Florence + the Machine: From Debut to Stardom
Florence Welch and Isabella “Machine” Summers started working together as teenagers. Initially, they went by the names Isabelle Machine and Florence Robot, but soon rebranded to the more memorable Florence + the Machine.
The full band formed in 2007, and their debut album Lungs was released in 2008. This album contained many of the tracks that would define their sound, with Dog Days Are Over still holding the most plays on Spotify 15 years later. Surprisingly, however, this isn’t their most commercially successful song.
Their biggest hit is You’ve Got The Love, a cover of Candi Staton’s You Got The Love. Changing “You Got” to “You’ve” was a stroke of genius, as it ensures that whenever people search for the song, Florence + the Machine will appear first in the results.
While Dog Days Are Over has the most plays, and You’ve Got The Love is their most famous song, it’s actually the live version with rapper Dizzee Rascal, You’ve Got The Dirtee Love, that charted the highest, reaching #2 in the U.K.
BBC’s Influence on Florence + the Machine’s Career
So, what’s behind the band’s success? A significant part of it is their strong relationship with BBC Music. The BBC, funded by taxpayers, often has the power to push through artists based on their internal preferences rather than sales figures. Their BBC Music Introducing platform plays a crucial role in discovering and promoting new talent, which helped Florence + the Machine break into the mainstream.
The BBC has long-standing connections with major festivals like Glastonbury, Reading & Leeds, Latitude, T in the Park, South by Southwest, and many more. They not only curate talent for these events but also broadcast the Glastonbury festival every year, making it a prime opportunity for artists to gain recognition.
For a U.K. artist or band, getting in with the BBC is arguably the best move for advancing their career. This was certainly the case for Florence + the Machine, as well as for Dizzee Rascal. The success of You’ve Got The Dirtee Love can largely be attributed to the BBC’s support. Some may even argue that the BBC’s backing is the reason for Florence + the Machine’s rise in general, though such claims may come from a place of envy.
After the success of Lungs, the band went back to the studio and released Ceremonials in 2011, featuring two major hits, Shake It Out and Spectrum. Between Lungs and Ceremonials, the band sold 5 million copies worldwide. Since then, Florence + the Machine has released three more albums that charted well, but no major hits have emerged, leading to a steady decline in sales.
As an aspiring A&R man, I’d suggest it might be time for the band to explore another cover. While they promised never to perform Fleetwood Mac’s The Chain again after their 2010 Glastonbury performance, they did record Stand By Me by Ben E. King for the Songs From Final Fantasy XV soundtrack in 2016. However, it didn’t chart as expected.
That said, with the BBC’s unwavering love for Florence and her machine, they’re likely to continue thriving, even if their next release isn’t as successful as You’ve Got The Love.
Florence + the Machine Tunes | Related Pages
Stand By Me | Chords + TAB
You can learn how to play Stand By Me by Ben E. King using chords, lyrics, chord analysis, a chord chart, and the original recording.
| A | A | F#m | F#m |
When the night has come, and the land is dark…
Check out the full TAB lesson here: Stand By Me (Ben E. King) Guitar Lesson with TAB.
You’ve Got The Love | Chords + Lyrics
You can learn how to play You’ve Got The Love by Florence + the Machine using chords, lyrics, chord analysis, a chord chart, and the original recording.
| G#m | F# |
Sometimes I feel like throwing my hands up in the air…
Florence + the Machine on the web
