One of the most talked about singles of 2017 debuted on April 7th, but the anticipation for the tune was building months before that. Harry Styles has been a testament to the music industry for years, but his solo debut was the turning of a new chapter, and people were itching to see what he’d do with his talent next. The answer – a five minute and 40-second rock ballad that left his fans completely speechless. The tune is emotional, his vocal range is beautiful, and it’s the song he’s most proud of writing for his new album.
‘Sign of the Times’ is a song that Harry has left open for interpretation, as he does with all the music he writes, but it sounds like a song about loss. Maybe the things you wish you’d said earlier, or the thoughts you have when you’re experiencing someone’s absence and it’s so painful you wish you could take it all back. With lyrics like ‘Welcome to the final show, hope you’re wearing your best clothes‘ and ‘You look pretty good down here, but you ain’t really good‘ the story sort of tells itself.
Harry said, in interviews this weekend, that he was nervous about the response that the song would receive. It’s not his first rodeo, but it’s his first ride on his own, and that sort of soul-baring is scary. The thing is, Harry’s golden heart and his talent and passion seep out of everything that he creates. So while it’s human nature to be afraid when you’re putting it all on the line, Harry aced it, and we aren’t the least bit surprised.
We also aren’t surprised that he’s already received his first number one. While his tune hasn’t been out for an entire week yet (which means the official charts have yet to rank it), Sign of the Times has already broken records, and the trend looks like it’ll continue as the days progress. Today, he got his first number 1. In addition, he also had the song that jumped to number 1 the quickest!
https://twitter.com/OfficialWith1D/status/851133312097804288
Harry’s song was number one on the #BigTop40 today and his reaction is the absolute sweetest. Going out on his own after being in One Direction had to be scary, but the pressure to go solo has been on Harry since the band’s beginning. Not just to go solo, either, but to leave the band behind and to do so without a trace of positivity being given to his history with them. Harry loves One Direction, he always has, but he’s working on solo music right now – and that’s still something a lot of people aren’t focusing on enough.
The stories of his debut all compare him to someone (and while that’s human nature) this is his big break – the focus should be all on him – he deserves it. He’s worked hard and given so much of himself to this debut, and this specific song, it doesn’t seem right to make that smaller for any reason at all.
For those reasons, the sheer impact of the song alone, and Harry’s undeniable talent – his first number one was incredible and it was just the beginning. We’re anticipating his first official number one to come with the Official Charts (as are many others) and from there – it’s a wide open space. He’s got the world at his feet.
Congratulations Harry – we’re such big fans of yours!