Harry Styles - 'As It Was' Single Review

The first single from Harry Styles' third studio album 'Harry's House' to be released, As It Was is already being used on TikTok as a way of flashing from the present to the past. I had heard the song at least four times before I had even got out of bed this morning because of this.

And let me just say that it is a catchy song, to say the least. 

The song really grew on me. I didn't mind it too much the first time I heard it (though I did think that the child's voice at the beginning was annoying and a little pretentious), but I liked it more and more each time I heard it.

Harry sings in third person, and uses his name within the lyrics. Indeed, I think that the lyrics are about how his life isn't 'as it was' since he has become famous. I also think that the line 'leave America / two kids follow her,' is a reference to Harry's girlfriend Olivia Wilde, whom he started dating just three months after her breakup with fiancé Jason Sudeikis. She has two children with Sudeikis.

If As It Was is just the first taste of 'Harry's House', then I think that his fans are in for a very great album. Perhaps it won't match the success and popularity of 2019's 'Fine Line', or maybe it will - and surpass it in terms of sales. It is too early to tell. 'Fine Line' had a global sale figure of 1,615,000 (MJD, 2021).

In simple terms, As It Was has an entirely different sound to anything that Harry gave us on 'Fine Line'. It is a different kind of voice used to sing, and the backing track which is used is so upbeat - this is not unusual for Harry, but it is honestly difficult to describe the kind of sound which is being put across. The best advice I can give is to listen to the single. You will not be disappointed.