Amid the global lock-down, from South London, FLORENCE WELCH has released her previously self-isolated, fully medicinal song, ‘Light Of Love’.
This number was originally recorded for Florence + the Machine’s last album ‘High As Hope’ [2018] and is a peaceful compositional antiseptic inunction, offered as sweet jojoba to calm our troubled minds.
“Light Of Lovenever made the record but I thought it would be nice to share it with the fans at this time of uncertainty…” she says. “And to raise awareness for the Intensive Care Society COVID-19 Fund. And to show my love, respect and admiration to all those working on the front line of this crisis…”
“The song is about the world coming at you so fast and you feel like you won’t survive it, but in actually bearing witness to the world as it is, it’s really the only place you can be of service. I found so many ways to numb myself out, to hide from the world, and although waking up from that was painful, it’s never been more important not to look away, to keep an open heart even if it hurts, and to find ways to keep showing up for the people that need you. Even from a distance.”
Florence will be donating all her income from this song to The Intensive Care Society Covid-19 fund and welcomes fans to make a donation if they are in a position to do so. You can donate here.
President of the Intensive Care Society, Dr Ganesh Suntharlingam, said:
“We are very humbled and grateful for this wonderful donation. Intensive care is fighting the biggest challenge it has faced and the Society is doing everything it can to support our healthcare professionals, patients and relatives. Not only will this generous gift allow us to continue providing the essential resources to our intensive care community but it will literally help save lives – we can’t thank you enough.”
This expressive piano-backed number is snappy, and like American Pie (Don McLean) long before it, it feels like a melancholy throwback to times that were, it’s sensed, perhaps more idyllic and more morally clean; Yet it also looks forward to better times, those that lay beyond our lowly horizons.
The voice is, of course, exquisitely textured, as it ranges from soft-purr through countertenor to angelic falsetto — and the whole thing develops into a jostle filled marching-parade with lots of merry friends… yes, this is how things will end if we keep our heads as High As Hope. It all ends with much pageantry, joyous revelry and spectacle.
Listen to ‘Light Of Love’ HERE
Donate to The Intensive Care Society Covid-19 fund HERE