Hey! I absolutely love your breakdowns of Hozier's work. So excited for the album and I'm sure you'll do a fantastic job at analysing that text as well! Just wanted respectfully throw out there in case you were unaware, "crippled" is considered by many of us in the disabled community, as being quite offensive and hurtful language. I would consider using the term "disabled" in the future if you wish to avoid language that may hurt people. A lot of disabled people have reclaimed the word and use it to describe themselves, so you might see it in that context but in general it should be avoided when used to describe others (especially by non-disabled people). Again, great vid, keep up the good work!
Hi Emily! I am so sorry for the offence I have caused, it would have never been my intention to insult. I had endeavoured to mention his exact condition but could only find sources that used either "crippled" or "lame". I didn't know if 'disabled' would have been too broad of a term to use but thank you for your kind clarification! I will keep it in mind going forward ❤️ Hope to see you again x
"I just have these visions of Francesca and Paulo being wrapped around each other in this storm, but enduring because the only home they truly have is each other." // Your words hold so much magic. WOW
as a queer person with a lot of religious trauma, the line "heaven is not fit to house a love like you and i" has single-handedly changed the trajectory of my life
this song owns my entire soul, the very idea of their love being worth hell and torture is everything to me as a queer person, "heaven is not fit to house a love like you and i" rocked me to my very core and it still leaves me breathless when ever i listen to francesca (which is a lot) and im itching for the rest of this album, I'm very lucky that i get to see Hozier in malahide castle at the end of this month and a side note as an irish person, the snippet i heard for butchered tongue has me chewing on the furniture great video once again
It’s so wonderful that a lot of Hozier’s work can have that extra depth of meaning for the queer community! Thank you for such kind words ❤️ good to see you again x
My litterature teacher actully had a different take on the Canto 5 . Here in Italy we study the whole Divina Commadia during high school and Canto 5 is probably everyone's favourite. I was really hoping Hozier would write about it. Our teacher told us that at end of the story Dante faints because he has contradicting thoughts: he knows what Francesca has felt during her life (Dante was inlove with a married woman too, Beatrice) so he dosen't feel like she should be condemned but at the same time he doesn't want to go against god's will. He faints so he dosen't have to express that, he does that multipe times during Inferno
So fascinating to hear! When I read Dante (in my teens because the father of my friend wrote his acting school thesis about it and it was quoted and talked about) I was like "wow he is just one salty dude who wants the sh*t his peers did to be remembered for centuries to come" and now obviously I have a much more mature perspective 😅
I love the idea that Francesca sees the hurricane as not only a symbol of the strength of her love for Paolo, but her own willpower. Hozier portrayed as a complicated and fierce woman that knew her own mind, heart, and power. In Dante's case, I wonder if there's a crisis of faith going on when he confronts Francesca, and possibly, envy? After all, he loved an idealized woman from a distance. But unlike Beatrice and him, Francesca and Paolo had the guts to pursue their love in life and death, regardless of the storms.
I was on Hozier's concert in Italy and before playing Francesca he explained the inspiration behind it, basically confirming what you 've so beautifully explained; he felt the need to exhonorate Francesca, for she died for love. I thought I couldn't love this song more, but having heard the story behind it makes it so much more powerful.
Before seeing this video, I assumed the song was from Paolo's perspective because I just love the idea of it not even being from the point of view of Francesca but the man that she loved. How he'd still love her, even knowing the fate that awaited them. But giving Francessca her own life back gives me another kind of happiness. Both are good interpretations, and Hozier is honestly just an insanely good lyricist.
wow. from the first time i ever listened to this song, i had goosebumps right around "how could you think, darling, i'd scare so easily?" and was full-on crying when the chorus came around. and every time i learn and realise something new about this song, i'm hit with yet another wave of emotion stronger than the last. "Francesca" really has me in a death grip and just like you said, if this is the standard that we can expect for the album then i don't think my poor heart can handle it 🥺 also, i saw someone else say this on twitter but can we talk about the fact that this is the song that references the sin of Lust in the whole Inferno context, and Hozier EASILY could have turned it into a spicy song and it probably would have sounded AMAZING still but instead he chose to write a song about deep devotion to your lover and staying loyal to them, even enduring pain and suffering or giving up a peaceful afterlife just to be with them again? HELLO???? ANDREW??????
Loved the video, just want to add that the line "my life was a storm, since I was born" may also be referring to Francesca's early life in the midst of a war and being pawned of to marry Giovanni! Loved your analysis, I'm currently reading Dante's inferno inspired by your last Hozier video ❤
Side note as it ties into both what was discussed in this comment, the RUclips video, the lyrics, and Hozier's history. When he was a young child his father became very ill and eventually became severely disabled . Hozier describes lightly in a couple interviews the challenges him, his family, and his parents faced. He speaks gently but it's easy to see that he went through his own turbulence and witnessed probably many storms in his own family over the years. When you know his backstory a bit its easy to also loop some personal meaning into some of these lyrics too.
This song really struck home with me because my husband has dealt with cancer and it’s after effects for 18 years. As difficult as that has been for me I would choose to do it all over again because I love him so much.
Oh Lisa, I can't imagine what the two of you have gone through! I really hope you find some much needed healing and relief ❤️ The universe clearly knew that you were meant to stay in the same realm together x
"heaven is not fit to house a love like you and i" also reads to me like a rejection of the purity that landed them in hell, like they cannot understand our love and they cannot deal with it, and to hell with that, we are here and we are together. and that is just beautiful, i didn't listen to this song the day it came out, but it popped up on my shuffle the day i needed to listen to it which was how stumbled upon his music the first time round :')
I've always thought that the tragedy of Francesca and Paolo's love is that, in being introduced to them through Dante's eyes in Hell, their relationship has largely been viewed through the lens of that ultimate end. Their behaviour is cast in the light of the supposed sin of lust that caused them to be punished as they are, rather than love that brought them together despite their circumstances. When Hozier sings that "For all that was said / Of where we'd end up at the end of it / When the heart would cease, ours nеver knew peacе," this yearning of the heart and acceptance of the consequences reflects Francesca's own assertion that "love led us to one death". I so appreciate that Hozier gives Francesca's words the weight that Dante didn't, and honours the love that Paolo and Francesca had for each other.
I think that when we leave out the wrongs that happened to romanticize the passion is when things are mistreated. I totally agree that it was passion but being cheated on because you have PTSD and can’t walk feels like watering down the situation to passion.
When I heard the song for the first time, I fell in love with it instantly. I have never, ever truly felt a song like Francesca. It struck me like the warmest hug; the most beautiful and comforting embrace I've had. Hozier's work is truly amazing. The way he writes and pours all he has to make every single one of his songs never fails to leave me speechless in the best way possible. I cannot stress enough the love that I have for this song.
For some reason I'd thought he was singing from Paulo's perspective. Kind of giving him a voice and disputing Dontae's take on the situation. I like the idea that it's from hers too. This was a good break down 😊
Omg thank you! I thought I was the only one who that this. I thought the song is called Francesca because its Paulo calling out to her to tell her that he feels the same way and that he also wouldn't have it any other way. That he loves her and not amount of pain and suffering is too much for him to want to be with her.
You know great writing when every line can mean multiple things - can be read from many perspectives, as a love song or as a critique on broader level. Shakespeare is the golden standard in this.
I am always amazed by the thin threads that connect us all in this world: The one that brought me here was because a random post from a friend of mine on Facebook making a comment about the Jason Aldean controversy, made a comment that his daughter loves Hozier's music. I then searched RUclips, listened to "Francesca" and loved it and then saw your video here and loved your wonderful explanation! The even more amazing part is the history of my life, while not filled with lies, secrecy, affairs, and murder; I am well aware of being blessed with having been in struggles that I would do all over again because the love was so strong. It has also made me understand that we can have more than one soulmate in our lives. At 16, my first soulmate and I met at Disney, fell in love over a long-distance relationship and married at 20. We raised 2 wonderful children and after 27 years of marriage, at 48, Treva passed away from complications of a 10 year struggle with an autoimmune disease. I found myself a widower working through the grief and figuring out who I was after losing half of my soul. I was unaware that 4 years earlier, a wife was losing her husband of 27 years to a stroke after raising 6 kids of their own and facing similar grief. One year after losing my wife, Lesley and I met in a FB support group for widows, found out we lived 30 minutes apart and became best friends over the next year. Then without warning, she suffered the same type of stoke that took her husbands life and I realized I loved her more than a friend. After dating a short time, we were married 6 months later, and just celebrated our 2 years anniversary. I have been blessed TWICE to know love so amazing and so deep that the struggles of life are all worth it!!! Thanks again for your great video!!!
