As a warning, this turned out to be more of a love letter rather than a review.
I think that almost everyone on the planet has at least heard of One Direction, which makes me think that at least half of the planet has listened to and enjoyed their music, if not more. I’m one of those 3.5 billion people. Believe it or not, my walls used to be plastered with posters of 5 British guys who I would obsessively text my best friend about. Suddenly when an announcement was made by Harry Styles that he would be coming out with a new single, it was like I was sixteen again, because I was staying up until 2 in the morning to wait for the release of new music.
I wasn’t sure what to expect; One Direction had been thoughtful pop music at best, not to say that it wasn’t great, enjoyable, downright dance-worthy music. However, what Harry released (yeah, we are on a first name basis) was something that felt beautifully familiar yet brand new at the same time. When I first heard ‘Sign of the Times’ on Nick Grimshaw’s BBC Radio One show, I had to hold my breath. It could’ve been because I couldn’t believe that it was midnight and I was actually listening to Nick Grimshaw’s BBC Radio One show for the first time in 3 years, but I think it was because of the anticipation that I was feeling.
The song itself is great. I thought it was kind of boring at first, but I always feel that way about slow ballad-like songs. After listening to it 25+ times, though, I can definitely say that I love it. It’s definitely not a Top 10 pop radio banger, but it defied expectations. It’s over 5 minutes long without a dance beat but it was number one on the charts 5 hours after it was released. He’s defying the odds, but that isn’t even the goal.
It didn’t stop after that. I found myself disappointed when I forgot to tune in at exactly nine o’clock to watch him on Saturday Night Live because I wanted to be there to watch him do his first live performance. I imagine that this is what former NSYNC fans felt like when Justin Timberlake dropped his solo album. I found myself getting giddy over a popstar on television for the first time in a long time and it made me feel childish, but why do I feel like it’s a bad thing? Only I could turn a review of pop sensation Harry Style’s new song into a feminist rant but honestly, why do teenage/young adult (because I am no longer a teenager, and I’m grouped in with the “20-somethings” and I have to justify myself) feel bad for having a huge crush on some celebrity dude? It makes me uncomfortable because I don’t know him, really, I know his music and his press releases and his tweets, but I don’t know him. I’m sure the part of the allure is the mystery and the inability for him to break my fragile, Harry Styles-loving heart. Real boys who sit next to me in lectures are not so mysterious because I can see them googling ‘how to fix your toilet’ and it’s less than endearing. In a recent interview with Rolling Stones Magazine, Harry spoke about the album, releasing some dreamy pictures where he’s cloaked in silky blouses with pussy bows (a look I am 100% for), floral suits, and boots with rainbows on them. When asked about his majority female & teenaged fan base, he responded perfectly stating
“Who’s to say that young girls who like pop music – short for popular, right? – have worse musical taste than a 30-year-old hipster guy? That’s not up to you to say. Music is something that’s always changing. There’s no goal posts. Young girls like the Beatles. You gonna tell me they’re not serious? How can you say young girls don’t get it? They’re our future. Our future doctors, lawyers, mothers, presidents, they kind of keep the world going. Teenage-girl fans – they don’t lie. If they like you, they’re there. They don’t act ‘too cool.’ They like you, and they tell you. Which is sick.” –Harry Styles, Rolling Stones
I mean, really? Could he get any more perfect? All I can say about this is that I can’t wait until May 12th, where I can listen to the full album as an experience. I know what I’m listening to during finals week…do you?
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