As It Was

2022 single by Harry StylesTemplate:SHORTDESC:2022 single by Harry Styles

 Songwriter(s) | * Harry Styles
* Thomas Hull
 Producer(s) | * Kid Harpoon

"**As It Was**" is a song by English singer Harry Styles, released through Erskine and Columbia on 1 April 2022 as the lead single from his third studio album, *Harry's House* (2022). The song was written by Styles alongside the song's producers Kid Harpoon and Tyler Johnson.

"As It Was" received positive reviews from critics and debuted at number one on the UK Singles Chart, becoming Styles's second number-one single after "Sign of the Times". The song spent ten weeks at the top of the UK Singles Chart, becoming the longest-running number-one single of the year so far in the UK. Also his second number one single in the US, the song spent 15 weeks atop the *Billboard* Hot 100, becoming the longest-running US number one by a UK act and the fourth longest running number-one in the charts history.

"As It Was" topped the charts in 35 countries, including Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Croatia, Denmark, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Lithuania, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Singapore and Sweden.

## Background

Harry Styles announced the title of his third studio album as *Harry's House* on 23 March 2022, unveiling its artwork, a 40-second trailer and the album's release date as 20 May 2022. Five days later, he announced the title of its lead single as "As It Was", along with pictures of him in a "sequined, sleeveless red outfit" and its release date as 1 April 2022. Simultaneously, posters bearing the lyrics "It's not the same as it was" and a picture of Styles sitting on a big ball appeared in various cities. He released a teaser of the music video on 30 March, which included an "energetic drum beat" and a "sunny electric guitar riff", and depicted him in a red jumpsuit spinning in circles atop a motorised turntable.

## Lyrics and composition

Music critics described the song as a guitar-driven synth-pop track, a noticeable shift from Styles's rock-oriented sounds. Chris Willman of *Variety* noted that it takes heavy inspiration from Depeche Mode and A-ha, while also suggesting that it adopted a style similar to the Weeknd's 2019 single "Blinding Lights". Lyrically, "As It Was" is rooted in personal transitions and depicts a feeling of loss and loneliness.

## Critical reception

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"As It Was" received critical acclaim. *NME*'s Rhian Daly gave the song 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". Thania Garcia of *Variety* magazine described the song as being "new wave-inspired".

*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."

## Commercial performance

"As It Was" was an immediate success; it earned the Guinness World Records title for the most streamed track on Spotify within 24 hours by a male artist, and broke the Apple Music streaming record for most first-day streams for a 2022 release. The song also opened atop the *Billboard* Global 200 with the greatest global streaming week of 2022, becoming Styles's first number-one on the tally.

In the United Kingdom, "As It Was" became Styles's second solo number-one on the singles chart, debuting with the biggest sales and streaming weeks of any single in 2022. It spent ten weeks at number one on the UK singles chart, becoming the longest-running number one of the year in the UK. It became the most-streamed track (149.6 million streams), most physically purchased (12,000 units), most digitally downloaded (47,000 units) and overall, best-selling (1.3 million equivalent units) track in the UK in 2022, as of October 2022[update].

"As It Was" entered at number one on the *Billboard* Hot 100, becoming Styles' second number-one single after "Watermelon Sugar" (2019). The song garnered the most single-day streams on Spotify in the United States, surpassing Olivia Rodrigo's "Drivers License" (2021). After the single's debut at No. 1, "As It Was" fell out of the No. 1 position and returned multiple times between April and September 2022; when it returned to No. 1 for the week ending 3 September 2022, it became the first song ever to have five separate runs in the top position. "As It Was" spent 15 weeks atop the *Billboard* Hot 100, becoming the longest-running US number one by a UK act, the longest-running No. 1 with no accompanying artists (i.e. a solo-billed song) and the fourth longest running number-one in the charts history.

"As It Was" spent 18 weeks at number one on the Canadian Hot 100 and peaked at number one in Australia, Austria, Belgium, Croatia, Denmark, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Israel, Lithuania, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Slovakia, Sweden, and Switzerland.

## 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: apart from the Barbican Centre, it was also filmed at Lindley Hall near the Houses of Parliament, and the penguin pool at London Zoo. It 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 337 million views and 6.1 million likes as of October 2022.

## Live performance

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

## Credits and personnel

* Harry Styles – vocals, songwriting, bells
* Kid Harpoon – songwriting, production, bass, guitar, drum machine, drums, electric guitar, synthesizer
* Tyler Johnson – songwriting, production, drum machine, piano, synthesizer
* Doug Showalter – electric guitar, percussion
* Mitch Rowland – drums
* Jeremy Hatcher – programming, recording
* Randy Merrill – mastering
* Spike Stent – mixing
* Katie May – assistant engineering
* Luke Gibbs – assistant engineering
* Adele Phillips – assistant engineering
* Josh Caulder – assistant engineering
* Joe Dougherty – assistant engineering
* Matt Wolach – assistant engineering

## Charts

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### Monthly charts

Monthly chart performance for "As It Was"
 South Korea (Gaon) | 123

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## Certifications

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## Release history

Release dates and formats for "As It Was"
* streaming
* Columbia
* Columbia

## See also

* List of *Billboard* Hot 100 number ones of 2022
* List of *Billboard* Global 200 number ones of 2022
* List of *Billboard* Mainstream Top 40 number-one songs of 2022
* List of *Billboard* Mexico Airplay number ones
* List of Canadian Hot 100 number-one singles of 2022
* List of Dutch Top 40 number-one singles of 2022
* List of number-one hits of 2022 (Austria)
* List of number-one hits of 2022 (Denmark)
* List of number-one hits of 2022 (France)
* List of number-one hits of 2022 (Germany)
* List of number-one hits of 2022 (Switzerland)
* List of number-one singles and albums in Sweden#2022
* List of number-one singles from the 2020s (New Zealand)
* List of number-one singles of 2022 (Australia)
* List of number-one singles of 2022 (Ireland)
* List of number-one singles of 2022 (Poland)
* List of number-one songs of 2022 (Malaysia)
* List of number-one songs of 2022 (Singapore)
* List of Ultratop 50 number-one singles of 2022
* List of UK Singles Chart number ones of the 2020s#2022
* List of Billboard Hot 100 chart achievements and milestones

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