Harry’s House: Worth the Rent Renewal?
Which songs I would give a second listen to, and which are more forgettable.
Most pop music fans have long-awaited Harry Styles’ third studio album, Harry’s House. Released May 20th, the album is 13 tracks and 42 minutes long. Styles has recently been adapting sounds of 70’s rock and summer pop, making this album something that could be added to the Despicable Me soundtrack. While I won’t be doing a full album review (there’s a fantastic one by Josh Herring if you’re curious!), I will be sharing a few of my favorites upon first listening.
Daylight
The 5th track from the album, Daylight starts with a jaunty, walking pace to set the rhythm and mood for the song. Styles says in the Pre-Chorus, “If I was a bluebird, I would fly to you. You’d be the spoon. Dip you in honey so I could be sticking to you.” During the second chorus, the instrumentals crescendo, echoing the sentiment that Styles is frustrated with the daylight for taking his love away from him, as they are in two different time zones. This song was a joy to hear upon first listen and is one I’ll have to listen to again in hopes of better understanding the metaphor.
Matilda
Referencing the famous Ronald Dahl character, Matilda takes the trophy for the most emotional track on the album. It tells of a girl who yearns to move away from where she’s from, as she realizes those who she was close to her never really loved her. The narrator reassures her, “You don’t have to be sorry for leavin’ and growin’ up”, leaving the decision to Matilda. As somebody who has recently moved away from my hometown, feeling that there was nothing and nobody left for me, I resonated with this song. It’s nice to be told that it’s okay to move on, so having Harry tell not only Matilda but also his audience is a really sweet sentiment.
Keep Driving
Maybe it’s because I’m a Taylor Swift fan, maybe it’s because I, like Styles, love to ignore the chaos around me, but I loved this song. Keep Driving is the 10th track on the album, and is the ode to “I don’t want to go home and face the real world, should we just keep driving?” that we all have said at some point. What I think this song and Taylor Swift’s songwriting have in common is the specificity. The song opens with the lyrics, “Black and white film camera, yellow sunglasses. Ashtray, swimming pool. Hot wax, jump off the roof.” Although seemingly mundane details, it’s the little things that bring a song to life and make them relatable with an element of storytelling.
Love Of My Life
The final track on the album, Love Of My Life talks of a past love that was the love of the narrator’s life. Styles said in an interview with Zane Lowe that this song is about England where he was born, and the meaning that his homeland has to him. The song closes with the lyrics, “Baby, you were the love of my life. Whoa, Maybe you don’t know it’s lost till you find it. It’s not what I wanted, To leave you behind. Don’t know where you’ll land when you fly, But baby, you were the love of my life”. After these lyrics were sung, the album closed with a beautiful piano melody, fading into silence. This song was a beautiful ode to England and is relatable, as we all miss something or someone that we used to call home.
Songs I Wouldn’t Listen To Again
Having given a few of my favorite songs (upon first listen), I have to say that I would listen to the entire album again! There weren’t many forgettable tracks, and I think there’s a lot of potential in the album. There is often a lot that we miss just by listening to something once, whether it be lyrical, metaphorical, or sonically, so I would be curious to listen to each track again and see if they offer something new and exciting! If anyone has listened to Harry’s House, what are your thoughts? Any favorite tracks? Let me know, and thanks for reading!
If you want to give Harry’s House a listen, check out his Youtube channel!
