Harry's House Artist: Harry Styles.
Producer: Kid Harpoon, Tyler Johnson, Samuel Witte
Label: Columbia.
Released: 2022.
Genre: ElectroIndie/ Pop Stream it: Anywhere you stream your music!
Trailer: Welcome into Harry's House, take off your shoes and dance awhile.
Here is the promo for the album, so indie and adorable.
In his third solo studio album Mr. Styles presents an eclectic mix of different flavors of pop. According to Wikipedia, the album is, "[i]nspired by the 1970s Japanese city pop" (n.d). With the pop-y tunes come some hard hitting lyrics inspired by Styles' relationships and life. In the popular song "As It Was" Styles sings (2022):
Answer the phone "Harry, you're no good alone Why are you sittin' at home on the floor? What kind of pills are you on?" Ringin' the bell And nobody's comin' to help Your daddy lives by himself He just wants to know that you're well, oh (Harry's House, Harry Styles)
While this song has a pop tune to it there are some deeply emotional lyrics that express being malcontent with change and in a depressive state of being. Young adults will relate to Styles' experience with changing relationship dynamics as one pursues finding the one or many people they will share special time with.
In another popular song, "Little Freak" Harry sings about a crush:
I was thinkin' about who you are Your delicate point of view, I Was thinkin' about you I'm not worried about where you are Or who you will go home to, I'm Just thinkin' about you (Harry's House, Harry Styles)
I missed the One Direction craze but I can recognize that Styles was and continues to be a heartthrob for people of all ages. I like that he kept to his roots with some cheeky, flirty songs. Despite the casual tone of the song, there are some interesting lyrical choices that are more reminiscent of a poetic style than a pop-song style. Don't expect a lot of rhyme or reason from this conceptual Styles album! Just go along for the ~vibes~.
Another song from the album "Music For a Sushi Restaurant" is accompanied by what I can only describe as a "must-watch" music video. Truly jarring and bizarre, but you have to respect that from such a commercial pop star.
Created by: Harry Styles rose to fame in the early 2010s as the lead of an English boy band called One Direction. The boy band became a pop sensation, completing many world tours together until they split up in 2015 (Wikipedia, Harry Styles, n.d). From 2015 on Harry Styles has recorded and performed as a solo pop artist. Harry is known mainly for his musical work but in recent years has appeared in some feature films, including the popular thrilled Don't Worry Darling that made a splash in pop culture in 2022.
Analysis: I was never really a boy band person, frankly I've always gravitated more towards angry girl rock than anything else, but I am absolutely a Harry Styles fan after listening to this album. Because I came into this album not really understanding the whole Harry Styles phenomenon I decided to ask the AI service ChatGPT what it thought about the man, the myth, the legend, Mr. Harry Styles:
I though this was a fabulous analysis, and from what I can gleam from his business site and Wikipedia it's all more or less accurate. I think the charisma thing might be more of an opinion than a cold hard fact, but there is probably a teenager somewhere who would whole-heartedly disagree. I think the album Harry's House speaks volumes to Styles general likability. The album manages to be emotionally authentic and vulnerable while still being mass marketable as a pop album. You could cry or shake your butt or, depending on the occasion, maybe a little bit of both to this album. I find that intersection of emotional vulnerability and a sense of levity to be the quintessential young person persona right now. These young people will share the most harrowing details of their life in the most casual way. Like, "just thinking about self-harm, slay" and then stick their tongue out in a fun, cheeky way. This album articulates this attitude well.
In the Library: How many dance party is a library allowed to throw by law???? I hope it's a lot. I want to throw a Harry Styles dance party and fashion show in which people of all ages, genders, vibes, can strut their stuff and shake their butts! I think this would work best as an outdoor, summertime party with light refreshments and a DJ. Potentially even a fashion contest??? Something fun and young.
Potential Issues: I don't know if this title would be available on a digital service like Kanopy yet, but a few CDs could certainly be acquired. I worry that younger people might not have the tools to listen to a CD anymore, though!
Reason for Inclusion: Harry Styles is an icon and artist who young adults really relate to. I want to have materials that young people will want to check out and will be tickled to see on the shelves of the library.
Sources:
Harry's House. (n.d). Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harry%27s_House
Harry Styles (2022, May 20). Harry's House [Album]. Columbia; Erskine. Harry Styles. (2022). Youtube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CiwMDFh_Rog
Harry Styles (n.d). Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harry_Styles
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