The beloved Harry Styles released a new single on March 31, 2022 and the music industry is in awe of his talent and production.

As It Was is a blend of modern indie-pop (similar to artists like Clairo), an 80s style melody, and the fun crash of the cymbal. It is a high temp song at 175 beats per minute, rivaling the Weeknd’s Blinding Lights. 

Lyrically, the song has deep layers of storytelling to it, adding an element of sadness to the upbeat and lively song. Styles, and lots of other popular artists, have taken to personal storytelling in their music and this definitely fits that bill. 

In the song, certain lyrics have led people to speculate about his relationship with Olivia Wilde– the lyrics “Leave America, two kids follow her” seemed like a direct reference to her and their relationship, but the rest of the song appears to be about the degradation of a relationship. The main choral line “It’s not the same as it was” hints that there is some discontent in their relationship, or that something has changed in his life. Again, the upbeat music paired with the sadder lyrics leaves fans confused as to what message he is sending. 

Lots of these theories are backed up by the music video, where he is seen strapped to a treadmill with his partner, but is later joyously freed. Ignoring all the hints or subliminal messages of the video, the production and movement was absolutely beautiful. In true Harry Styles fashion, he was very uniquely himself throughout the entire video, with the dancing, acting, and the way he dressed. It was the perfect video representation of a song. 

This single is the first song off his soon to be released album: Harry’s House. Coming on May 20, 2022, fans cannot be more excited to see what Styles will do next.