The 10 Best Florence and the Machine Songs of All-Time
One of the hottest bands that have been around since 2007 is Florence and the Machine. Many fans adore the band for Florence’s powerful vocal performances and eccentric song production. The English indie rock band was formed by vocalist Florence Welch, and is composed of three other members namely, keyboardist Isabella Summers, guitarist Rob Ackroyd and harpist Tom Monger. The band was allowed to perform at the BBC Music Introducing platform, which contributed to their rise in prominence. Florence and the Machine released their first album, Lungs, in July 2009. The album received positive reviews from critics and became one of the best selling albums that charted number two on the UK Albums Chart. The band released its second album, Ceremonials, which was nominated for Best Pop Vocal Album at the 55th Grammy Awards and produced the single “Shake It Out” that earned the Best Pop Duo/Group Performance Award. This album was a massive success and emerged number one on the UK Albums Chart. The band Florence and the Machine have released two other albums, How Big, How Blue, How Beautiful, and High as Hope, which were successful. Here are the ten best Florence and the Machine songs of all time, ranked in descending order.
10. Delilah
Opening our list of Florence and the Machine songs with “Delilah”, a track from the album, How Big, How Blue, How Beautiful. The song title refers to the biblical tale of Samson and Delilah, which symbolizes betrayal. Florence was anticipating a call from her boyfriend that never arrived and went ahead to refer to the situation as ‘the agony of the mobile phone in modern relationships.’ The song talks more about Florence returning to her true self and finding purpose.
9. Queen of Peace
This song talks about a bittersweet victory of a king and queen who lost their son in a conflict even though they still won. However, Florence compares the royal misery to her suffering with toxic relationships. The music video is a ten-minute double feature video that begins with this song and then flows into another track, “Long & Lost”, from the same album. This track was released in August 2015, and it was the band’s first single to miss the top 100 on the UK Singles Chart.
8. Hunger
“Hunger” was released in May 2018 as the second single from Florence and the Machine’s album, High as Hope. This is a personal track for Florence, and she is seen as vulnerable; she reflects on her naive youth and the void she is trying to fill and turns all these struggles into eating disorders. This single became the fifth song of Florence and the Machine to chart on the Billboard Adult Alternative Songs chart.
7. Dogs Days Are Over
“Dog Days Are Over” was a commercial success and the highest-charting single. After Florence and the Machine performed this single in 2010 during MTV Music Video Awards, the track garnered number 21 on the Billboard Hot 100. Lyrically, the song talks about a relationship with an abusive partner, and the words “dog days are over” refer to that lousy relationship is over. This song is beautiful, with catchy lyrics that resonate with anyone in such a relationship.
6. Cosmic Love
This is a beautiful love song with good lyrics that refreshes your mind. Florence talks about how being in love requires you to be selfless and give yourself up to your better half. The song features elegant strings and breathtaking beats with Florence’s captivating voice. This song was the best single from Florence and the Machine’s album, Lungs and certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America.
5. Never Let Me Go
This downtempo baroque pop song was released in March 2012 from Florence and the Machine’s album, Ceremonials. Lyrically, the song “Never Let Me Go” is about surrender, not giving up but giving in. Florence sings about surrendering to the ocean and letting it pull her to the bottom as an act of embrace and devotion. The song is enchanting and has a fantastic piano that lingers behind Florence vocals, making the track beautiful and magical.
4. What Kind Of Man
“What Kind Of Man” was released in February 2015 from Florence and the Machine’s album, How Big, How Blue, How Beautiful. In the song, Florence is frustrated by her lover, who she refers to as “holy fool”. This rock’n’roll song is intercepted with heavy beats, brilliant drums and guitars that rock so hard, making it impossible not to break out into dance moves. This single was nominated as the Best Rock Performance and Best Rock Song during Grammy Awards.
3. You’ve Got The Love
With absolutely stunning Florence vocals, this cover of the Source and Candi Station’s 1986 single, “You Got The Love”, never gets old. This version of Florence and the Machine is stunning and has made the 90s rave staple “You’ve Got The Love” remains fans favorite today. This single is used as an LGBTQ anthem. Florence and the Machine version was a success and emerged number five on the UK chart and was included in President Obama official Spotify campaigns playlists in 2012.
2. Spectrum
The song“Spectrum” was a commercial success selling over 64,000 copies on the first week of release and the first Florence and the Machine’s single to become number one on the UK Singles Chart. Florence talks about vulnerability, emotions, and feelings in relationships in the song. The different colors f the spectrums represent the different types of emotions. This single was released in July 2012 from Florence and the Machine’s album, Ceremonials.
1. Shake it Out
The song “Shake It Out” is my favorite and allows us to see Florence and the Machine song at her poppiest. Critics favourably received the song, earning a nomination at the 55th Annual Grammy Award as the Best Pop Duo/Group Performance. This single containing bombastic tracks became a hit and charted number one on Billboard’s Adult Alternative chart. Florence sang the song while suffering from a hangover, and now the single has become the epitome of a hangover cure. The song was released in September 2011 as the first official single from Florence and the Machine’s album, Ceremonials.
