Florence’s ‘King’ and positionality

The other day… [because everything I ever narrate starts within that time reference] I got hooked up, again, with the latest Florence and The Machine album’s song King. There is one particular line that stuck with me since the first time it landed on my ears:

“I need my golden crown of sorrow, my bloody sword to swing.

My empty halls to echo with grand self-mythology.

I am no mother, I am no bride, I am king.”

What a marvelous rendition of the sorcery and power in female artistry, creativity, and musicianship. The golden crown of sorrow acts as a metaphor for the many free pains and hurt that come from inhabiting this world in a femme identity. The paradoxical figure of a crown serves both to ornate and imply a positionality in a hierarchy of power. Another element to add is the fact that women hardly ever wear crowns at no personal cost.

The figure is further intensified by adding the knight’s element. It creates an ambiance of war. The fight to be fought for creative greatness under the biases of gender-based discrimination. It is a battle that will most certainly require more than just the brute force referenced by a weapon.

The last reference before the core line in Florence’s poetics is one of the most masterful ways of addressing so much in such a succinct manner. When it comes to male privilege the song is exploring satirically the position and the tools. Yet these are not the only elements configuring power. The narrative around them — the myths and stories that are forever held as superior — is just as much a part of the equation. The empty halls echoing with ‘grand self-mythology represent that craving for taking back the fort and mental fortitude of owning a protagonist in the storytelling.

It is a tale of reclaiming positionality. The roles of mother, bride, or otherwise; those traditionally suffocating women’s existence to the point of having them choose between their passions and disproportionately assigned caregiving responsibilities. On the other hand, the narrator self-identifies as king. That ample position of self-determination and power over others is occupied by the ethereal characterization of vilified femmes. A horror tale haunting back the horrors long made into The tale, as the video clip masterfully conveys.