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Everybody Scream - music video analysis
Everybody Scream - what a video! In our almost ritualistic fashion, here’s our interpretation of the video for your perusal, as we try to unpick some of the creative processes and analyse deeper beyond what are simply stunning visuals and colours. Feel free to comment your own thoughts too!
The video begins with Florence wandering a barren land alone. It’s vast, scary, daunting and very raw. This symbolises her day-to-day life outside of her career. There’s a well-trodden path. Perhaps this symbolises the ‘path of life’; one walked many times, although somehow it still feels aimless. In her bold red dress, Florence stands out against the green landscape. In the tension between the pull of being a performer and the pull of wanting to live a quiet life out of the public eye, Florence feels alone, strange, and a lack of belonging in the world.
The shot cuts to Florence standing in a room, opulent and structured. She’s waving her arms; conducting. She’s at home here. It appears she is practising - preparing for a show. In contrast, the red dress is something that adds to the performance in this context, rather than something that makes her stand out. It highlights the duality of her image in day-to-day life, and as a performer on stage.
Florence is back to navigating the vast landscape alone. A man rides a horse in the distance along the same track Florence is following. Perhaps this is a symbolism for a multitude of things: a patriarchy, carving out a life for a woman who feels she does not conform yet is obliged to follow; a representation of always feeling behind when others charge ahead (she is on foot, after all). The man sits straddling the horse in the wrong direction, adding to the feeling of unease and wrongness of the dynamic. Perhaps the person carving out Florence’s life is doing so under the illusion that they know what is best for her future, but in fact hypocritically, they cannot even face it themselves.
Suddenly, Florence unleashes her support: a coven of witches - her songs, artistry, performance - that continues to guide her and give her newfound power beyond what she is able to reach in the day-to-day. They cast spells of illusion and influence. Her expression turns from one of unease to confidence, and her stride becomes such too: she is taking back power, using her artistry. It’s unhinged, feral, untamed, but that’s exactly what lends her the upper hand. The authority strikes a match and immediately extinguishes it. Again, this can be interpreted in many ways. Fire and ignition can signify the start of a spell. The fact it is blown out immediately could highlight the ways people in her life attempt to blow out the flame in her artistry, thus removing her power. It could also signify loss of something she almost had - a relationship, a project, or anything else she desires but feels out of reach.
The next shot shows burning candles. Florence has taken control in a room (the stage) where she feels most powerful. Here, she has the authority. The candles are lit and the fire-fuelled spell she is casting over her audience is very much in full flow. They are possessed by her energy as she and her songs command the audience to move, scream, shake. Note their positions - Florence and her coven are all mounted on some sort of stage, and everyone else is subordinate to this. Her power is visceral - running her hands from legs to her head to embody the way her energy flows in performance towards her mouth (singing) and out into the venue.
The man who was riding the horse is also here, and he does not look impressed. He is yet to be taken by the spell; the patriarch resisting the pull of her influence, always present and attempting to bring Florence back down to earth in a place where performance allows her to fly. She physically commands him, pushing him down and mounting him, exerting her femininity to remove his power. In her mouth, she holds purple pansies; associated with reflection, thought, and admiration. She showers these on him from her mouth. Metaphorically speaking, she is singing songs that spill from her mouth to command admiration from those who might otherwise not do so.
The scene cuts outdoors again into the vast landscape - a symbolism of the real world away from her career. A new stage is set here. The tone shifts - Florence is no longer in power. She is isolated. She attempts to use what she has learnt on stage but it does not work. Instead, her creativity and art act as a restraint, suffocating her. What had previously been at her side in aid - her art - in fact has damaged (see Florence cutting her foot on stage, breaking her foot twice during performances, sacrificing relationships, and previously self-destructing through partying and substances).
