This was like choosing a favorite child
Directioners have been having a wild couple of weeks. With clips from Zayn’s Las Vegas residency, Louis’ new album and Niall’s upcoming collab song with Myles Smith, I feel like every day has been filled with some new kind of excitement or news. And for Harries, let’s just say that coming back from four years of dormancy with a fun single, an album on the horizon and a tour has been a whirlwind.
Amid “Aperture” listening parties, decoding the cryptic “Together, Together” marketing and Ticketmaster battles, I’ve been listening to a lot of Harry to keep up the excitement. With that, I’ve set out to do the impossible: select my top five favorite Harry Styles songs. After a lot of back and forth, here are the songs that made my list:
Honorable mentions: To start it off, I have to show some love to some of his One Direction moments. I don’t know what came over Harry when he was in the studio for Made in the A.M., but he delivered some of his best One Direction vocals in “If I Could Fly” and “Long Way Down.” Not to mention how amazing those songs are.
Anyways, into my list!
5. “two ghosts”
First and foremost, I am a firm believer in the theory that this song is his response to Taylor Swift’s “Style.” “Same lips red, same eyes blue, same white shirt, couple more tattoos”? Come on. Secondly, this song is so underrated. It’s the perfect song to listen to while watching the sunset or going for a peaceful walk outside.
4. “cherry”
I have no words for this song. There’s so much emotion in it, and I love to sing my heart out to it every time it comes on. While a little sad, I love the vulnerability to it and the echoes of a voicemail at the end– bone-chilling every time. It really captures the universal experience and feeling of a past love moving on.
3. “ever since new york”
I play this song in the mornings a lot, because it just feels like taking a deep breath. The vibes are immaculate, and the beat at the beginning could resurrect me. I love listening to it when I go for a lake drive in my hometown. All around an amazing song.
2. “Sunflower vol. 6”
This song is all things sweetness and happiness and positive vibes. It always boosts my mood, and is my go-to Harry song to queue every time I get in the car. I have a sacred video of him performing it during Love on Tour, and the vocals were otherworldly. I’ve truly never been more moved.
1. “sweet creature”
This is the most special song to me. “Sweet Creature” was my alarm for years and as much as I adore the song, I had to change it so I would stop associating it with waking up. One day, I will get a tattoo for this song. It’s just a masterpiece. The fact that it was one of his first songs released post One Direction made it so important, and it’s always stuck with me.
I need to address the elephant in the room that is the album missing from this list: I know, I know it is shameful that I’m not showing Harry’s House any love in my top five. I feel inclined to note that I am in no way a Harry’s House hater– I am just a BIG Harry Styles (HS1) and Fine Line fan. I love a lot of the Harry’s House songs, but his first two albums just hold a special place in my heart.
As we patiently await Kiss All the Time, Disco Occasionally’s March 6 release, I’ll continue to have these grail songs, along with the rest of Harry’s discography and a healthy dose of One Direction, on repeat.