Sensuality and Spirituality in Hozier and the Romantic Tradition: A Comparative Study of “Take Me to Church” and “The Garden of Love”

Abstract

This research paper explores the lyrical and thematic connections between contemporary musician Hozier and English Romantic poets, with a focus on the interplay between sensuality and spirituality. Using William Blake’s “The Garden of Love” and Hozier’s “Take Me to Church” as central texts, the analysis traces a shared literary lineage in which institutional religion is critiqued and the body is reclaimed as a site of divine experience. The study argues that Hozier continues the Romantic project of transforming spiritual authority into a more personal, sensual, and rebellious form of transcendence.