The Price of Greatness: Florence + The Machine Unveil “One Of The Greats”

Florence + The Machine are gearing up for the release of their sixth studio album, Everybody Scream, and they’ve just given us a potent taste with the new song “One Of The Greats.” The track arrives ahead of the full album launch on October 31st, promising a profound and intense return from the band led by the singular voice of Florence Welch. This new material continues the legacy established by albums like Lungs (2009), cementing Welch as what The New York Times calls “the glorious sorceress of pop.”

The Burden of Greatness and the Creative Process

The new single is less a conventional song and more a lyrical exploration of immense pressure. Welch described “One Of The Greats” as “a kind of long poem about the price of greatness. Who decides what that is? Why do I desire it? Why am I never satisfied?” This theme ties directly into the often-exhausting intensity of her artistic life. She added that she feels she “die[s] a little every time I record a record, and almost literally died on the last tour.” The constant cycle of death and resurrection, as she puts it, drives her to keep creating, often motivated by the desire to silence critics or finally achieve a sense of perfection.

The song’s raw energy is partly thanks to its organic creation. Welch teamed up with Mark Bowen of IDLES, writing the track in a single take where Bowen played guitar as she sang directly from the sheet music. Though they planned to re-record it, the energy of the first attempt was undeniable. Later, Aaron Dessner helped elevate the track, intending for listeners to feel as if they were “disintegrating into nothing” by the end—a powerful metaphor for the draining nature of the creative cycle.

An Album Forging Healing and Horror

Everybody Scream is shaping up to be one of the band’s most personal and conceptually rich albums yet. It follows a tumultuous period for Welch, whose recovery from a life-saving surgery during the Dance Fever tour (2022) sent her down a path of exploring spiritual mysticism, witchcraft, and folk horror. The album grapples with universal yet deeply felt themes, including aging, death, and healing, exposing the “murky side of the mundane.” With collaborators like Bowen, Dessner, and Mitski, this Halloween release is set to be a transformative experience.

Florence + The Machine’s ability to blend grand, stadium-ready anthems—like the title track described by Stereogum as “a grand, gothic, synth-infused anthem”—with deeply personal, poetic lyrics remains unmatched. Don’t miss out on what is sure to be one of the year’s most significant releases; pre-order Everybody Scream now and listen to “One Of The Greats.”