Monday, June 16, 2025

Kiss With a Fist - Florence + the Machine

Kiss With a Fist - Florence + the Machine
2:03
Lungs, 2009
Written by Florence Welch and Matt Alchin

With its rattling garage-rock tempo and the confrontational chorus "You hit me once / I hit you back / You gave a kick / I gave a slap / You smashed a plate over my head / Then I set fire to our bed," one would be forgiven for immediately assuming this song is a depiction of mutual domestic violence.  However, Florence Welch herself clarified that the song is "about two people pushing each other to psychological extremes because they are fighting but they still love each other."  The over-the-top blows, in other words, are purely metaphorical.  The line "a kiss with a fist is better than none" seems to express an endorsement, not of violence, but of an animal passion that may not be healthy, but has an undeniable allure.

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