# I hate Florence and the Machine **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [April 26, 2011, 3:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-hate-florence-and-the-machine/579734 "2011-04-26T03:05:55Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Argent\_Towers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e8c25b/32.png) [@Argent\_Towers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Argent_Towers)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2011, 3:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-hate-florence-and-the-machine/579734/1 "2011-04-26T03:05:55Z")
I have heard the goddamn song “Dog Days Are Over” about 90,000 times now and I can’t stand it. The voice is obnoxious and breathy - this is the female John Mayer. The lyrics suck. “Run fast for your mother, fast for your father,” etc, “horses are coming,” etc. What a bunch of pompous, pretentious, shallow, meaningless trash. The song is repetitive; the throaty, breathy, reverb-y sound of it is unbelievably grating to me. And the radio stations around here apparently never tire of playing it. The same goes for everything by Adele - actually, for a long time I thought “Dog Days” _was_ Adele. Same kind of voice, same kind of stupid lyrics. UGH! We used to have sultry Ricki Lee Jones and Stevie Nicks, gorgeous Harriet Wheeler of the Sundays, angry Alanis Morisette, sly Natalie Merchant, etc. Now we get this bombastic, pretentious, obnoxious CRAP. I can’t stand it. ---
**Author:** ![Ephemera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8baadc/32.png) [@Ephemera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ephemera)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2011, 4:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-hate-florence-and-the-machine/579734/2 "2011-04-26T04:08:19Z")
Sucks for you. She’s playing Bonnaroo in a couple months, and I plan on being as close to the stage as I can for her set. ---
**Author:** ![drastic\_quench](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e36b37/32.png) [@drastic\_quench](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drastic_quench)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2011, 4:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-hate-florence-and-the-machine/579734/3 "2011-04-26T04:21:19Z")
I understand songs getting overplayed, but I really like this band. With her voice and their instrumentation, they’ve got a unique sound. There’s loads of other great tracks on that album like [Drumming Song](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TpLXQorSQe8). ---
**Author:** ![Electric\_Warrior](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ee7513/32.png) [@Electric\_Warrior](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Electric_Warrior)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2011, 4:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-hate-florence-and-the-machine/579734/4 "2011-04-26T04:29:19Z")
Well that’s sad. I think Florence Welch is an incredible performer and just captivating to watch and listen to. I wish I could see them live. But hey, to each their own. Is this a threadshit? ---
**Author:** ![Argent\_Towers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e8c25b/32.png) [@Argent\_Towers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Argent_Towers)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2011, 4:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-hate-florence-and-the-machine/579734/5 "2011-04-26T04:33:00Z")
Maybe the band is ok and it’s just that one song that sucks. I mean, a lot of bands that I love, the only one of their songs that gets on the radio is lousy and/or a terrible example of what their music sounds like. I really can’t stand Dog Days though. I think it’s a wretchedly obnoxious song and I don’t like the sound of her voice in it, nor the trite-sounding lyrics. ---
**Author:** ![Electric\_Warrior](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ee7513/32.png) [@Electric\_Warrior](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Electric_Warrior)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2011, 4:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-hate-florence-and-the-machine/579734/6 "2011-04-26T04:50:35Z")
Some of their other songs have better lyrics, though I still personally like that song’s lyrics. (“Happiness hit her like a bullet in the back” - I feel like that’s not something you hear all the time!) That’s her characteristic vocal style though. ---
**Author:** ![Argent\_Towers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e8c25b/32.png) [@Argent\_Towers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Argent_Towers)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2011, 5:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-hate-florence-and-the-machine/579734/7 "2011-04-26T05:06:07Z")
That’s what I mean though. I hate to be that prick who tells you how bad something you like is - I totally realize it’s a matter of personal taste - but that lyric doesn’t make sense. Not in an “I am the walrus” way, in a “this is a shitty metaphor” way. Happiness does not remotely affect someone in a comparable manner to a bullet in the back. It’s not a good metaphor, and I can dig metaphors as much as anyone else (Elvis Costello pulls it off perfectly.) ---
**Author:** ![Argent\_Towers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e8c25b/32.png) [@Argent\_Towers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Argent_Towers)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2011, 5:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-hate-florence-and-the-machine/579734/8 "2011-04-26T05:13:49Z")
She is one of those female singers who thinks that if she just SCREAMS everything, it makes her brilliant and unique. Who started this? Regina Spektor? Ugh. Also: > [@](#): > > As of January 2011, Welch was working with Drake on material slated for his upcoming record.[17] Yup. Drake. ---
**Author:** ![Electric\_Warrior](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ee7513/32.png) [@Electric\_Warrior](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Electric_Warrior)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2011, 5:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-hate-florence-and-the-machine/579734/9 "2011-04-26T05:28:20Z")
> [@Argent\_Towers](#): > > That’s what I mean though. I hate to be that prick who tells you how bad something you like is - I totally realize it’s a matter of personal taste - but that lyric doesn’t make sense. Not in an “I am the walrus” way, in a “this is a shitty metaphor” way. Happiness does not remotely affect someone in a comparable manner to a bullet in the back. It’s not a good metaphor, and I can dig metaphors as much as anyone else (Elvis Costello pulls it off perfectly.) It makes sense to me. The person in the song wasn’t expecting to suddenly find happiness somewhere, and the result was to shock and disorient her or metaphorically ‘knock her dead’. ---