Florence has often talked of her art as a double-edged sword. On one hand it is a space for her to become someone she otherwise could not; to transcend her being. She is larger than life on stage, mythical, and becomes someone sometimes she cannot even recognise within her ferocious performances. But on the stage of life, this very creativity holds her back, reiterating the tension that she explored on ‘Dance Fever’ of being torn between living in aspiration of what women are told they should want (see ‘King’, ‘Dream Girl Evil’), and living as a performer where life often is on pause. This video underscores that dichotomy: her art offers her power, command and freedom on one hand, but suffocates on the other.
And those are our thoughts! What do you think? Let us know on our social channels or in the comments.
FAN ANALYSES
“Autumn loves to put Florence in red (see the Free music video). I see parallels to the classic Kate Bush music video for Wuthering Heights. Also, the fan event “The most Wuthering Heights day ever” has been around for a while, where Kate Bush fans gather in parks while wearing dreamy red dresses and dance to the song.” — Julia Dickinson
“My first impression was the striking contrast between the lush green landscape and the deep crimson of the dress and heels. The red immediately evokes layered symbolism: echoes of The Scarlet Letter, where red signifies both shame and defiance, and The Handmaid’s Tale, where it represents fertility, control, and the blood of conception. In religious art, a red dress often stands for sacrifice, martyrdom, and the blood of Christ. Together, the imagery suggests a powerful tension; between oppression and resilience, between being marked and choosing to wear the mark as a form of strength. Put together, the imagery to me suggests a she’s standing apart from her environment, cloaked in sacrifice, power, and the burden of expectation. The crimson makes her impossible to ignore, she’s either being marked (by society/religion) or she’s claiming that mark as her own.” — Kate OBrien
“Red in witchcraft often symbolizes passion, strength, lust, action, and new beginnings as well.” — Markie Spears Hebert
“There’s also a moment where she pulls a man to the stage, throws him down, and shoves her heel down his throat. It’s a powerful symbol of establishing her dominance over what patriarchy wants and says she should be” — Alanna Seymore
“The horse at the start of the music video seems to mirror Macbeth's arrival at the start of the play and the relation between man on the horse in the music video and Florence seems to mirror Macbeth and lady Macbeth. The witches are also interesting in Florence's music video they seem to be causing mania (much like the plot of Macbeth) and similarly nearer the end of the music video cause mania around Florence. (Lady Macbeth goes crazy at the end of the play).” — @izzywiz.jpg
“I think its worth looking to primary sources of historic witchcraft, of Old England, and Early Modern English architecture and fashion, which dominates this video. The shooting location is a famous English house of Royalists that was besieged by Cromwellian Parliamentarian forces during the English Civil War - while i doubt that was a conscious choice, it is worthwhile to note that the Royalists are associated more with kingship, divine right, romanticism and "the old ways" of feudalism. The Cromwellians were Puritans, Protestants, democratic and viscously modern, and loved killing witches. This is the house - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wythenshawe_Hall Meanwhile, the outdoors are on the Pennines, well known for their treasury of folklore, of boggarts and witches and ghosts. The two locations are also both Northern English locations, swinging away from London, New York and LA that we saw in the preceding albums - a move to the high moors of the North.” — @_ciotog
Florence + the Machine's ground-trembling triumph at Tempelhof Sounds Festival - the Fan Club account
The Florence + the Machine Fan Club were given access to report on Florence + the Machine’s tempestuous Tempelhof Sounds appearance, and we detail all from the fan club perspective.
When you think of a Florence + the Machine festival headline slot, what sort of atmosphere comes to mind? At Tempelhof Sounds Festival, take that image and amplify it by one hundred. Tempelhof marked the first major festival in Germany to open its gates, set on the runway of the eerie abandons of a former major airport serving Berlin. What better location than to watch the music soar through and above the crowd that had been longing for the return of live music for three years? It was clear that Tempelhof stood for the music, putting this front and centre from the moment the first act stepped onto the stage, and the audience it attracted reflected that priority in its energy.
