Мнение о дебютном сингле ГАРРИ

[L-Wild]

Это не моё мнение, это мнение с тамблера oliviabutterflies.
Я пощу это сюда специально для ЯНЫ.
Возможно, позже я это прочитаю и скажу своё мнение - с чем я согласна, а с чем нет.
Пока я это даже не читала, но вижу, что это развёрнутое рассуждение стоит внимания.

My interpretation of Sign of the Times Lyrics

With Harry’s blessing that we can interpret his work in the way we see it.

I have thought about the lyrics of the song, and am going to give my interpretation of the lyrics and the changes in Harry’s vocal range. So please listen and read the lyrics at the same time. I’m also going to look at the themes Harry has explored before in relation to being trapped and caged, the freedom of birds and flying, and I am also going to explore closeting.

Above all, I want to say I see this song as being about a couple. Harry speaks with the term “we” a lot - subconsciously he is half of a whole. A couple. I believe Harry is absolutely in love with Louis and this song is about their battle against the Iron Closet. I believe it is a pre-coming out song. I believe it is a warning to the OT and an announcement that Louis and Harry are going to come out with the biggest fanfare possible.

So here goes!

Just stop your crying
It’s a sign of the times
Welcome to the final show
Hope you’re wearing your best clothes

I take this first as Harry and Louis being told to stop complaining, stop crying - they know their situation. It is what it is. I can hear the voice of Simon Cowell, Henry Magee and Richard Griffiths saying this.

And the promise each time this will be the last time you’ll have to pretend - the stunts - put on your best clothes (note, this song is absolutely gender neutral). Each promise that this “show” of being heterosexual and pretending they weren’t together and then they wouldn;t need to do it again but…..

You can’t bribe the door on your way to the sky

You can’t bribe the door - however many times they tried to trade to get more freedom, it never worked. You can’t bribe that door to freedom.

I see this as so subversive. The sky is the limit but it also reminds me of Harry;s many bird tattoos and the birdcage and butterfly. The door was closed. The door was closed by management. They were trapped like birds in a cage. Their iron closet. I interpret the sky and flying as freedom - and seeing Harry flying in the video reminds me of If I Could Fly. And Harry’s one wish when he was 18 years old.

“If you could wish for anything in the world…..”

“Freedom.”

And so I do think the theme of flying, escape, getting away in Sign of the Times follows on from Harry’s writing in If I Could Fly and Happily, and Walking in the Wind and looking at Ready To Run. The birds of freedom - flying and wings and escaping that Birdcage - La Cage aux Folles.

You look pretty good down here

But you ain’t really good

That line “But you ain’t really good” is the most understated but also jarring line in a song I’ve ever heard. It hit me that this could be Harry’s pre-coming out anthem. That he has heard that so often. You look good as you are. Here is your image, Harry. This is how you shuld look - what you really are isn;t good. That teenager in love with his bandmate who just wants to hold his hand and kiss him - bad bad bad.

“But you ain’t really good.” - you can hear those people saying it to Harry and Louis.

And that is the end of the first quieter part sung in Harry’s chest voice - the end of that sarcastic quiet patronising tone he and Louis heard for so many years.

The next part is in his beautiful falsetto which I believe represents their trapped situation like trapped birds - I see this as the private complementation between Harry and Louis of their trapped situation which seemed to never end. “We never learn, we been here before”. 7 years of promises and being told what was right for them and what was wrong about them.

Just note how his voice changes from the chest voice to this striking falsetto - it’s a different voice. It’s a different situation. To me, it is Harry and Louis in the past 7 years.

We never learn, we been here before
Why are we always stuck and running from
The bullets, the bullets?
We never learn, we been here before
Why are we always stuck and running from
The bullets, the bullets?

We never learn, we been here before - my heart breaks every time on that line. So many promises. So many times they appeared to be close to freedom then they were shit further in the closet.

