Meaning of “Movement” by Hozier

“Movement” is a love themed song by the Irish musician Hozier in 2018. Lyrically, this song finds Hozier admiring his lover and heaping oceans of praises on him/her. He is particularly so captivated by the movements of his lover that whenever he/she moves, he’s moved and left awe-stricken.

In the chorus, he encourages his lover to move him by just moving his/her body.

References in the song

The highlights of this song include its references. It references a couple of very notable things, including the Scriptures and Greek mythology.

“Like Jonah on the ocean”

The lyrics above reference the Hebrew prophet Jonah. In the Book of Jonah, Prophet Jonah miraculously survived being in the belly of a giant fish for three days and nights.

“You, you’re Atlas in his sleeping”

This line makes reference to the legendary Titan named Atlas from Greek mythology. Atlas was given the great punishment of carrying the entire universe on his back forever.

Inspiration behind the song

The “movement” Hozier is talking about in this song is predominantly used literally. In an interview with NPR, Hozier revealed that the ideas in the song were inspired by a remarkable performance by the Russian ballet dancer Sergei Polunin. The performance in question took place in 2015. It was actually a dance video to Hozier’s hit song “Take Me to Church” starring Polunin performing to the song.

The video, which was shot by American director David LaChapelle, went viral and captivated millions all over the world. The main highlight of the clip was Polunin’s incredible dance moves.

Below is the clip of Polunin’s fantastic performance that made him catch Hozier’s attention:

Hozier was so impressed by Polunin’s incredible talent (dance movements) in the video that he got inspired to write a song about it.

Quick Facts about “Movement”

• “Movement” was written entirely by Hozier.
• Hozier teamed up with famed British record producer Markus Dravs to produce this song.
• On November 14, “Movement” was released for digital download. An official music video was released alongside the song.
• Sergei Polunin stars in the music video for “Movement”.

Below is Hozier performing “Movement” live in Washington, D.C. The performance took place on October 2, 2018 (over a month before the song’s official release).

On which album can “Movement” be found?

It will appear on Hozier’s second studio album. The album (which as of November 2018 is untitled) will come out in 2019.

Is this Hozier’s first time of working with Markus Dravs?

No. Dravs and Hozier have worked together several times in the past.