The idea of sacrificing heaven for one person, for the other half of your soul, to experience the worst turmoils offered to man just to be whole is written so sweetly in Hozier's lyrics; And its just astounding hearing such devotion in his lyrics emulating what could be seen as pride to have one another, to be proud of your choice instead of second guessing after having to face the consequences. It's just so heartwarming of a story but the song just adds that level of power to their words that makes listening to this song a religious experience
Between you, hozier himself, and wendigoon, i was inclined to purchase to the divine comedy and did, just 2 days ago i finished reading Canto V and started listening to francesca but more critically, and it was cool to see each and every little reference that hozier placed in his song from inferno and how he gives this heretic and clandestine love a new perspective.
this song has become very personal for me because my boyfriend and I aren’t approved of by his mother, but he’s financially dependent on her because of his poor health right now. The second verse honestly brings me to tears after too many listens because his body really is being chipped away by his chronic illness. I feel like sometimes we might be inclined to give up on our love but I really would go through all the pain and heartbreak to hold him geez I’m crying again
Oh Anna, I am so so sorry for what you and your boyfriend are going through. I can't imagine that kind of pain. I'm glad that you are able to find so much meaning from this song, and hopefully with time some healing too ❤️
I know that this song is super historically based and well thought out but I love the idea, too, that Hozier used the image of worms because of the question, “would you love me if I was a worm” and this song would be an answer to that (it’s probably not accurate but I think that would be adorable)
Obviously the song applies to like so many kinds of love, but as a queer person it truly hits hard. Like the line you’ve mentioned “heaven is not meant to house a love like you and I”, and the strength to forgo ease and heaven for love, I just love that he was able to capture this multi dimensional, very deep love for people to relate to or to hope for, it’s a beautiful take in the story I’m obsessed
Wow, this was amazing! It is such a beautiful song, and before I even knew what it was about (thanks to your video!), I had a queer reading to it. Being a lesbian myself probably helped lol, but some lines are so strong, like "There's not one thing that I would change/ My life was a storm/ Since I was born/ How could I fear any hurricane?".The experience of loving someone so much that you go through every single adversity in life, since there's nothing but adversity, for most of us. And it's even a greater challenge for queer people who grew up religious because loving someone you're not supposed to could lead you to hell. And still, "If someone asked me at the end/ I'd tell them: put me back in it/ Darling, I would do it again" because there's nowhere we would rather be than with that person. We love who we love. This song made me speechless, it's a spectacular view on love and how strong its ties can be. I'm so excited for the rest of the album, and also can't wait for your interpretation of it!
My bf is my hs sweetheart and stood by me dor a decade of me escaping a home riddled with child abuse and constantly battling my mental and physical health and this video kinda unpacked exactly why i love this song so much. I am very lucky indeed to have a love unfit for heaven.
I know this is a song about two lovers but I think the lyrics are so broad that anyone could dedicate it to whoever they love, whether it being your parents, friends or whatever. I find this song so beautiful that when my little dog died due to a lot of illnesses I dedicated it to her, because even though taking care of someone is incredibly exhausting I would do it again and again just to experience that innocent and genuine love. ❤ (Great analysis btw)
Wonderful video! I loved that you took a beat to emphasize Francesca's feelings in all of this. I listen to Mormon Stories Podcast because listening to other Ex-Mormons discuss leaving is very helpful for my religious trauma. What you're discussing about Francesca and her father made me think about something Margi Dehlin said on one of the episodes about the church system replacing the family system. I think that happens with a lot of hierarchies: royalty, religion, etc. He wasn't just her father, he was her Lord. He gave priority to that because he dedicated his life to that system, so much so that it took away the normal role a parent is supposed to play in a familial system. The cognitive dissonance for her would've been immense. "I'm not just your father, I'm also your bishop." "That's not just my grandmother, she's the Queen." When statements and choices like that are made, usually what's actually being said is I've given everything, even my children, to this ideal and way of life. It's another way to "eat your young."
Wow that is such an interesting point! I will definitely take a listen to that podcast too. I wasn't Mormon but was still very indoctrinated into the christian faith so it may be helpful with coming to terms with the things I still don't quite understand during my time in the church. Thank you so much for sharing ❤️
Hiii I really loved you talking about Dante, I’m from Italy and in school we study Dante in middle school and then in high school for three years, une Cantica for year, so we spend a lot of time describing all of this. I always lived this tale, and inferno in particular, partly because the little village that I come from Santa Fiora is quoted in it. I liked how you stressed Francesca as product of her time and how her decision is just to love a man and to love him without restraint. I think it aspires us to feel what we’re feeling, to express it and not be ashamed if it, to fight for love in a way. No not be afraid to be consumed by the fires of love. To burn in it peacefully.
Brings tears of deep emotion and pain to me.... So Romantic, so heartfelt.... so damning, loving and tragic. This testimony of his love for her is beyond enthralling. Indeed, Francesca must've melted into his arms as they twrill around and around of the deepest love for one another.......Never ending?.....
Loved it and I liked, that Virgil actually showed compassion for Francesca and like you, dismissed Dante's lack of compassion (based on religious belief.
these videos have inspired me to analyse lyrics more thoroughly and i adore how to interpret and explain these songs! these are truly comforting as well (I've rewatched your 'Eat Your Young', 'Mermaids' and 'Labour' videos countlessly at this point) and the information you provide makes these pieces of art all the more precious in my heart. thank you to say the least
This little corner here on RUclips is part of the ones that bring me true confort e content just for being here watching, Honor your vibe is stunning, love the aesthetic and the way you turn into words what I feel towards hozier's work is nothing but splendid. I believe we should all worship dear andrew and also blame him for making my love standards so high.
Oh, this was a song i FELT. I was in the middle of writing an essay, but i stopped to watch the lyrics video because i tend to jusy hear music and not listening. It reminded me of Nihilist philosophy. To live a life so fully and so beautiful with no regrets. Such as that at the end, if a horrible a demon told you that you will life this life all over again, to every minute detail, you would call the devil God and thank him. It was the final lyrics and the way the music felt like it was surrounding me that did me in. Like Francesa defiantly screaming into the wind while shes thrown around that she regrets jothin. It made lay down in bed and stare at the roof and let the tears fall from my eyes. "I would not change it each time. Heaven is not fit to house a love like you and I"
I've been in love with the new album of Hozier, and I'm also being blown away by thinking how someone could make something so beautiful out of a tragedy explained through the eyes of love! When I was young, I read the Inferno part of the book because it was hard for me to focus on the other parts due to religious beliefs. Now that I'm going through a hard time regarding a past relationship, the song made me realize that even if it was hard, it was all worth it and even feeling the pain I'm feeling every day, is worth it. If I had to re-live all my pain to remember the beautiful moments I spent loving a special someone in the past, it still would be worth it all over again. But I especially love the part that says, "My life was a storm, since I was born, How could I fear any hurricane?" It struck me in a more personal way, because since I've had memory I've struggled with a lot of things, that in the long term view shaped me as me, and, growing up with those surroundings made me stronger to be compassionate and made me learn how to love, even if sometimes when it ends, hurts more than you could ever imagine. But then again, I know for sure "I'll tell them put me back in it, Darling, I would do it again"
seeing as the songs off eat your young relate to the circles of hell and francesca relates to a certain character from the divine comedy, i really hope there'll be one about dante or virgil themselves as well! they could both be incredible subjects for songs - dante being the writer of the story and its hero as well, and virgil being such a tragic figure - and i think it could add a lot to his exploration of the story!
