"Cosmic Love" is a song by English indie rock band Florence and the Machine from their debut studio album Lungs (2009). The song was written by the band's lead singer Florence Welch and keyboardist Isabella Summers, and produced by Paul Epworth, with additional production from Summers.
| "Cosmic Love" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single by Florence and the Machine | ||||
| from the album Lungs | ||||
| Released | 5 July 2010 | |||
| Recorded | 2009 | |||
| Length | 4:15 | |||
| Label | ||||
| Songwriter(s) | ||||
| Producer(s) | Paul Epworth | |||
| Florence and the Machine singles chronology | ||||
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| Music video | ||||
| "Cosmic Love" on YouTube | ||||
"Cosmic Love" was released as the sixth (seventh, counting the re-release of "Dog Days Are Over") and final single from Lungs on 5 July 2010. The song was critically acclaimed, with many critics calling it the best song on the album, and was certified Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America.
The song was used in a scene on British soap-opera Coronation Street in May 2018, in which the character Aidan Connor (Shayne Ward) takes his own life.
Background and writing
editLead singer Florence Welch elaborated on the writing of the song:
'Cosmic Love' was a joke title, but it stuck. The most hungover I’ve ever been when writing a song. I went to [Isabella Summers's] studio after having been to a party, and I was lying on the floor wanting to vomit. We were working really hard on a song and just trying to make this sh*t piano part work, and all of a sudden I hit on one note, and I’d got it. We wrote the whole song in ten minutes.[1]
Welch told The Sunday Times that it's a song about how being in love means "you give yourself up to the dark, to being blind".
Critical reception
edit"Cosmic Love" has been widely praised by music critics, with many critics calling it the best song on the album. Pitchfork says the song is "audaciously huge" and one of the album's "finest" tracks, alongside "Blinding".[2]
Chart performance
edit"Cosmic Love" debuted on the UK Singles Chart at number 162 on 26 June 2010 before climbing to number 116 the following week. On 11 July 2010, following the physical release of the single, it rocketed into the Top 100 at number 51, giving Florence her seventh Top 100 hit from the album Lungs. "Cosmic Love" is Florence's second least successful single in the UK charts behind "Drumming Song", along with "Kiss with a Fist", which also peaked at number 51. Conversely, the song is Florence and the Machine's highest-charting song in Ireland, as due to high digital sales it charted at number 3 there, almost a year before its physical release after it was featured in an advert for The O2 in Dublin.
Music video and use in other media
editA promotional music video was shot on 24 March 2010. Welch's manager Mairead Nash described it as "amazing."[3] The video was debuted on the band's official website on 11 May 2010.[4]
Synopsis
editThe video begins with a shot of a lightbulb flashing. Lead singer Florence Welch is then seen to walk through some trees with autumn leaves, and a light falls into her eye, making her scream. The video then moves on to show Welch lying on the floor in a black outfit, in a mirrored room filled with different coloured lights around her. She then stands up and dances in the room. The video then moves back to Florence walking through the autumn leaves, with blue, green and purple lighting shining on her, and she appears to be lost as she is surveying her surroundings. The scene of Welch in the room of lights then changes to darker lighting, and her outfit changes into a white dress with lights. Later in the song, during this scene, leaves are seen to surround her as she is dancing. The video ends with Florence taking the light from inside her chest, and releasing it into the air, and it floats into the lightbulb which started the video.
In other media
editIn 2013, American rapper Sikai and XV sampled "Cosmic Love" for the song "Falling Star". The song was also sampled in the same year by American rapper Marcus Orelias for the song "Rebel of the Underground" and in 2014 by rapper, MZ on the song "Lune De Fiel" featuring french rapper Marlo.[5][6]
Track listing
editUK 7-inch vinyl[7]
- "Cosmic Love"
- "Cosmic Love" (Isa Machine, Russ Fawcus and Lexxx Remix)
Charts
edit
Weekly chartsedit
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Certificationsedit
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References
edit- ^ "Official Website | News | Gigs | Music | Blogs – News". Florence and the Machine. Archived from the original on 28 May 2013. Retrieved 10 February 2012.
- ^ "Florence and the Machine: Lungs | Album Reviews". Pitchfork. 13 August 2009. Retrieved 10 February 2012.
- ^ "Oh No They Didn'T! – Florence Is Making A Video". Community.livejournal.com. 24 March 2010. Archived from the original on 29 March 2010. Retrieved 10 February 2012.
- ^ "Official Website | News | Gigs | Music | Blogs – Video". Florence and the Machine. Archived from the original on 7 February 2012. Retrieved 10 February 2012.
- ^ "Florence and the Machine - Cosmic Love". WhoSampled.com. WhoSampled. Retrieved 24 December 2021.
- ^ "Marcus Orelias - Rebel of the Underground Writing Credits". Discogs.com. Discogs. 21 June 2013. Retrieved 24 December 2021.
- ^ Cosmic Love (UK 7-inch vinyl sleeve). Florence and the Machine. Island Records, Moshi Moshi Records. 2009. 2744152.
{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link) - ^ "Florence + The Machine – Cosmic Love" (in Dutch). Ultratip.
- ^ "The Irish Charts – Search Results – Cosmic Love". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved 16 January 2020.
- ^ "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 16 January 2020.
- ^ "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company.
- ^ "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2023 Singles" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved 3 April 2023.
- ^ "British single certifications – Florence & The Machine – Cosmic Love". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 26 February 2021.
- ^ "American single certifications – Florence & The Machine – Cosmic Love". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved 26 February 2021.