Released: 2019
Hozier’s ‘Almost’ is a melancholic love song, filled with nostalgia and longing. It’s a tale of a man trying to find himself after a heartbreak, and finding solace in a new relationship that eerily mirrors the old one.
The opening lines, ‘I came in from the outside, Burned out from a joy ride,’ suggest the protagonist’s emotional exhaustion from a previous relationship. The ‘joy ride’ is a metaphor for a relationship that was thrilling but ultimately left him ‘burned out’ or emotionally drained.
‘She likes to roll here in my ashes anyway’ is a poignant line. It suggests that the new woman in his life is willing to accept him in his current state, with all his emotional baggage and the ‘ashes’ of his past relationship.
The reference to ‘Stella By Starlight’ is significant. It’s a popular jazz standard, hinting at the protagonist’s attempt to find comfort in music. The line ‘There was my heart, the drums that start off Night and day’ further underscores this idea.
‘I’m almost me again, She’s almost you’ is a crucial line. It suggests that the protagonist is slowly recovering from his past relationship, but he sees echoes of his ex-lover in his new partner.
The repeated lines ‘I wouldn’t know where to start, Sweet music playing in the dark, Be still, my foolish heart, Don’t ruin this on me’ show his fear of messing up this new relationship. He’s lost, unsure of how to navigate love again, and pleads with his ‘foolish heart’ not to ruin it.
The mention of ‘Duke Ellington’ and ‘Chet’ refers to jazz legends Duke Ellington and Chet Baker. These references, along with ‘A love supreme,’ a nod to John Coltrane’s album, underline the importance of music in the protagonist’s life.
The line ‘The very thought of you, and am I blue? A love supreme, seems far removed’ suggests that the protagonist is still haunted by his past love. The memory of his ex-lover makes him ‘blue’ or sad, and the ‘love supreme’ he once had now seems distant.
In the end, the protagonist is still struggling. The lines ‘Lord, the radio newsreader chimes, Reporting Russian lullabies, She’ll turn to me, awake and ask, “Is everything alright?”‘ suggest that he’s still haunted by his past, and his new partner is aware of his emotional turmoil.
