An Analysis Of Hozier's Take Me To Church
When Take Me to Church hit US airwaves in 2014 it took the nation by storm. Peaking as high as the number two on Billboard’s top 100 and number twelve on Billboard’s , the song certainly resonated with Americans. Many wonder where Hozier got his inspiration from as the song grew bigger and bigger. Some will say his inspiration comes from his love of a woman and is comparing her to a spiritual experience. Others will say it’s simply mocking religion as a whole due to his religious beliefs. If you analyze the song, its lyrics, the music video, and even the artist background; you'll discover that Hozier’s Take Me to the Church is more than a lover’s song – you’ll see it as a protest song, one that stands with the members of the LGBT community.
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With the hypocrisy in his country, Ireland, Hozier wrote Take Me to Church as a protest to institutions that limit people's equality.
In a Rolling Stone article by Andy Greene, Hozier went on to expand on how his upbringing and living in Ireland has inspired the hit song saying, "Growing up, I always say the hypocrisy of the Catholic church. The history speaks for itself and I grew incredibly frustrated and angry. I essentially just put that into my words (Greene, 6)." The particular scandal that inspired Hozier to write his chart topping hit was the Irish Child Abuse Commission 2009 when the Commission said in its harrowing five-volume report, that orphanages and industrial schools in 20th century Ireland were places of fear, neglect, and endemic sexual abuse (Gergely, 8). In these reports were multiple accounts of homosexual encounters between those high in the church and children. Th is the hypocrisy Hozier speaks of. How can a religion condemn homosexual practices when their pastors and people in higher power are doing the same thing in secret? And why should someone keep their love a secret? Hozier went on to find an anti-LGBT protest in Russia as another inspiration for another part of Take Me to
Church.
Speculation over the true meaning of Take Me to Church came about when the music video came about. Hozier has stated in several interviews that the video references to protest in Russia at the time against the LGBT community. He said, “The song was always about humanity at its most natural, and how that is undermined ceaselessly by religious organizations and those who would have us believe they act in its interests (Udell, 1). At the time the video was being made, Occupy Paedophilia was beginning to sweep parts of Russia again. The group has been known for their brutal and tactics aimed at lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer youth. Larry Poltavtsev, a LGBT activist in Russia, has said the group is similar to al-Qaeda.
Hozier never intended for Take Me to Church to become a song of great meaning. He simply shared his frustrations over institutions and their hypocrisy. His song and music video were influenced by his first-hand account of the church's relationship with Ireland, the protest in Russia, and his own personal beliefs.
With the hypocrisy in his country, Ireland, Hozier wrote Take Me to Church as a protest to institutions that limit people's equality.
In a Rolling Stone article by Andy Greene, Hozier went on to expand on how his upbringing and living in Ireland has inspired the hit song saying, "Growing up, I always say the hypocrisy of the Catholic church. The history speaks for itself and I grew incredibly frustrated and angry. I essentially just put that into my words (Greene, 6)." The particular scandal that inspired Hozier to write his chart topping hit was the Irish Child Abuse Commission 2009 when the Commission said in its harrowing five-volume report, that orphanages and industrial schools in 20th century Ireland were places of fear, neglect, and endemic sexual abuse (Gergely, 8). In these reports were multiple accounts of homosexual encounters between those high in the church and children. Th is the hypocrisy Hozier speaks of. How can a religion condemn homosexual practices when their pastors and people in higher power are doing the same thing in secret? And why should someone keep their love a secret? Hozier went on to find an anti-LGBT protest in Russia as another inspiration for another part of Take Me to
Church.
Speculation over the true meaning of Take Me to Church came about when the music video came about. Hozier has stated in several interviews that the video references to protest in Russia at the time against the LGBT community. He said, “The song was always about humanity at its most natural, and how that is undermined ceaselessly by religious organizations and those who would have us believe they act in its interests (Udell, 1). At the time the video was being made, Occupy Paedophilia was beginning to sweep parts of Russia again. The group has been known for their brutal and tactics aimed at lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer youth. Larry Poltavtsev, a LGBT activist in Russia, has said the group is similar to al-Qaeda.
Hozier never intended for Take Me to Church to become a song of great meaning. He simply shared his frustrations over institutions and their hypocrisy. His song and music video were influenced by his first-hand account of the church's relationship with Ireland, the protest in Russia, and his own personal beliefs.