At its core, I think this is a love song. The singer would leave everything–his home, his wealth, etc.–for the one he loves.
Someone suggested that this song is related to Archduke (and heir to the Austria-Hungarian throne) Franz Ferdinand. I looked up the specifics of Franz Ferdinand, who is most famous for being assassinated (an event which led to WWI). Apparently, he was only supposed to marry a member of a reigning or formerly reigning dynasty in Europe, but he fell in love with an archduchess’ lady-in-waiting, Sophie Chotek. He would not consider marrying anyone else. Eventually, he was allowed to wed Sophie on the condition that she and their children would not inherit his titles, privileges, or throne.
I think the Franz Ferdinand story is plausible, especially since I can't think of another reason for the singer to mention Budapest.
If you want to see a word-by-word analysis of the lyrics to "Budapest," check out my blog, toriphelps.wordpress.com/blog/
At its core, I think this is a love song. The singer would leave everything–his home, his wealth, etc.–for the one he loves.
Someone suggested that this song is related to Archduke (and heir to the Austria-Hungarian throne) Franz Ferdinand. I looked up the specifics of Franz Ferdinand, who is most famous for being assassinated (an event which led to WWI). Apparently, he was only supposed to marry a member of a reigning or formerly reigning dynasty in Europe, but he fell in love with an archduchess’ lady-in-waiting, Sophie Chotek. He would not consider marrying anyone else. Eventually, he was allowed to wed Sophie on the condition that she and their children would not inherit his titles, privileges, or throne. I think the Franz Ferdinand story is plausible, especially since I can't think of another reason for the singer to mention Budapest.
If you want to see a word-by-word analysis of the lyrics to "Budapest," check out my blog, toriphelps.wordpress.com/blog/