"From Eden" is a song recorded by Irish singer-songwriter

Hozier Andrew John Hozier-Byrne (born 17 March 1990), known professionally as Hozier ( ), is an Irish musician. His music primarily draws from Folk music, folk, Soul music, soul and blues, often using religious and literary themes and taking politica ...

for his 2014 eponymous debut studio album. It was released on 9 March 2014 as the second single from the record and peaked at number two on the

Irish Singles Chart The Irish Singles Chart is the Republic of Ireland's music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by the Irish Recorded Music Association (IRMA) and compiled on their behalf by the Official Charts Company. Chart rankings are ...

and number fifteen on the ''Billboard''

Hot Rock & Alternative Songs Hot Rock & Alternative Songs (formerly known as Rock Songs and Hot Rock Songs) is a record chart published by ''Billboard (magazine), Billboard'' magazine. From its debut on June 20, 2009, through October 13, 2012, the chart ranked the airplay of ...

chart. An accompanying music video was released in November 2014, featuring actress

Katie McGrath Katie McGrath () is an Irish actress known for several television series: portraying Morgana Pendragon in BBC One's ''Merlin'' (2008–2012), Lucy Westenra on the British-American series ''Dracula'' (2013–2014), Saskia in the TV series ...

Writing and composition

"From Eden" is the sixth track from the album and written by Hozier "From Eden" is one of the experimental tracks on the album, with

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influences breaking down a

flamenco Flamenco () is an art form based on the various folkloric music traditions of southern Spain, developed within the Gitanos, gitano subculture of the region of Andalusia, and also having historical presence in Extremadura and Region of Murcia, ...

bridge while returning to religious metaphor; the lyrics contain "torturous Biblical ponderings", with Hozier slithering from the

Garden of Eden In Abrahamic religions, the Garden of Eden (; ; ) or Garden of God ( and ), also called the Terrestrial Paradise, is the biblical paradise described in Genesis 2–3 and Ezekiel 28 and 31.. The location of Eden is described in the Book of Ge ...

to confront a love he deems "familiar/like my mirror, years ago". The song is also distinctive for its time signature.

Critical reception

"From Eden" received praise from critics; ''

The Irish Times ''The Irish Times'' is an Irish daily broadsheet newspaper and online digital publication. It was launched on 29 March 1859. The editor is Ruadhán Mac Cormaic. It is published every day except Sundays. ''The Irish Times'' is Ireland's leading n ...

'' commended the track for its "grit and substance" and exclaimed that Hozier's vocals contained a "blue-eyed, soulful delivery", while ''

PopMatters ''PopMatters'' is an international online magazine of cultural criticism that covers aspects of popular culture. ''PopMatters'' publishes reviews, interviews, and essays on cultural products and expressions in areas such as music, television, ...

'' stated that the song saw

the Four Tops ''The'' is a grammatical article in English, denoting nouns that are already or about to be mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The ...

quartet "put their arms around young Hozier" as he realises a "journey as much about finding himself as it is about finding the girl."

Commercial performance

The song peaked at number 15 on the ''Billboard'' Hot Rock & Alternative Songs chart and number 2 on the

. "From Eden" also scored within the Top 100 charting positions in the UK, Canada, and Belgium, respectively. "From Eden" is certified platinum in the United Kingdom and gold in Australia.

Music video

Released on 18 November 2014, the official music video for "From Eden" was directed by filmmaking duo henry/ssong (Henry Chen and Ssong Yang). Actress

and child actor Tate Birchmore star alongside Hozier in the video, which contrasts a "life of crime" with the breezy melody and lyrics, resulting in conflicting emotional circumstances. It depicts Hozier as an

outlaw An outlaw, in its original and legal meaning, is a person declared as outside the protection of the law. In pre-modern societies, all legal protection was withdrawn from the criminal, so anyone was legally empowered to persecute or kill them. ...

with his companion, McGrath, and young boy they've taken into their company while on the run. Hozier robs a gas station and the trio commandeer a house in which to spend the night; the pair are subsequently caught, with the boy being taken from their custody. It is revealed that the couple had found the boy alone in a dilapidated house. The video has garnered over 59 million views on

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Personnel

Credits adapted from ''Hozier'' liner notes * Andrew Hozier-Byrne – vocals, guitar, piano, synthesizer * Alex Ryan – bass * Kate Ellis – cello * Matt Rafter – additional cello * Andre Antunes – drums, percussion

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

Release history

References

{{authority control 2014 singles 2014 songs Hozier songs Island Records singles Songs written by Hozier