It's about loving people in an individual but abstract sense. It's not about sex ("don't take this the wrong way") or infidelity -- the speaker is clearly happily involved with someone already. That's half of why one only falls in love a little bit with strangers, there is no desire for physical or even deep emotional intimacy.
This song is talking about that moment you get interfacing with people who are genuinely different from you, where they say or do something that just points out how different they are from you. Different values and priorities, different virtues and vices. Those differences, those perfections of things you yourself Aren't, and you yourself Don't Value are what's producing love. It's an affection, a pleasant reeling, from the surprises in how different people are from each other. The depth and diversity of the race making one fall in love, just a little bit, over and over with each individual.
It also references the standard human trait of seeing the ill in people, blaming people for their vices and failings, in an attempt to distract ourselves from the difficulties of life. But it says that if we didn't do that, if we looked instead for what's good in people, we'd be better off. We should be falling in love, not condemning people for not being our personal ideals of perfection.
That's all.
@teaspill That's what I thought on my first listens. But I was focusing on the second verse and had not yet seen the video. Then I saw this.
@teaspill That's what I thought on my first listens. But I was focusing on the second verse and had not yet seen the video. Then I saw this.
"Hozier’s song is a brilliant, pathetic portrait of a significant part of today’s generation (and I’m including all ages, not just millennials). One YouTube commenter accurately called it Tinder’s theme song—isolated people looking for connection but finding only momentary thrills that leave them empty and, more often than not, leave those who foolishly fall for their manipulations broken and hurt, confused about what happened between the flood of passionate communications—the poetry, the...
"Hozier’s song is a brilliant, pathetic portrait of a significant part of today’s generation (and I’m including all ages, not just millennials). One YouTube commenter accurately called it Tinder’s theme song—isolated people looking for connection but finding only momentary thrills that leave them empty and, more often than not, leave those who foolishly fall for their manipulations broken and hurt, confused about what happened between the flood of passionate communications—the poetry, the songs, the gentle words of knowing—and the cold, distracted silence after the moment has passed....What I appreciate most about “Someone New”—and I do think it is a superbly written commentary on our social condition—is that it doesn’t necessarily glorify this life of despair (at least I hope not). One revealing point is when Hozier confesses to waking “at the first cringe of morning, and my heart’s already sinned.”
Then he adds, “How pure, how sweet a love, Aretha, that you would pray for him.” The reference is to Aretha Franklin’s famous song “Say a Little Prayer,” which was released in 1968. The contrast between the two songs is striking...."
It's about loving people in an individual but abstract sense. It's not about sex ("don't take this the wrong way") or infidelity -- the speaker is clearly happily involved with someone already. That's half of why one only falls in love a little bit with strangers, there is no desire for physical or even deep emotional intimacy. This song is talking about that moment you get interfacing with people who are genuinely different from you, where they say or do something that just points out how different they are from you. Different values and priorities, different virtues and vices. Those differences, those perfections of things you yourself Aren't, and you yourself Don't Value are what's producing love. It's an affection, a pleasant reeling, from the surprises in how different people are from each other. The depth and diversity of the race making one fall in love, just a little bit, over and over with each individual. It also references the standard human trait of seeing the ill in people, blaming people for their vices and failings, in an attempt to distract ourselves from the difficulties of life. But it says that if we didn't do that, if we looked instead for what's good in people, we'd be better off. We should be falling in love, not condemning people for not being our personal ideals of perfection. That's all.
@teaspill I fell in love with you, a little bit, stranger. :3 Actually... it's every time I visit this page, every time.
@teaspill I fell in love with you, a little bit, stranger. :3 Actually... it's every time I visit this page, every time.
@teaspill That's what I thought on my first listens. But I was focusing on the second verse and had not yet seen the video. Then I saw this.
@teaspill That's what I thought on my first listens. But I was focusing on the second verse and had not yet seen the video. Then I saw this.
"Hozier’s song is a brilliant, pathetic portrait of a significant part of today’s generation (and I’m including all ages, not just millennials). One YouTube commenter accurately called it Tinder’s theme song—isolated people looking for connection but finding only momentary thrills that leave them empty and, more often than not, leave those who foolishly fall for their manipulations broken and hurt, confused about what happened between the flood of passionate communications—the poetry, the...
"Hozier’s song is a brilliant, pathetic portrait of a significant part of today’s generation (and I’m including all ages, not just millennials). One YouTube commenter accurately called it Tinder’s theme song—isolated people looking for connection but finding only momentary thrills that leave them empty and, more often than not, leave those who foolishly fall for their manipulations broken and hurt, confused about what happened between the flood of passionate communications—the poetry, the songs, the gentle words of knowing—and the cold, distracted silence after the moment has passed....What I appreciate most about “Someone New”—and I do think it is a superbly written commentary on our social condition—is that it doesn’t necessarily glorify this life of despair (at least I hope not). One revealing point is when Hozier confesses to waking “at the first cringe of morning, and my heart’s already sinned.”
Then he adds, “How pure, how sweet a love, Aretha, that you would pray for him.” The reference is to Aretha Franklin’s famous song “Say a Little Prayer,” which was released in 1968. The contrast between the two songs is striking...."
Whole thing here: http://thefederalist.com/2016/01/04/someone-new-by-hozier-is-the-sad-anthem-of-our-age/ It's up on one of his fan sites and where fans are asking him to comment.