Harry Styles released his first official solo single, “Sign of the Times” on April 7, 2017. It was the first song released from his first official self-titled album Harry Styles. In honor of “Sign of the Times” turning two recently, I will be ranking all of the songs on Harry Styles.
- “Woman”
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“Woman” is the ninth song off of Harry Styles debut solo album. The track begins with a question about romantic comedies on Netflix. This question refers to the fact that Harry and his band often had long Netflix marathons during the writing process for the album. Many of the songs were in part inspired by these movie marathons. The song was featured on a Harry Styles Snapchat filter on May 10, 2017 and was then later released with the album. The lyrics tell of an ex-girlfriend who is starting to move on after the break, which makes Styles’ jealous. The song mainly consists of drums, electric guitar, and Styles’ edited vocals. This song is fun and a bit dramatic, which easily makes it my favorite song on the album.
Favorite Lyric: ”Promises are broken like the stitches.”
- “Ever Since New York”
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Harry Styles played “Ever Since New York” on April 15, 2017, during his appearance on Saturday Night Live. This marked the first time that fans heard the song before it was officially released with the rest of the album in May of the same year. “Ever Since New York” is written about bad news Harry once received while he was in Brooklyn and the pain and sadness that came with it. It is believed to be about Harry’s stepfather Robin, who passed away in June of 2017 from cancer. The song conveys a deep disconnect and a time of great sorrow. Harry Styles gives a very emotional delivery of these lyrics, and how deeply personal this song is to him.
Favorite lyric: ”Choose your words, ’cause there’s no antidote, For this curse, oh, what’s it waiting for?”
- “Two Ghosts”
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“Two Ghosts” is a slow and emotional track that feels deeply personal to Harry. In this track, Harry details a couple looking back at the beginning of a relationship as it comes to an end or possibly after the break-up already happened. Styles feels changed by the relationship, and he can see that his partner has become a different person as well. The lyrics can be interpreted in multiple ways. One way is that the relationship is worn down, and as they both changed, the flame between them faded out. Another interpretation is that after the break-up, Harry no longer feels as happy as he once was, and he is thinking about the good times in the relationship. No matter how you choose to interpret the lyrics, the song tells an emotional and heartfelt story of love and loss.
Favorite Lyric: ”Trying to remember how it feels to have a heartbeat.”
- “From the Dining Table”
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“From the Dining Table” is the last song on the album. The track takes on a soft and haunting tone with echoed vocals over an acoustic guitar. As one of the sadder songs on the album, it deals with the aftermath of a break-up and seeing the other person starting to move on. Styles also sings about his difficulty moving on after a break-up, and the communication issues that occurred in the relationship.
Favorite Lyric: “Why won’t you ever say what you want to say?”
- “Kiwi”
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Perhaps the most rock leaning song of the album, “Kiwi” is driven by an electric guitar and strong drums. “Kiwi” takes on topics such as Harry’s relationship with fame, a relationship with an unidentified person, and drug use. Before the release of the album, Harry often referenced the title of this song by handing out kiwis to fans waiting in line to see him. The title was often a joke, but Harry has said that “Kiwi” was one of the first songs that he wrote for the album, and has come to be one of his favorites.
Favorite Lyric: “She sits beside me like a silhouette.”
- “Meet Me in the Hallway”
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“Meet Me in the Hallway” is the first song on Harry Styles’ self-titled album. The track takes on an almost psychedelic feel and is driven by echoed vocals over an acoustic guitar. The song tells tales of addiction and recovery as well as a relationship that is failing due to lack of communication, which is a common theme throughout the album and is also mentioned in “Sign of the Times,” “Sweet Creature,” and “Two Ghosts.”
Favorite Lyric: “Once you go without it, Nothing else will do.”
- “Sign of the Times”
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“Sign of the Times” was released on April 7, 2017, and was the first song released from Harry Styles’ debut solo album. It is also one of only two songs on the album to get an official music video. The video features Styles flying and even running on water, cut together with close-ups of him singing while walking through a meadow. The video was filmed in Scotland and was released on May 8, 2017. According to Styles, Sign of the Times is about a mother who just gave birth and is told that she is not going to survive. The mother has a short time to tell the child to “go forth and conquer.”
Favorite Lyric: “You can’t bribe the door on your way to the sky.”
- “Sweet Creature”
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As the fifth song on Harry Styles’ debut solo album, the song details a couple dealing with relationship issues while also feeling that they are each other’s home. “Sweet Creature” is soft and relaxing yet extremely heartfelt. The song is a bit more stripped down than most of the others and features an acoustic guitar under Styles’ vocals.
Favorite Lyric: “We’re running through the garden. Oh, where nothing bothered us.”
- “Only Angel”
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“Only Angel” starts off with an angelic, ethereal sound before transitioning to a more rock-influenced one at about a minute into it. “Only Angel” is upbeat and still keeps a fun sound overall even though it can get a bit repetitive lyrically. The track details Styles’ attraction to someone that he knows will not be good for him in the long run. Despite knowing that this relationship will not work out, they sneak around to avoid the disapproval of their friends and families. The song was recorded in only one take at the singer’s home in London, England.
Favorite Lyric: “End up meeting in the hallway every single time.”
- “Carolina”
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While there are no bad songs on this album, everybody has their favorites and least favorites. Harry Styles mentioned during an interview that this was the last song he wrote for the album and that it added a fun element that he felt was missing. Harry also mentioned that this song was written about a specific person or that it could more generally be interpreted to be about someone from Carolina. Fans also interpret the song as being about drug use. Overall, Carolina is a fun song, but I had to put something at number 10 and this is what I chose.
Favorite Lyric: “I met her once and wrote a song about her.”