Florence's Fight for Her Music

Anne Drees

Feb 27, 2023 • 3 min read

It was incredibly difficult for me to select just one song to focus on for this post. Every time I thought about writing it, I thought of a new song and the nuances I could discuss with it. Ultimately, I chose to analyze “King” by Florence + the Machine is the first single off the groups 2022 album Dance Fever.

I think the first line “We argue in the kitchen about whether to have children” says it all about the message of this song. This song is for all people, but especially all female artists who must decide if having a child is what they want, even if it means losing time they spend on their art. This song puts that struggle on display through the lens of music. And I think the rest of the lyrics, posted below, speak volumes to the struggle an artist has with their creative process even without the added stress of a ticking biological clock. The refrain is, “I am no mother, I am no bride, I am king". In eleven words, Florence + the Machine drives home the point that women are more than a 1950’s stereotype. They are kings.

Content warning: Florence totally snaps a guy’s neck in this music video. Florence is not listening to “the man” which is made abundantly clear in the imagery. Like many a Florence + the Machine video, “King” has that supernatural, eerie quality. Florence is dressed at the crossroads of a saint and a supreme sorceress as she dances and screams through a vacated school or monastery-type building with a posse of ghost-like women in dingy white. Part of the refrain “I need my golden crown of sorrow, My bloody sword to swing, I need my empty halls to echo with grand self-mythology” resonates with the gothic images, tone, and Florence's voice.

To gain insight on other people’s perspectives of this song, I scrolled through the YouTube comments. I appreciated KBMusic’s blog-sized post about how she’s been interpreting it as Florence’s decision to have a child despite her career, whereas I thought the song was ambiguous, but leaning more towards a childfree lifestyle. A lot of commenters noted and felt the scream at 3:03. Artists or not, many people found solace in this song.

The scream and the song lends itself to a larger discussion that is taking place in our culture. While there are many childfree posts on social media and blogs dedicated to living life on your terms, there are just as many articles noting the declining birthrates in Korea, France, the US, etc., many of which flat out blame Millennials and GenZ with loud hostility. I think this song encapsulates the dilemma beautifully, especially being sung by a woman who has dedicated her life to her craft and career. I needed to hear this song when it was released, and many of our students will need it too. So, thanks to Florence + the Machine for giving words to this nuanced dilemma of creating art.

As a bonus, these are the songs I didn't select that I think are powerful when discussing womanhood. I encourage you to listen to “The Man” by Taylor Swift and “Kings & Queens” by Ava Max. They’re bangers. For slower, the more contemplative listeners, “Girl on Fire” by Alicia Keys & “Wild Hearts” by P!nk.

And finally, the lyrics.

"King" by Florence + the Machine

We argue in the kitchen about whether to have children

And 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

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 need my golden crown of sorrow

My bloody sword to swing

I need my empty halls to echo with grand self-mythology

'Cause I am no mother, I am no bride, I am king

I am no mother, I am no bride, I am king

Ho-oh-oh-oh

Ho-ooh

Ho-oh-oh-oh

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

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