Harry Styles then gives us not only my favorite song from this album but also my favorite song from Styles in general so far - the album's lead single "Sign of the Times." I remember when I first saw this song as a new release on Spotify, I thought to myself, "What the hell? I don't expect to like this, but I will give it a try." (I had previously heard material from One Direction and had never really been impressed by any of it.) I was in for a surprise, however, because it was, of course, absolutely nothing like 1D had ever done. The song is an atmospheric and piano-driven rock song that has driven me to tears on more than one occasion, not only because of how beautiful that it is sonically but also because of its beautiful and heartbreaking lyrics, such as in the second verse when Styles sings, "Just stop your crying; have the time of your life breaking through the atmosphere, and things are pretty good from here. Remember, everything will be all right. We can meet again somewhere, somewhere far away from here." The song, to me, is about accepting that times can be difficult and that there is always an end in sight and accepting the fact that we all must eventually die. It's also about holding on to hope that death means reuniting with loved ones. Styles has said in the past that the song is meant to be from the perspective of a mother who is dying as she is giving birth; the child is going to live, but she isn't, and the song is her telling the child not to let her death ruin and define their life, to be strong because they will be reunited. One reason why I ended up becoming so emotionally attached to this song is because I could not help but associate it with the series finale of Bates Motel. I won't spoil how that series ends, but if you have seen it, then you probably know exactly what I am talking about. "Sign of the Times" also continues the theme of a lack of communication when he sings in the bridge near the end of the song, "We don't talk enough; we should open up..." My only problem with the song is where it is placed on the album, as it should have been at the end.
We then get "Carolina," a much more fun and upbeat song in comparison to "Sign of the Times." "Carolina" is a garage rock influenced song in the vein of bands such as Jet, and it's about Townes Adair Jones, a young woman with whom Styles once went on a date. The two did not end up dating as in be in a relationship with each other, but Styles seems to reflect on how the date went in this song: "She's a good girl," he sings repeatedly in the song's chorus, following it up with, "She feels so good." I could very well be wrong about this, but usually, when you refer to someone as feeling good, you mean that in a sexual sense, so I do think that that is how he means that (but, again, I could be wrong). We then get a southern influenced acoustic rock song titled "Two Ghosts" which is about a relationship nearing its end: "We're not who we used to be. We're just two ghosts standing in the place of you and me trying to remember how it feels to have a heartbeat." The song, released as the third single from the album, is rumored to be about ex-girlfriend Taylor Swift because of the opening lines "same lips red, same eyes blue" which describe Swift quite accurately. "Sweet Creature" is another highlight on the album for me, a beautiful acoustic ballad that was released as the second single from the album. The song is about a relationship being rocky: "It's hard when we argue. We're both stubborn, I know..." The narrator also acknowledges, however, that they belong together despite the flaws in the relationship: "When I run out of road, you bring me home." The song once again acknowledges a lack of communication being a problem in a relationship (which, as I said, seems to be an overarching theme on the album): "I always think about you and how we don't speak enough." Although it did not get the attention that "Sign of the Times" (at least not according to my memory) did, it's a beautiful song that I think was a wise choice for the second single.
I love how "Only Angel" begins by reminding us of "Sign of the Times" with the piano melody from the album's first single. It is misleading, making one think that the song is a ballad, possibly some sort of sequel to "Sign of the Times," but similar to R.E.M.'s "Leave," it fools you, suddenly breaking out into a catchy hard rock track, another one that reminds me of garage rock bands such as Jet. The song is actually more of a sequel to "Meet Me in the Hallway" as it seems to be about the same person and also seems to directly allude to it: "Broke a finger knocking on your bedroom door... end up meeting in the hallway every single time." The song is about his admiration for this woman and, once again, having to settle on the relationship being merely sexual: "I'm just happy getting you stuck in between my teeth, and there's nothing I can do about it... when it turns out she's a devil in between the sheets..." Once again calling back to "Meet Me in the Hallway," this woman is an addiction for the narrator; he can't seem to break free even if he wanted to. "Kiwi" is my second favorite song from the album. A ridiculously catchy garage rock song that sonically works really well paired next to "Only Angel," this song was released as the fourth and final single from Harry Styles. It is a bit tougher to lyrically decipher than some of the other songs, but I believe it to be another song about an addiction to a woman whom the speaker knows probably isn't all that good for him: "She's driving me crazy, but I'm into it." In this case, it might even be someone who is already in a relationship, and he is the other man: "When she's alone, she goes home to a cactus." I think that he deems her as not being good for him (despite his addiction to her) not only because he outwardly says that she drives him crazy but also because she might be a substance addict: "She worked her way through a cheap pack of cigarettes, hard liquor mixed with a bit of intellect... for a nose, it's always backed up." Just as she is addicted to her substances, he is addicted to her.
