"Sympathy Magic" by Florence + the Machine LIVE

Here is a wonderful, energetic live version of Florence (previously here) performing "Sympathy Magic" from her brand new album "Everybody Scream."

https://florenceandthemachine.net/

"Sympathy Magic" by Florence + the Machine

Florence Welch (previously here) has done it again...she has released a song that blows me away -- well, the recent "One of the Greats" seen here also blew me away, but let's stick to this new gem. "Sympathy Magic" is one of those anthems that soars upward, taking my breath with it. It is from her new album "Everybody Scream" coming out this Friday, Halloween of 2025, which explores themes of spiritual mysticism, witchcraft, and folk horror, as well as womanhood, partnership, aging, and dying.

The costumes for this video set it in the Edwardian period with Florence and her coven performing a ritual in the open fields of England on Tor stones which are the low, flat stones that dot the countryside. And the sense of the ritual is revealed in the lyrics where Florence declares to the ground and to the sky her agency, her power, as she sings in a dazzling combination of exasperation, rage, new-found freedom, and ultimate joy, "So I don't have to be worthy / I no longer try to be good / It didn't keep me safe / Like you told me that it would / So come on, tear me wide open / 'Til I'm losing my mind / 'Til I cannot contain it." It is important to note that she and her coven are stripped down to their lace undergarments to declare their independence.

I love her expression of a belief in animism, a sense of being connected to nature as a part of creation itself, of...well, a sense of magic when she says, "And light coming in the window just so / And the wind through my fingers / The only God that I know / And it does not want me on my knees to believe / Head high, arms wide / Aching, aching, aching / And alive / And alive."

But the song kicks into highest gear with her screaming into the wind, at the everything, "So come on, come on, I can take it / Give me everything you got / What else? What else? What else? What else?"

Please do take a moment to click on the image from the video below to go to the Florence + the Machine Youtube page to watch this inspiring, ascending piece of art.

https://florenceandthemachine.net/

"One of the Greats" by Florence + The Machine

Holy sh*t. This is another wrenching, powerful song from Florence Welch. "One of the Greats" is apparently inspired by her near death experience while touring her last record in 2023. From her new album "Everybody Scream" out on Halloween...apropos for a record that explores themes of spiritual mysticism, witchcraft, and folk horror, as well as womanhood, partnership, aging, and dying.

On Radio 1's New Music Show with Jack Saunders, Welch said of the song:
"I just can’t believe I’m putting it out. It was recorded in one take and it was the first take we did. I wrote it with Mark Bowen from IDLES and he played the guitar and I just kinda sang it straight from the page and this is the take. It’s just one of those things, you’re always asking the label if you can put out a song that’s five minutes long so with this one I was like, ‘They’ll never put this out the way we really want to put this out, seven minutes long,’ but they were like, ‘Yeah, we love it,’ and I was like, ‘Okay…’ […] I guess it was sort of a long poem I had and I never really, with every song I’m like, ‘Well, I’ll never put this out, I’ll never put it out,’ but it was one long poem I wrote about greatness or the cost of it or why do I want it? Who gets to decide what that even is? And then it was also kind of a joke, so it’s like really serious and also really unserious song as well. And it kind of evolves in this train of thought and that’s very much how it was recorded but I guess I wanted it to feel like you were disintegrating into nothing at the end ‘cause it is sort of about the process of creativity being like a sense you sort of destroy yourself for something and then you kind of dig yourself up all over again to do it again and you’re like, 'Why do I keep doing this? What is this thing that I’m reaching for?’ There’s a Martha Graham quote that’s called ‘Divine dissatisfaction’ and I think that sort of sums up the process for me, it’s this sense of this like divine dissatisfaction that just keeps propelling you forward all the time."

I crawled up from under the earth
Broken nails and coughing dirt
Spitting out my songs so you could sing along, oh
And with each bedraggled breath, I knew I came back from the dead
To show you how it's done, to show you what it takes
To conquer and to crucify, to become one of the greats
One of the greats

I kept a scream inside my chest, killed everyone I'd ever kissed
Hung them on the wall like trophies, each name, a stain upon my lips
I told the truth but could never see it through
You see yourself hung on the wall but that song is not about you
I wrote down all my fumbling visions transmitted by a television
Got everything I thought I wanted and cried hungover in a hotel closet

Did I get it right? Do I win the prize?
Do you regret bringing me back to life?

