As I sit in my cubical during my internship I couldn't wait to post about this awesome music video, I have waited too long to watch. I really like Shazaaming songs in my car so that I can remember to download them later, otherwise I suck at remembering artists or song names. Last night I heard "Take Me to Church" by Hozier and didn't really think about the lyrics but loved the gospel feel the song had, so naturally I shazaamed it to listen to it at work the next day. Of course as I am listening to it at the Christian Record Label that I work for I start to notice the pro-gay rights lyrics and started to feel a bit uncomfortable with blasting that song in such an environment. Naturally, from my background and people I am surrounded by each day, I have a very strong opinion about gay rights but feel a bit nervous to share them in my work place. But I could not shake the feeling that this song kept giving me as I replayed it over and over again while I analyzed Christian radio BDS charts. It was such a beautiful song with such a powerful meaning written and performed by an Irish musician (anything Irish has hit home for me ever since I lived there).
Finally, I became curious as to what the music video was like, was it just going to be filled with interesting graphics or did it have a deeper story to tell. Half way through the video I noticed my heart racing and how mesmerized I was by everything going on. Starting with an innocent love story you immediately begin to connect with the two protagonists, while it is obvious that there is a sense of urgency and fear in both of them. The most powerful line in the song to me is, "I'll tell you my sins, and you can sharpen your knife". To anyone who has been to church; you learn to accept everyone for who they are and forgive people for their sins, especially when they repent. Hozier is showing that in Russia there is no forgiveness for such a "sin" as being gay so people are taking it upon themselves to punish anyone involved in such a relationship. The music video is disgusting and painful to watch because of such hate crimes that occur but to me, it is incredible to see an artist such as Hozier put himself out there and protest these hate crimes.
Here is the music video to Take Me To Church for those of you who haven't seen it:
After moving to Nashville, I learned that the world, especially the United States, has people that have very different opinions than I have grown up around. Getting raised by two parents with very open minds, in a dominantly liberal region with a sister who is gay has led me to accept people of all colors, beliefs and personalities. One of the first people I met in Nashville became my close friend fairly quickly and we could talk about anything until the day he said "Gays can do what ever they want as long as it isn't legal in my state (Tennessee)." I questioned him multiple times about why he reacted in such a way, and that it was difficult for me to continue our friendship if he couldn't keep an open mind to the way my own sister lived her life. I tried comparing it to racism and quoting the bible to show him that it very well should be legal and that everyone should be treated equally but all he wanted to do was ignore this argument and pretend we never had this conversation. That just didn't seem right to me.
Our generation is the one that is going to change same sex equality, just as MLK did for racism. It will be interesting to see our kids being open about their sexuality at a young age because that will soon be the norm. Another music video that struck me a long time ago was "Same Love" by Macklemore and Ryan Lewis. They had a different take on inequality, more about how it is difficult to come out of the closet when you are younger because everyone expects you to play spin the bottle and enjoy that first kiss with someone of the opposite sex. You watch the protagonist struggle with his sexuality as he goes to different high school events but eventually finds love with another man. It is incredible to see a rapper who is not gay, speak out so strongly for gay rights. Our generation needs to realize we need to make a difference and have our mark on history. Whether it be the legalization of same sex marriage or marijuana, we will make a difference.
Here is the music video to Same Love, in case if you haven't seen it:
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