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.
Delilah
Florence + the Machine Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
(Holding on for your call)
Climbing up the walls for that flashing light
(I can never let go)
'Cause I'm gonna be free and I'm gonna be fine
(Holding on for your call)
'Cause I'm gonna be free and I'm gonna be fine
Now the sun is up and I'm going blind
(Holding on for your call)
Another drink just to pass the time
(I can never say no)
'Cause I'm gonna be free and I'm gonna be fine
(Holding on for your call)
'Cause I'm gonna be free and I'm gonna be fine
(Maybe not tonight)
It's a different kind of danger
And the bells are ringing out
And I'm calling for my mother
As I pull the pillars down
It's a different kind of danger
And my feet are spinning around
Never knew I was a dancer
'Til Delilah showed me how
Too fast for freedom
Sometimes it all falls down
These chains never leave me
I keep dragging them around
Now I'm dancing with Delilah and her vision is mine
(Holding on for your call)
A different kind of danger in the daylight
(I can never let go)
Took anything to cut you, I can find
(Holding on for your call)
A different kind of a danger in the daylight
(Can't you let me know?)
Now it's one more boy and it's one more lie
(Holding on for your call)
Taking the pills just to pass the time
(I can never say no)
'Cause I'm gonna be free and I'm gonna be fine
(Holding on for your call)
'Cause I'm gonna be free and I'm gonna be fine
(Maybe not tonight)
It's a different kind of danger
And the bells are ringing out
And I'm calling for my mother
As I pull the pillars down
It's a different kind of danger
And my feet are spinning around
Never knew I was a dancer
'Til Delilah showed me how
Now I'm dancing with Delilah and her vision is mine
(Holding on for your call)
A different kind of danger in the daylight
(I can never let go)
Took anything to cut you, I can find
(Holding on for your call)
A different kind of a danger in the daylight
(Can't you let me know?)
Strung up, strung out for your love
Hang in, hung up, it's so rough
I'm wrung and ringing out
Why can't you let me know?
Strung up, strung out for your love
Hang in, hung up, it's so rough
I'm wrung and ringing out
Why can't you let me know?
It's a different kind of danger
And the bells are ringing out
And I'm calling for my mother
As I pull the pillars down
It's a different kind of danger
And my feet are spinning around
Never knew I was a dancer
'Til Delilah showed me how
It's a different kind of danger
And the bells are ringing out
And I'm calling for my mother
As I pull the pillars down
It's a different kind of danger
And my feet are spinning around
Never knew I was a dancer
'Til Delilah showed me how
Too fast for freedom
Sometimes it all falls down
These chains never leave me
I keep dragging them around
Too fast for freedom
Sometimes it all falls down
These chains never leave me
I keep dragging them around
The song "Delilah" by Florence + The Machine is about the struggle with addiction and the desire to break free from its grip. The lyrics describe a person who is holding on for a call or a sign of hope from someone, while they climb up the walls and drift through the halls in a daze. They turn to drinking and pills to pass the time, but hold on to the hope that they will eventually be free, even if that freedom doesn't come tonight. In the chorus, the person acknowledges that they are experiencing a different kind of danger, perhaps one they never imagined they would face, but the bells are ringing out and they call out for their mother as they try to break free from the chains of addiction.
The line "never knew I was a dancer 'till Delilah showed me how" can be interpreted as a metaphor for addiction. Just as a dancer may be unaware of their own abilities until they are shown, perhaps the person in the song never realized they were susceptible to addiction until they fell into its grasp. Delilah could also represent the addiction itself, showing the person a different way of life and leading them down a dangerous path. The repetition of the line "why can't you let me know?" at the end of the song suggests a plea for help or understanding from someone, perhaps friends or family members who are struggling to understand their loved one's addiction.
