Harry Styles Invites Fans Into The World Of ‘Harry’s House’ With Lead Single “As It Was”
Samantha Colleran, March 2022
On Monday afternoon, Harry announced the lead single off of his third studio album, Harry’s House, titled “As It Was”, would be out very very soon. We were further teased yesterday with a ten second snippet of the track and music video, and the ten second clip has been stuck in my head since then. It’s the Thursday after his lovely little announcement, and as the countdown on the accompanying music video ticks down, I’m ready to immediately begin typing out my thoughts to share with you.
Right off the bat you can tell this is a refreshing change of pace for Harry’s music. Reminiscent of an 80s pop style, Harry’s breathy vocals enter as he sings “Holding me back, gravity’s holding me back”, and we’re officially in the world of Harry’s House. Despite the upbeat instrumental, the lyrics depict a sense of loneliness that many people felt during the earlier stages of the pandemic. We see this theme carried out visually; for the majority of the music video, Harry is chasing after someone else. They’re able to hold each other for a moment, or gently graze their fingertips together before being pulled apart. It highlights the feelings of isolation and knowing things will never go back to the way they were in such a unique light, I’m in awe.
The loneliness factor is further explored in the second verse of the song. “Answer the phone/ Harry you’re no good alone/ Why are you sitting at home on the floor?/ What kind of pills are you on?”. This immediately stood out to me; these lyrics are incredibly personal and it deepens the emotional undertones of loneliness. We sometimes feel as though we know our favorite musicians when in reality they only tell us the things we want to hear, but hearing Harry sing about his own personal experiences in isolation shows just how vulnerable he’s willing to be, and I am so interested to see if this level of vulnerability carries on through the remainder of the album.
I think my favorite thing about both the music video and the actual song is the fact Harry has never sounded or looked happier and carefree. When he’s dancing by himself, his face completely lights up, you can tell he’s proud of the artistic direction he’s taken with this new era of music, and I can’t wait to see what else he has in store!
You can watch the music video for “As It Was” here, and please share your thoughts in the comments!
Harry rules ❤️
Indeed he does 💓