceremonial
Before the service began
In the graveyard doing handstands
And I heard your voice
As clear as day
And you told me I should concentrate
It was all so strange
And so surreal
That a ghost should be so practical
Only if for a night
And the only solution was to stand and fight
And my body was bruised and I was set alight
But she came over me like some holy rite
And although I was burning, you're the only light
Only if for a night
My doll, my dear, my darling
Tell me what all this sighings about
Tell me what all this sighings about
And I heard your voice
As clear as day
And you told me I should concentrate
It was all so strange
And so surreal
That a ghost should be so practical
Only if for a night
Only if for a night
The lyrics of Florence + The Machine's song "Only If For A Night" paints a vivid picture of a dream that the singer had, which was significant and surreal. The song talks about a dream where the singer goes back to her old school and sees someone named "she," who seems to be a ghost. In the dream, she hugs the ghost's legs and weeps. The singer then hears someone's voice, presumably someone important to her, advising her to concentrate. The dream then takes another turn where the singer is in a graveyard doing cartwheels and handstands before a ceremony begins. Once again, the voice advises her to concentrate, and the dream becomes strange yet surreal.
The meaning behind the lyrics could be interpreted in various ways. One way to deconstruct it would be to note that the dream is a symbol of the singer's personal growth and confronting her demons. The person she sees in her dream could be her younger self, and embracing her could symbolize the singer embracing her past. The voice in the dream could be someone who has helped her through challenging times, and the dream acts as a reminder of that. The surrealism in the dream could show the singer's willingness to face her fears and embrace them to move forward.
Overall, the song's lyrics are open to interpretation, and the dream could mean something different to everyone. However, it can be agreed that the lyrics showcase Florence + The Machine's ability to create a beautiful yet complex song that can resonate deeply with its listeners.
Line by Line Meaning
And I had a dream
I had a dream about my old school
About my old school
The dream was specifically about my old school
And she was there all pink and gold and glittering
In the dream, the school was pink, gold, and glittery
I threw my arms around her legs
I hugged the school's legs in the dream
Came to weeping
This made me emotional and I started crying
And I heard your voice
I heard your voice in the dream
As clear as day
It was very clear and easy to hear
And you told me I should concentrate
You advised me to focus and pay attention
It was all so strange
The dream felt unusual and unexpected
And so surreal
It felt like it wasn't real, almost like a fantasy
That a ghost should be so practical
It was surprising that a ghost would give helpful advice
Only if for a night
This experience was only possible for one night
And the only solution was to stand and fight
The best option was to stand up and fight for what I want
And my body was bruised and I was set alight
I experienced physical pain and was metaphorically burnt out
But she came over me like some holy rite
The positive experience of the dream came over me like a sacred ritual
And although I was burning, you're the only light
Even though I was struggling, you were the only source of light and hope
And the grass was so green against my new clothes
The grass was a vivid green color in contrast to my new clothes
And I did cartwheels in your honour
I did cartwheels as a tribute to you
Dancing on tiptoes
I danced on my tiptoes, happily and lightly
My own secret ceremonial
This was a private, personal ceremony
Before the service began
This all took place before the formal event started
In the graveyard doing handstands
I did handstands in the graveyard
My doll, my dear, my darling
A term of endearment for someone close to me
Tell me what all this sighings about
Please explain the meaning behind all of these sighs
Contributed by Nora P. Suggest a correction in the comments below.