From what I understand, Hozier isn’t the first person to humanize Francesca. Artists throughout the years have painted her in increasingly feminist ways and she’s become a symbol of feminism and female agency. It just adds a nice little icing on the cake of such an amazing song (and analysis!)
Your video's scratch the itch of digging deep into lyrics, that hold too much weight for me not to scramble to unpick every line and nuance. Your a godsend!
the beautiful narrative of francesca's emotions makes the song even more precious to me! thank you for the context!! the song made me also think about a general love for life, how even if you may end up heartbroken and hurt it is always worth loving and giving it your all. i feel like its the recurring theme of hozier's music in this new album for me, a reminder that experiencing all human emotions and love is always worth it even if you can expect it to hurt a lot later. like he says in all things end "if there was anyone to ever get through this life with their heart still intact, they didnt do it right". So yeah when he sings out "i'd tell them put me back in it" he inspires this beautiful urge in me to live and love my life and to wish for it to be something id beg to be put back in, no matter the pain id lived. thank you for your videos, theyre always a great watch!
This song for some reason makes me cry. It's so powerful and full of love. The way that he sings as if he was screaming the chorus: I'D TELL THEM , "PUT ME BACK IN IT " DARLIN', I WOULD DO IT AGAIN IF I COULD HOLD YOU FOR A MINUTE DARLIN', I'D GO THROUGH IT AGAIN CHILLS!
I love Hozier as a musician as well as a person. The way women are depicted in his songs and the way he treat them in real life show that he not just have admiration but respect and understanding for them. I mean, just notice the way he regards the women artists that he sometimes collaborates with on stage or in the studio. I don't think there are too many male artists who have such mutual respect and almost reverence to their female counterparts. And as for the women characters he depicted in his songs, they are mostly women like Francesca who are strong and know their own mind. He is not shy of showing the darkness in women either, and instead of shunning it, he actually embraces the darkness. I mean, this is not common for women to be seen and represented this way in popular culture. He is certainly a 'new age' man in the best sense of the word. I love the song Francesca, and the fact that true love can transcend all. And yes, I'm afraid I have digressed on above. But these thoughts have been circulating in my mind, and I just feel I have to put it down , as I believe, on a safe platform.
@honorluca Thanks, Honor. It's good to know I am not the only one who thinks like that. I mean, sometimes I think I read too much into the lyrics, etc.
i echo everything the people in this comment section has said. i have not gotten francesca out of my head since my first listen (and nor do i want to). the way you so eloquently word your dives into lyrics, their influences, interpretations and what they mean to you is everything; as well as the practice of opening up further interpretations up to those of us that are watching you tell yours. i need to pick up dante’s inferno to read asap! it was great to be reminded of the lense he wrote it through and, how hozier has turned it into something same, but different. also, i love your earrings!! where are they from?
Aw Ash, that was so lovely to read! You are so kind! Definitely a comment I'll be printing to put on the wall at my desk ❤️ The earrings are from Lovisa! I only got them a couple of weeks ago so they should definitely still be available 😄
Hello as much as I like the song and how Hozier integrates the story pf Paolo and Francesca I'd like to agree to disagree with you on certain things: 1.) We can never truly know what the actual Paolo and Francesca are really like and they are now effectively symbols of what they represent culturally, narratively, and subjectively. Which is why I personally dislike it whenever people say "This person shows us the real [insert historical figure]." What is left behind in the historical record could only hint at what they are actually like but it's still through an incomplete picture. Much like how videos and social media posts give clues but nevertheless still an incomplete picture of the complex person and team making it. Which is why we can never truly tell if their relationship is based on lust or love, we only know that they had an adulterous affair which resulted in their deaths by Giovanni. Hozier like many artists before had humanized them, but let's not mistake that humanness for knowing the actual person. 2. The deception by her father Guido was not a contemporary account but one made by a writer who lived 20 plus years after their deaths. Historians generally agree that it would be highly unlikely that Francesca didn't know who Paulo and Giovanni are since their families were warring with each other until their marraige negotiation. 3. I'm not sure if you've noticed but even Dante is sympathetic to them. They are the only sinners whom in the text he has his self-insert character show pity to and is so moved by Francesca's story that he faints at the end of Canto V (Edit: He does also show pity towards his gay teacher in sodomy but in inferno he punishes sodomy as part of violence while in purgatory sodomy is part of lust). Even in Hell he puts them together when he could have easily placed Paulo in the subcircle of seducers within Fraud and leave Francesca alone in Circle 2 and we would be none the wiser to the actual story. Structurally he has been very consistent with how he places Lust. Lust is the least grave sin in Hell proper and the Seventh sin punished in purgatory just before reaching earthly paradise. And this is because Lust (in Dante's perspective) is the closest thing to love in it's more conventionally accepted norm had the circumstances allowed it to be acceptable. Yes, he may have placed them in Hell because adultery is objectively a sin (in the Catholic perspective) but that doesn't mean he wasn't sympathetic to them. Hell is a place where sinners have no remorse for their actions and so by putting them there he gives them more sympathy precisely because they are unremorseful of their actions which is to love each other even though it was unlawful. To put them in purgatory's punishment would mean that he implies that literary Paolo and Francesca regrets their love and would suffer for the sake of going to Heaven (ideals with the circumstances showing or allowing those ideals to be shown) than with each other. A commenter on Hozier's lyric video put it best by saying that "their love became eternal because of their damnation."
I fell in love with this song and I evermore excited for the rest! I relate to the song a lot more than I ever thought. I am Native and my lover is also native, different tribe. Enemy tribes lol. But! Both our families a firm Christian believes. We are both male. It isn’t just love, when you find someone who you can relate to. Someone who can understand you. Understand different circumstances if it were any other way, maybe we are meant to be together. Maybe we will be condemned to Inferno. Maybe this love is a mockery of god. As the lyrics say “Do you think I’d give up?” “How can you think darling scare so easily?” “How can I fear any hurricane?” “Put me back in!” Maybe heaven is fit to house our love. Who cares. I’m just happy and grateful that I’m able to find a song that can blow my mind away! It makes me truly appreciate Hozier’s music and poetic Justice. 😤🙏🏽
as soon as it dropped I fell in love with Francesca... it is probably my favorite out of his latest songs. The lyrics are fantastic but I also love the rock energy he's brought into it. I've never studied Inferno before but I think I'll get a copy so I'm ready for the album!!!
the last few minutes of this really made me emotional.. my partner and I have been through what feels like hell and back, but we are stronger than ever now. If that was the only way that could bring me to her and get us to the point where we are now, I'd go through that hell over and over again.
Hi! I am extremely happy to have stumbled upon this channel!! The interpretations, the background story and their connection to the song were beautifully executed! Thank you for this!! I'm just blown away!
Thank you for this take and explanation of Dante's tale and Hozier's reply. I love when music is put to the classic writtings. Hence "Weathering Heights" or "My Annabell Lee" by Stevie Nicks.
This is definitely my favorite song we’ve heard so far. If anything else from the album beats it I will be SHOCKED. Knowing Andrew anything is possible. Great video, Honor! ❤️
Thank you SO much ! You've been very clear ! I LOVE this part of Dante's INFERNO , a tremendously poignant and tragic story ! Hozier's song "Francesca" has powerful lyrics and music , it reaches my heart and soul in a very deep way ...
I found you last night and it is a pleasure listening to your voice and breakdown while at work. All of hoziers word has had willows of rabbit holes. Its nice to see that im not the only one who wants to venture. Keep up the magnificent work.
love this! I've seen some of Hozier's interviews talking about it but he usually doesn't get to go more in depth, so it's really nice to know more. I also needed to say that you look beautiful! Your make up, earings and hair are amazing!
I just want you to know that I have come back to this video three separate times to rewatch it (this is the fourth) because you just explain it so well. Something about this song speaks to me and I've loved Hozier since I was 15, so it's just amazing to see other people really exploring his songs and getting excited about the history because wow is there so much to unpack here. I didn't know the story behind this song but now that I do its even more emotional to listen to.
