Take Me to Church

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For the Sinéad O'Connor song, see I'm Not Bossy, I'm the Boss.
"Take Me to Church"
Hozier Take Me to Church.jpg
Single by Hozier
from the album Hozier
B-side "Run"
Released 13 September 2013 (2013-09-13)
Recorded 2012
Genre
Length 4:01[3]
Label
Songwriter(s) Andrew Hozier-Byrne
Producer(s) Rob Kirwan, Joe Fisher
Script error: The function "ucfirst" does not exist. singles chronology
"Take Me to Church"
(2013)		 "From Eden"
(2014)
Music video
"Take Me to Church" on YouTube

"Take Me to Church" is a song by Irish singer-songwriter Hozier. It was released as his debut single on 13 September 2013, originally featuring on his extended play of the same name, before being featured as the opening track of his 2014 debut album Hozier. A struggling musician at the time of its composition, Hozier wrote and recorded the song in the attic of his parents' home in County Wicklow. A mid-tempo soul song, its lyrics use religious terminology to describe a romantic relationship in the face of Church discrimination. The song caught the attention of Rubyworks Records, where producer Rob Kirwan collaborated with Hozier on the final recording.

The accompanying music video premiered in September 2013, directed by Brendan Canty, Emmet O'Brien and Conal Thomson. It was shot in black-and-white and follows a romantic relationship between two men and the violent homophobic attack that followed.[4] Upon its YouTube release in September 2013, the video quickly went viral, leading to Hozier's subsequent license with Columbia Records US and Island Records UK. In 2014, the song achieved widespread global popularity, topping the charts in 12 countries and reaching the top 10 in 21 other territories. The song also received critical acclaim.

Aided by music platforms Shazam and Spotify to become a rock radio hit in the United States, the song spent 23 consecutive weeks at the top of the Hot Rock Songs chart, tied with Imagine Dragons' "Radioactive" as the longest-running number-one in its chart-history (at the time). "Take Me to Church" later crossed over to the Billboard Hot 100, where it peaked at number two in December 2014. The song was nominated for the Grammy Award for Song of the Year at the 57th Annual Grammy Awards and has been certified Diamond in the US.

Background and composition

In 2013, Hozier was a struggling musician, often seen in Dublin-area open mic nights. During this period, he penned "Take Me to Church" at his parents' home in Bray, County Wicklow, Ireland, and recorded a rough demo in their attic with a programmed backing track.[4] He wrote the song after a bad breakup,[5] as he later remarked that "the vocals were recorded in my attic at 2 o'clock in the morning. So it's a real homemade job."[6] It took him three months to write the song; only two musicians feature on the track: Hozier and drummer Fiachra Kinder.[7] The demo caught the attention of independent label Rubyworks, which paired him with producer Rob Kirwan. The song was overdubbed with live instrumentation, but the original demo vocals were kept because Kirwan found them "powerful" enough to remain.[4]

Lyrically, "Take Me to Church" is a metaphor, with the protagonist comparing his lover to religion. The song grew out of Hozier's frustration with the Catholic Church which, as somebody raised in the Protestant Quaker faith, he saw as dominating the social and political outlook of the Irish state.[8] "Growing up, I always saw the hypocrisy of the Catholic Church", Hozier said in an interview with Rolling Stone. "The history speaks for itself and I grew incredibly frustrated and angry. I essentially just put that into my words."[4]

In an interview with The Irish Times, Hozier stated that he "found the experience of falling in love or being in love was a death, a death of everything … you kind of watch yourself die in a wonderful way, and you experience for the briefest moment–if you see yourself for a moment through their eyes–everything you believed about yourself gone."[9] The song contains sexual undertones; Hozier elaborated that "an act of sex is one of the most human things ..but an organization like the church, say, through its doctrine, would undermine humanity by successfully teaching shame about sexual orientation … the song is about asserting yourself and reclaiming your humanity through an act of love.[10]

"Take Me to Church" draws inspiration from author Christopher Hitchens and paraphrases the poet Fulke Greville's verse "Created sick, commanded to be sound".[11][12][13] The song's title was often misinterpreted by Christian pop listeners, with the message critiquing the Catholic Church lost in translation. In June 2019, Hozier explained that the intention behind "Take Me to Church" was to "write something that, that was a kind of celebration of sexuality." Hozier admitted that people took the title at "face value" and "were very upset when they found out that" it was not a song "actually about being taken to church."[citation needed]

