As with most Florence + the Machine music videos, the hidden meanings can be dark, covert and cleverly peppered with meaning. In extension of our music video analysis from previous eras, here’s our take on the new ‘King’ music video from the band’s yet-titled fifth album.

To set the scene, Florence released a statement that the song itself is about the torn identities she feels between being a female wanting to start a family, and being a performer. She stated that gender was not something she had previously considered, until reaching her 30s and suddenly coming to the realisation that male performers didn’t have to consider this aspect of their lives as readily as female counterparts.

The video begins with her partner appearing frustrated, mirroring the opening line of having an argument about whether to have children. Florence looks on eerily, observing the situation. Her partner appears fearful of her retaliation against his thoughts, and even more so when her own power in the situation haunts him. At first, Florence appears almost angelic, bathed in light, as she confronts her partner on these tricky topics. However, in an attempt to prioritise her artistic life from her private one, Florence lures him and then kills the bond between the two, symbolised by breaking the neck of her partner. Note that the light changes from bright and optimistic, to dark. This has several points of significance. Firstly, associations between kings and beheadings is rife throughout history. Secondly, this moment shocks the viewer intentionally, as it may have shocked Florence during her realisation that her two identities were not compatible. Thirdly, in killing the male, Florence attempts to fully embrace her feminine identity (note, in contrast to the How Big era where Florence openly modelled her image on male performers). The change in setting may represent reality versus imagination, as well as perceived good versus destruction.

However, despite the killing of this male dominance/identity, Florence continues to drag it around. Her back is turned, but it weighs her down. Florence summons femininity from within, and surrounds herself with this (the female dancers). She levitates throughout, asserting her position as transcending her identity. Notice that when not tied to her male identity or her personal life, and embracing her female identity, Florence is grounded - free - bounding amongst them from outside the confines of the walls she was previously trapped within at the start of the video, into the vast outside world. The contrast of the stereotypically feminine colours and outfits is stark compared with the brutalist decaying concrete structures that they are set against, further highlighting the division between her two identities.

The video concludes by showing performers levitating along with her. Note the performers are all male, whilst her female support remains grounded. This may symbolise the physical division between her male and female identities, with Florence deciding when to ground with the female or rise to the male. However, it might also show that her performance identity is literally put on hold (suspended) because of the tensions she faces between embodying the normalised female role in society, and being a performer in a male-centric career. If she is active at the feminine level, the male (performer) level must freeze and vice versa.

In the end, Florence realises that she cannot artificially separate these identities from each other. Instead, she embraces her personal life and masculine identity and becomes one with this. However, this may also represent how her personal life helps feed her artistic one, as she literally appears to eat her partner.

As ever, we want to hear your thoughts! Please leave them in the comments and let’s get a discussion going!