Today marks one month since Harry Styles’ third studio album – Harry’s House – was released. The 13-track album was the 5th biggest release in the history of Spotify, the music streaming service, with 97.6 million streams in just one day.
The 7th track entitled “Matilda” won the hearts of fans for its touching and sensitive lyrics about growing up in a family with problematic and unhealthy relationships. The song is a ballad with piano and guitar chords, reminiscent of the indie folk genre and an intimate acoustic vibe.
In an interview with Apple Music’s Zane Lowe, Styles said that the song is about a person who told some events that happened in his life naturally, but as a listener to the story he thought these things were not normal and ended up writing the song about his perspective. The singer also related the song to the book by Roald Dahl, released in 1988, which bears the same name as the song, “Matilda”, and also had a film adaptation in 1997.
The film was directed by Danny DeVito and starred actress Mara Wilson. The film tells the story of the character Matilda, who is a super smart girl dealing with a family that doesn’t care about her, the girl develops telekinesis powers due to the difficulties she goes through at home and at school.
If we observe the lyrics of the song and the movie, they relate in a direct way, resembling the life story of the characters Matilda and Miss Jennifer Honey.
Childhood
In the first verse of the song a childhood memory is recalled of a child falling off her bicycle and having no one to help or supervise, so they had to take care of themselves and didn’t feel it was a problem to be alone in that situation
“You were riding your bike to the sound of “It’s No Big Deal”
And you’re trying to lift off the ground on those old two wheels
Nothing ’bout the way that you were treated ever seemed especially alarming till now
So you tie up your hair and you smile like it’s no big deal”
Matilda
At the beginning of the film it is shown that Matilda learned to take care of herself as someone who was 30 years old, because her parents never cared for her. The girl knew from childhood that anything she wanted or needed she would have to achieve on her own without any support from her parents, and she was content with this fact. Besides emphasizing that she loved to be alone without the presence of her family
Smiling through pain
The plot also tells the story of Matilda’s teacher, Miss Jennifer Honey, who lost her mother when she was two years old and her father when she was five years old. She had to live with her mother’s half-sister, who unfortunately mistreated her and even broke her arm until she was old enough and able to afford to live on her own. Despite having a sad past, Honey did not let her pain show and always had a sweet smile welcoming her students to make their days happier.
The character of the song, when telling about his story, also does not let his pain show and acts as if it were something normal.
“Matilda, you talk of the pain like it’s all alright
But I know that you feel like a piecе of you is dead inside
You showed me a power that is strong еnough to bring sun to the darkest days”
Matilda
Growing up without love
Several times in the film it is shown how Matilda is left out in her family. No one listens to her, her parents don’t even know how old she is, no one knows what she likes to do or wants, and it is also shown that she has no connection to her brother and that her parents forget to enroll her in school at the right time. She was in a home that nobody valued her and loved her.
Miss Honey told her life story to Matilda to comfort her and give her strength so that one day she can leave her parents’ house and be happier. The same thing happens in Harry’s song, the lyric in the chorus consoles the character for wanting to live better away from his family and not wanting them around.
“You can let it go
You can throw a party full of everyone you know
And not invite your family ’cause they never showed you love
You don’t have to be sorry for leavin’ and growin’ up
You can see the world, following the seasons
Anywhere you go, you don’t need a reason
‘Cause they never showed you love
You don’t have to be sorry for doin’ it on your own”
Matilda
In the bridge of the song the lyrics also advise that it can be a long road to get out of your old home and build a better one, but when you do, the people who hurt you will no longer be there, and you will be free.
Starting a new family
At the end of the film, Matilda is at Miss Honey’s house having tea on the porch, when the girl’s parents come running in to tell her that they will have to move because the police are after her father for buying stolen car parts. Matilda insisted that she didn’t want to go and that she wanted to stay with her teacher. Miss Honey agreed to stay with Matilda, and she adopted her legally, the girl’s farewell with her parents was cold and quick, but the girl couldn’t be happier.
Now Miss Honey and Matilda got what they always wanted, a loving family full of love. This ending of the story closely resembles the last lines of the song that goes:
“You can start a family who will always show you love
You don’t have to be sorry, no”
Matilda
The song and the movie show that we don’t need to feel guilty of not having a strong and healthy connection with the people who raised us, and it shows us that we can grow up and meet people who will be our family. The song exemplifies the essence of Harry’s House which expresses that the meaning of home is not a literal place, but a state of mind.
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The article above was edited by Marina Ponchio.
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