Angel Of Small Death And The Codeine Scene

Album: Hozier (2014)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • The female character on this track is portaged by Hozier as a lover with a mean tongue. He told The Cut: "There's probably a lot of Portrait of the Artist As a Young Man in that song. I suppose it's about feeling liberation... and a woman whose references might be questionable at best."
  • James Joyce's 1916 semiautobiographical novel Portrait of the Artist As a Young Man was a very strong influence on Hozier when writing the songs for his debut album. He explained to The Cut: "It's very much about a man's struggle to find his own identity in an oppressive culture of church, in an age influenced heavily by the Catholic church and a nationalism that he just wants to be free of."

Comments: 1

  • Smartalek from BostonIn French, "la petite mort" ("small death") is an idiom for orgasm.
    In case anyone wanted to know that.
    Can't speak knowledgeably about "the codeine scene," though.
see more comments

Editor's Picks

Adam Duritz of Counting Crows

Adam Duritz of Counting CrowsSongwriter Interviews

"Mr. Jones" took on new meaning when the song about a misguided view of fame made Adam famous.

Gene Simmons of Kiss

Gene Simmons of KissSongwriter Interviews

The Kiss rocker covers a lot of ground in this interview, including why there are no Kiss collaborations, and why the Rock Hall has "become a sham."

Waiting For The Break of Day: Three Classic Songs About All-Nighters

Waiting For The Break of Day: Three Classic Songs About All-NightersSong Writing

These Three famous songs actually describe how they were written - late into the evening.

Famous Singers' First Films

Famous Singers' First FilmsSong Writing

A look at the good (Diana Ross, Eminem), the bad (Madonna, Bob Dylan) and the peculiar (David Bowie, Michael Jackson) film debuts of superstar singers.

Gavin Rossdale of Bush

Gavin Rossdale of BushSongwriter Interviews

On the "schizoid element" of his lyrics, and a famous line from "Everything Zen."

Kerry Livgren of Kansas

Kerry Livgren of KansasSongwriter Interviews

In this talk from the '80s, the Kansas frontman talks turning to God and writing "Dust In The Wind."