Bringing up Harry Styles to an avid music lover could either be a hit or a miss. Kind of like artists like Taylor Swift or Drake, Harry has been seen as overrated by many.
If you are one of those people who can’t stand the thought of even listening to Harry Styles, we ask you to take a step back and hear us out while we take a deep dive into his latest record, Harry’s House.
With the album’s catchy melodies and funky titles, Styles leaves us questioning and dissecting the meaning of all of his songs.
Let’s take a deep dive into the meaning behind all of these funky track titles song by song.
“Music for a Sushi Restaurant”- Hanna
This opening track sets the vibe for this album. Entered at the Billboard Hot 100 at number eight, this song is about ingredients for making sushi while relating it to his longing for a relationship. One day, Styles was in a sushi restaurant in Los Angeles and one of his songs was playing. He went up to his producer and said “This is really strange music for a sushi restaurant,” and that’s how the title came to be. Some people might think the opening of this song sounds familiar as it resembles the Disney Channel show, A.N.T. Farm credit song which I completely agree with. As someone who doesn’t think this is his best track, I still liked how he chose an upbeat fun song as the opening for the album.
“Late Night Talking”- Lizzie
Change is a common theme within this album that we will see throughout the course of the album. This song talks about the highs and lows of being in a relationship, and the trials and tribulations that it comes with. With the line, “I’ve never been a fan of change/But I’d follow you to any place/If it’s Hollywood or Bishopsgate, I’m coming, too,” Styles talks about how he has never liked the thought of his environment changing but that he is willing to fight that change just to be with his partner. The title, “Late Night Talking,” refers to having a conversation with his partner about all of this change. Keeping up with the last song, this track has an up-beat vibe and is a popular pick from this album.
“Grapejuice”- Cassidy
Like many other tracks on this album, this song covers Styles’ past adventures with his partner and compares it to present romantic events. Styles reflects on the connection they had and how he longs to gain it back. The title, “Grapejuice” implies the bottle of red wine he buys, allowing them to experience it together. In France, red wine is seen as a classic symbol of romance, complimenting the romance seen throughout this record. The chorus highlights the scheme of ridding sorrows and “the grapejuice blues” and raising a glass in honor of moving on from that. Honestly, when I first heard this song, I lowkey hated it and never played it. As I forced myself to listen to it more and more, I grew to love it and it’s now one of my favorites. It’s a very unique song but adds so much funk to the album.
“As it Was”- Cassidy
This song being the first release genuinely set such big expectations for me. I was in my room with my friend Paige when this song came out, counting down the seconds until it aired on YouTube along with the music video. The track discusses change, perspective and loneliness all based in the past. Before the song’s release, Styles teased the album through the “You Are Home” website. The website was a photo of a door containing something different inside of it everyday. At the time, we didn’t know what the website meant for Styles’ upcoming album, or the meaning of the photos behind the door, but in the end, all of the pictures connected to a different aspect of Harry’s House. With the song’s release landing on April fools day, I genuinely thought it was a joke until it was actually playing in front of me. The catchy 80s synth beat behind the deep and meaningful lyrics definitely add a unique feel to the entire record.
“Daylight” – Lizzie
Another theme that Styles refers back to throughout the album is the theme of a partner that is often off in a different place. The first lines, “I’m on the roof/ You’re in your airplane seat,” don’t seem like they would tie together, but they do. Here, Harry is referring to that theme of distance, comparing him and his partner to places that are both high up, “the roof” is physically high but “the airplane seat” is relatively higher. This represents Styles’ bad feelings towards distance, physically and emotionally. The track title, “Daylight,” refers to those bad feelings towards distance. The line, “You got me cursing the daylight” meaning that he dislikes the daylight seemingly because his partner always leaves him in the morning. The production on this song reminds me of a warm summer day and is an example of a prime song for the summer.
“Little Freak” – Hanna
As this track slows everything down a little bit, Styles shows a different side to his album. This song is about his past relationship that fell through. As he reminisces the times he had with his partner, he blames himself for the fallout. Lyrics like “just thinkin’ about you,” and “I disrespected you,” show how this is him thinking about his ex and realizing he was wrong.