Arms outstretched, back from the dead
Streetlights bursting overhead
Arms outstretched, back from the dead
Streetlights bursting overhead

I did my best, tried to impress, my childhood dream made flesh
And my dresses and my flowering sadness, so like a woman to profit from her madness
I was only beautiful under the lights, only powerful there
Burned down at thirty-six
Why did you dig me up for this?

Arms outstretched, back from the dead
Streetlights bursting overhead
Arms outstretched, back from the dead
Streetlights bursting overhead

You'll bury me again, you'll say it's all pretend
That I could never be great being held up against such male tastes
Because who really gets to be one of the greats, one of the greats?
But I've really done it this time (Ah-ah), this one is all mine
I'll be up there with the man and the ten other women (Ah-ah)
And the hundred greatest records of all time (Ah-ah)
It must be nice to be a man and make boring music just because you can (Ah-ah)
Now don't get me wrong, I'm a fan (Ah-ah)
You're my second favourite front-man (Ah-ah)
And you could have me if you weren't so afraid of me
It's funny how men don't find power very sexy
So this one's for the ladies
Do I drive you crazy?
Did I get it right?

Did I get it right? Do I win the prize?
Do you regret bringing me back to life?
Did I get it right? Do I win the prize?
Do you regret bringing me back to life?

Arms outstretched, back from the dead
Streetlights bursting overhead
Arms outstretched, back from the dead
Streetlights bursting

Too feminine to function
A pile of bodies and a trail of destruction
I will let the light in, I will let some love in
I will be happy, it will be perfect
I will let the light in, I will let some love in
I will be happy, it will be perfect
I will let the light in (Arms outstretched, back from the dead)
Streetlights bursting overhead
Arms outstretched, back from the dead
Streetlights bursting overhead
Arms outstretched, back from the dead
Streetlights bursting overhead
Arms outstretched
Arms outstretched
Streetlights bursting
Overhead
Overhead
Streetlights bursting
Overhead

https://florenceandthemachine.net/

"Free" by Florence + the Machine

This new song "Free" by Florence Welch is a jittery, energetic piece. The video starring Bill Nighy as the embodiment of her anxieties was filmed in Kyiv, Ukraine on November 11, 2021 in cooperation with Ukrainian filmmakers and artists. Welch says it is "Dedicated to the spirit, creativity and perseverance of our brave Ukrainian friends."

"There are shortcuts to happiness, and dancing is one of them."
— Vicki Baum

https://florenceandthemachine.net/

"King" by Florence + The Machine

Supernatural Florence.
Flying Florence.
Vampire Florence.
King Florence.

"King" by Florence + The Machine.

We argue in the kitchen about whether to have children
About the world ending and the scale of my ambition
And how much is art really worth
The very thing you’re best at
Is the thing that hurts the most

But you need your rotten heart
Your dazzling pain like diamond rings
You need to go to war to find material to sing
I am no mother, I am no bride, I am King

I need my golden crown of sorrow
My bloody sword to swing
My empty halls to echo with grand self-mythology
I am no mother, I am no bride, I am King
I am no mother, I am no bride, I am King

But a woman is a changeling
Always shifting shape
Just when you think you have it figured out
Something new begins to take
What strange claws are these
Scratching at my skin
I never knew my killer would be coming from within
I am no mother, I am no bride, I am King
I am no mother, I am no bride, I am King

I need my golden crown of sorrow
My bloody sword to swing
I need my empty halls to echo with grand self-mythology
Cos I am no mother, I am no bride, I am King
I am no mother, I am no bride, I am King
I am no mother, I am no bride, I am King
I am no mother, I am no bride, I am King

And I was never as good
as I always thought I was
But I knew how to dress it up
I was never satisfied, it never let me go
Just dragged me by my hair
and back on with the show

Photo: Autumn De Wilde

https://florenceandthemachine.net/

Johnson Somerset Does It Again!

Another staggering remix from Lord Somerset (previously here), this time for "You've Got The Love" by Florence + The Machine (previously here). Somerset's layering of swirling, thick sound and texture creates a transcendent listening experience.

https://florenceandthemachine.net/

"Sky Full of Song" by Florence + The Machine

New from Florence + The Machine: "Sky Full of Song."

