April 7, 2017.
Listening to the opening chords of “Sign of the Times” for the first time with my friends at 3 A.M. was a life-changing experience I will never forget. The subtleness of the bass, the perfect use of a backing choir, the continuous build the song experiences to reach its climactic peak only to end with one simplistic piano note was absolutely everything.
I probably listened to the song a good 20 times that night, and over 200 times since and hearing it now still hits me like the very first time. There was definitely this unexpected shock I experienced after how secretive he had been leading up to this moment. How could Harry Styles encapsulate the feeling of an entire decade of music with his debut single?
Upon its release, “Sign of the Times” also left the music industry surprised. Stunned in the way that no one could’ve expected that this beautiful creation was from a former boyband member. Styles decided against the mediocre mindset of generating a guaranteed number one. Instead, he wanted to produce something that was real, genuine and authentic to him.
“Sign of the Times” is a perfect mix of the otherworldliness of David Bowie combined with the operatic vocal style of Queen. It borrows their raw emotion and modernizes it in a way that the older, mainstream public could accept. Styles embraces his new solo sound with a homage to glam rock’s roots and gives his own take on the genre he grew up listening to.
Styles released a modern-day classic as his very first solo single. Songs that weren’t originally popular; the ones hidden on albums for us to discover years later. A classic only builds after it’s been passed down from multiple generations until it becomes a significant moment in time we can’t live without.
Voluntarily choosing a nearly six-minute, eloquent rock balled as an introduction to the real person is unheard of. “Sign of the Times” was the beginning of an ethereal dream and his self-titled solo album was needed in the dying age of rock ’n’ roll. Where Styles leads us next is guaranteed to be even more breathtaking.
