Harry Styles (2017) Songs Ranked

Rating: 9.5/10

Harry Styles’ self-titled, solo-debut album was a very drastic change from what he had been making in One Direction. You can tell that he was heavily influenced by classic artists such as David Bowie, Freddie Mercury, and Pink Floyd while creating this record, and he managed to create a sound that was unlike anything else on the mainstream radio at the time. I really admire him for creating the album that he wanted to make, rather than making a radio album. Thematically, this album really touches on themes of lack of communication and longing for something or someone that’s no longer there.

Personally, I adore this album. I love all the songs, and I think Harry did an amazing job with this debut. So just know that while I do have to put a song at the bottom, that doesn’t mean I don’t love it.

10. Sweet Creature (Track 5)

“And oh, we started, two hearts in one home. It’s hard when we argue, we’re both stubborn, I know.” It actually brings me pain to rank this so low, because it’s such a sweet and gentle song, and you can tell it means a lot to Harry. It’s just a tad boring though. On the more positive side, the lyrics are touching, and the guitar is pleasant. I love the way Harry sings in that part towards the end, where it’s all echoey and faded, and he’s just singing “ohhh”. That was an awful way to describe it, but hopefully the readers who have heard the song know what I’m referring to. Once again, I’d like to publicly apologize for where I have ranked this song.

9. Kiwi (Track 7)

I hate ranking this so low, because it’s always a blast to listen to, and Harry gets so wild when he’s performing it. It’s great to head-bang to. I guess I have it on the lower end of this ranking because it’s so fun to listen to when you’re in the right mood, but otherwise it’s a little unsuitable.

8. Woman (Track 9)

I was originally going to have this as my least favorite, but I just love the pre-chorus and the “lalalalas” too much. Really, I love everything about this song, except for the chorus, which is too repetitive for my taste. I don’t mind a repetitive chorus (I’ll be talking about that more later), but I do if it’s only one word that’s being repeated. Harry’s voice is great here.

7. From the Dining Table (Track 10)

We’ve now reached my favorites from the album. I just want to say that I appreciate how the opener and closer for this album both reference places within a house. I love this song because of how personal and intimate it feels. Harry’s voice is very calm and withdrawn, and the lyrics are quite honest (especially one in particular. People who have heard this song, I hope you know which one I’m referring to). Additionally, I just love how raw it is sonically. You can hear the mini-squeaks as the guitar chords change, and it sounds like a live performance. I also love how the music swells into a crescendo at the end, where it’s saying “Maybe one day you’ll call me and tell me that you’re sorry too” as if the song itself is getting optimistic, and then it goes quiet again at the “But you, you never do”. That’s some real artistry.

6. Meet Me In the Hallway (Track 1)

Meet Me In the Hallway, while very mellow and dreary, is a great opener. It introduces the sound of the album and sets up the prevalent lyrical themes of pining and lack of communication. It’s a very reserved and docile song, but very pleasant to listen to. For fans of indie music, this will probably be your favorite from the album. I love Harry’s passionate voice in this song.

5. Only Angel (Track 6)

Again, I wish I could rank this higher, because it’s so fun, the beginning is beautifully angelic and surreal, and I love how classic rock-inspired it is (it sounds like something from the Rolling Stones or Led Zeppelin). This and Kiwi are the two most dad-rock inspired songs on Harry Styles, but I think I prefer this one. I don’t know why, I guess it just resonates better with me. This is an incredible song, and you feel powerful and mysterious just by listening to it.

4. Carolina (Track 3)

This song is so groovy (don’t make fun of me for saying that please) and catchy, and Harry’s voice sounds great. This song sees Harry going crazy for a girl with a lot of personality and charm, and the fun little tidbits he leaves about her are a lot of fun, and add an interesting lyrical quality to the song. This is a very late 60s/early 70s sounding song, and I’m totally here for it. “She’s got a book for every situation. Gets into parties without invitations. How could you ever turn her down? There’s not a drink that I think could sink her. How would I tell her that she’s all I think about? Well, I guess she just found out.”

3. Sign of the Times (Track 2)

This song is honestly legendary. Like, I can’t sing its praises enough. In terms of debut singles, I think this is genuinely one of the best ones of all time. Sign of the Times is a 6-minute, soaring ballad, drawing large inspiration from David Bowie. Harry’s voice is at it’s most impressive, and his songwriting is astounding as well. The sheer craftsmanship of this song is wonderful, from the falsetto pre-chorus, to the impassioned bridge and outro. The bridge is my favorite part of this song, because Harry’s voice is incredible, and the really hard-hitting lyrics about lost communication start to become really prevalent (“We don’t talk enough, we should open up before it’s all too much. Will we ever learn? We’ve been here before. It’s just what we know”). Objectively, this is without a doubt the best song on the album (maybe in Harry’s entire discography thus far), but there’s just one song that beats it in my mind.

2. Two Ghosts (Track 4)

“Same lips red, same eyes blue. Same white shirt, couple more tattoos. But it’s not you, and it’s not me. Tastes so sweet, looks so real, sounds like something that I used to feel, but I can’t touch what I see.” Lyrically, I think this is my favorite song from Harry Styles. Most people think it’s about Taylor Swift (I don’t want to make Harry’s love life the focal point of this review, but I’m a huge Taylor fan, so it is noteworthy to me), which is interesting, because I think it’s very similar to her lyrical style. It has a lot of her trademarks. Country influence and twang, as well as descriptive lyrics that reference specific events from the relationship (“The fridge light washes this room white, moon dances over your good side. This was all we used to need” — which is an amazing lyric, by the way). This song describes two people who have changed so much within their relationship that they’re just ghosts of who they used to be, and the relationship feels practically void from how it started. They still care about each other, but they’ve lost the spark. It’s a beautiful and very real topic, and Harry sings it with lots of emotion and vulnerability. I also love the guitar in this song so much. This is a song that I will never skip when listening to the album, because the more I hear it, the more I love it. “We’re not who we used to be, we’re not who used to be. We’re just two ghosts standing in the place of you and me. We’re not who we used to be, we’re not who we used to be. We’re just two ghosts swimming in a glass half empty, trying to remember how it feels to have a heartbeat.”

1. Ever Since New York (Track 8)

I love this song so so so much, I think it may be unhealthy. Sonically, it’s one of the most gorgeous songs I’ve heard in a while. And the atmosphere that this song provides is very unique from any other song on this album. From the heavy percussion and the graceful guitar, to the richly harmonic chorus, it’s all perfect. And speaking of the chorus, I know I said in relation to Woman that I typically don’t like repetitive choruses, but I think when they’re done right, they can be amazing, and Ever Since New York does the repetitive chorus very right. The phrase that was chosen (“Oh, tell me something I don’t already know”) is poignant enough to pack an emotional punch, but vague enough that it’s open for interpretation. Plus, it’s beautifully sung, with glowing harmonies. This isn’t the most lyrically advanced song on the album by any means, but I’m very much of the belief that lyrics don’t have to be clever and witty to be touching and good. You can tell that the topic of the song really resonates with Harry, and he doesn’t go overboard with trying to show it. “Brooklyn saw me empty at the news. There’s no water inside this swimming pool. Almost over, had enough from you. I’ve been praying, I never did before. Understand I’m talking to the walls. I’ve been praying ever since New York.”