“As It Was” is the first single from Harry Styles’ third studio album “Harry’s House”. The song is shaping up to be a smash.
So let’s dive into some trivia and facts about the new song.
- “As It Was” is a song by English singer Harry Styles
- It was released through Erskine and Columbia on 1 April 2022
- It is the lead single from his upcoming third studio album
- The album’s title is “Harry’s House”
- The song was written by Styles
- Alongside the song’s producers Kid Harpoon and Tyler Johnson
- Harry Styles announced the title of his upcoming third studio album as “Harry’s House” on 23 March 2022
- He unveiled its artwork
- He also shared a 40-second trailer and the album’s release date as 20 May 2022
- Five days later, he announced the title of its lead single as “As It Was”
- The singles announcement was followed with pictures of him in a “sequined, sleeveless red outfit” and its release date as 1 April 2022
- Simultaneously, posters bearing the lyrics “It’s not the same as it was” and a picture of Styles sitting on a big ball popped up in various cities
- He released a teaser of the music video on 30 March
- The teaser included an “energetic drum beat” and a “sunny electric guitar riff”
- It also depicted him in a red jumpsuit spinning in circles atop a motorized turntable
- “As It Was” opens with Styles’ goddaughter saying, “Come on Harry, we wanna say goodnight to you”
- Music critics described the song as a guitar-driven synth-pop and new wave track
- This marks a noticeable shift from Styles’ rock-oriented sounds
- Chris Willman of Variety noted that it takes heavy inspiration from Depeche Mode and A-ha
- While also suggesting that it adopted a style similar to the Weeknd’s 2019 single “Blinding Lights”
- Lyrically, “As It Was” is rooted in personal transitions and depicts a feeling of loss and loneliness
- Rob Sheffield of Rolling Stone described the song as a “straight-from-the-heart cry that’s also an irresistible dance-floor challenge”
- “As It Was” received universal acclaim from critics
- The Fader’s Jordan Darville described “As It Was” as a “wistful but upbeat jam”
- Sheffield found the song to be one of Styles’ most “emotionally powerful”, viewing it as a “daring change-up” for him and different from his prior work
- Rhian Daly from NME gave the song 5 stars out of 5, saying that the track “is a reflective ode to the bittersweet nature of change”, adding that “the ’80s synth-pop single depicts running from the past and battling with change”
- Daly felt that “the contemplative track hints that his upcoming third record will cement the star’s position as one of the current pop landscapes’ greats”
- Ben Beaumont-Thomas, from The Guardian, also gave 5 stars out of 5 to the song, claiming that “Styles’s song is for everyone: an effervescent, high-tempo hit to have you clicking your heels”
- He also positively compared Styles’s track to the Weeknd’s song “Blinding Lights” “which also ticks along at 175bpm and has the same sort of earworm instrumental motif”
- The music video for “As It Was” was released alongside the song
- In the clip, Styles joins his former partner on a turning platform and performs choreography across a city to release negative emotions
- The video was filmed in London
- It was directed by Tanu Muino
- Tanu Muino stated that directing for Styles was “a bucket list dream come true” but the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, the latter her home country, made it a bittersweet experience
- Th song broke Spotify’s record for biggest single-day streams
