As it currently stands Take me to church is 3rd in the UK top 40. This advocates the growing popularity of the song and shows that Hozier is making a name for himself, not just in the indie rock genre but in the music industry itself. The screenshot shows the accolades that the song has achieved in countries across the world.
This link shows the accolades the song has recieved http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Take_Me_to_Church#Release_history.
However I couldn't help but notice that two countries where excluded from this list as well as the list that shows where the song rates in each countries charts. They are North Korea and Russia. North Korea is known for it's authoritarian government and is known for being oppresive in terms of media access.
The narrative of the song can be decoded in many ways, with my personal opinion being the homosexuality expressed in the video is openly questioning the churches believes regarding this controversial subject.
It is unknown North Korea's views on homosexual relationships but they are renown for being an oppressive nation. They pick and choose what forms of media they distribute to their people and this includes music, it can be suggested that North Korea have refused to release this song to the public. However it is undetermined whether the government have refused to do so due to their own beliefs on the message behind the song.
On the other hand, Russia are infamous for their views on homosexuality and are openly a homophobic nation and embrace the sanctity of opposite sex relationships. This video emphasises the extreme views of the Russian people, it is known that many of them believe that homosexuality is damaging traditional Russian values.
It is easily suggested that Russia didn't allow this song to be released in their country due to their views on homosexuality. Especially considering that the message behind the video is to challenge the views of the church on the subject, it can also challenge their views on homosexuality.
Despite the fact that the target audience for the song is generic and can be watched by all ages, it is clear that Russia will not associate themselves with music videos like Hozier's due to their nations love of homophobia.
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