If there’s one thing Harries know about their fave, it’s that he’s going to get weird in a music video. Harry Styles’s latest release, the “Coming Up Roses” music video, is certainly no exception to the rule.
The music video, released on Oct. 26, takes a song about love and uncertainty and pairs it with a collection of young and old characters, unusual dance sequences, and visuals that don’t immediately explain themselves. It’s both a little confusing and a little chaotic — making it very Harry Styles-coded (anyone remember “Aperture?”).
Sometimes, a music video gives you a clear storyline to follow with a transparent storyline and an ending that ties everything together. In this case, though, Styles is leaving many viewers staring at their screens and wondering if they missed something important.
Naturally, fans have taken to the music video’s comment section on YouTube to share their reactions, and the consensus seems to be that nobody knows what’s going on, but they’re having a great time anyway.
“If you think Harry is dropping a normal, cute romantic video today, you must be new here. Fully expecting a lore-heavy fever dream that leaves us all questioning reality,” YouTube user @helatpwk7798 wrote in the comments section of the video before it even premiered. Turns out, this comment really set the tone for the rest of the fans’ reactions.
“So many questions, so little answers,” another user @shesjenny wrote after watching the video. “Understanding his mvs is harder than engineering,” another user @ayak6423 added.Â
It’s honestly difficult to blame anyone for being confused. The video takes a more unconventional approach than the song’s emotional lyrics might lead listeners to expect, leaving even the most dedicated Styles fans to piece together what the different characters and scenes might represent. “The way I expected a dreamy-romcom vibe but then it’s Harry Styles sooooo,” user @lalalalaire wrote.Â
But that may just be part of the fun. Styles has never seemed to feel the need to make every creative decision immediately obvious. And if nothing else, the comments prove that fans are more than willing to go along with Styles’s weird antics, even if they’re not exactly sure where he’s taking them.
What is “Coming Up Roses” About?
While the music video might leave viewers puzzled, the song itself offers a much clearer message — exploring the uncertainty that comes with relationships, specifically when something feels meaningful in the moment, but its future remains unclear. Instead of promising that every relationship will last forever, the song reflects on the idea that a connection can still be special even if it ultimately comes to an end.
In an interview with Apple Music’s Zane Lowe, Styles explains that the song is about how something doesn’t need to last forever to be meaningful. “It is a love song about how special something can be, and not everything has to last forever in order for it to be special. Some of the greatest relationships in your life that teach you something don’t last forever,” Styles said.Â
It’s a sentiment that many fans can relate to. Not every relationship is meant to work out and not every connection is meant to last a lifetime. And that might be where the music video’s strange visuals might come into play.
What are the theories about the music video’s meaning?
One possible interpretation is that the video’s changing dance partners reflect the unpredictable nature of relationships. One YouTube user @imi_mei wrote in the video’s comments that “the switching of dance partners represents going through relationships with different people and finding beauty in all of them despite them being short and not lasting. all the people in the dance hall seemed to be in search of different kinds of love and affection; some already knew who they wanted but were pushing it down by being with someone else…”Â
Other fans are taking a more literal approach to the song’s title. YouTube user @crytalpoteat4437 wrote, “I was thinking it was about when you plant seeds of roses, you get all kinds when they come up. They are all unique in their own way. He was taking each rose and dancing with it. Some he liked, some he didn’t. So at the end he decided to eat and wait for the next season of roses to come up. He’s trying to find that perfect one.”
Of course, those are only two possible explanations. Without a confirmed interpretation from Styles, it’s hard to say whether individual characters or scenes represent anything or anyone specific. And it’s also possible that the music video isn’t mean to tell one straightforward story at all. And until Styles offers a definitive explanation, we’ll probably just have to keep on guessing.Â