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.

Dog Days Are Over - Florence + the Machine

Dog Days Are Over - Florence + the Machine

4:11

Lungs, 2009

Written by Florence Welch and Isabella Summers

Florence Welch's powerhouse vocals are primary in this palatial art-rock song.  Her voice goes from ferocious and aggressive to quiet and reflective before roaring back.  Handclaps, percussion, piano, and guitar all swirl together into an epic crescendo.  It's a song that crashes around you like a tempest, the impressionistic lyrics about running, hiding, leaving everything behind coming between the ominous chorus like flashes of lightning.  "And I never wanted anything from you / Except everything you had and what was left after that too," Welch sings sweetly, before fairly screaming, "Happiness hit her like a bullet in the back." It's a song that leaves you whiplash in the best way.