"Work Song" is a song recorded by Irish singer-songwriter Hozier for his 2014 eponymous debut studio album. It was released on 16 March 2015 as the fifth single from the record, appearing on the Irish Singles Chart and BillboardHot Rock & Alternative Songs chart.[1] An accompanying music video was released in March 2015.[2] The song appeared in the fifteenth episode of the eighth season of the American procedural drama 9-1-1.[3]
"Work Song" is a gospel-blues song listed as the ninth track on the album, written by Hozier.[6] Hozier cites the song as one of his favorites from the record.[7] "Work Song" has "nuances of soul" with a "strong melodic bass", composed of percussion, tambourines, guitar, and "murmurous" vocals, while the lyrics describe a love of "undying sweetness" and devotion.[7][8][9] The song possesses gospel backing vocals and church-like hand-claps, with literary themes of love, sin, and religion returning to the record.[10]
Critical reception
"Work Song" received acclaim from critics; The Arts Desk described it as an "elegiac spiritual head-nodder" that Hozier sings through with "easy familiarity", while The Irish Times described it as "mental-good", establishing him as "far from the boilerplate soul/blues of today".[11][12] It is often cited as one of the strongest tracks on Hozier.[12][13]
The official music video for "Work Song" was released on 23 March 2015.[15] Hozier shot the video the day after the Grammy Awards, and reportedly woke up with an "outrageous hangover" during the shoot.[16] The video features him performing for a crowd, where the audience begins to break out into synchronized, slow, dancing, that "verges on performance art", embodying the romantic lyrics of the track.[15] The video has amassed over 118 million views on YouTube.[17]
Charts
Weekly charts
2014–2015 weekly chart performance for "Work Song"
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