Hoizer just released a video where he discussed "Francesca." He confirmed it's about Francesca di Rimini, and he also said it's not only from her pov, but also Paolo's. His take was how could be sentenced to an eternity together be a punishment for the lovers? He wanted them to stand by their relationship regardless of outside rejection (*cough*Dante*cough). He's also said in the past that he finds relationships that challenge society, including queer relationships, to be very revolutionary. Thus, he saw Francesca and Paolo as rebels. ❤️
I absolutely love this song (and your outfit today especially the earrings and makeup) and I love how hozier took this story and ran with it and showed it in a positive light. I absolutely cannot with the guitar in this song I love it so much. I can’t wait for Unreal Unearth to come out.
You genuinely elevate the experience of listening to Hozier so much with your thoughts and perspective. I appreciate these videos you've made so much and I'm so looking forward to the album to coming out, not just for the music itself but also to hear what you have to say about it.
I got to hear this song live and it was an amazing experience, so heartbreaking and extremely beautiful at the same time! Thank you so much for making me understand it more ❤️
i loved this video, you always give such great analyses!! i love this song so much, and the fact that it came out on my birthday makes it even more special to me! also, thanks to your last Hozier video, i ordered a copy of Dante's inferno in preparation for the album!! really looking forward to read it!! ❤
I am love love the 3 singles he gave us and I cannot wait for the album ! Knowing the story behind this beautiful song makes everything even better ! I didn’t know the album was inspired by Dante’s Inferno, I always found the Divine Comedy fascinating, so it makes everything better!!
I think it’s also important to contextualize the placement of the lovers in the Inferno! Dante the Poet was careful in his ordering of the severity of the sins, with those he is most guilty of falling in the top (the crimes of passion and circumstance, not ill intent). So while I do agree that Dante the Pilgrim does not think highly of Francesca, I do not believe Dante the Poet necessarily subscribes to that belief. We also see throughout Dante the Pilgrim’s voyage through Inferno that his perception of people and their sins shifts as the severity increases-and these perceptions are being portrayed through the eyes of a character. I have had the blessing of working with an absolutely incredible Dante professor who stressed the importance of contextualizing the events of the Commedia within Dante’s history, the surrounding events of the text, religious/cultural doctrine of the time and also physical placement within the circles/terraces. Dante gives us a deep visual and spatial description of everything, and I love Hozier’s interpretation of the physical features of the circle of lust, and I love the ways in which you described it. My professor is also adamant that Dante the Poet and Dante the Pilgrim cannot be treated as copies of each other. They are each similar beings, but more like imperfect mirror images. Reading the text with that in mind can change your interpretation a surprising amount. I think you’ve done Francesca and Paolo-the characters and the living people-justice in your succinct description of their story. Thank you for sharing!
i love the song so much and i desperately needed analysis of it and am glad to have found your videos. i would love to hear a dueted version of francesca to sort of see where hozier would imagine which of the perspectives are at play, tho ofc i love hearing him play all the parts whether it is paolo, francesca or the narrator. and i cant believe we have to wait til august for the whole album tho it also gives us time to brace for the masterpiece it will be.
what a beautifully constructed video! simple yet deep. it's very refreshing to find this kind of content, so thank you so much for sharing. I've been a fan of Hozier for a while and it never fails to amaze me how profound his lyrics are.
Love your Hozier breakdowns!!! I meant to say on your last video - I have that EXACT copy of L’Inferno! I saw it at The Winding Stair when I was in Dublin and the cover was so beautiful I just had to buy it, overfull suitcase be damned. ✨💚✨
God... when you explained the storm lyrics, I straight up teared up, I hadn't realized the tribute aspect, the agency, the rabid steadfastness of her love. It reminds me of my ex, the promises we failed to keep, and strangely enough, I really resonate with "my life was a storm since I was born, how could I fear any hurricane" because my dad was born during a storm, and he's been a metaphorical storm in my life for as long as I remember. He was very against me dating my ex, and was part of the reason we broke up. Francesca feels like a what-if for me, if I had stayed.
Hell, I remember saying word for word to my ex "You're not getting rid of me so easily". I ended up being the one to break it off. Goddamit, you'd think 10 months would be enough time to not tear up at this. I got the same feeling when Through Me came out, and I first heard the lines "I think of loss and I can only think of you, I couldn't measure it"
I love seeing these videos because they describe so well the historical context of the song and explain what Hozier is trying to say. such a powerful song 🫶🏻
Hey! I absolutely love your breakdowns of Hozier's work. So excited for the album and I'm sure you'll do a fantastic job at analysing that text as well! Just wanted respectfully throw out there in case you were unaware, "crippled" is considered by many of us in the disabled community, as being quite offensive and hurtful language. I would consider using the term "disabled" in the future if you wish to avoid language that may hurt people. A lot of disabled people have reclaimed the word and use it to describe themselves, so you might see it in that context but in general it should be avoided when used to describe others (especially by non-disabled people). Again, great vid, keep up the good work!
Hi Emily! I am so sorry for the offence I have caused, it would have never been my intention to insult. I had endeavoured to mention his exact condition but could only find sources that used either "crippled" or "lame". I didn't know if 'disabled' would have been too broad of a term to use but thank you for your kind clarification! I will keep it in mind going forward ❤️ Hope to see you again x
"I just have these visions of Francesca and Paulo being wrapped around each other in this storm, but enduring because the only home they truly have is each other." // Your words hold so much magic. WOW
Thank you so much! I am so awed by your kind comments! x
as a queer person with a lot of religious trauma, the line "heaven is not fit to house a love like you and i" has single-handedly changed the trajectory of my life
That's so beautiful. I'm always amazed at the power that words hold
hozier never fails to amaze me with his lyricism. thank you for making this!
Thank YOU for watching! xx
this song owns my entire soul, the very idea of their love being worth hell and torture is everything to me as a queer person, "heaven is not fit to house a love like you and i" rocked me to my very core and it still leaves me breathless when ever i listen to francesca (which is a lot) and im itching for the rest of this album, I'm very lucky that i get to see Hozier in malahide castle at the end of this month and a side note as an irish person, the snippet i heard for butchered tongue has me chewing on the furniture
great video once again
It’s so wonderful that a lot of Hozier’s work can have that extra depth of meaning for the queer community! Thank you for such kind words ❤️ good to see you again x
Yes, I just really noticed that lyric because I sometimes get lost in the vibes of hoziers songs and this line hits really hard
as a lesbian who was raised with a very catholic religious background i 100% agree with you
My litterature teacher actully had a different take on the Canto 5 . Here in Italy we study the whole Divina Commadia during high school and Canto 5 is probably everyone's favourite. I was really hoping Hozier would write about it.
Our teacher told us that at end of the story Dante faints because he has contradicting thoughts: he knows what Francesca has felt during her life (Dante was inlove with a married woman too, Beatrice) so he dosen't feel like she should be condemned but at the same time he doesn't want to go against god's will. He faints so he dosen't have to express that, he does that multipe times during Inferno
Era l'unico canto che mi ero imparato a memoria lmao
So fascinating to hear! When I read Dante (in my teens because the father of my friend wrote his acting school thesis about it and it was quoted and talked about) I was like "wow he is just one salty dude who wants the sh*t his peers did to be remembered for centuries to come" and now obviously I have a much more mature perspective 😅
Yess. The same I read in a very old article of Atlantic magazine.
the fact that this specific sin was committed by dante himself too makes it so much more interesting, thank you for sharing that!
Fascinating addition to the take of Dante's mind set.
I love the idea that Francesca sees the hurricane as not only a symbol of the strength of her love for Paolo, but her own willpower. Hozier portrayed as a complicated and fierce woman that knew her own mind, heart, and power. In Dante's case, I wonder if there's a crisis of faith going on when he confronts Francesca, and possibly, envy? After all, he loved an idealized woman from a distance. But unlike Beatrice and him, Francesca and Paolo had the guts to pursue their love in life and death, regardless of the storms.
THIS! I completely agree with everything! It definitely can be read as Dante projecting his own envy.