Music video

The music video for "Take Me to Church" was made by Brendan Canty and Conal Thompson of Feel Good Lost, a small-scale Irish production company hired by Rubyworks, and was released on 25 September 2013. The video was filmed primarily in the city of Cork. According to Canty, the video was made on a budget of €1,500.[14][4] The story for the video came from Hosier himself, who wanted to bring attention to the repression and persecution faced by the gay community in Russia.[14][15][16]

The video feature a two men (played by Emmet O’Riabhaigh and Daniel Coughlan)[14] in an intimate romantic homosexual relationship. Later on, one of the men is kidnapped from his house, dragged into a forest, and violently kicked by a lynch mob.[4][15][17]

Commercial performance

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I never wrote music for the mainstream. I think I was incredibly fortunate that the song crossed over and people connected with it. Spotify played a big role. It's a discovery platform and it's been invaluable to me over the past year.

Hozier in 2015[4]

The song rose in prominence alongside its viral music video, attracting A&R representatives from major labels in a bidding war to sign Hozier. He was signed by Justin Eshak of Columbia Records, who later opined that the song became a hit due to a shift on pop radio, spearheaded by Sam Smith: "The music is connecting because when it gets on the air it's such a sharp juxtaposition to the existing material on top 40 radio."[4] The song first experienced chart success in his native Ireland, climbing the charts in October 2013 and eventually reached number two on Irish Singles Chart.[5]

In May 2014, Hozier performed the song on the Late Show with David Letterman.[18] It was sent to US modern rock radio on 24 June 2014 by Columbia Records.[19] It eventually reached number two on the Billboard Hot 100 for three consecutive weeks in December 2014 and January 2015, behind Taylor Swift's "Blank Space", while becoming his first top 10 single there.[20] As of July 2015, the song has sold 4,270,000 copies in the US.[21] The track has since reached top five in many other countries including peaking at number two in Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom.

The song initially attracted US attention in Nashville via an adult album alternative radio station. From there, it became the top song for the area on music identification application Shazam, which led to its appearance on a local top 40 station. "Take Me to Church" achieved widespread popularity in the United States between the summer and fall of 2014.[4]

Despite the song's popularity on YouTube, the song achieved more listens on Spotify,[22] becoming the service's most-streamed song of 2014, achieving 87 million listens.[23]

Track listing

Digital download – single[24]
No. Title Length
1. "Take Me to Church"   4:01
Digital download – EP[25]
No. Title Length
1. "Take Me to Church"   4:01
2. "Like Real People Do"   3:17
3. "Angel of Small Death & the Codeine Scene"   3:38
4. "Cherry Wine" (Live) 3:59
German CD single[26]
No. Title Length
1. "Take Me to Church"   4:01
2. "Run"   3:17

Performances and use in media

Charts

Certifications

Region Certification Sales/shipments
Australia (ARIA)[136] 14× Platinum 980,000
Austria (IFPI Austria)[137] Platinum 30,000
Belgium (BEA)[138] 3× Platinum 90,000
Canada (Music Canada)[139] Diamond 100,000
Denmark (IFPI Denmark)[140] 4× Platinum 0
France (SNEP)[141] Diamond 400,000
Germany (BVMI)[142] Diamond Expression error: Missing operand for *.
Italy (FIMI)[143] 7× Platinum 210,000
Mexico (AMPROFON)[144] Gold 30,000
Netherlands (NVPI)[145] 3× Platinum 60,000
New Zealand (RMNZ)[146] 7× Platinum 105,000
Norway (IFPI Norway)[147] 7× Platinum 70,000
Portugal (AFP)[148] 2× Platinum 40,000
South Korea (Gaon Chart) 269,845[149]
Spain (PROMUSICAE)[150] Platinum 40,000
Sweden (GLF)[151] 9× Platinum 360,000
Switzerland (IFPI Switzerland)[152] Platinum 30,000
United Kingdom (BPI)[153] 6× Platinum 3,600,000
United States (RIAA)[154] 13× Platinum 13,000,000
Streaming
Denmark (IFPI Denmark)[155] Platinum 30,000

*sales figures based on certification alone
xunspecified figures based on certification alone
double-daggersales/streaming figures based on certification alone