Fans gather early in the morning, adorned in glitter and flower crowns, to secure the prime barrier position. Photo: Yvonne Lehnert
‘Barrier Ghosts’ waiting patiently for the show to begin. Photo: Tessa Camilla (@tessacamilla)
Take, for example, the moment that the audience, waiting with bated breath, caught the first glimpse of Rob Ackroyd, Tom Monger, Dionne Douglas, Sam Doyle, Cyrus Bayandor and Aku Orraca-Tetteh ascending to the stage. Palpable electricity flowed through the sea of "barrier ghosts" - their faces glittering and ornament flower crowns worn in nervous anticipation of Florence Welch to float behind her band onto the stage. The wait for them had been for over 6 hours for most, enduring the intensity of the summer sun through the varied line-up of preceding acts including Two Door Cinema Club and the Libertines. A roar cut through the hot, still Berlin evening at the moment Florence tiptoed across the stage. Dressed in flowing lace, the pounding drums of 'Heaven Is Here' set the tone for the journey on which thousands were about to embark. The crowd chanted the spell-like 'Dance Fever' offering back to the band; the sermon in full swing. Hands flew into the air, pounding the sky to 'I AM KING' as Florence’s face illuminated at the realisation that ‘Dance Fever’ had already touched the souls of fans globally, singing the song word-for-word back to her. Florence + the Machine are indeed King, returning to perform at their best; each person understood how privileged they were to be experiencing this moment with their own eyes, ears and spirits, and they gave everything in return. Stomping, jumping, shouting through tiredness, tears and sweat, offering all their energy towards the stage.
Then came Dog Days to the satisfaction of the horizon-stretching crowd, with its classic ritual of its collective in-the-moment experience. Thousands roared as Florence asked who was experiencing what she termed the "cult" of Florence + the Machine for the first time. Thousands were inducted into the cult, jumping with abandon to the song's climax under the spell of Florence. The sheer power of the performance sent literal shockwaves through the tarmac, even causing a minor earthquake which shook surrounding apartments during the minute of feet thumping the floor in harmony.
Photo: Lea Herpich
The atmosphere remained charged, but with gentle love in the place of frantic euphoria as 'June''s "hold on to each other" tugged at the emotions of many who had struggled through the isolation of the COVID-19 pandemic. Fans held hands, embracing and swaying as each reflected on the personal bonds that Florence + the Machine have created between people who would not have met without their music - Canadians, Russians, Germans, Britons, Irish, French and more, all swaying shoulder-to-shoulder. Then again, nothing creates bonds quite like the shared experience of Florence clambering onto the barrier to unleash sonic rage through 'Dream Girl Evil'. Where Florence has supported millions through her songs, fans become Florence's physical support for a moment and the symbiosis of artist and audience becomes ever more evident. This symbiosis, as Florence highlighted later in the set, is something she and her band had missed dearly over the last three years. It's that symbiosis that Florence had witnessed in its full glory most evidently here, tonight, in Berlin. "You have been the most incredible audience, thank you" Florence exclaimed, visibly overwhelmed by the uniquely vibrant reception that the band had received from the German crowd from the very first song.
The crowd raises phone torches to simulate stars during ‘Cosmic Love’. Photo: Antony Zacharias (@antonyzacsnaps)
The show continued under "the moon, still bright against the worrying sky"; Florence sang, stretching towards the luminous moon hung perfectly above the sea of her worshippers. The lights of phone torches completed the sky full of song during 'Cosmic Love' as the sky itself began to grow darker. As the show drew to a close, Florence beckoned all to leave all their energy on the tarmac. Her audience obeyed, dancing to exhaustion in the vein of the dancing plague which themes their latest album 'Dance Fever'. The final offerings were made during 'Rabbit Heart' which closed the set, with fans clambering onto shoulders chanting "RAISE IT UP" into the black abyss above their heads. The ground-shaking energy was felt from further afield, attracting an audience of congregating passers-by in Tempelhof Feld to the festival’s perimeter who listened to the crowd’s roaring and Florence’s soaring voice in awe.
