Everyone has heard the song “Take Me to Church” by the Irish musician Andrew Hozier-Byrne, known as Hozier, at least one time. The grammy nominated song has topped the charts over the past two years since its release in September of 2013. Shortly after the release of the track, Hozier released the music video. The music video, shot in grey-scale, displays the relationship between a same sex couple and the violent homophobic backlash by the community as they learn of one of the man’s sexuality. The video itself references visual references to widespread anti-gay sentiment in Russia, where filmed attacks on homosexuals are not unusual.
The music video is a way for Hozier to take a stance against hate and human rights. In an interview with Fuse, the musician walks through the meaning of the music video.
“Take Me To Church’ has sparked a lot of conversation, I guess,” he tells Fuse. “I didn’t write the song to provoke any kind of negative reaction or anything like that. The song, to me, is about what it is to be a human, what it is to love someone as a human being, and organizations that would undermine that, and undermine the more natural parts of being a person. If you feel offended or disgusted by the image of two people kissing, if that’s what it is, but you’re more disgusted by that than the actual violence…I think you should take a look at your values, maybe. I don’t think there really should be a controversy when we’re talking about a basic human right and the equal treatment of people. Electing a person in the place of an organization, like the church, as something that is worth worshiping and something that is worth loving, something tangible and real…There’s a lot to the song, but if I need to stand up and swing from the corner, I’m happy to do that.”
http://www.fuse.tv/videos/2014/08/lollapalooza-2014-hozier-interview#sthash.mxOTgOlc.dpuf
In the recent month, Hozier released his video for “Work Song,” another track on his debut album. The video is simple and takes place in a small concert hall with a dance-centric visual to accompany it. To some though, the video was a disappointment in that it only featured heterosexual couples and does not stray past a heteronmorative narrative.
With such a powerful message that the “Take Me to Church” music video provides, I agree that it is a disappointment to just drop the notion of homosexuality altogether in “Work Song.” Although it would have been nice to see some reference to a same sex relationship in the music video, Hozier does not need to be the main person spotlighting gay couples. Hozier’s message is not to be the main figure fighting for LGBT rights. If you look at artist Sam Smith, he is an openly gay musician that states his music is about his own love affairs with other guys. But if you watch the music video for “Not the Only One,” he uses a heterosexual couple to represent his own relations.
In conclusion, I feel that Hozier is not in the wrong for displaying heteronormative relationships in “Work Song” after using a same sex relationship in “Take Me to Church,” even if it is disappointing.
Violent Femmes 2015 
Two great songs by the rising Irish musician here! Thinking a bit more in depth about the first music video, I find another potential reason for Hozier’s directing choice that we viewers can analyze. Given that, in his words, the song is about both the human experience and the impact of external forces on human life, it becomes apparent why we see a story of two homosexuals in the video. I believe he is trying to spotlight (ironically, using grey-scale shots) the perceived insignificance of homosexual relations in the real world. Equalizing homosexual relationships, as it relates to equality, is indeed a cornerstone of human rights. And, as we have seen throughout the course, religion has had and continues to undermine freedom of sexuality. As such, there is no coincidence that the song’s hook vocalizes religion and its music video makes us think about its consequences for homosexuals. In response to the disappointing sentiment surrounding the second music video, I agree with your analysis that Hozier need not be the champion for LGBT rights. Music speaks for itself!
LikeLike
I agree that Hozier is not in the wrong for having featured only heteronormative couples in the “Work Song” video. In his “Take Me to Church” music video, Hozier aims to tell a narrative and make a statement on an issue of great importance to him. The story that the video depicts is not specific to the song. What the song’s lyrics describe is a love so strong that it possesses religious or spiritual qualities. Just listening to the song, one could assume that Hozier wrote “Take Me to Church” about his own experiences and emotions. He sings in first person and refers to his love with feminine pronouns. But when it came time to creating a video for the hit song, Hozier took advantage of the song’s popularity in order to draw attention to the great injustices committed on homosexuals in Russia. His video had a very powerful message, and I appreciate his work and efforts to stand up for the international LBGTQ community. The purpose of the “Work Song” video, however, is not to recount a narrative or comment on an issue but, instead, to evoke through dance the love and intimacy about which he sings. Movement is an art form in its own right. Dance does not need to tell a story, and often, its only significance lays its beauty, its originality, or simply in the way it makes the audience feel. The video is centered on the dance, and the dancers, in this case, are just vessels of movement. Although the choreography in the video would probably be considered modern dance, it takes considerable influence from various forms of ballroom dance. Ballroom dance steps are rooted in rich culture and tradition, which often entails certain roles within the dance for men and women, especially with regards to lifts. The lifts are not only based on gendered ballroom styles but also physically require one of the partners to be significantly lighter than the other partner (which is biologically more likely when you have a male and a female partnership). Thus, the male-female coupling in the video was done for dance-related purposes and not to tell a story or make a statement about heteronormative couples. In fact, the gender of the dancers in “Work Song” should be ignored, as they do not represent specific people.
LikeLike
I agree that the coupling for Work Song was for a very clear reason. When doing research for this post, I was reading about in order for this music video to work (no pun intended) the dance sequences had to be in the spotlight. In order for the beautiful choreography to be a success, with footwork and lifts, it had to be between a man and a woman. If it were between same sex couples, some of the moves would not have been as successful. This music video is obviously to showcase the dancing, not the message between sexual relationships.
LikeLike