As It Was
"As It Was" is a song by English singer Harry Styles, released through Erskine and Columbia on April 1, 2022 as the lead single from his upcoming 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" debuted at number one on the US "Billboard" Hot 100, becoming Styles' second chart-topping song, after "Watermelon Sugar". It also entered at the top of the UK Singles Chart, becoming his second number-one song there, after "Sign of the Times". Elsewhere, "As  It Was" topped the charts in countries such as Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Lithuania, the Netherlands, New Zealand and Singapore. Background. Harry Styles announced the title of his upcoming 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 popped up 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. "As It Was" opens with Styles' goddaughter saying, "Come on Harry, we wanna say goodnight to you." Music critics described the song as a guitar-driven synth-pop track, a noticeable shift from Styles' 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. "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." Chart  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. The song garnered the most single-day streams on Spotify in the United States, ever, surpassing Olivia Rodrigo's "Drivers License" (2021). It entered at number one on the "Billboard" Hot 100, marking the first song of 2022 to debut atop, and became Styles' second number-one after "Watermelon Sugar" (2019), simultaneously charting atop Streaming Songs. With this achievement, One Direction became the first group to debut two members at number one on the Hot 100 with solo songs, as Styles joined Zayn Malik. The track peaked at number one on the Canadian Hot 100. "As It Was  charted at number one in Australia. The song debuted at number one in New Zealand. Elsewhere, it peaked at number one in Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Israel, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Slovakia, Sweden, and Switzerland. Music video. The music video for As It Was" was released alongside the song. In the clip, Styles joins his former partner 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 86 million views as of April 27, 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. As It Was