I was on Hozier's concert in Italy and before playing Francesca he explained the inspiration behind it, basically confirming what you 've so beautifully explained; he felt the need to exhonorate Francesca, for she died for love.
I thought I couldn't love this song more, but having heard the story behind it makes it so much more powerful.
Oh I'm so glad my interpretation was on the right path!
Before seeing this video, I assumed the song was from Paolo's perspective because I just love the idea of it not even being from the point of view of Francesca but the man that she loved. How he'd still love her, even knowing the fate that awaited them. But giving Francessca her own life back gives me another kind of happiness. Both are good interpretations, and Hozier is honestly just an insanely good lyricist.
Absolutely! I think the song can be read both ways with interesting meanings taken from both!
wow. from the first time i ever listened to this song, i had goosebumps right around "how could you think, darling, i'd scare so easily?" and was full-on crying when the chorus came around. and every time i learn and realise something new about this song, i'm hit with yet another wave of emotion stronger than the last. "Francesca" really has me in a death grip and just like you said, if this is the standard that we can expect for the album then i don't think my poor heart can handle it 🥺
also, i saw someone else say this on twitter but can we talk about the fact that this is the song that references the sin of Lust in the whole Inferno context, and Hozier EASILY could have turned it into a spicy song and it probably would have sounded AMAZING still but instead he chose to write a song about deep devotion to your lover and staying loyal to them, even enduring pain and suffering or giving up a peaceful afterlife just to be with them again? HELLO???? ANDREW??????
YES THIS OMG. Couldn't have put it better!
Loved the video, just want to add that the line "my life was a storm, since I was born" may also be referring to Francesca's early life in the midst of a war and being pawned of to marry Giovanni! Loved your analysis, I'm currently reading Dante's inferno inspired by your last Hozier video ❤
Ooo yes I love this!
Side note as it ties into both what was discussed in this comment, the RUclips video, the lyrics, and Hozier's history. When he was a young child his father became very ill and eventually became severely disabled . Hozier describes lightly in a couple interviews the challenges him, his family, and his parents faced. He speaks gently but it's easy to see that he went through his own turbulence and witnessed probably many storms in his own family over the years. When you know his backstory a bit its easy to also loop some personal meaning into some of these lyrics too.
This song really struck home with me because my husband has dealt with cancer and it’s after effects for 18 years. As difficult as that has been for me I would choose to do it all over again because I love him so much.
Oh Lisa, I can't imagine what the two of you have gone through! I really hope you find some much needed healing and relief ❤️ The universe clearly knew that you were meant to stay in the same realm together x
"heaven is not fit to house a love like you and i" also reads to me like a rejection of the purity that landed them in hell, like they cannot understand our love and they cannot deal with it, and to hell with that, we are here and we are together. and that is just beautiful, i didn't listen to this song the day it came out, but it popped up on my shuffle the day i needed to listen to it which was how stumbled upon his music the first time round :')
That is such a great point! I love that!!!
I've always thought that the tragedy of Francesca and Paolo's love is that, in being introduced to them through Dante's eyes in Hell, their relationship has largely been viewed through the lens of that ultimate end. Their behaviour is cast in the light of the supposed sin of lust that caused them to be punished as they are, rather than love that brought them together despite their circumstances. When Hozier sings that "For all that was said / Of where we'd end up at the end of it / When the heart would cease, ours nеver knew peacе," this yearning of the heart and acceptance of the consequences reflects Francesca's own assertion that "love led us to one death". I so appreciate that Hozier gives Francesca's words the weight that Dante didn't, and honours the love that Paolo and Francesca had for each other.
I think that when we leave out the wrongs that happened to romanticize the passion is when things are mistreated. I totally agree that it was passion but being cheated on because you have PTSD and can’t walk feels like watering down the situation to passion.
While listening to the song i kept thinking of orpheus and Euridice for some reason. I also cried at the ending part.
Now that you say it, I think you could totally apply this song to Orpheus and Euridice!
When I heard the song for the first time, I fell in love with it instantly. I have never, ever truly felt a song like Francesca. It struck me like the warmest hug; the most beautiful and comforting embrace I've had. Hozier's work is truly amazing. The way he writes and pours all he has to make every single one of his songs never fails to leave me speechless in the best way possible. I cannot stress enough the love that I have for this song.
Couldn’t say it better myself!
For some reason I'd thought he was singing from Paulo's perspective. Kind of giving him a voice and disputing Dontae's take on the situation. I like the idea that it's from hers too. This was a good break down 😊
I should have mentioned it in the video but I did think it could kind of be read as both! There’s definitely elements of each character in the song 😊
Omg thank you! I thought I was the only one who that this. I thought the song is called Francesca because its Paulo calling out to her to tell her that he feels the same way and that he also wouldn't have it any other way. That he loves her and not amount of pain and suffering is too much for him to want to be with her.
@@AmanirenaII that's exactly how I read it!
You know great writing when every line can mean multiple things - can be read from many perspectives, as a love song or as a critique on broader level. Shakespeare is the golden standard in this.
I am always amazed by the thin threads that connect us all in this world:
The one that brought me here was because a random post from a friend of mine on Facebook making a comment about the Jason Aldean controversy, made a comment that his daughter loves Hozier's music. I then searched RUclips, listened to "Francesca" and loved it and then saw your video here and loved your wonderful explanation!
The even more amazing part is the history of my life, while not filled with lies, secrecy, affairs, and murder; I am well aware of being blessed with having been in struggles that I would do all over again because the love was so strong. It has also made me understand that we can have more than one soulmate in our lives.
At 16, my first soulmate and I met at Disney, fell in love over a long-distance relationship and married at 20. We raised 2 wonderful children and after 27 years of marriage, at 48, Treva passed away from complications of a 10 year struggle with an autoimmune disease. I found myself a widower working through the grief and figuring out who I was after losing half of my soul. I was unaware that 4 years earlier, a wife was losing her husband of 27 years to a stroke after raising 6 kids of their own and facing similar grief. One year after losing my wife, Lesley and I met in a FB support group for widows, found out we lived 30 minutes apart and became best friends over the next year. Then without warning, she suffered the same type of stoke that took her husbands life and I realized I loved her more than a friend. After dating a short time, we were married 6 months later, and just celebrated our 2 years anniversary.
I have been blessed TWICE to know love so amazing and so deep that the struggles of life are all worth it!!! Thanks again for your great video!!!
Wow, that is so so beautiful! Thank you so much for sharing your story Thomas!
The idea of sacrificing heaven for one person, for the other half of your soul, to experience the worst turmoils offered to man just to be whole is written so sweetly in Hozier's lyrics; And its just astounding hearing such devotion in his lyrics emulating what could be seen as pride to have one another, to be proud of your choice instead of second guessing after having to face the consequences. It's just so heartwarming of a story but the song just adds that level of power to their words that makes listening to this song a religious experience
Between you, hozier himself, and wendigoon, i was inclined to purchase to the divine comedy and did, just 2 days ago i finished reading Canto V and started listening to francesca but more critically, and it was cool to see each and every little reference that hozier placed in his song from inferno and how he gives this heretic and clandestine love a new perspective.
LOVE THIS!
this song has become very personal for me because my boyfriend and I aren’t approved of by his mother, but he’s financially dependent on her because of his poor health right now. The second verse honestly brings me to tears after too many listens because his body really is being chipped away by his chronic illness. I feel like sometimes we might be inclined to give up on our love but I really would go through all the pain and heartbreak to hold him geez I’m crying again
Oh Anna, I am so so sorry for what you and your boyfriend are going through. I can't imagine that kind of pain. I'm glad that you are able to find so much meaning from this song, and hopefully with time some healing too ❤️
I know that this song is super historically based and well thought out but I love the idea, too, that Hozier used the image of worms because of the question, “would you love me if I was a worm” and this song would be an answer to that (it’s probably not accurate but I think that would be adorable)
YESSSS I HAVE BEEN ANXIOUS FOR THIS ONE!!
