The Art of Balancing Relatability, Critique and Elitism: How Hozier Employs Intertextual References to Increase the Impact and Popularity of his Music and Lyricism.

This thesis offers an analysis of some of the lyrics of Andrew Byrne Hozier, also known by his stage name “Hozier'', one of the most popular Irish artists in the current pop music scene. One of the distinguishing features of his work is the many intertextual allusions to myth and literature,. There are three sources from which Hozier draws most of his textual inspiration: ancient mythology, Dante’s Inferno and Irish literature and history. Whilst fans often analyse his texts on websites such as Genius.com, there has not been any large-scale textual analysis of his lyrics in the academic field, which, according to this thesis, has to do with an academic negative bias towards such lyrics. However, Hozier’s intertexual strategies can be seen as bridging the gap between ‘ high’ and ‘ low’ culture. This thesis offers an intertextual anlaysis of some of the lyrics against the abckground of Gramsci’s theory of hegemony, and emply’s Boot’s notion of the difference between poems and lyrics....Show moreThis thesis offers an analysis of some of the lyrics of Andrew Byrne Hozier, also known by his stage name “Hozier'', one of the most popular Irish artists in the current pop music scene. One of the distinguishing features of his work is the many intertextual allusions to myth and literature,. There are three sources from which Hozier draws most of his textual inspiration: ancient mythology, Dante’s Inferno and Irish literature and history. Whilst fans often analyse his texts on websites such as Genius.com, there has not been any large-scale textual analysis of his lyrics in the academic field, which, according to this thesis, has to do with an academic negative bias towards such lyrics. However, Hozier’s intertexual strategies can be seen as bridging the gap between ‘ high’ and ‘ low’ culture. This thesis offers an intertextual anlaysis of some of the lyrics against the abckground of Gramsci’s theory of hegemony, and emply’s Boot’s notion of the difference between poems and lyrics. Chapter 1 considers the presence of classical mythology and Dante in Hozier’s lyrics, with a focus on “Swan Upon Leda”, read here partly as a political comment on the overturning of the Roe vs Wade ruling in the US. But the thesis casts its nets wide and includes connections to famous paintings depicting the myth, to W.B. Yeats and to H.D. The chapter ends with demonstrating the presence of Dante’s Inferno in Hozier’s work. Chapter 2 focuses on the use of Irish language and culture against the background of the decline of knowledge of the language throughout the decades. Here a useful comparison is made between the period of the Celtic Twilight and the modern age, and the theory by Gramsci is used to explain the position of Irish culture vs. British culture.Show less

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The Art of Balancing Relatability, Critique and Elitism: How Hozier Employs Intertextual References to Increase the Impact and Popularity of his Music and Lyricism.