Yes.

From her new album "High As Hope" to be released June 2018.

(Florence previously here, here, here, and here.)

How deeply are you sleeping or are you still awake?
A good friend told me you've been staying out so late
Be careful, oh, my darling, oh, be careful what it takes
From what I've seen so far, the good ones always seem to break

And I was screaming at my father and you were screaming at me
And I can feel your anger from way across the sea
And I was kissing strangers, I was causing such a scene
Oh, the heart it hides such unimaginable things

Grab me by my ankles, I've been flying for too long
I couldn't hide from the thunder in a sky full of song
And I want you so badly but you could be anyone
I couldn't hide from the thunder in a sky full of song

Hold me down, I’m so tired now
Aim your arrow at the sky
Take me down, I’m too tired now
Leave me where I lie

And I can tell that I'm in trouble when that music starts to play
In a city without seasons, it keeps raining in LA
I feel like I'm about to fall, the room begins to sway
And I can hear the sirens but I can not walk away

Grab me by my ankles, I've been flying for too long
I couldn't hide from the thunder in a sky full of song
And I want you so badly but you could be anyone
I couldn't hide from the thunder in a sky full of song

Hold me down, I’m so tired now
Aim your arrow at the sky
Take me down, I’m too tired now
Leave me where I lie

I thought I was flying but maybe I'm dying tonight
I thought I was flying but maybe I'm dying tonight
And I thought I was flying but maybe I'm dying tonight
And I thought I was flying but maybe I'm dying tonight

Hold me down, I’m so tired now
Aim your arrow at the sky
Take me down, I’m too tired now
Leave me where I lie (Fire)

Hold me down, I’m too tired now
Aim your arrow at the sky
And take me down, I’m too tired now
Leave me where I lie (Fire)

https://florenceandthemachine.net/

A storm's coming...

"There’s this big storm that’s all around us and we’re in the middle of it so it’s calm but I can feel it, like it’s everywhere."
--Florence Welch

I've been saying this and people don't believe me. But it's coming.

"Third Eye" by Florence + the Machine

The final chapter of what has come to be known as "The Odyssey" by Florence Welch of Florence + the Machine is as spellbinding as the other installments (previously here, here, and here). Here, in a song called "Third Eye," we see Florence in the costume we have seen in prior chapters, performing familiar choreography. But it and the entire story, full of dream-like motifs and psychological symbolism, ends in a kind of breathtaking place: "I'm the same, I'm the same, I'm trying to change..."

All of the chapters have been edited together with never-seen-before dramatic segues and made into an incredible artistic statement: "The Odyssey" film can be seen in its entirety at Florence + the Machine's website, linked below. The chapters contain clues and share a remarkably expressive language of motion and emotion embedded in the choreography. In nearly each chapter where Florence and her doppelgänger wander through different time periods and locations, we seem to be witness to an age-old story of not only male oppression of women, but of interpersonal strife (and sometimes physical violence) on an individual and family level, the inability of so many people and cultures to say what they mean and to really use the time we have here instead of squandering it on petty hatred, grudges, and misunderstandings. Like Florence so aptly and chillingly observes in both parts 1 and 6, "I suppose if you've been through something catastrophic, if you've been through, like a storm or an earthquake together or something horrendous, it would bring you closer together...but what if they are creating the disaster within themselves?...There's this big storm and it's all around us and we're in the middle of it and it's calm, but I can feel it, like it's everywhere..."

I strongly urge you to see "The Odyssey" in its entirety. It's so worth it: enriching, inspiring, thought-provoking...and beautiful.

http://florenceandthemachine.net/

"Delilah" by Florence + The Machine

The incredible, powerful visual odyssey from Florence + The Machine continues with this installment, "Delilah," (part 6) from Florence Welch's most recent album "How Big How Blue How Beautiful."

