Historical Figure
Florence Welch
b. 1986
English singer and songwriter (born 1986)
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Biography
Florence Leontine Mary Welch is an English singer and songwriter. She is the lead vocalist and primary songwriter of the indie rock band Florence and the Machine. The band's debut studio album, Lungs (2009), topped the UK Albums Chart and won the Brit Award for Best British Album. Their next five albums also achieved chart success. In 2018, Welch released a book titled Useless Magic, a collection of lyrics and poems written by her, along with illustrations.
Timeline
The story of Florence Welch, told in moments.
Five studio albums, all chart successes. She's spoken openly about struggling with anxiety and alcohol. Her live shows remain visceral. She still performs barefoot.
Florence and the Machine's debut album Lungs topped the UK Albums Chart. "Dog Days Are Over" broke through globally. Her vocals were huge, theatrical, untamed. She performed barefoot.
Ceremonials doubled down on the dramatic. Gothic harps, orchestral swells, songs about water and drowning and destruction. Critics compared her to Kate Bush. She outsold expectations.
Published Useless Magic, a collection of her lyrics and poems with illustrations. Her writing outside of music was confessional, fragmented, and haunted.
In Their Own Words (18)
At seventeen I started to starve myself;I thought that love was a kind of emptiness.And at least I understood then the hunger I felt,And I didn't have to call it loneliness.We all have a hunger.
Hunger, written by Florence Welch, Emile Haynie, Doveman, and Tobias Jesso Jr., 2018
How deeply are you sleeping or are you still awake?A good friend told me you've been staying out so late.Be careful, oh, my darling, oh, be careful what it takes.From what I've seen so far, the good ones always seem to break.And I was screaming at my father and you were screaming at me.And I can feel your anger from way across the sea.And I was kissing strangers, I was causing such a scene.Oh, the heart it hides such unimaginable things.Grab me by my ankles, I've been flying for too long.I couldn't hide from the thunder in a sky full of song.And I want you so badly, but you could be anyone.I couldn't hide from the thunder in a sky full of song.
Sky Full of Song, written by Florence Welch, Emile Haynie, and Doveman, 2018
Don't touch the sleeping pills, they mess with my head,Dredging up great white sharks, swimming in the bed.And here comes a killer whale, to sing me to sleep,Thrashing the covers off, has me by its teeth.And, ah, my love remind me, what was it that I said?I can't help but pull the earth around me to make my bed.And, ah, my love remind me, what was it that I did?Did I drink too much? Am I losing touch?Did I build a ship to wreck?
Ship to Wreck, written by Florence Welch and Kid Harpoon, 2015
It's a different kind of danger,And the bells are ringing out.And I'm calling for my mother,As I pull the pillars down.It's a different kind of danger,And my feet are spinning around.Never knew I was a dancer'Til Delilah showed me how.
Delilah, written by Florence Welch and Isabella Summers, 2015
I was on a heavy tip,Trying to cross a canyon with a broken limb.You were on the other side, like always,Wondering what to do with life.
What Kind of Man, written by Florence Welch, Kid Harpoon and John Hill, 2015
Artifacts (13)
And we could live the entire winter just by taking advantage of all the offers t...
about who would have the honor of taking them home for the night. "They fed us too well", the girls reported. "And we could live the entire winter just by taking advantage of all the offers to spend a...
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