“Matilda” – Cassidy
Oh my gosh, do not even get me started with this song. “Matilda” is by far the most emotional song on the record- basically the “Fine Line” of Harry’s House. The meaning behind this song is sad and deep, bringing people into the shoes of the character, Matilda, in the song. Styles sings to a hypothetical person who was not necessarily treated well during their childhood. This song is likely connected to Roald Dahl’s character, Matilda, but the parallel was never confirmed by Styles himself. This track asserts the common theme of home not being just a place, but a mindset. As someone who heard this song live at one of his shows at Madison Square Garden, I can vouch for the fact that it is much more emotional in person. Everyone around you has the same feelings on the song and connects with it on all different levels, but just hearing the passion in Styles voice definitely caused some tears to flow. Matilda definitely holds a special place in our hearts and in our top three.
“Cinema”- Lizzie
Cinema is a definite switch in vibes from “Matilda.” I first fell in love with this track on a trip to New York City in August of 2022. Playing this song through my airpods puts me right back on the streets of New York. This song is funky and does not sound like a typical song that we would get from Harry. I believe that the title, “Cinema,” refers to Styles’ partner at the time who is in the movie industry. The real meaning behind this song is up to everyone’s interpretation and is definitely something that I can’t talk about on a school website. I recommend that you go and lend an ear for yourself.
“Daydreaming”- Cassidy
This track genuinely gives me flashbacks to his tour as it was the opening song. Every time I hear it, I can just imagine the visuals on the jumbotron and me screaming at the top of my lungs through the tears of excitement filling my eyes. “Daydreaming” discusses a relationship that puts Styles on a high, or in a “daydream” as the title states. The peppy beat and range of vocals expresses a healthy relationship rather than ones in the past filled with regret and sorrow- similar to the connections he sings about in “Grapejuice” and “Boyfriends.” This track samples Ain’t We Funkin’ Now by The Brothers Johnson, and also features John Mayer on electric guitar- one of Styles longtime favorite artists. If you’re looking for a song to blast with the windows down in the summer, this is definitely one of them.
“Keep Driving” – Hanna
In this track Styles expresses all the roadblocks he wants to avoid in his relationship through a drive. He continuously asks “should we just keep driving,” representing should we keep going in this relationship. This track is the perfect thing for a summer drive. Lizzie and I would blast this song and put down all the windows prompting us to sing at the top of our lungs.
“Satellite” – Cassidy
“Satellite” contains so many unique qualities that differ it from the rest of the tracks on Harry’s House. The song starts off very light and calm but then merges into an explosion of drums, synths and echoey vocals. When I first listened to this track, I was not expecting the switch, but it soon became one of my favorites on the album. As Styles has a lot of stage presence, during the tour, he’d bust out these crazy dance moves at the beat drop. Fans soon started calling his moves “Satellite Stomps”, which the name stuck with and is still referred to. Catch this taking up a slot in our top three, because holy moly, this song will never get old.
“Boyfriends” – Hanna
This track shows Styles’ perspective on how boyfriends treat their partners in a negative way. Although this might not be the experience that everyone who has a boyfriend would have, it shows the possibility of one’s experience through this song. I love this song, as it’s one of those relaxing tunes that you could listen to any day anytime.
“Love of my Life”- Lizzie
This song is quite literally the L.O.M.L. Styles used this song as the first teaser for this album, with a trailer video of him on a stage with a house behind him. For the audio of the video, he used this song in reverse. Back then, Styles had already announced the release of the first single from the album, “As it Was.” So naturally, fans thought that this song was going to be “As it Was.” Thinking back to me in March of 2022 it seems really silly that we were trying to figure out the lyrics to a song that is far from sounding like “As it was.” As for the meaning behind the title, this song is interpreted as a love letter to his home country of England.
Harry’s House is filled with so many different kinds of music. From pop-rock to R&B, this album is an emotional rollercoaster in the best way possible.
Thinking back to the year 2022, this album for us was the soundtrack of 2022. The first summer coming out of the pandemic, this album reminds people of a new beginning. Which is why it’s no surprise that years later this album is still on people’s rotations.
