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

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.