On Friday, the one and only Harry Styles graced us with his first single since One Direction announced their hiatus in January 2016. Each of the other band members has released their own solo work since then, and Harry is the second-to-last to do so. This has clearly been long-awaited.
Thank you, Harry, for not disappointing. What a way to debut his solo career. “Sign of the Times” is an emotional, powerful ballad. The lyrics begin with “Just stop your crying;” how IRONIC because his beautiful voice has already had me crying by the first line. Heck, I was choked up before the lyrics even began. With the simple sound of piano and his voice in falsetto, Harry captures our hearts and gives us chills. Just when we reach the chorus, you hear a touch of electric guitars that gives the sound an unexpected twist. The song has a rock vibe, yet sounds very much 2017.
Here is a little photo evidence a few of my friends’ and my emotions to the single:
If the rest of the album is anything like this single, just hand Harry the Grammy now. I definitely think Harry will be able to dethrone Zayn’s “Pillowtalk.” This single is a big step for Harry away from his teenage boy-band days. And while I am sad to see that this calls for the official end of One Direction, I am so excited to see where his solo career leads him.
The first live performance of the track will be on Saturday Night Live on April 15th, and I have already set my DVR to record it. Until then, I’ll just be listening to the song on repeat and bracing myself for the release of the rest of the album, which is rumored to be late-April to early-May. In order to prepare myself for “the final show” I’ll have to be “wearing [my] best clothes.” I love you, Harry.