Songfacts®:

• "My Goddess Is" is a soulful ballad by Dexys released in 2023 on their album The Feminine Divine. It's a passionate declaration of love and devotion to a woman perceived as the singer's everything, a goddess in his eyes.
• Singer Kevin Rowland's lyrics are filled with adoration, describing the woman as "beautiful and serene." He finds himself utterly captivated by her, even when she treats him poorly. Lines like "My Goddess is, glorious and mean. Every time she treats me bad, I get even more keen" reveal a complex blend of desire, admiration, and perhaps even submission.
• The Feminine Divine showcases Kevin Rowland's evolving perspectives on women, and his own ingrained ideas about masculinity. The first five tracks weave a narrative of shifting attitudes within a single relationship, culminating in a stark self-assessment. But then there's a transformative shift. The final tracks dance to a different rhythm, one born from ashes of reflection. "My Goddess Is" ignites the spark, a testament to a changed heart seeking a new kind of connection.
  
  "The album's got a narrative, it's a journey. It starts a one place - the opening song is about a guy who's got one attitude towards life and women - and ends in a completely different place," Rowland told Uncut magazine. "It talks about masculinity and femininity. The first two or three songs are sort of one style, which would not be unrecognizable to people who know Dexys. But then it starts to move, sound wise."
• Pele, the Hawaiian goddess of fire and volcanoes, inspired the cover art for The Feminine Divine.
• A trip to Thailand, where Rowland learned about the ancient Chinese philosophy and religion Tao, was significant for the Dexys frontman. "Through Tao, I learned about the concept of women as goddesses," he told The Guardian. "I realized that women are powerful. Until then, I'd never really tried to understand them. That's quite an incredible admission, really."
• Rowland wrote The Feminine Divine with his band: trombonist Big Jim Paterson, guitarist Sean Read and keyboardist Mike Timothy. "It's always just natural with me," said Rowland. "The inspiration comes first, I think about what I can do, what songs I've got, then approach the band... I've been doing this a long time. But I feel I've got to it now."
• The Feminine Divine employs spoken-word dialogues used to dramatize a song's themes or narrative conflicts. It's a rarity these days, but as Rowland told Uncut magazine, on the records he grew up with it was all the rage.
  
  "On soul records, there was always loads of talking," he said. "Often a baritone like Barry White would come in, like Sean Read does on the new album's 'My Goddess Is.' The Chi-Lites 'Have You Seen Her' is a great example of how it works, first with speech. 'One year ago today. I was happy as a lark', Roland recites from memory. 'Now I got to the movies, maybe to a park. I take a seat on the same beach. And sit and watch their children play. Tomorrow's their future. Back from me it's just another day.' And then 'O-oh!', the music comes in. Elvis did it, too. It's a no brainer to me. I love it. I don't know why other people don't talk on their records."