We share the same brain cells sis
Obviously the song applies to like so many kinds of love, but as a queer person it truly hits hard. Like the line you’ve mentioned “heaven is not meant to house a love like you and I”, and the strength to forgo ease and heaven for love, I just love that he was able to capture this multi dimensional, very deep love for people to relate to or to hope for, it’s a beautiful take in the story I’m obsessed
YES! It kind of reminds me of TMTC in the way he describes the love as something that transcends religion and "holiness"
"im blown away by this song" haahha i see what u did there
Wow, this was amazing! It is such a beautiful song, and before I even knew what it was about (thanks to your video!), I had a queer reading to it. Being a lesbian myself probably helped lol, but some lines are so strong, like "There's not one thing that I would change/ My life was a storm/ Since I was born/ How could I fear any hurricane?".The experience of loving someone so much that you go through every single adversity in life, since there's nothing but adversity, for most of us. And it's even a greater challenge for queer people who grew up religious because loving someone you're not supposed to could lead you to hell. And still, "If someone asked me at the end/ I'd tell them: put me back in it/ Darling, I would do it again" because there's nowhere we would rather be than with that person. We love who we love. This song made me speechless, it's a spectacular view on love and how strong its ties can be. I'm so excited for the rest of the album, and also can't wait for your interpretation of it!
I absolutely hear you! The extra layer of depth this song brings to the queer community is profound!
My bf is my hs sweetheart and stood by me dor a decade of me escaping a home riddled with child abuse and constantly battling my mental and physical health and this video kinda unpacked exactly why i love this song so much.
I am very lucky indeed to have a love unfit for heaven.
That is so wonderful!
I know this is a song about two lovers but I think the lyrics are so broad that anyone could dedicate it to whoever they love, whether it being your parents, friends or whatever. I find this song so beautiful that when my little dog died due to a lot of illnesses I dedicated it to her, because even though taking care of someone is incredibly exhausting I would do it again and again just to experience that innocent and genuine love. ❤ (Great analysis btw)
Wonderful video! I loved that you took a beat to emphasize Francesca's feelings in all of this. I listen to Mormon Stories Podcast because listening to other Ex-Mormons discuss leaving is very helpful for my religious trauma. What you're discussing about Francesca and her father made me think about something Margi Dehlin said on one of the episodes about the church system replacing the family system. I think that happens with a lot of hierarchies: royalty, religion, etc. He wasn't just her father, he was her Lord. He gave priority to that because he dedicated his life to that system, so much so that it took away the normal role a parent is supposed to play in a familial system. The cognitive dissonance for her would've been immense. "I'm not just your father, I'm also your bishop." "That's not just my grandmother, she's the Queen." When statements and choices like that are made, usually what's actually being said is I've given everything, even my children, to this ideal and way of life. It's another way to "eat your young."
Wow that is such an interesting point! I will definitely take a listen to that podcast too. I wasn't Mormon but was still very indoctrinated into the christian faith so it may be helpful with coming to terms with the things I still don't quite understand during my time in the church. Thank you so much for sharing ❤️
Hiii I really loved you talking about Dante, I’m from Italy and in school we study Dante in middle school and then in high school for three years, une Cantica for year, so we spend a lot of time describing all of this. I always lived this tale, and inferno in particular, partly because the little village that I come from Santa Fiora is quoted in it. I liked how you stressed Francesca as product of her time and how her decision is just to love a man and to love him without restraint. I think it aspires us to feel what we’re feeling, to express it and not be ashamed if it, to fight for love in a way. No not be afraid to be consumed by the fires of love. To burn in it peacefully.
"To burn in it peacefully" is such a beautiful way to put it! I really wish we had a chance to study Dante in school here in Australia!
Brings tears of deep emotion and pain to me.... So Romantic, so heartfelt.... so damning, loving and tragic. This testimony of his love for her is beyond enthralling. Indeed, Francesca must've melted into his arms as they twrill around and around of the deepest love for one another.......Never ending?.....
Loved it and I liked, that Virgil actually showed compassion for Francesca and like you, dismissed Dante's lack of compassion (based on religious belief.
these videos have inspired me to analyse lyrics more thoroughly and i adore how to interpret and explain these songs! these are truly comforting as well (I've rewatched your 'Eat Your Young', 'Mermaids' and 'Labour' videos countlessly at this point) and the information you provide makes these pieces of art all the more precious in my heart. thank you to say the least
Oh my goodness! That made me tear up! 😢❤️ it makes me so happy that these are comforting to people as they are a comforting thing for me to make
This little corner here on RUclips is part of the ones that bring me true confort e content just for being here watching, Honor your vibe is stunning, love the aesthetic and the way you turn into words what I feel towards hozier's work is nothing but splendid. I believe we should all worship dear andrew and also blame him for making my love standards so high.
Aw Henrique, that is so lovely! Thank you SO much ❤️
Oh, this was a song i FELT. I was in the middle of writing an essay, but i stopped to watch the lyrics video because i tend to jusy hear music and not listening.
It reminded me of Nihilist philosophy. To live a life so fully and so beautiful with no regrets. Such as that at the end, if a horrible a demon told you that you will life this life all over again, to every minute detail, you would call the devil God and thank him.
It was the final lyrics and the way the music felt like it was surrounding me that did me in. Like Francesa defiantly screaming into the wind while shes thrown around that she regrets jothin. It made lay down in bed and stare at the roof and let the tears fall from my eyes.
"I would not change it each time. Heaven is not fit to house a love like you and I"
Oh I love this! To living life fully and beautifully with no regrets 🥂
Justice for Franny!
I've been in love with the new album of Hozier, and I'm also being blown away by thinking how someone could make something so beautiful out of a tragedy explained through the eyes of love!
When I was young, I read the Inferno part of the book because it was hard for me to focus on the other parts due to religious beliefs. Now that I'm going through a hard time regarding a past relationship, the song made me realize that even if it was hard, it was all worth it and even feeling the pain I'm feeling every day, is worth it. If I had to re-live all my pain to remember the beautiful moments I spent loving a special someone in the past, it still would be worth it all over again.
But I especially love the part that says, "My life was a storm, since I was born, How could I fear any hurricane?"
It struck me in a more personal way, because since I've had memory I've struggled with a lot of things, that in the long term view shaped me as me, and, growing up with those surroundings made me stronger to be compassionate and made me learn how to love, even if sometimes when it ends, hurts more than you could ever imagine.
But then again, I know for sure
"I'll tell them put me back in it,
Darling, I would do it again"
seeing as the songs off eat your young relate to the circles of hell and francesca relates to a certain character from the divine comedy, i really hope there'll be one about dante or virgil themselves as well! they could both be incredible subjects for songs - dante being the writer of the story and its hero as well, and virgil being such a tragic figure - and i think it could add a lot to his exploration of the story!
Ugh YES I would kill for a song about Virgil!
From what I understand, Hozier isn’t the first person to humanize Francesca. Artists throughout the years have painted her in increasingly feminist ways and she’s become a symbol of feminism and female agency. It just adds a nice little icing on the cake of such an amazing song (and analysis!)
Oh absolutely! Couldn't agree more!
As soon as the song dropped I was thinking about how excited I was to watch your analysis
That means so SO much to me! ❤️
"i'm blown away by this song" perfect 10/10
Happy to join this little gang of lyrical analysis. Plus Hozier. Always Hozier.
Welcome welcome! Glad to have you here ☺️❤️
😭😭😭😭
Gives the song even more meaning knowing the history of what inspired the song
my favorite lyric is “i would still be surprised i could find you, darlin, in any life” ITS SO REAL UGH
YES.
Your video's scratch the itch of digging deep into lyrics, that hold too much weight for me not to scramble to unpick every line and nuance. Your a godsend!
That is too kind! I'm so glad these videos have been able to find the right people ❤️
I think Hozier said in an interview that the first version of this song was written for some one specific, and it worked for the albums theme too
the beautiful narrative of francesca's emotions makes the song even more precious to me! thank you for the context!! the song made me also think about a general love for life, how even if you may end up heartbroken and hurt it is always worth loving and giving it your all. i feel like its the recurring theme of hozier's music in this new album for me, a reminder that experiencing all human emotions and love is always worth it even if you can expect it to hurt a lot later. like he says in all things end "if there was anyone to ever get through this life with their heart still intact, they didnt do it right". So yeah when he sings out "i'd tell them put me back in it" he inspires this beautiful urge in me to live and love my life and to wish for it to be something id beg to be put back in, no matter the pain id lived.
thank you for your videos, theyre always a great watch!
