As It Was (song)

"Treat People With Kindness"
"****As It Was****"
"Late Night Talking"

**As It Was** is a song performed by Harry Styles. It is the fourth track from Harry's House and was released as a single on April 1, 2022.

## Background

*As It Was* was announced on March 28, 2022 through Harry's official Instagram with its release date being 1 April 2022. At the time, posters with text saying "It's not the same as it was" and a picture of Styles sitting on a big ball started appearing in various places in the world. Teaser for the the music video was posted on March 30.

In an interview, Styles describes the song as about “metamorphosis, embracing change and former self, perspective shift and all that kind of stuff”:

> "It just felt like the thing I wanted to say, the thing I wanted to be doing and the kind of music I wanted to make coming back."
>
>

Styles performed *As It Was* for the first time at the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival on April 15 and April 22.

## Critical reception

*NME*'s Rhian Daly gave *As It Was* five out of five stars, describing it as "not a million miles away from where *Fine Line* left off, but hardly retreading old ground." According to Daly, the track suggests *Harry's House* will solidify Styles "as one of the current pop landscapes' greats". Beau Beaumont-Thomas of *The Guardian* also rated the song five stars and called it "one of his very best", writing, "Many will pore over the gossipy, self-referential lyrics, but Styles's song is for everyone: an effervescent, high-tempo hit to have you clicking your heels." In his review for *Rolling Stone*, Rob Sheffield regarded *As It Was* as one of Styles's most "emotionally powerful" songs, calling it a "daring change-up" and a "straight-from-the-heart cry that's also an irresistible dance-floor challenge." Sahar Ghadirian of *Clash* magazine deemed it a "powerhouse" and Styles "at his most vulnerable". Ghadirian appreciated the "dream fusion" of synth-pop with electro rock and commented that the bells end the song on "a euphoric high". *Evening Standard* reviewer Jochan Embley meanwhile found the track inferior to the singer's previous singles *Watermelon Sugar* and *Adore You*, but wrote that Styles and his collaborators "still know how to make an instantly enjoyable tune". Olivia Horn of *Pitchfork* was less impressed and bemoaned that the song "winds down without any real payoff", citing the circuitousness of the lyrics as "a frequent shortcoming in Styles' songwriting."

## Lyrics

Come on, Harry, we wanna say goodnight to you

Holdin' me back

Gravity's holdin' me back

I want you to hold out the palm of your hand

Why don't we leave it at that?

Nothin' to say

When everything gets in the way

Seems you cannot be replaced

And I'm the one who will stay, oh-oh-oh

In this world, it's just us

You know it's not the same as it was

In this world, it's just us

You know it's not the same as it was

As it was, as it was

You know it's not the same

Answer the phone

"Harry, you're no good alone

Why are you sitting at home on the floor?

What kind of pills are you on?"

Ringin' the bell

And nobody's coming to help

Your daddy lives by himself

He just wants to know that you're well, oh-oh-oh

In this world, it's just us

You know it's not the same as it was

In this world, it's just us

You know it's not the same as it was

As it was, as it was

You know it's not the same

Go home, get ahead, light-speed internet

I don't wanna talk about the way that it was

Leave America, two kids follow her

I don't wanna talk about who's doin' it first

(Hey)

As it was

You know it's not the same as it was

As it was, as it was

## Music video

The music video for *As It Was* was released alongside the song. In the clip, Styles joins dancer Mathilde Lin on a turning platform and performs choreography in the Barbican to release negative emotions. The video was filmed in London and was directed by Tanu Muino, who stated that directing for Styles was "a bucket list dream come true" but, on the second day of shooting, Muino's home country of Ukraine was invaded by Russia, rendering the process a "bittersweet" experience; nevertheless, Muino and her team from Ukraine "poured so much love into this video and you can see it on screen. It will be a music video I will never forget and now I can happily retire." On YouTube, the video has received over 100 million views as of May 2022.

Harry Styles - As It Was (Official Video)As It WasHarry Styles - As It Was (Behind The Scenes)Making of As It Was

## References

1. ↑ https://www.instagram.com/p/Cbp0guMuiIj/?utm\_source=ig\_web\_copy\_link
2. ↑ https://twitter.com/TheHarryNews/status/1508372032269991945?s=20
3. ↑ https://youtu.be/O5tALzwZPrg
4. ↑ https://www.thepostathens.com/article/2022/04/harry-styles-new-album-harrys-house
5. ↑ https://pitchfork.com/news/watch-harry-styles-set-at-coachella-2022/
6. ↑ https://www.nme.com/reviews/track/harry-styles-new-song-as-it-was-a-reflective-ode-to-change-3195485
7. ↑ https://www.theguardian.com/music/2022/apr/01/harry-styles-as-it-was-review-a-pop-star-in-his-own-sunlit-lane
8. ↑ https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-features/harry-styles-as-it-was-song-review-1330351/
9. ↑ https://www.clashmusic.com/reviews/as-it-was-presents-harry-styles-at-his-most-vulnerable
10. ↑ https://www.standard.co.uk/culture/music/harry-styles-as-it-was-review-new-song-album-release-date-video-tanu-muino-b991883.html
11. ↑ https://pitchfork.com/reviews/tracks/harry-styles-as-it-was/
12. ↑ https://pitchfork.com/news/harry-styles-shares-video-for-new-song-as-it-was-watch/
13. ↑ https://www.billboard.com/music/pop/harry-styles-as-it-was-1235053318/
14. ↑ https://pitchfork.com/news/harry-styles-shares-video-for-new-song-as-it-was-watch/