Song Review: “Francesca” -Hozier
In 2013 at just the age of 23, singer/songwriter Andrew Hozier-Byrne released his debut single “Take Me To Church”, marking his claim to fame. Over the last decade, his poetic lyricism has secured him multi-platinum album sales, number-one records, Grammy nominations, film and video game soundtracks, and worldwide sold-out shows. As he prepares to release his upcoming third studio album Unreal Unearth in August, we are graced with select singles like “Francesca.”
Hozier’s music primarily draws from religious literary themes and his new work is no exception to this pattern. Drawing a comparison to the twin tracks released last month — “Eat Your Young” and “All Things End” — “Francesca” highlights one of the seven biblical vices; Lust.
In a newsletter prior to the tracks release, Hozier references Dante’s Inferno stating that “Francesca” comes from the second circle of Hell which punished those for their sins. In Dante’s story, Francesca and her lover, Paolo, meet Dante and Virgil who send them through a whirlwind storm carrying the sinners around just as their passions carried them in life.
Hozier mirrors this idea of a “calm before the storm” in his own version of “Francesca.” The soothing build-up in vocals leaves one to believe this will be a transcending story of hope, but instead, we are guided to the chorus where it is anything but. As the the percussion and catchy guitar riffs amp up and dictate the emotion of the chorus, Hozier sings of desire:
Darling, I would do it again
If I could hold you for a minute
Darling, I’d go through it again
I would still be surprised I could find you, darling in any life
If I could hold you for a minute
Darling, I would do it again
This yearning to rekindle a relationship with a past lover brings on a sense of hopelessness and regret. And just like Hozier’s character begging to relive the same life/moment over and over, we are left wanting to listen to “Francesca” over and over again.
Listen here:
