Single Review: Harry Styles – As It Was
Single Review: Harry Styles - As It Was
From his self-titled album to “Fine Line”, the long-awaited return of music from Harry Styles ended at the beginning of April with the release of the 80’s synth pop inspired hit ‘As It Was’ that comes from his upcoming album ‘Harry’s House.’
A week after release, the Grammy award winner’s newest single accumulated over 100 million Spotify streams and in less than a month, the song has quickly reached number one in the UK Official Chart and Billboard Hot 100.
Even without the use of the song on social media platforms, such as TikTok, just those statistics alone prove how successful the song already is and it is safe to say that another career-defining era has only just begun for Harru. But with many songs in a similar style and genre, what makes ‘As It Was?’ a unique successful single in 2022?
Since the single release on April 1st, many comparisons have been made to a-ha’s ‘Take On Me’ and ‘Blinding Lights’: both well-known pop songs that contain a very fast tempo around 170bpm and use of electronic instrumentation (such as drum machines and synthesisers).
Despite these similarities, ‘As It Was’ is very distinguishable for the personal storytelling in the lyrics that describe the breakdown stages of a relationship and the realisation that one person’s personal feelings about another person have changed.
The lyrics in the second verse, especially: “Answer the phone, Harry you’re no good alone”, reflects directly on the emotions and metal state of someone after a breakup and even though the lyrics don’t dive too deep into the subject of loneliness, it is a feeling that every human being has or will feel at some point in their lives.
Heartbreak is a recurring lyrical subject in many songs that have been released in this decade, but unlike other well-known popular hits Harry uses a soft vocal tone which candidly expresses the maturity about the situation between himself and a former lover.
The creativity in the song itself is exceptionally clever, as the song transitions from “ringing the bell and nobody’s coming to help” to the bells ringing in the outro. The clever use of instrumentation helps to signify that the protagonist (Harry) feels a sense of freedom and that someone has come to help him move forwards. Undoubtedly, Harry and his collaborators (Kid Harpoon and Tyler Johnson) should be highly commended as it’s not common for this technique to be used in commercial pop song writing.
The accompanying music video (directed by Tanu Muino) was filmed in multiple locations across London and further expresses the 70s aesthetic that is portrayed on the album artwork. In addition, the song perfectly expresses the visual tension felt by Harry and the woman on the turntable as they are being pulled apart and going in opposite directions.
‘As It Was’ is not only a perfect song to ride a bike or run to but it is a song that expresses vulnerability of experiencing heartbreak sonically and visually. There are high hopes by many fans, like myself, that the rest of the album will provide the same amount of energy like the single. 2022 could be the defining year for Harry Styles himself.
The full album “Harry’s House” is to be released on 20th May 2022.
Pre-save it at: https://www.hstyles.co.uk
By Lucy Crisp
Feature Image: Sony Music