Before you watch, make sure you see the other pieces that lead up to this chapter: "What Kind Of Man (Part 1)" and "How Big How Blue" here, "St. Jude (Part 2)" and "Ship To Wreck (Part 3)" here, and "Queen of Peace (Part 4)" and "Long and Lost (Part 5)" here. They contain clues and share a remarkably expressive language of motion and emotion embedded in the choreography. In each chapter where Florence and her doppelgänger wander through different time periods and locations, we seem to be witness to an age-old story of not only male oppression of women, but of interpersonal strife (and sometimes physical violence) on an individual and family level, the inability of so many people and cultures to say what they mean and to really use the time we have here instead of squandering it on petty hatred, grudges, and misunderstandings. Like Florence so aptly and chillingly observes in both parts 1 and 6, "I suppose if you've been through something catastrophic, if you've been through, like a storm or an earthquake together or something horrendous, it would bring you closer together...but what if they are creating the disaster within themselves?...There's this big storm and it's all around us and we're in the middle of it and it's calm, but I can feel it, like it's everywhere..."

http://florenceandthemachine.net/

"St. Jude" and "Ship To Wreck" by Florence + The Machine

Here is "St. Jude" by Florence + The Machine, the second part of the phenomenal story started in her video for "What Kind of Man." If you missed the first video, please see it here and marvel at the layers of meaning, the layers of visuals, the layers of characters and story (and what seems like different time periods), and ultimately the psychological meaning of it all. Just stunning.

And this second part picks up with the same dream-like motifs: the doppelgänger of Florence and the split story line, the expressive reaching dance move, the precious gesture of sharing a breath of life, and the idea of surviving a devastating storm.

Continuing the story with the image of the doppelgänger, rage and chaos within a relationship, and dance moves we have seen in both previous videos, here is "Ship To Wreck."

All songs from her new album, "How Big How Blue."
http://florenceandthemachine.net/

"What Kind Of Man" and "How Big How Blue" by Florence + The Machine

Florence + The Machine have released a new album called "How Big How Blue How Beautiful" and not one but TWO incredible, shattering videos to go along with the tracks "What Kind Of Man" and "How Big How Blue."

The video for "What Kind Of Man" is absolutely mesmerizing and so intense, full of metaphor and told through dream logic. Not that the deeply psychological narrative is dream-like since nothing technically surreal happens...rather I mean that it is told in the manner in which our dreams speak to us: through imagery and pictures. This is one of those amazing artistic statements that are coherent in the subconscious. In the video, we have different time periods and several locations that seem to bleed into one, references to storms, disasters, and suffering, and visual cues of a kind of kaleidoscopic memory review on the part of our heroine with a group of men standing in for possibly one or more past or current relationships. It is immediate, visceral, and truly stunning. Watch it a few times to let it sink in...

And because there is the briefest shot of Florence's bare breasts, I am not embedding the video here like I normally would, lest an overzealous conservative stumble upon it, report me to Blogger and have me shut down. And I'd rather not put an "Adult Content Warning" on my blog since that is a bit limiting and is not emblematic of "Oh, By The Way" which I would like to keep open to as many visitors as possible. To watch the video, click on any of the below photos from the video to go right to Florence + The Machine's VEVO channel on Youtube, or use the link at the bottom.

And as if that wasn't enough exquisite Jungian imagery, here is the equally mind-boggling "How Big How Blue." With simple yet utterly profound lyrics and a majestic horn section that sounds like the beginning--or end--of our universe, this brief song speaks to concepts that are beyond words. Speaking of dream logic, this video recalls for me a dream I had when I was 17 or 18 where I walked into a cave to find an ominous, robed and hooded figure but I overcame what fear I might have had to discover that it was me under the robe. I walked to myself and we embraced, like Florence and her own self here... it is a powerful, poignant, moving--and archetypal--idea. And we see movements in the kinetic vocabulary here that are identical to movements we saw in "What Kind Of Man." In these films, Florence Welch is saying something cosmic in size and just as important...

"What Kind Of Man" video:
http://youtu.be/XgeKHTcufLY

http://florenceandthemachine.net/

Currently listening to...

...more Florence + The Machine, "You've Got the Love." I love this song and the Studio 54 reference in the set (but the moon has Florence instead of a coke spoon).

http://florenceandthemachine.net/

Currently listening to...

...the amazing 2010 Brit Award winner for Best British Album, Florence + the Machine in a new video for a re-recorded version of "Dog Days Are Over." WOW!

http://florenceandthemachine.net/