Something else that seems worthy of discussion, however, is the fact that the subject of "Kiwi" seems to be a woman telling the speaker that she has gotten pregnant by him: "Oh, I think she said, 'I'm having your baby; it's none of your business.'" To the best of my knowledge, it has never been made public knowledge that Styles has ever gotten a woman pregnant, so this might not be a personal story; as I said, Styles is a masterful storyteller and could have written this song partially from a fictional standpoint. With that being said, however, this could also speak to the subject's lack of mental stability. Perhaps this is someone who lied to Styles, telling him that she was pregnant with his child as a way of controlling him even though it wasn't true. (Perhaps, it was someone else's child - as I mentioned, the subject seems to have a boyfriend already - or she wasn't pregnant at all.) Yet another possible interpretation is that like Michael Jackson's Billie Jean or Justin Bieber's Maria, I am sure that Styles, being a famous (and quite attractive) male celebrity, occasionally falls victim to a fanatic falsely claiming to be pregnant with his child. "Ever Since New York" slows the album down a bit, as it is another softer and quieter number. The song is believed to be about Styles' late stepfather who passed away from cancer, and although the song was not released as a single from the album, it seems to be a personal favorite of Styles because it is the second song from the album that he performed live (the first, of course, being "Sign of the Times"). Styles has said that he learned of his stepfather's health declining while in a Brooklyn hotel room, and the song definitely seems to speak to that: "Brooklyn saw me, empty at the news. There's no water inside this swimming pool." Hotels often have swimming pools, and water inside the swimming pool means that there is an opportunity to go for a fun and/or relaxing swim, but Styles can't see anything fun or relaxing in his vicinity because of the news that he just received. He could also be talking about an initial inability to cry.
"Woman" is, in my opinion, one of the weaker tracks on the album if not the weakest. The song is soul and R&B influenced, and that just doesn't tend to be to my usual liking. It is about being in love with a woman who is taken: "I don't ever want to see you with him... I hope you see the shape that I'm in while he's touching your skin... you flower, you feast." The speaker of the song can't stomach the thought of this woman being with someone else sexually. (It's possessive, but love can make you that way, and Styles acknowledges that at the beginning of the song when he admits to being selfish.) Flowers (and food) are often equated with sex, so much so that losing one's virginity is often referred to as being deflowered. The album closes with "From the Dining Table," a soft acoustic folk song that appropriately bookends the album with "Meet Me in the Hallway" (although, as I said, "Sign of the Times" would have worked better as a closing track sonically). It seems to once again be addressing someone with whom the speaker is in love but is having to settle on the relationship being nothing more than sexual. "Woke up alone in this hotel room, played with myself. Where were you?" The speaker seems to have met with his partner in a hotel room for the night, but when he wakes up in the morning, they are gone, so he proceeds to pleasure himself. That part could be interpreted a bit differently, for maybe it's been a while since the speaker has even seen his ex-lover, especially because of this part: "We haven't spoke since you went away" (yet another line speaking to a lack of communication). However, I believe that it being a hotel room that he is in and waking up aroused indicates otherwise. The relationship has ended ("I see you gave him my old t-shirt, more of what was once mine."), but I think that they are continuing to have sex. (I have been there and done that more than once. It can be next to impossible to let go of someone for good.) All in all, Harry Styles is a brilliant album and a wonderful first solo effort.
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