Harry Styles’ “As it Was”: A vulnerable start of a new era
“As it Was” is Harry Styles’s debut single to his third album, “Harry’s House.” The single is a perfect song to dance to as well as follow Styles’s journey through the pandemic.
April 18, 2022
Harry Styles “broke the internet” on March 23, by announcing his third studio album, Harry’s House, that’s to be released on May 20, 2022. Almost a week and a half later on April 1, 2022, As it Was broke multiple records including breaking Spotify history by being the most streamed song in a single day in the US. This is Styles’s lead single off the album.
The As it Was music video premiered at midnight UK time, 7 p.m. Eastern time. The first thing you see is Styles behind a cloudy glass window. As he bangs on the glass, the song starts with the voice of Styles’ goddaughter, Ruby, saying “Come on Harry, we want to say goodnight to you.”
During interviews Styles did for the release of As it Was he shared that he got in the habit of calling Ruby every night before bed. This connects to the overall theme of the new album.
“For me, it was the first time I’ve really stopped to think about a lot of stuff since I left home when I was 16,” Styles told radio station Q997 Atlanta when sharing about finding himself during the pandemic. “I feel like I had a lot of time to just think.”
After being on the road for more than 10 years, Styles was able to become more comfortable in who he is. As it Was and Harry’s House is the most open Styles has felt when releasing the album.
“Feeling like a slightly more well-rounded human being than maybe I was before.”
Some of the stand-out lyrics in As it Was are based around what Styles was able to learn about himself when taking a break during the pandemic.
One of the biggest stand-out lyrics is, “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 lyric shows how much Styles has grown to become more vulnerable in his music.
With other amazing lyrics that catch you by surprise and wanting to analyze, there is an upbeat, happy beat that is put against the sad and lonely lyrics. Additionally, the bridge of the song changes beat from the rest of the song that leads into bells and a mix of upbeat beats. The repetitive beat and catchy lyrics makes it difficult to not get up and dance.
Throughout the music video, we see Styles dressed in red while he tries to hold onto a woman dressed in blue. At the start of the video Styles wears a long red coat that covers his body with a black scarf. As the setting transitions to a rotating stage, Styles, in a red jumpsuit, tries to catch the woman and stay connected to her. Throughout the video we see Styles remove clothing as he tries to stay connected to the woman as they lay on a piece of artwork. While seeing Styles in a more vulnerable place, we can see the story of him becoming more comfortable with himself. By the end of the video Styles is seen running and dancing through the streets and the room with the rotating stage. Through removing clothing, artwork, and chasing the women in the blue jumpsuit, we can see the journey of vulnerability and finding comfort in who you are.
With the album only around a month and a half away, I cannot wait to see what Styles has in plan for the future. With teasing the album and single with a website titled “You are Home’’ that gives listeners the ability to open a virtual door that appears with different pictures each day, it is clear that Styles has something special in store for us all.
Link to You are Home website: https://www.youarehome.co/
