Florence and the Machine, Delilah (2015) The video starts in a motel foyer - Florence lies on a sofa while a man talks to her about faith: Love yourself. Forgive yourself. You can t love and forgive other people, if you don t, first of all, love and forgive yourself. We need to watch the rest of the video with this in mind this is a journey by which Florence comes to love and forgive herself, getting rid of the bad things in her life Soon, we see Florence in the motel room, cutting the hair of a man who kneels beside her. The song lyrics here repeat the refrain, Cos I m going to be free and I m going to be fine, as though this hair- cutting event was something positive a liberating act for Florence. No more drinks just to pass the time ; no more boys and lies. The song lyrics at times equate her with Samson she speaks of going blind, tearing pillars down, and being in chains. Does she feel like Samson, trapped by her lifestyle - and so does she have to reach out to Delilah (or even become Delilah) to liberate herself? As the man (his hair cut) lies collapsed on the bed, Florence seems to have some sort of cathartic, religious experience rocking violently back and forth as though in prayer. Florence is singing about a different kind of danger that she needs to protect herself from (is she afraid, calling for my mother?). Perhaps this is a moment where she is looking for faith, or even salvation after cutting away the bad things in her life. Echoing back to the man at the start of the video, who speaks of faith, forgiveness and love this is the first step for Florence to loving herself. It is a violent step, but a necessary one of self- preservation.
Florence staggers out into the motel walkway, where she engages in a frantic dance. She meets all sorts of characters and their encounters seem a strange mixture of violence and eroticism. I s Florence battling her demons here, trying to escape? She seems troubled, angry and anxious. What is this motel and who are its strange inhabitants? The early scenes in the video are full of disturbing images here, Florence lies sleeping while a strange demon sits on top of her and reaches to touch her face. This scene appears to be based on a painting by Henry Fuseli (1781)- see below. Florence is still threatened, perhaps, by demons from her past. As Florence struggles to get past the men crowding the walkway, she is joined by another woman who seems to guide her away is this Delilah, helping her dance her way to freedom, away from these negative forces?
We catch a glimpse of a man, who staggers in circles carrying a large rock. Is he another Samson, whose strength has been cut away, and who is now destined to carry this millstone around with him while his Delilah escapes? In another motel room, a woman is having a similar religious experience as Florence it is the woman (Delilah?) who guided Florence along the walkway earlier, out of danger. Is this a glimpse of Delilah s own textual experience? Perhaps the people watching her passively are readers of Judges 16, or viewers of her cultural afterlives. And perhaps the man with the millstone to the left is this Delilah s Samson, removed from her life, leaving her free. A figure who looks like Florence seems to be following her along the walkway who is it?
The figure who has been following Florence takes off her red wig to reveal herself. She appears to be counselling Florence is this another Delilah? The woman seems to be directing Florence away from the people in the motel as she talks to her, we see a large neon cross in the background. Is this cross a sign of Florence s imminent redemption? Delilah is perhaps guiding her onto a new path one where Florence can let go of all the things that once harmed her the drinks, the men, the lies (mentioned in the lyrics.) The cross reappears over the motel pool, where Florence seems to undergo some form of baptism we see her being held over the water by a man, and then later, her body floats in the pool. Is this Florence s rebirth, which takes place just after she encounters the second Delilah?
Florence makes her way to freedom, but it s not that easy. She drags the body of the man whose hair she has cut, as though she still can t rid herself of him. If this Samson represents the bad influences in Florence s life, perhaps this lets us know that they are not so easy to let go, even if we know they are harmful. The lyrics of the song echo this: Too fast for freedom Sometimes it all falls down These chains never leave me I keep dragging them around. At last, Florence escapes the claustrophobic motel and flees into the night (on the top of a car). As she makes her way through the city, dancing on top of the car, is she now liberated from these chains? The lyrics suggest that Delilah shown her how to dance to freedom, sharing her vision of a life without the presence of dangerous or destructive forces.
How does this song and video let us re- read Judges 16? What kind of afterlife does it offer us for Delilah? Some ideas (and you may have your own thoughts too): We are invited to see the biblical Delilah as a character who has to get rid of the destructive forces in her own life perhaps, rather than seeing her betrayal of Samson as a sign of her negative character (femme fatale), we might imagine that it is an act of self- preservation. Samson in Judges 13-16 is a hugely volatile and violent man might Delilah have been afraid of him, wanting rid of him from her life? If she was a Philistine, life would not have been easy for her, with this enemy of the Philistines hanging around her, declaring his love. The betrayal thus becomes an act that Delilah does to ensure her own security and survival. Or perhaps it s an act of patriotism, as Delilah affirms her loyalty to her community by helping them get rid of someone who is a threat to them all. The lyrics represent hope for Florence that she can escape everything that is dragging her down (represented by the motel, the guests, the men, drink, lies, pills). Delilah is a role model for her Never knew I was a dancer til Delilah showed me how. The words Cos I m gonna be free and I m gonna be fine are repeated throughout the song again, equating Delilah s presence in Florence s life with liberation. The man at the start of the video spoke about faith, forgiveness and love does Florence learn to forgive herself and love herself by following Delilah s guidance, cutting away what s bad and destructive in her life?