**Author:** ![WOOKINPANUB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wookinpanub/32/132_2.png) [@WOOKINPANUB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WOOKINPANUB)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2011, 12:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-hate-florence-and-the-machine/579734/10 "2011-04-26T12:07:24Z")
Just another case of “to each his own” which is in no way a bad thing. Of the examples in the OP, the only one I don’t find utterly grating is Alanis, and as much as I love her, she can be pretty pretentious and bombastic herself. I dug Florence and the Machine the first time I saw them on some TV show (awards show maybe?) and I can’t get enough of them. Adele I really hated with her “It’s all about Landon” (her first album) schtick but I’m starting to take a shine to her. Admittedly, “Rolling in the Deep” does get played way too much. ---
**Author:** ![Tanaqui](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/3bc359/32.png) [@Tanaqui](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tanaqui)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2011, 1:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-hate-florence-and-the-machine/579734/11 "2011-04-26T13:28:50Z")
Wait, Florence and the Machine is mainstream enough that it gets played repetitively on the radio? God, do us hipsters need to start listening to the radio just so we can know what to be embarrassed about listening to nowadays?! ---
**Author:** ![An\_Gadai](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d6d6ee/32.png) [@An\_Gadai](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/An_Gadai)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2011, 1:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-hate-florence-and-the-machine/579734/12 "2011-04-26T13:34:27Z")
> [@Argent\_Towers](#): > > She is one of those female singers who thinks that if she just SCREAMS everything, it makes her brilliant and unique. Who started this? Regina Spektor? I’ve never heard a Regina Spektor song where she screams. ---
**Author:** ![Petrobey\_Mavromihalis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/bcef8e/32.png) [@Petrobey\_Mavromihalis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Petrobey_Mavromihalis)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2011, 2:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-hate-florence-and-the-machine/579734/13 "2011-04-26T14:16:18Z")
Not a huge fan of Florence, but her duet with Mr Rascal at last year’s BRITs was the [dog’s bollocks](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=erReTWV48tU&feature=related). ---
**Author:** ![DianaG](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/7ab992/32.png) [@DianaG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DianaG)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2011, 2:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-hate-florence-and-the-machine/579734/14 "2011-04-26T14:22:50Z")
I don’t hate the song, but I agree that it’s metaphors are muddy at best. I mean, the horses don’t exactly sound like an improvement. ---
**Author:** ![jjimm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2011, 2:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-hate-florence-and-the-machine/579734/15 "2011-04-26T14:34:59Z")
I can’t stand them either. It seems I am alone in my country in this stance. ---
**Author:** ![gallows\_fodder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/8c91f0/32.png) [@gallows\_fodder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gallows_fodder)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2011, 2:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-hate-florence-and-the-machine/579734/16 "2011-04-26T14:59:06Z")
> [@An\_Gadai](#): > > I’ve never heard a Regina Spektor song where she screams. Yeah, I was gonna say… “Screaming female singer” brings people like Courtney Love and Kathleen Hanna to mind, not, you know, Regina Spektor. 😕 ---
**Author:** ![Clawdio](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/d07c76/32.png) [@Clawdio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Clawdio)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2011, 3:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-hate-florence-and-the-machine/579734/17 "2011-04-26T15:41:04Z")
It’s cool if you don’t like the song or the singer, but not sure I get the classification of her singing style as “breathy”. I would agree with saying John Mayer is breathy, but I would say her style is almost the opposite of “breathy”. Maybe that word does not mean what i think it means, or i need to go back give the album another listen. ---
**Author:** ![Jophiel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jophiel/32/66_2.png) [@Jophiel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jophiel)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2011, 4:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-hate-florence-and-the-machine/579734/18 "2011-04-26T16:40:18Z")
> [@An\_Gadai](#): > > I’ve never heard a Regina Spektor song where she screams. Yeah, I’ve no idea where that came from. Of course, she has a crapton of songs in different styles so maybe one of them has some screaming in there and I just missed it. ---
**Author:** ![PookahMacPhellimey](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pookahmacphellimey/32/3175_2.png) [@PookahMacPhellimey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PookahMacPhellimey)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2011, 4:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-hate-florence-and-the-machine/579734/19 "2011-04-26T16:49:15Z")
Ha! Great! Give me an opportunity! I can’t stand her. I think she’s a pretensious diva with lots of friends in the British press who write it up as fantastic when she as much as farts. Lyrics are so-so, voice is okay, but the main complaint is that there’s no good music in there to speak of and she covers this up by a “me me me, look at ME” type of melodrama. I think it is tragic that music is so homogenized and risk-free these days that people seem to believe makes her the epitome of creativity. Hope the OP is happier now, I certainly feel better. (I do love her dress-sense. Shame.) ---
**Author:** ![Nzinga\_Seated](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/b5ac83/32.png) [@Nzinga\_Seated](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nzinga_Seated)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2011, 5:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-hate-florence-and-the-machine/579734/20 "2011-04-26T17:21:44Z")
Nothing feels weirder than when you like something and think everyone can clearly see it’s cool, and then you realize that folks think you are an idiot for liking it. I love Regina Spektor, really like Adelle and kinda dig that Dog Days song, too. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-hate-florence-and-the-machine/579734.md?page=2)