That was so beautifully put!
This song for some reason makes me cry. It's so powerful and full of love. The way that he sings as if he was screaming the chorus:
I'D TELL THEM , "PUT ME BACK IN IT "
DARLIN', I WOULD DO IT AGAIN
IF I COULD HOLD YOU FOR A MINUTE
DARLIN', I'D GO THROUGH IT AGAIN
CHILLS!
I love Hozier as a musician as well as a person.
The way women are depicted in his songs and the way he treat them in real life show that he not just have admiration but respect and understanding for them.
I mean, just notice the way he regards the women artists that he sometimes collaborates with on stage or in the studio. I don't think there are too many male artists who have such mutual respect and almost reverence to their female counterparts.
And as for the women characters he depicted in his songs, they are mostly women like Francesca who are strong and know their own mind. He is not shy of showing the darkness in women either, and instead of shunning it, he actually embraces the darkness. I mean, this is not common for women to be seen and represented this way in popular culture.
He is certainly a 'new age' man in the best sense of the word.
I love the song Francesca, and the fact that true love can transcend all. And yes, I'm afraid I have digressed on above. But these thoughts have been circulating in my mind, and I just feel I have to put it down , as I believe, on a safe platform.
Oh my goodness, I really couldn't agree more! You've just explained it so well! I feel the exact same xx
@honorluca
Thanks, Honor. It's good to know I am not the only one who thinks like that. I mean, sometimes I think I read too much into the lyrics, etc.
Ma favorite song in the album so far .
i echo everything the people in this comment section has said. i have not gotten francesca out of my head since my first listen (and nor do i want to). the way you so eloquently word your dives into lyrics, their influences, interpretations and what they mean to you is everything; as well as the practice of opening up further interpretations up to those of us that are watching you tell yours. i need to pick up dante’s inferno to read asap! it was great to be reminded of the lense he wrote it through and, how hozier has turned it into something same, but different.
also, i love your earrings!! where are they from?
Aw Ash, that was so lovely to read! You are so kind! Definitely a comment I'll be printing to put on the wall at my desk ❤️ The earrings are from Lovisa! I only got them a couple of weeks ago so they should definitely still be available 😄
I already knew the story of Francesca but I LOOOVE hearing you talk about history!
Aw thank you! ❤️
Hello as much as I like the song and how Hozier integrates the story pf Paolo and Francesca I'd like to agree to disagree with you on certain things:
1.) We can never truly know what the actual Paolo and Francesca are really like and they are now effectively symbols of what they represent culturally, narratively, and subjectively. Which is why I personally dislike it whenever people say "This person shows us the real [insert historical figure]." What is left behind in the historical record could only hint at what they are actually like but it's still through an incomplete picture. Much like how videos and social media posts give clues but nevertheless still an incomplete picture of the complex person and team making it.
Which is why we can never truly tell if their relationship is based on lust or love, we only know that they had an adulterous affair which resulted in their deaths by Giovanni. Hozier like many artists before had humanized them, but let's not mistake that humanness for knowing the actual person.
2. The deception by her father Guido was not a contemporary account but one made by a writer who lived 20 plus years after their deaths. Historians generally agree that it would be highly unlikely that Francesca didn't know who Paulo and Giovanni are since their families were warring with each other until their marraige negotiation.
3. I'm not sure if you've noticed but even Dante is sympathetic to them. They are the only sinners whom in the text he has his self-insert character show pity to and is so moved by Francesca's story that he faints at the end of Canto V (Edit: He does also show pity towards his gay teacher in sodomy but in inferno he punishes sodomy as part of violence while in purgatory sodomy is part of lust). Even in Hell he puts them together when he could have easily placed Paulo in the subcircle of seducers within Fraud and leave Francesca alone in Circle 2 and we would be none the wiser to the actual story. Structurally he has been very consistent with how he places Lust. Lust is the least grave sin in Hell proper and the Seventh sin punished in purgatory just before reaching earthly paradise. And this is because Lust (in Dante's perspective) is the closest thing to love in it's more conventionally accepted norm had the circumstances allowed it to be acceptable. Yes, he may have placed them in Hell because adultery is objectively a sin (in the Catholic perspective) but that doesn't mean he wasn't sympathetic to them. Hell is a place where sinners have no remorse for their actions and so by putting them there he gives them more sympathy precisely because they are unremorseful of their actions which is to love each other even though it was unlawful. To put them in purgatory's punishment would mean that he implies that literary Paolo and Francesca regrets their love and would suffer for the sake of going to Heaven (ideals with the circumstances showing or allowing those ideals to be shown) than with each other. A commenter on Hozier's lyric video put it best by saying that "their love became eternal because of their damnation."
I fell in love with this song and I evermore excited for the rest! I relate to the song a lot more than I ever thought. I am Native and my lover is also native, different tribe. Enemy tribes lol. But! Both our families a firm Christian believes. We are both male.
It isn’t just love, when you find someone who you can relate to. Someone who can understand you. Understand different circumstances if it were any other way, maybe we are meant to be together. Maybe we will be condemned to Inferno. Maybe this love is a mockery of god.
As the lyrics say
“Do you think I’d give up?”
“How can you think darling scare so easily?”
“How can I fear any hurricane?”
“Put me back in!”
Maybe heaven is fit to house our love. Who cares. I’m just happy and grateful that I’m able to find a song that can blow my mind away! It makes me truly appreciate Hozier’s music and poetic Justice. 😤🙏🏽
That was so beautiful to read! Lovely to hear about such a strong connection to the song ❤️
thank you for making me fall in love with classic literature all over again
Oh bless! You’re so welcome 🥰
as soon as it dropped I fell in love with Francesca... it is probably my favorite out of his latest songs. The lyrics are fantastic but I also love the rock energy he's brought into it. I've never studied Inferno before but I think I'll get a copy so I'm ready for the album!!!
Yes I love this new heavier sound from him!
I just adore Hozier AND your videos are absolutely perfect ❤️
Aw thank you! That is so kind!
me and my husband are celebrating our 10th year soon. full of ups and downs but all of it with love.
perfect song
Congratulations!!!! x
@@honorluca thank you! cool channel, BTW
I'm so happy I found your content♡♡ Your videos are super comforting, like listening to a friend talk about their favorite poem or song
Aw that is so sweet! It honestly does feel like I’m talking to friends when I make these videos and interact with the comments ❤️
the last few minutes of this really made me emotional.. my partner and I have been through what feels like hell and back, but we are stronger than ever now. If that was the only way that could bring me to her and get us to the point where we are now, I'd go through that hell over and over again.
late to the party but i absolutely fell for this song😢 now that ive seen the story behind it, im now more deeply in love❤❤
Hi! I am extremely happy to have stumbled upon this channel!! The interpretations, the background story and their connection to the song were beautifully executed! Thank you for this!! I'm just blown away!
Aw thank you so much for being here xx
Thank you for this take and explanation of Dante's tale and Hozier's reply. I love when music is put to the classic writtings. Hence "Weathering Heights" or "My Annabell Lee" by Stevie Nicks.
Oh I so agree!
This is definitely my favorite song we’ve heard so far. If anything else from the album beats it I will be SHOCKED. Knowing Andrew anything is possible. Great video, Honor! ❤️
Agreed, I can't wait for this album to drop!
Thank you SO much ! You've been very clear ! I LOVE this part of Dante's INFERNO , a tremendously poignant and tragic story ! Hozier's song "Francesca" has powerful lyrics and music , it reaches my heart and soul in a very deep way ...
Thank you so much Beatrice! And I totally agree with you about Hozier!
I found you last night and it is a pleasure listening to your voice and breakdown while at work. All of hoziers word has had willows of rabbit holes. Its nice to see that im not the only one who wants to venture. Keep up the magnificent work.
