What is Hozier’s ‘Cherry Wine’ about? Singer left confused as couple getting engaged during song performance in Madison

Hozier recently performed at the Breese Stevens Field in Madison, Wisconsin, on August 16, 2024, as part of his extended North America tour. One of the songs he performed at the concert is Cherry Wine, a song about domestic violence and its survivors, with lyrics that mention such incidents explicitly:

"The way she tells me I'm hers and she's mine / Open hand or closed fist would be fine / The blood is rare and sweet as cherry wine."

However, the song has sometimes been interpreted as a happy love song, and a couple did the same during the performance, getting engaged while the singer was singing the song. The singer reacted to the couple and their engagement to the tune of Cherry Wine in confusion, stating:

"Congratulations. Congratulations on putting the fear of God into me. Well done. I'm so delighted for you. Is that the hand, newly ringed? Alright, this of all the songs, too?"

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More about Cherry Wine and Hozier's upcoming tour dates

Cherry Wine was released on February 16, 2016, as part of the singer's self-titled album Hozier's final single. The proceeds from the single were donated to anti-domestic violence charities. The singer addressed the themes behind the song in an exclusive interview with KALTBLUT magazine on March 16, 2024.

"Cherry Wine was written from the perspective of somebody in an abusive relationship and not coming to terms with that abuse. The conflict and the difficulty when love endures through an abusive episode and when love endures through a cultural abuse, which it often does. That is what we tried to capture in the video as well."

Hozier further elaborated on the single being part of the #FaceUpToDomesticViolence campaign project, stating:

"Yeah it [is]. I think we had the potential to do something positive with this single. There are 22 different organisations around the world involved, and the proceeds are going to those organisations. The trouble was that we could not find a global initiative. We wanted to be something that is global, not just UK or Irish charity, hence why there are over 22 organisations."

Hozier continued:

"My manager does a lot of work in Ireland with an organisation protecting children. The statistics continue to shock. Domestic violence is something that hasn't got away, especially this year there are a lot of new stories. It is a continuing issue that needs attention."

Hozier will continue his North America tour in the coming days with shows in cities such as Los Angeles, San Diego, and Denver, among others. The dates and venues for these remaining shows are given below:

• August 20, 2024 – Winnipeg, Manitoba, at Canada Life Centre
• August 21, 2024 – Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, at SaskTel Centre
• August 23, 2024 – Calgary, Alberta, at Scotiabank Saddledome
• August 24, 2024 – Edmonton, Alberta, at Rogers Place
• August 27, 2024 – Billings, Montana, at First Interstate Arena
• August 28, 2024 – Casper, Wyoming, at Ford Wyoming Center
• August 30, 2024 – Denver, Colorado, at Fiddler's Green Amphitheatre
• August 31, 2024 – Salt Lake City, Utah, at USANA Amphitheatre
• September 3, 2024 – Boise, Idaho, at Ford Idaho Center
• September 4, 2024 – Bend, Oregon, at Hayden Homes Amphitheater
• September 6, 2024 – George, Washinton State, at The Gorge Amphitheatre
• September 7, 2024 – Ridgefield, Washington State, at RV Inn Style Resorts Amphitheater
• September 9, 2024 – Sacramento, California, at Golden 1 Center
• September 10, 2024 – Mountain View, California, at Shoreline Amphitheatre
• September 14, 2024 – San Diego, California, at North Island Credit Union Amphitheatre
• September 17, 2024 – Los Angeles, California, at Kia Forum
• September 18, 2024 – Los Angeles, California, at Kia Forum
• September 20, 2024 – Los Angeles, California, at Kia Forum

Aside from Cherry Wine, Hozier is also noted for other songs that explore social issues, such as homophobia in Take Me To Church, authoritarian and unjust governments in Nina Cried Power, and gluttony, aka consumerism, in Eat Your Young.