"Delilah" is a song by English

indie rock Indie rock is a Music subgenre, subgenre of rock music that originated in the United States, United Kingdom and New Zealand from the 1970s to the 1980s. Originally used to describe independent record labels, the term became associated with the mu ...

band

Florence and the Machine Florence and the Machine (stylised as Florence + the Machine) are an English indie rock band that formed in London in 2007, consisting of lead vocalist Florence Welch, keyboardist Isabella Summers, guitarist Rob Ackroyd, harpist Tom Monger, and ...

from their third studio album, ''

How Big, How Blue, How Beautiful ''How Big, How Blue, How Beautiful'' is the third studio album by English indie rock band Florence and the Machine, released on 29 May 2015 by Island Records. After returning from her year-long hiatus from music, lead vocalist Florence Welch r ...

'' (2015). It was written by

Florence Welch Florence Leontine Mary Welch (born 28 August 1986) is an English singer, the lead vocalist and primary songwriter of the indie rock band Florence and the Machine. The band's debut studio album, ''Lungs'' (2009), topped the UK Albums Chart and wo ...

and

Isabella Summers Isabella Janet Florentina Summers (born October 31, 1980) is an English musician, songwriter, producer, remixer and composer. She is a founding member of English indie rock band Florence and the Machine. Biography Summers lived her first nin ...

, and produced by

Markus Dravs Markus Dravs is a British music producer, songwriter, programmer, engineer and mixer. His credits include Arcade Fire, Coldplay, Wolf Alice, Björk, Brian Eno, Sheep on Drugs, Mumford & Sons, Florence + the Machine, The Maccabees and Kings o ...

. The song was released on 27 November 2015 as the album's fourth and final single.

Critical reception

Jon Blistein of ''

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first kno ...

'' wrote that "Delilah" begins sparsely with Welch's multi-tracked call-and-response vocals sailing atop a simple piano and simmering synths.

Music video

The music video for "Delilah" was directed by Vincent Haycock and premiered on 21 October 2015 as part of the video series ''The Odyssey''. Filmed in Los Angeles, the video opens with an intense monologue from an old man.

is then seen roaming through a "maze of motel rooms – dancing, writhing intensely, cutting a man's hair and encountering a horrifying

goblin A goblin is a small, grotesque, monstrous creature that appears in the folklore of multiple European cultures. First attested in stories from the Middle Ages, they are ascribed conflicting abilities, temperaments, and appearances depending on t ...

." At the end of the video, Welch "triumphantly rides through the streets of Los Angeles ..as a hat tip to her newfound freedom." In an interview with ''

Rookie A rookie is a person new to an occupation, profession, or hobby. In sports, a ''rookie'' is a professional athlete in their first season (or year). In contrast with a veteran who has experience and expertise, a rookie is usually inexperienced ...

'', Haycock said of the video, "The cutting of the hair was a direct reference to the biblical tory of

Delilah Delilah ( ; , meaning "delicate";Gesenius's ''Hebrew-Chaldee Lexicon'' ar, دليلة, Dalīlah; grc, label=Greek, Δαλιδά, Dalidá) is a woman mentioned in the sixteenth chapter of the Book of Judges in the Hebrew Bible. She is loved b ...

, but then it veered off into something more personal to Florence. Since this song was always planned as being the end of the series, we decided to make it about erreturning to her true self, killing off the ego version of herself, and finding her way home again."

Track listings

*Digital download – Galantis Remix #"Delilah" (

Galantis Galantis is a Swedish electronic dance music production, songwriting and DJ duo consisting of Christian Karlsson (DJ), Christian Karlsson and Style of Eye, Linus Eklöw. Karlsson is also known as Bloodshy as part of two other musical groups, a d ...

Remix) – 5:37 #"Delilah" (Galantis Remix / Radio Edit) – 4:11 *Limited-edition 12-inch single (

Record Store Day Record Store Day is an annual event inaugurated in 2007 and held on one Saturday (typically the third) every April and every Black Friday in November to "celebrate the culture of the independently owned record store". The day brings together fa ...

exclusive) :A1. "Delilah" :A2. "Delilah" (Demo) :B. "

Only Love Can Break Your Heart "Only Love Can Break Your Heart" is a song written by Canadian-American singer-songwriter, musician, and activist Neil Young. It has been covered by many bands. Genesis and recording The song is the third track on Neil Young's album ''After t ...

" (live)

Credits and personnel

Credits adapted from the liner notes of ''

''.

Recording

* Engineered at The Pool (London) * Mixed at Toast Studios (London) * Mastered at Sterling Sound (New York City)

Personnel

Florence and the Machine *

– vocals, backing vocals * Chris Hayden – drums, percussion * Mark Saunders – bass Additional personnel *

– production * Robin Baynton – engineering, organ, piano * Jonathan Sagis – engineering assistance * Iain Berryman – engineering assistance *

Leo Abrahams Leo Matthew Abrahams (born 1977 in Camden, London) is an English musician, composer and producer. He has collaborated with a multitude of professional musicians, including Brian Eno, Katie Melua, Imogen Heap, Jarvis Cocker, Carl Barât, Regina ...

– electric guitar * Pete Prokopiw – programming * Craig Silvey – mixing * Eduardo de la Paz – mixing assistance *

Ted Jensen Ted Jensen (born September 19, 1954) is an American mastering engineer, known for having mastered many recordings, including the Eagles' ''Hotel California'', Green Day's '' American Idiot'' and Norah Jones' ''Come Away with Me''. Biography Ted ...

– mastering

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Release history

Notes

References

{{authority control 2015 singles 2015 songs Florence and the Machine songs Island Records singles Republic Records singles Song recordings produced by Markus Dravs Songs written by Florence Welch