Thank you SO much! That is such a compliment ❤️
He really is a poet as well as an amazing musician! Thanks this video was very informative!
Indeed he is!
love this! I've seen some of Hozier's interviews talking about it but he usually doesn't get to go more in depth, so it's really nice to know more. I also needed to say that you look beautiful! Your make up, earings and hair are amazing!
Thank you so much that is so sweet 🥹❤️
I just want you to know that I have come back to this video three separate times to rewatch it (this is the fourth) because you just explain it so well. Something about this song speaks to me and I've loved Hozier since I was 15, so it's just amazing to see other people really exploring his songs and getting excited about the history because wow is there so much to unpack here. I didn't know the story behind this song but now that I do its even more emotional to listen to.
Oh wow! Thank you SO MUCH! That means the world ❤️
Hoizer just released a video where he discussed "Francesca." He confirmed it's about Francesca di Rimini, and he also said it's not only from her pov, but also Paolo's. His take was how could be sentenced to an eternity together be a punishment for the lovers? He wanted them to stand by their relationship regardless of outside rejection (*cough*Dante*cough). He's also said in the past that he finds relationships that challenge society, including queer relationships, to be very revolutionary. Thus, he saw Francesca and Paolo as rebels. ❤️
I absolutely love this song (and your outfit today especially the earrings and makeup) and I love how hozier took this story and ran with it and showed it in a positive light. I absolutely cannot with the guitar in this song I love it so much. I can’t wait for Unreal Unearth to come out.
Omg yes the guitar is soooo good! And tysm 🥰 the earrings are from Lovisa 😉
This is the first video of yours I’ve come across and wow am I glad RUclips recommended it!
Aw yay! Welcome! ❤️
You genuinely elevate the experience of listening to Hozier so much with your thoughts and perspective. I appreciate these videos you've made so much and I'm so looking forward to the album to coming out, not just for the music itself but also to hear what you have to say about it.
Oh bless you that is so kind ❤️
was hoping you'd do a video on this song breaking down the Dante of it all 😍 the grip this song in particular has on my soul is truly insane
Oh same!!
Your videos are great, honestly kudos to how much love you put into them!
Ooo thats super interesting!
This was such a beautiful story thank u for telling us. Such a sad but gorgeous love story.
Indeed! Thanks for watching ❤️
I got to hear this song live and it was an amazing experience, so heartbreaking and extremely beautiful at the same time! Thank you so much for making me understand it more ❤️
Oh my gosh I'm crossing every finger and toe wishing that I'm able to see it live one day!
I didn't know the inspiration for the song before I heard it, and I love it even more now
Aw I'm glad I was able to be a part of that!
I did a little high pitched gasp when I saw this video come up, I absolutely love your explanations on the context of Hozier's music
Aw that is SO lovely! Thank you thank you!
Great video. Are you doing one for unknown? That song is utterly amazing.
Absolutely I am! Coming out next week x
@@honorluca i look forward to it. I've already listened to it about 100 times. Such a good song.
i loved this video, you always give such great analyses!! i love this song so much, and the fact that it came out on my birthday makes it even more special to me! also, thanks to your last Hozier video, i ordered a copy of Dante's inferno in preparation for the album!! really looking forward to read it!! ❤
So excited for you! Thanks for the kind words ❤️
I am love love the 3 singles he gave us and I cannot wait for the album !
Knowing the story behind this beautiful song makes everything even better !
I didn’t know the album was inspired by Dante’s Inferno, I always found the Divine Comedy fascinating, so it makes everything better!!
I cannot wait either!!!
Just beautiful
I hope for a love like Francesca and Palos, that love that had no bounds and no limits, in a healthy way, thank you for the video🖤🖤
Me too bestie!
I think it’s also important to contextualize the placement of the lovers in the Inferno! Dante the Poet was careful in his ordering of the severity of the sins, with those he is most guilty of falling in the top (the crimes of passion and circumstance, not ill intent). So while I do agree that Dante the Pilgrim does not think highly of Francesca, I do not believe Dante the Poet necessarily subscribes to that belief. We also see throughout Dante the Pilgrim’s voyage through Inferno that his perception of people and their sins shifts as the severity increases-and these perceptions are being portrayed through the eyes of a character. I have had the blessing of working with an absolutely incredible Dante professor who stressed the importance of contextualizing the events of the Commedia within Dante’s history, the surrounding events of the text, religious/cultural doctrine of the time and also physical placement within the circles/terraces. Dante gives us a deep visual and spatial description of everything, and I love Hozier’s interpretation of the physical features of the circle of lust, and I love the ways in which you described it. My professor is also adamant that Dante the Poet and Dante the Pilgrim cannot be treated as copies of each other. They are each similar beings, but more like imperfect mirror images. Reading the text with that in mind can change your interpretation a surprising amount. I think you’ve done Francesca and Paolo-the characters and the living people-justice in your succinct description of their story. Thank you for sharing!
i love the song so much and i desperately needed analysis of it and am glad to have found your videos. i would love to hear a dueted version of francesca to sort of see where hozier would imagine which of the perspectives are at play, tho ofc i love hearing him play all the parts whether it is paolo, francesca or the narrator. and i cant believe we have to wait til august for the whole album tho it also gives us time to brace for the masterpiece it will be.
Oh I would KILL for a duet!! So much you could do with it!
You explained the context and Hozier’s interpretation wonderfully. Kudos!
Thank you!!!
this makes me appreciate hozier so much more... lovely
I'm so glad!
If then I was in love with the song. Now I'm amazed ❤
Love that!
I watched your eat your young video yesterday because I've literally become obsessed with this song and I was hoping you would do a video on it 😩🫶
Aw yay!!!
You are becoming one of my favorite RUclips channels, I love how you break down songs in such a literary manner it’s so informative.
That honestly means so much! THANK YOU ❤️❤️❤️
What a beautiful explanation. Thank you
Thank YOU for watching! x
what a beautifully constructed video! simple yet deep. it's very refreshing to find this kind of content, so thank you so much for sharing.
I've been a fan of Hozier for a while and it never fails to amaze me how profound his lyrics are.
Thank you so much! That really means a lot x
you've just inspired me to read "Divine Comedy", thank you!
That truly makes me so happy!
I think i love you. Just so u know. I hope more people keep seeing this and enjoying the vast meaning in his songs
Oh bless you 😭❤️❤️
Love your Hozier breakdowns!!! I meant to say on your last video - I have that EXACT copy of L’Inferno! I saw it at The Winding Stair when I was in Dublin and the cover was so beautiful I just had to buy it, overfull suitcase be damned. ✨💚✨
It's SO stunning right?! I did however get some odd looks when I read it on the train haha
incredible video as usual, and your earrings are amazing!!!
Ah thank you thank you! (earrings are from Lovisa!)
God... when you explained the storm lyrics, I straight up teared up, I hadn't realized the tribute aspect, the agency, the rabid steadfastness of her love. It reminds me of my ex, the promises we failed to keep, and strangely enough, I really resonate with "my life was a storm since I was born, how could I fear any hurricane" because my dad was born during a storm, and he's been a metaphorical storm in my life for as long as I remember. He was very against me dating my ex, and was part of the reason we broke up. Francesca feels like a what-if for me, if I had stayed.
Hell, I remember saying word for word to my ex "You're not getting rid of me so easily". I ended up being the one to break it off. Goddamit, you'd think 10 months would be enough time to not tear up at this. I got the same feeling when Through Me came out, and I first heard the lines "I think of loss and I can only think of you, I couldn't measure it"
Wow! It’s amazing that you’ve been able to attach such profound meaning to the songs! Shows the true power of Hozier’s songwriting❤️
@@honorluca that's very thoughtful and kind of you to say 💕 thank every deity out there for Hozier's brilliance
I love seeing these videos because they describe so well the historical context of the song and explain what Hozier is trying to say. such a powerful song 🫶🏻
Thank you so much!
cldnt wait to hear the way you’ll break it down and it truly made me fall in love with the song even more
Aw I’m so glad to hear that ❤️❤️❤️