Why 'Take Me To Church' is an unusual pop song

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0:00 Introduction
0:41 Time signature
1:49 the Amen cadence
3:24 Pianote
4:23 the Chorus and Harmonic minor
5:35 Bridge chord progression
6:06 Return to Amen cadence & final chorus
6:54 Interview with Hozier
7:32 Patreon

[idreamofgenie]

When I first heard this song on the radio, I heard the "Amen, amen, amen" part and thought it might be a religious song. Then I heard the lyrics about "worship like a dog" and "sharpen your knife", etc., and realized the singer wasn't making a straightforward request to be taken to a church service. But I thought it was a metaphor for the singer being in a toxic relationship with a bad partner. After watching this, it sounds like I wasn't entirely wrong about that--but that the singer's toxic relationship was with the church itself! Quite a powerful song.

[sthubbins]

I love it when a brilliant piece of music actually becomes a massive pop hit. So rare, but so wonderful when it happens.

[SoleaGalilei]

I vividly remember when I first heard this song. It played on the radio while I was in a waiting room, and the sound of it was so different and intense that it grabbed my attention immediately. Even before I understood all the lyrics, it was very obvious that there was something unusual about the message the song wanted to send.

[ivanheffner]

Just reading the lyrics at a surface level told me immediately that this was not an endorsement of the church in any way. “I’ll worship like a dog at the shrine of your lies. I’ll tell you my sins so you can sharpen your knife.” This is the chorus; the part everyone is supposed to be able to join in on.

That’s not even taking the time to consider the intimate relationship suggested by “that deathless death” (la petite mort), especially following the line “Worship in the bedroom.” The middle verse is innuendo from start to finish.

It’s yet another example of mass (no pun intended) consumption of media by those who do not understand it. See Also: Rage Against the Machine.

[skirtonbear]

That Cm to G is common among the black congregations. It’s not felt like an acrimonious shift, just a bluesy one that I’m quite used to.

[michellegarciamartinez]

What I love most about the switches between the time signatures in the first half was the weight it ended up pulling to the 4/4 verses.
The 3/4 verses had a rapidity to them, and as soon as it slowed to accommodate the new 4/4 signature, the phrases in the meter were emphasized so much more.

[JayBigDadyCy]

His line ".... When the ritual begins" is so incredibly sung. I can't even replicate it no matter how hard I try.

[Kylzee]

i’ve seen someone point out that they would notate the odd time signature in the verses as 3/2 instead of 3/4. in my ears this honestly fits more, cos it just doesn’t have that waltz-y feel to it. makes it even more unique, hozier is a genius

[saoirsedeltufo]

One other thing is that the Amen is sung with melisma - as well as the plagal cadence this is very reminiscent of religious music

[thomasoegerli]

I first heard this song on a radio channel usually playing rather classic (hard) rock stuff. And it struck me immediately. It mixes elements of rock, of blues and, obviously, of Gospel. And what a fantastic voice! Masterpiece...

[NeilMcGrath]

First time I heard this song was on the radio in a shopping center and I thought it was Elton John lol…I said to my wife “wow this is best piece of music Elton’s written since the 70s” 😂

[ben]

I cannot begin to describe how much Hozier means to me. Clicked on it as soon as I saw the title. Some songs on his new album have some unusual things happening harmonically as well. Worth checking out!! Thanks for everything, David!

[nearjuice]

Thank you for a good video as always David. Another Hozier song that's very interesting in my opinion is "From Eden" which is written in 5/4 time and features a section using the phrygian dominant scale.

[Rubrickety]

I like the callout to Born In the USA. We could add Every Breath You Take. Any other classic “No, listen carefully, you’ve got it all wrong” songs?

[MarybearASMR]

I have distinct memories of listening to this song behind my parents' backs because it's "sacrilegious"

[Ihavedescendedfromspace]

Thanks for this breakdown! I walked down the aisle at my wedding to this song. I choose it specifically because, being raised Irish Catholic, my homosexuality is not accepted by the church I was raised in. We had a pianist playing instrumental versions of songs. It was a beautiful Declaration of Independence. This song is for every Catholic raised queer person.

[Zveebo]

I enjoyed this for ages before I actually really thought about the lyrics and looked at the themes behind it – and wow, my respect for it grew massively when I did. What a powerful piece of songwriting.

Lovely and smart analysis as always, David.

[stoatystoat]

the 4/4 sections sounds bit like slowing down for a corner before he accelerates out of it again (but in a big heavy metaphorical vehicle)

[doctormojo]

And his song From Eden is mostly in 5 time, but with a syncopated groove that makes it roll along better than most 5/4 tunes. From Eden also has 4/4 sections in the breakdowns.

[Hanban]

I love that the end of the song is another plagal cadence but it's now fully subverted with both chords being minor/fully Em cadence. - iv (Am) - i (Em)