Harry Styles, Lights Up | Track Review 🎵

British Heartthrob Harry Styles reignites speculation regarding his sexuality on his unique, unexpected, yet totally intriguing 2019 pop single, “Lights Up.”

Question: If we were to look up heartthrob in the dictionary, would it be surprising if British pop/rock artist Harry Styles were used as an example? The answer should be a resounding, ‘Hell No,’ it wouldn’t be surprising! Styles definitely stood out during his days with One Direction, and his success from the 10s boy band translated into a successful, self-titled solo debut album, particularly the stunning “Sign of the Times”, as well as making his feature film debut in the Academy Award-nominated, Dunkirk.  The 25-year old seems to have it all – handsome looks, stellar voice – did I mention the looks? He returned Friday, October 11, 2019, with his first single post-Harry Styles, “Lights Up.”

“Lights Up” is quite an intriguing record, different from many of the songs that appeared on Harry Styles.  Honestly, this is starkly different from “Sign of the Times” or “Sweet Creature”. There are elements of vintage and retro, led by the robust bass line and the keyboards.  Still, there are also some modern cues, including the sleekness of the vocal production and some programming as well.  Even so, vocally, Styles remains a force, sounding absolutely marvelous, as he makes it clear he will “Shine, step into the light” and notably, ‘never go back.’

Honestly, it’s the lyrics, the accompanying music video, and the significance of October 11, 2019 (National Coming Out Day) that adds to the speculation about Harry Styles’ sexuality.  Does he care? Probably not.  There does seem to be elements of bisexuality implied in the music video, while the lyrics seem to be ‘open-minded’ without specifically addressing sexuality.  But the chorus seems to ‘open the door’:

“All the lights couldn’t put out the dark
Runnin’ through my heart
Lights up and they know who you are
Know who you are
Do you know who you are? (Oh).”

Final Thoughts

Did Harry Styles just come out? That is the question surrounding “Lights Up.” Regardless of how Styles identifies sexually, “Lights Up,” once again, is quite intriguing.  It has a groove, and some fine production work (Tyler Johnson), yet it doesn’t necessarily scream ‘commercial pop hit.’ Honestly, that’s not a bad thing.  Rather than give us “Sign of the Times 2.0” or something more straightforward, Styles goes against the grain, and it bodes well for him in my humble opinion.

Harry Styles • Lights Up [Single] • Columbia • Release: 10.11.19

Photo Credit: Columbia