As It Was Music Video Review

Mr Harry Styles is back with a bang, some sequins and a catchy new bop, but did we really expect anything less?

Friday 1 April saw not only the release of the world's sweetheart's new track As It Was but with it a music video too and what a feast for the eyes it is.

On my first (and to be honest even on my hundredth) viewing of it, I audibly gasped as soon as the beat hit at the same time his leather-gloved fist hit the distorted glass he stood behind and then boom, no distortion. There he stands, crystal clear and as ethereal as ever.

And then he walks. Harry Styles walks and it's the coolest walk I've ever seen. Dressed in a pillar box red coat with a black fur scarf, Harry stands out against the crowd he walks forward with but then again when doesn't he?

In time with the opening line "Holding me back, gravity's holding me back," he begins to walk backwards, quite literally mirroring the lyrics until he's through a door and out the other side. Now missing the coat and scarf, all eyes are on his red sequin jumpsuit that no doubt incited squeals of delight from viewers. I know it did from my Mother who isn't even a fan.

Onto the turntable, in the middle of a hall, he strides and here we meet his co-star, a woman dressed identically to him but in blue. The pair walk around the moving object, skimming hands, barely embracing; overall giving a 'so close yet so far' energy that punches you in the guy but nowhere near as strongly as seeing Harry's blue eyes will. I had to rewind it a couple of times to make I wasn't mistaken but upon realisation (and countless people analysing the video on Twitter), his blue eyes are meant to mirror that she (his co-star) is all he sees, which upon reflection makes sense given the lyrics "In this world, it's just us. You know it's not the same as it was."

Within a second his co-star has fallen off of the turntable and Harry points to the ceiling where the camera transitions to the next shot and at a different location. Now outdoors, Harry, back in his red coat and scarf, points to the camera as he starts to sing what is arguably the saddest verse he's ever produced.

The whole verse beginning with "Answer the phone. Harry, you're no good alone" hits hard but it is even harder as he starts to undress. Sure, the immediate reaction for someone people watching him do that might not be a sad one, but when you realise he's singing such exposing and vulnerable words and also making himself physically more vulnerable by exposing himself through undressing, yeah it hurts.

Embracing his co-star in that outdoor location transitions effortlessly into another one: a wall-to-ceiling colourfully graffitied room. The two rolls on the floor before lying flat on their backs, arms outstretched and hands touching. Shots cut to Harry singing directly to the camera and extra filling in and caging the pair to the floor with silver metal frames, highlighting entrapment. A blonde woman appears above Harry, her purpose n the video widely contested but to me, she gives an authoritative energy, one that seems to keep Harry pointed in a certain direction and very much in his place.

Before long, the couple is pulled apart by the floor moving, revealing graffiti lacking colour this time, their fingers unlocking and trailing as they get further away from one another. As this happens, we have a montage of shots that all include Harry trying to keep up with the woman or trying his best to just keep her in general, but all attempts prove fruitless.

Then we have the bridge; a segment of the song that has ensnared fans because it is unlike anything we've heard from him before. As it plays, he and his co-star run at the same pace on the treadmill in opposite directions. Harry isn't chasing her anymore; it's level and it looks almost as though he's accepted that he can't keep up or keep her anymore. He looks visibly sad as he runs before we receive the next shot of him sitting down on the turntable that still spins but now, he's alone.

But with an enthusiastic "Hey!", the mixture of the tubular bells and the funky beat this song carries with it, Harry looks happy. He looks at peace. He looks free. He kicks and spins and dances to his heart's content, all with that beautiful dimpled smile plastered on his face. The final thirty seconds of the music video feel truly triumphant and euphoric, a release and happiness after a dark spell.

While I found myself boogying along with the music video the whole time watching, I felt almost guilty for doing so because the lyrics are so heavy. However, the second I saw that smile and those dance moves, I knew it was okay to join in: if Harry's dancing, so am I!

Also, Styles, how dare you make such a bop that you can't help but boogie to with lyrics that you can't help but cry to as well? I was so conflicted! What a rollercoaster it was. It's one I never want to get off.