Harry Styles takes an ’80s-style, synth-pop approach to melancholy in his latest release “As It Was,” the lead single from his upcoming album, “Harry’s House.”
Though “As It Was” is bittersweet, there’s no sugar-coating. The lyrics capture the pain and loneliness of isolation, something that many can relate to since the pandemic. Ultimately, he sings about the discomfort that comes with facing change and the gratification that comes from embracing it.
Styles’ vocals are smooth enough to make the lyrics seem like confessions. The song almost feels like it was intended for Harry’s ears only.
The song starts with a child’s voice, which belongs to Styles’ goddaughter, saying “Come on, Harry, we wanna say goodnight to you.”
This sets a playful, nostalgic tone, with a childlike innocence for a song that has such melancholic lyrics. In typical fashion, he writes incredibly sad and, at times, self-deprecating lyrics and hides them with a happy-go-lucky tempo.
The lyrics, “Harry you’re no good alone. Why are you sitting at home on the floor? What kind of pills are you on?” sting a bit more when you remember he sang, “I don’t wanna be alone” in his “Fine Line” track “Golden,” which is yet another one of Styles’ songs that has somber lyrics hiding behind an irresistible tune.
The video creatively captures the song’s intimate lyrics with a more artistic approach and presents the audience with symbolism in the dancing and artwork. In the video, he is stuck going in circles (literally) with a woman, and, whether or not she represents an actual person or is a symbol of something else entirely, he appears to be struggling to let her go.
When he finally slides off that spinning platform, he is joyously bouncing off the walls. Styles wildly dancing as triumphant bells chime sets a liberating scene for a seemingly glorious and happy ending.
In just 24 hours after its release, “As It Was” broke two major streaming records on Spotify. The song became the platform’s most streamed song in a single day in the United States with 8.3 million streams. The song is now also Spotify’s most-streamed song globally in a single day so far in 2022, with 21.6 million streams, surpassing Anita’s “Envolver,” which held the record in March with 8.6 million streams in a single day.
Though this single marks the start of a new era for Styles, he hasn’t completely severed ties with his second album, “Fine Line.” The singer is headlining Coachella later this month and is still set for his rescheduled international leg of “Love On Tour” this summer.
The juxtaposition of the lyrics and music in “As It Was” creates a song that can be dissected and interpreted in numerous ways. If “Fine Line” was considered a step in the experimental and creative direction for Styles, “Harry’s House”  seems like it will be more like a leap just based on this single.
Styles’ third album “Harry’s House” releases on May 20.