Sign of the Times (Harry Styles song)
| "Sign of the Times" | |
|---|---|
| Song |
"Sign of the Times" is the debut solo song by English singer Harry Styles. It is Styles' first single outside of the boy band One Direction. Released on 7 April 2017, by Columbia Records, it was written by Styles, Ryan Nasci, Mitch Rowland and its producers Jeff Bhasker, Tyler Johnson, and Alex Salibian.[1]
Composition
The song is a pop rock,[1] soft rock, piano ballad.[5] According to a Billboard writer, it "folds in psychedelic soul, indie rock and spacey pop."[6] The power ballad shows influences from British rock from the early 1970s.[7]
Critical reception
Tim Jonze of The Guardian described it as "a ballad, but not so much in the boyband style" and compared the song to the music of American indie rock band The Walkmen.[8] Jonze also addressed early rumors that the song would be influenced by the music of David Bowie, noting "If it is indeed Bowie-esque, then it’s the Bowie of Hunky Dory".[8]
Writing for Rolling Stone, Brittany Spanos thought it "aligns much more with the Seventies-inspired pop-rock of One Direction's more recent albums like Made in the A.M.".[9]
In The Atlantic, Spencer Kornhaber wrote the song "continues with One Direction's po-mo project of recycling classic-rock sounds as bubblegum. But he’s now embracing such sounds with more abandon, less chirpiness, some trend bucking, and the kind of uplifting lyrics that nod to planetary anxiety." Kornhaber described the song opens with ballad piano, "encroaching" violins, and Styles "crooning in pain", "but then there’s the bwang of a guitar and the song rockets into an arena-rock reverie that feels so, so familiar to anyone who remembers the '90s but also so, so foreign to today’s landscape."[10]
Billboard's Gil Kaufman wrote, "Every artist is an accumulation of their influences, and in [this song] they come fast and furious, as Styles appears to be both showing his range and making a clear effort to step boldly away from the manufactured, plastic pop of his past." Kaufman opined it "rakes in influences from Pink Floyd and David Bowie to Spacehog, Suede, Coldplay, The Beatles, Eric Carmen and Prince."[6] Also for Billboard, Jason Lipshutz wrote it is "resolute, determined, wholly committed to its messaging and sound, radio trends be damned. Although it wears its influences on its sleeve (Bowie) nothing about this single bends toward someone else’s expectations." He concluded saying the song "sounds effortless, but to arrive without any incomplete features is an accomplishment in a music industry where pop artists are expected to produce new music at an unsustainable rate."[11]
In The Telegraph, Alice Vincent described it as a "swooning piano ballad with somewhat overdone production" and opined, "it is also... a little boring. A big, blousy singalong which shows off Styles's vocal prowess – especially with an unexpected, slightly yelping falsetto bridge – but isn't enormously fun."[5] Since it was released on the 30th anniversary of Prince's Sign o' the Times, Spin's Andy Cush commented, "it’s clear that this is Styles’s attempt to distinguish himself as an artist with real depth. But the music itself has almost nothing to do with Prince–instead, think Oasis, Elton John at his most bombastic, '70s John Lennon." Cush noted it "has only those three chords, and it goes straight for cruising altitude with an onslaught of cymbals and guitar on the first chorus, expecting you to be moved without pausing to consider why."[12]
Live performances
Styles is set to perform on Saturday Night Live on 15 April 2017.[13] On 21 April, Styles will appear on the BBC's The Graham Norton Show, for his first solo performance in his native UK.[14]
Charts
| Chart (2017) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Netherlands (Tipparade)[15] | 24 |
| US Mainstream Top 40 (Billboard)[16] | 29 |
References
- ^ a b c "Here Are The Lyrics To Harry Style's 'Sign Of The Times'". Billboard. 7 April 2017.
- ^ Wass, Mike (7 April 2017). "Harry Styles Takes Flight With "Sign Of The Times"". Idolator.
- ^ "Harry Styles channels glam rock in post-One Direction debut". CTV News. 7 April 2017. Retrieved 9 April 2017.
{{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|work=(help) - ^ "Sign of the Times - Single by Harry Styles on Apple Music". iTunes Store. United States: Apple Music. 10 April 2017.
- ^ a b Vincent, Alice (7 April 2017). "Harry Styles's solo single Sign of the Times is mournful, sensitive and a little boring - review". The Telegraph.
- ^ a b Kaufman, Gil (7 April 2017). "Harry Styles' Biggest 'Sign of the Times' Influences: From Bowie to Pink Floyd & Coldplay". Billboard.
- ^ "Harry Styles goes '70s glam: Hear his new solo single 'Sign of the Times'". Los Angeles Times. 7 April 2017.
- ^ a b Jonze, Tim. "Harry Styles debuts Sign of the Times. Is he really the new Bowie?". The Guardian.
- ^ Spanos, Brittany (7 April 2017). "Hear Harry Styles' Sweeping Debut Solo Song 'Sign of the Times'". Rolling Stone.
- ^ Kornhaber, Spencer (7 April 2017). "Even Former Boy-Banders Are Making Music About the End Times". The Atlantic.
- ^ Lipshutz, Jason (7 March 2017). "Harry Styles' 'Sign of the Times' & The Virtue of Patience". Billboard.
- ^ Cush, Andy (7 April 2017). "Harry Styles' "Sign of the Times" Is Pompous, Overblown, and Too Long, and His Fans Are Gonna Love It". Spin.
- ^ Lipshutz, Jason (7 April 2017). "Harry Styles Will Perform a Second New Song on 'Saturday Night Live'". Billboard. Retrieved 7 April 2017.
- ^ "Harry Styles is making his solo UK debut on The Graham Norton Show". Digital Spy. 5 April 2017.
{{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|work=(help) - ^ https://www.top40.nl/tipparade
- ^ Trust, Gary (10 April 2017). "Pop Radio is 'All In' on Harry Styles' Solo Debut 'Sign of the Times'". Billboard. Retrieved 11 April 2017.