As It Was

Song Meaning of As It Was by Harry Styles, and what it is about

Together with its producers Kid Harpoon and Tyler Johnson, Styles wrote the song.

Lyrically, "As It Was" expresses a sense of loss and loneliness and is based on personal transformations. "It's about metamorphosis and embracing change," Harry Styles explained "and former self and perspective shift, and all of that kind of stuff."

The Weeknd's 2019 single "Blinding Lights" may serve as a comparison, according to Variety's Chris Willman, who also observed that it draws heavily from Depeche Mode and a-ha. According to EUPHORIA magazine, James Bay's 2018 single "Pink Lemonade" served as Styles' inspiration, and the two tracks have a "eerily similar" vibe.

Styles' 5-year-old goddaughter, whose father is the British producer Ben Winston, provides the voice in the beginning. Every night before he went to bed, Ruby would call, and one night when he didn't pick up, she left a message expressing her displeasure. He said to BBC Radio 2's Zoe Ball, "I dug it out one day while I was in the studio, put it at the start of the song." "And I liked it, so it stuck, and I hope she'll enjoy looking back on it when she gets older."

"As It Was" became a huge worldwide hit topping the charts in 45 countries, including the USA and UK.

As It Was lyrics by Harry Styles

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