Release history

Region Date Format Label
Ireland[25] 13 September 2013 Digital download (EP) Rubyworks
United States[156] 16 September 2013
24 February 2014 Adult album alternative radio Columbia
Ireland[24] 20 March 2014 Digital download Rubyworks
United States[19][157][158] 24 June 2014 Modern rock radio Columbia
8 September 2014 Hot adult contemporary radio
16 September 2014 Contemporary hit radio
Italy[159] 14 November 2014 Island

See also

References

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  39. ↑ "Austriancharts.at – Hozier – Take Me to Church" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40.
  40. ↑ "Ultratop.be – Hozier – Take Me to Church" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50.
  41. ↑ "Ultratop.be – Hozier – Take Me to Church" (in French). Ultratop 50.
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  46. ↑ "Hozier – Chart history" Billboard Canada Rock for Hozier.
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  54. ↑ "Lescharts.com – Hozier – Take Me to Church" (in French). Les classement single.
  55. ↑ "Musicline.de – Hozier Single-Chartverfolgung" (in German). Media Control Charts. PhonoNet GmbH.
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  57. ↑ "Archívum – Slágerlisták – MAHASZ" (in Hungarian). Rádiós Top 40 játszási lista. Magyar Hanglemezkiadók Szövetsége.
  58. ↑ "Archívum – Slágerlisták – MAHASZ" (in Hungarian). Single (track) Top 40 lista. Magyar Hanglemezkiadók Szövetsége.
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  61. ↑ "The Irish Charts – Search Results – Take Me to Church". Irish Singles Chart.
  62. ↑ "Hozier – Take Me to Church Media Forest". Israeli Airplay Chart. Media Forest.
  63. ↑ "Italiancharts.com – Hozier – Take Me to Church". Top Digital Download.
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  65. ↑ "Hozier – Chart history" Billboard Luxembourg Digital Songs for Hozier.
  66. ↑ "Nederlandse Top 40 – Hozier search results" (in Dutch) Dutch Top 40.
  67. ↑ "Dutchcharts.nl – Hozier – Take Me to Church" (in Dutch). Single Top 100.
  68. ↑ "Charts.org.nz – Hozier – Take Me to Church". Top 40 Singles.
  69. ↑ "Norwegiancharts.com – Hozier – Take Me to Church". VG-lista.
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  74. ↑ "SNS IFPI" (in Slovak). Hitparáda – Singles Digital Top 100 Oficiálna. IFPI Czech Republic. Note: insert 201450 into search.
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  77. ↑ "Spanishcharts.com – Hozier – Take Me to Church" Canciones Top 50.
  78. ↑ "Swedishcharts.com – Hozier – Take Me to Church". Singles Top 60.
  79. ↑ "Swisscharts.com – Hozier – Take Me to Church". Swiss Singles Chart.
  80. ↑ "Archive Chart: 2015-02-06" UK Singles Chart.
  81. ↑ "Hozier – Chart history" Billboard Hot 100 for Hozier.
  82. ↑ "Hozier – Chart history" Billboard Adult Contemporary for Hozier.
  83. ↑ "Hozier – Chart history" Billboard Adult Pop Songs for Hozier.
  84. ↑ "Hozier – Chart history" Billboard Hot Dance Club Songs for Hozier.
  85. ↑ "Hozier – Chart history" Billboard Hot Rock Songs for Hozier.
  86. ↑ "Hozier – Chart history" Billboard Pop Songs for Hozier.
  87. ↑ "Hozier – Chart history" Billboard Rock Airplay for Hozier.
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  132. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
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  134. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
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  136. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  137. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found. Enter Hozier in the field Interpret. Enter Take Me to Church in the field Titel. Select single in the field Format. Click Suchen
  138. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  139. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  140. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found. Click on næste to go to page 11811 if certification from official website
  141. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  142. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  143. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found. Select Online in the field Sezione. Enter Hozier in the field Filtra. Select 2018 in the field Anno. The certification will load automatically
  144. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  145. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  146. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  147. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  148. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  149. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  150. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found. Select the "Chart", enter 2015 in the field "Year". Select '' in the field "Semana". Click on "Search Charts"
  151. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  152. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  153. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found. Enter Take Me to Church in the field Keywords. Select Title in the field Search by. Select single in the field By Format. Select Platinum in the field By Award. Click Search
  154. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found. If necessary, click Advanced, then click Format, then select Single, then click SEARCH
  155. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found. Click on næste to go to page 5374 if certification from official website
  156. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  157. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
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External links

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