The Meaning Behind “Dog Days Are Over” by Florence And The Machine and the Joyful Artwork That Inspired It

On “Dog Days Are Over”, Florence And The Machine found inspiration in an ancient phrase that was displayed in vivid color by a Swiss artist. Florence Welch, the band’s singer, co-wrote the song with keyboardist Isabella Summers. Together, they turned a piece of inspirational art into a folk, pop, and indie rock hit.

About “Dog Days Are Over”

A work by the artist Ugo Rondinone inspired “Dog Days Are Over”. His giant text art, featuring the song’s title in rainbow letters, appeared on the side of London’s Hayward Gallery when it got the singer’s attention. Welch said she rode past it on her bike every day while it hung in the South Bank. Written in a rainbow arc: DOG DAYS ARE OVER.

She said, “It’s a reference to the dog star, Sirius. When it was closest to the Earth, all the animals would get languid and sleepy. When it moved away, they’d wake up.”

She hid around corners and she hid under beds
She killed it with kisses and from it she fled
With every bubble, she sank with a drink
And washed it away down the kitchen sink.

Like Rondinone’s art, Florence And The Machine’s single uses a common expression to celebrate a more joyful and hopeful future.

Run fast for your mother, run fast for your father
Run for your children, for your sisters and brothers
Leave all your love and your longing behind
You can’t carry it with you if you want to survive.

A Slow Start, a Resurgence, and a Brief History of a Star

Florence And The Machine first released “Dog Days Are Over” in 2008, but it barely cracked the charts. It steadily gained attention following the band’s performances on Top Of The Pops and Later… with Jools Holland.

Meanwhile, Welch’s iconic vocal hook was also heard in a TV commercial for the 2008 film Slumdog Millionaire. Fifteen years later, “Dog Days Are Over” had a resurgence in popularity when it was featured in Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 3.

Regarding the “dog star”, the Romans believed that Sirius, the brightest star in Canis Major, caused scorching summer temperatures. They called this period of hot weather the “days of the dog star”, or dies caniculares.

Rondinone’s work took a phrase the Romans used to describe unbearable heat, and reimagined it with the colors of a rainbow. He had transformed something people found unbearable into something most of us run outside to experience.

The whimsical vibe in “Dog Days Are Over” celebrates the same joy.

Photo by Jim Dyson/Getty Images