And although the band left the stage, the strong connections, friendships and sheer energy that are the life forces of the Florence + the Machine fan base endure in ever-more beautiful ways. Reflectively, no-one moved for minutes after the band had left the stage, all spell-struck by the sermon in which they had just participated. As the charm’s hold lessened and the crowd dispersed in search of food to refuel after their musical voyage, the electricity was still visible on all faces that we passed. Fans gathered to share tales of the personal and collective moments from the show, exchanging photos, hugs and contacts. As we write this article, we realise that it is incredibly difficult to transfer the sheer vibrance that this performance offered into words, and are indebted to Tempelhof Sounds for providing such a special space for Florence + the Machine's literally ground-shaking magic to be shared. That evening will forever be written into history, on this site and beyond, as one of the most exhilarating shows by the band, but also the most beautiful display of human love that the band facilitates, that continues to pervade through the darkest of times.
Fans congregate after the performance, united by Florence + the Machine, having endured over 11 hours of waiting in the intense German sun. Photo: Agnes
My Love - Music Video Analysis
Take a read on our thoughts around the ‘My Love’ music video - a dance song about the effects of COVID-19 and Florence’s music writing process.
This analysis piece comes after the epic release of Florence + the Machine’s second teaser single ‘Heaven Is Here’, followed closely by the lead single ‘My Love’.
For some context, ‘My Love’ is a song about writer’s block that Florence was experiencing prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, and then how the pandemic itself forced Florence into a state of isolation from both her music in her professional life, and from seeing her loved one in her personal life. This is reflected through Autumn De Wilde’s masterpiece music video, detailed below.
The video begins in a pre-pandemic scenario, with a still but intense few seconds of Florence breathing. This is a theme that runs through all of the videos so far. This may be used to symbolise intimacy and vulnerability, as well as isolation and aloneness, all of which are concepts that COVID-19 amplified in 2020.
Florence appears fearful, with back to her audience, almost as if she does not want to perform. She contorts her hands as if controlled by string; as if she is a puppet to the musical world. This reiterates the line from ‘King’ “dragged me by my hair and back on with the show”. Florence realises that she doesn’t have a choice - the show must go on. Notice that when Florence turns to face the audience, her composure and persona completely changes. Suddenly, her face is one of confidence, standing elegantly and commanding the stage. This scene may be to reflect that behind closed doors, just as highlighted in ‘King’, Florence feels vulnerable and fearful, but being on stage is a moment of catharsis, and also where she must display confidence to the world. Her band and audience sit motionless, like wax-work figures (just as in ‘King’). This may be to highlight that her subjects of writing (her music, her friends and her partner) are models; lifeless topics of interest about which she observes, reduce to lifeless beings, and writes about. It could also be that, as she meanders between these people, she is trying to decide where to put her love, but her inability to decide means she feels disconnected from them.
Then, suddenly, the audience is standing, gasping. This is the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, where the world watched in shock as events unfolded. Florence is panicking, trying to navigate the situation but she cannot gain control.
Florence is left alone now that the audience have been isolated from her, instead surrounded by her ‘lace children’ - her inner thoughts, demons, and support. They dance frantically around her as her thoughts race and panic. One by one, they succumb to the effects of her isolation, collapsing as they do, until Florence no longer has any to support her, and she too collapses.
What is left as a broken version of herself, attempting to navigate the situation in the dark; alone and isolated. She rises again, but as a changed person. We hear the breathing once again to highlight her aloneness and vulnerability, except this time it is away from the performance and the stage.
Also of note, and as pointed out by one of our admins Ariel, Florence’s dress deconstructs and thus becomes less extravagent as the ‘show’ proceeds. This is possibly a reference to her becoming more and more vulnerable (Florence has previously stated that she used clothes to hide her insecurities), and also how COVID-19 stripped her usual freedoms and outlets, including that of fashion.
What are your thoughts? We’d love to hear them below! We’re still trying to work out the significance of the young man, seen first in the King video and now helping her climb down from the stage and facing the other way from everyone else in the gasping scene. Let us know what you think.