Occasionally, a song becomes so widely played that it is almost inescapable.
You find yourself humming a tune you weren’t aware you knew, because it is being so regularly piped through shop sound systems, in pubs, and over the radio. We sing along mindlessly.
Remember Ed Sheeran's The A Team? A song about drug addiction, homelessness and prostitution which soared to the top of the charts and remained there for weeks on end, contributing significantly to Sheeran's current superstardom. It seems the same might be happening to 24 -year-old Irish musician Andrew Hozier-Byrne, who performs under the name Hozier. Take Me To Church, the song for which he is best known, has now sold over three million copies in the USA, has over 40 million views on YouTube and, with over 189 million plays, has been named by music streaming service Spotify as their most viral track of 2014.
