☝️ Key Points
- The song 'Almost (Sweet Music)' by Hozier is a tribute to jazz and blues classics, filled with numerous references to these genre standards.
- The song's story is about loss, love, and healing through music. It highlights a new female relationship that helps the singer recover from a previous relationship.
- In the chorus, the singer expresses insecurity and fear of ruining a new chance at love, with the 'sweet music in the dark' possibly being a metaphor for this new uncertain love.
- Other verses of the song reference jazz and blues classics like 'Stella By Starlight', 'Night And Day', and 'The Very Thought Of You', representing the singer's emotional highs and lows.
- Finally, Hozier emphasizes throughout the song the healing power of music, in terms of overcoming pain and finding love and happiness.
Interpretation
The lyrics of 'Almost (Sweet Music)' by
Hozier are a tribute to various jazz and blues standards. The lines of the text are interspersed with references and quotes from these classics. The song tells a story of loss, love, and healing through music.
In the first verses, the singer describes feeling tired and burnt out from a 'joyride'. But the music playing in the background helps him rebuild and find his inner balance. He finds solace in the music and in the company of a woman. The line 'I'm almost me again, she's almost you' suggests that he is recovering from a previous relationship and that this new woman is a kind of substitute or even healing for his past love.
The chorus 'I wouldn't know where to start, 'Sweet Music' playing 'In The Dark', be still 'My Foolish Heart,' don't ruin this on me' expresses his insecurity and fear of ruining this new chance at love. It's almost as if the sweet music in the dark is a metaphor for this new, uncertain love that he is trying to discover.
Further verses of the song reference various jazz and blues standards, including 'Stella By Starlight', 'Night And Day', and 'The Very Thought Of You'. These titles are not just simple song quotes, but they contribute to the overall mood and meaning of the song. They represent the emotional highs and lows that the singer experiences as he tries to overcome his past and focus on the present and future.
Throughout the song's lyrics, Hozier emphasizes the healing power of music and how it can help overcome pain and find love and happiness. The song is an ode to music and its ability to comfort and heal us in difficult times.