“it’s all waiting there for you”: why “carla’s song” might be one of the most important songs in harry’s discography.
Samantha Colleran, March 2026
i haven’t been able to listen to harry speak about “carla’s song” without having an involuntary reaction of instant tears. during his netflix special, one night only at manchester’s co-op, i sat and listened intently as he recounted the moment that inspired the song, and it hit me like a ton of bricks. the first few notes rang through my living room, and i immediately felt my throat tightening, the feeling spreading through my chest as the tears fell freely down my cheeks.
the story of how “carla’s song” came to be goes like this: while waiting with a group of friends to go to a party, a friend of harry’s named carla asked the group if they knew of paul simon and said she had been listening to “50 ways to leave your lover”. a massive simon & garfunkel fan, harry asked carla if he could play her a song by the duo. watching carla listen to “bridge over troubled water” for the first time, harry described the moment as if he were “watching someone see in technicolor or discover magic,” and that allowed him to listen to it through a new perspective. the moment made everything click for him, emphasizing the reason why he started making music in the first place. “acknowledging that making music is adding something to the world of things that is waiting for people to discover is the point, that is the point.” harry has cited this song as the most important part of the record, and it’s evident in the way he speaks about it just how different the record would be without it. in fact, the album may not even exist had this particular moment not happened.
album closers from harry’s previous releases have a heavy emotion attached to them. on “carla’s song” there’s a sense of hope, this lighter feeling that empowers you as the instruments build up and the post chorus swirls to life. it’s a love letter to living and loving and being human and sharing experiences with people. life is yours, you only get one shot, open yourself up to the world, it’s all waiting there for you.
to share something you’ve loved for so long with someone and watching them react to it for the first time is such a powerful moment. with music, at least in my eyes, this sharing is so sacred and vulnerable. it tells a lot about a person, what songs they choose to play around certain people, what parts of their soul they feel safe enough to bare in front of an audience. being a fan of harry for quite some time and understanding his love of simon & garfunkel, it’s no surprise he’d share “bridge over troubled water” with a first time paul simon listener. i know how i feel when i get to share parts of myself through music with people, and to know that this particular moment made everything make sense for harry… it struck something deep within my heart, knowing that he rediscovered his love of making music. the more i listen, the more it makes me excited for all life has to offer.
having the gentle reminder that it’s okay to go out into the world and live come from someone who i have grown up with, albeit from a distance, is always refreshing. in an interview with tom power, harry described his albums like riding a rollercoaster; for the first three, he was in the front row, showing listeners his life and experiences through his perspective while they watch and observe. on kattdo, he switches places, opting to take a backseat and lay his experiences out for listeners and with a push of encouragement tells them to get out and make their own memories, live their lives and experience all this world has to offer. throughout so much of my own life, harry’s been there with a hand on my shoulder, guiding me through the ups and downs of it all with words of encouragement and reminders that everything will be alright. “carla’s song” is the embodiment of all he’s done for me through his lyrics, yet again the voice to deliver another meaningful message at a time i need it most.
whenever i hear a new harry song, i’m reminded of why i wanted to pursue a music industry degree in the first place, why i still keep fighting for a full time position in the industry i’ve wanted to be in since i was 13. music is how i connect with and understand people. so many of the connections i’ve made in life are because of a mutual love of a song or an artist or band, and that is so incredible to think about. “carla’s song” is something that now exists in our world. we can hear it anytime we want, it will outlast all of us. it’s really cool to think that 50 years down the road a young person might be among a group of friends, waiting to go to a party, and that person will ask if anyone in the room has ever heard of a singer named harry styles who wrote this really awesome song that’s kind of changed their life. it’s always been and will always be about the music, i’m really grateful to be alive at a time where i get to experience harry’s.
lately, i’ve been feeling stuck with writing, something that i’ve struggled with for most of my life. (“you write a blog! how do you get stuck with writing?!” executive dysfunction and perfectionism.) i don’t want to push out blog posts for the sake of interaction. if i don’t have anything to say, or if i can’t properly articulate what i want to say, i don’t write. right now, like always, harry’s words have found their way into my heart and are residing in a part of my brain that will cling onto them for the rest of my life, providing me with a reason to share my thoughts with those who want to read them.
thank you to zane lowe and tom power for asking such insightful questions and showing a beautiful understanding of what harry’s music means to people, and how it fits within the context of our world. thank you carla for talking about paul simon in front of one of the world’s biggest lovers of his music, and also for not knowing who paul simon was until recently. and harry, of course, for always being able to bottle up life experiences and articulate their significance through a beautiful lyrical manner that resonates so deeply with listeners.
if you want to hear more about “carla’s song” and kiss all the time. disco, occasionally. in harry’s own words, i encourage you to listen to the interviews linked throughout this post in full if you have the time to do so.