What Kind of Man

“What Kind of Man” was the lead single off of indie band Florence + The Machine’s 2015 album “How Big, How Blue, How Beautiful”. It’s the second track on the critically acclaimed album and tells the story of a Florence in a toxic and abusive relationship. Florence uses metaphors such as ·broken limbs” and “trying to cross a canyon” to describe the breakdown of this toxic relationship. She also admits that despite all the cruel ways he abuses her, she still wants to come back to him every single time. The track is a very honest and saddening tale of the ups and downs of a toxic relationship, but also about how you can still love someone despite how they treat you. The erratic and rock-style backing to the track represents the ups and downs of the relationship

The music video is more like a short film, featuring Florence and her lover and directed by Ryan Heffington. It was given an age rating of 15 due to its more mature nature. The video opens with Florence and her lover in a car, and him telling her she was talking in her sleep last night, and he was watching her and she seemed sad. She asks him why he didn’t wake her up, and he says it wasn’t his place to intervene because she was “suffering somewhere else”. It cuts to them on a roof in formal clothing not saying anything to one another. Florence then asks her lover: “So you think that people who suffer together would be more connected than people who are content?” He responds saying he does. The video cuts to them in a hotel room, once again not speaking. Florence is shown in situations with hands around her mouth and neck, not allowing her to eat, as well as her and her lover making love. They then get into a car crash, which could represent the chaos and destruction of the relationship. Throughout the video, Florence is carried by many different men and also touched, attacked and dances with different men, representing different parts of the toxic relationship. No matter how hard she tries, she can’t escape her lover. The video has over 23 million reviews.

Release Date: 12th February 2015

Songwriter/s: Florence Welch, John Hill, Kid Harpoon

Album: How Big, How Blue, How Beautiful (2015)

Genre: Alternative Rock / Pop / Rock

Music Video Release Date: 12th February 2015

Music Video Director: Vincent Haycock

Chart Rankings: In 2015, it was #17 in the US Adult Alternative Billboard Chart, #36 in US Alternative Songs Billboard, #33 in US Hot Rock Songs in Billboard.

Nominations: 2 Grammy nominations, one for Best Rock Song and one Best Rock Performance.