Line by Line Meaning
Drifting through the halls with the sunrise
Moving aimlessly through the halls while waiting for your call
Climbing up the walls for that flashing light
Desperately reaching for something that's out of reach
'Cause I'm gonna be free and I'm gonna be fine
Optimistic about the future and breaking free from the past
Now the sun is up and I'm going blind
The brightness of the new day making it hard to see
Another drink just to pass the time
Using alcohol to numb the pain and boredom
It's a different kind of danger
Feeling unsafe in a new and unfamiliar situation
And the bells are ringing out
The world is chaotic and overwhelming
And I'm calling for my mother
Seeking comfort and safety like a child
As I pull the pillars down
Destroying the foundation of stability and security
Never knew I was a dancer
Unexpectedly discovering a new talent or skill
Too fast for freedom
Moving too quickly towards something with no regard for consequences
These chains never leave me
Feeling trapped by past decisions and actions
Now I'm dancing with Delilah and her vision is mine
Feeling lost in someone else's world and perspective
Took anything to cut you, I can find
Willing to do just about anything to forget and move on
Strung up, strung out for your love
Feeling desperate and dependent on someone's affections
Hang in, hung up, it's so rough
Feeling overwhelmed and stuck in a difficult situation
I'm wrung and ringing out
Feeling drained and exhausted
Why can't you let me know?
Seeking clarity and communication in a confusing relationship
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: Florence Leontine Mary Welch, Isabella Janet Florentina Summers
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@ladymanderley
1:16 & 1:35 Samson and Delilah (reversed positions)
1:18 Thomas Couture, 'The Romans in their Decadence' (1847)
1:47 ?
2:02 Dante Gabriel Rossetti, 'Beata Beatrix' (c. 1864-70)
2:14 (The guy) Eugene Delacroix, 'The Death of Sardanapalus' (1827)
2:23 Michelangelo, 'Pieta' (1498-9)
2:25 Henry Fuseli, 'The Nightmare' (1871)
4:10 The imagery of Sisyphus carrying a stone for his eternal punishment of futile task
5:07 John Everett Millais, 'Ophelia' (1851-2) (reversed)
5:33 'Nike of Samothrace' (Greek Sculpture)
Feel free to add or correct me!
@Alejandro96JAC
You think you have lost your faith
But you have not
You have only misplaced your faith
And you can't find it where it lies now
Deep in your soul
And the way to do that
Is through the simple process of love
Love yourself, forgive yourself
You can't love and forgive other people
If you don't first of all love and forgive yourself
You have to realize that people are fallible beings
They make mistakes, they have to be excused from these mistakes
And allowed to continue on in this quest for a better life
And for goodness
So love yourself and then love other people
Please forgive yourself
Go on a journey of finding love and forgiveness
Love people even thought ...
@YagoThe4307
Monólogo:
" You think you have lost your faith
But you have not
You have only misplaced your faith
And you can't find it where it lies now
Deep in your soul
And the way to do that
Is through the simple process of love
Love yourself, forgive yourself
You can't love and forgive other people
If you don't first of all love and forgive yourself
You have to realize that people are fallible beings
They make mistakes, they have to be excused from these mistakes
And allowed to continue on in this quest for a better life
And for goodness
So love yourself and then love other people
Please forgive yourself
Go on a journey of finding love and forgiveness
Love people even thought ..."
@vadruca333
the fckin light at the end of the tunnel ladies and gentlemen ""
'
you think you have lost your faith
but you have not
you have only misplaced your faith
and you can find it
where it lies now
deep in your soul
and the way to do that
is trough the simple process of love
love yourself
forgive yourself
you can't love and forgive other people
if you don't first of all
love
and
forgive
yourself
you have to realize
that people are fallible being
they make mistakes
they have to be excused
from these mistakes
and allow to continue on their quest
for a better life
and for goodness
so love yourself
and then love other people
please forgive yourselves
go on a journey
of finding love
and forgiveness
""
@Diogatos
The world is not prepared for this woman. We are so privileged to have her at this time of humankind's slumber.
@bvgaboo3572
👍
@inrainbows1639
Yes!
@TheKrloxmlk
.
@user-yr8ge3fz8o
What is "humankind's slumber," I'm sorry for being nitpicky and probably annoying, but this thought process is a major pet-peeve of mine and I can't help it. Humankind has always been fucked up, just think of all the atrocities you find in your history book. But this stuff is just an inescapable side effect of our free will, which among our many other unique qualities, makes us (imo) truly beautiful life forms.
@wilhelmmedia8133
agree
@JsRf13
the term "renaissance man" gets thrown around a lot, but Florence is literally a renaissance woman. she's a living, breathing Renaissance painting in the flesh. I'm so glad we have her around.
@akimlettner2984
you got it
@terrellmenniefee3610
yes to me she always looked like a painting from i think hos name is peter ruben or paul ruben i dont know something ruben
@jacquelineiona1996
wonderful comment!! I agree, Love this lady