Occasionally you come across a song that literally shakes you to your core. You hear the first few bars and the music reverberates from your ears throughout your body, creating a ripple of goosebumps along your limbs. It’s the combination of the artist’s voice, the lyrics and the piano arrangement that almost brings a tear to your eye because of its proximity to perfection. “Take me to Church” is such a song. Andrew Hozier-Byrne or Hozier as he is known, is the 24-year-old Irishman behind this beautifully crafted piece of aural art. His voice is dark, enchanting and eery with an almost spiritual holiness to it which is well suited as the song is about religion, heaven, sin and love. The lyric, “I was born sick, command me to be well” will hold extra meaning for those of us raised in religions that denounce homosexuality and the accompanying video depicting a homophobic beating will strike a chord with anyone who has experienced homophobia.
THE MODERN GAY GUIDE TO LIFE 