Why……. indeed. Why are they always stuck and trying to escape the next bullet - the next attack fired at them? The smearings, the stunts, the punishments, separation, each attack trying to wound and kill them - destroy them.

And this verse is sung twice. Because Harry is half of a whole which two people. HarryandLouis. LouisandHarry. You don’t get Harry without Louis and you don’t get Louis without Harry. So it’s sung twice because it is Harry AND Louis. Both halves of the whole in their trapped situation together.

(Basically, this is a masterpiece)

Just stop your crying
It’s a sign of the times
We gotta get away from here
We gotta get away from here
Just stop your crying
It’ll be alright
They told me that the end is near
We gotta get away from here

Harry’s voice changes again in this verse. He returns to his chest voice, and this is a powerful uplifting voice. This is Louis in Just Hold On. If it all goes wrong, darling just hold on. We’ll be alright. This is the times they’ve been told it’s not the last thing but the end is NEAR (note it goes backwards from the the final show to now being The end is NEAR).

The two lines “We gotta get away from here” - I see as Harry who wrote IICF and Happily. Harry who quoted Come Away From Me in March 2016 amidst Babygate. He wanted to escape. But he was supported by the one person who said they could keep going - it will end soon.

Harry’s voice changes again ever so subtly back to the tone of the first two verses next and we are back to that patronising voice who told them to be quiet and enjoy the situation..

Just stop your crying
Have the time of your life
Breaking through the atmosphere
And things are pretty good from here

I see this verse as - It’s pretty good from here - this situation you have. You are multi millionaires, have millions of fans, the world is your oyster if you stick with the plan. Enjoy it. Have the time of your life. You can hear TPTB saying it. The patronising talks over the years. Breaking through the atmosphere - the fakeness, the tension, the lies, - the distorted image of the atmosphere that prevented them from reaching the sky or freedom.

And those Powers That Be at the top saying things are pretty good. So enjoy it. And Harry and Louis have repeated this to themselves so much. Things are pretty good as they are. It’s a sign of the times. It is what it is.

Remember, everything will be alright
We can meet again somewhere
Somewhere far away from here

To me, this is that strong couple knowing it won’t always be like this. They won’t always be trapped. They will not always be separated, made to not look at each other in public. We can meet again on our own…..somewhere safe away from the cameras and the public. This is between the couple. They are so strong.

Then we have the beautiful falsetto and that ongoing repeated trapped situation of Harry and Louis (this is why it is repeated, it’s their neverending trapped vicious circle)

We never learn, we been here before
Why are we always stuck and running from
The bullets, the bullets?
We never learn, we been here before
Why are we always stuck and running from
The bullets, the bullets?

And back to Harry’s chest voice - the couple together. The repeat of “It’s a sign of the times” as they have been brainwashed to thinking.

Just stop your crying
It’s a sign of the times
We gotta get away from here
We gotta get away from here
Just stop your crying
Baby, it will be alright
They told me that the end is near

To me, the repeat of “We gotta get away from here” is again because this is two halves of a whole. “Baby, it’s alright” sounds so much like the lyrics in Home and Strong. Harry even sings “Baby, we could be enough.” Louis has called Harry “Baby”. It’s their term of endearment. Harry is Louis’ baby. And Louis is Harry’s baby.

Back to the falsetto - the trapped situation of the vicious circle they cannot escape from. The attacks from those bullets.

We never learn, we been here before
Why are we always stuck and running from
The bullets, the bullets?
We never learn, we’ve been here before
Why are we always stuck and running from
The bullets, the bullets?

And then we have a change in Harry’s voice as he is rising to the climax of the song. This is the point when we I feel he is saying this is the time to stop. They have kept going in the same situation and accepting because it’s what they know.

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

To me, this IS the point of change. The language changes from being told by the person in the past and repeating what they said. Now, Harry says We don’t talk enough - they have been essentially silenced - their love is spoken through the canvas of heir bodies by their tattoos which scream out Harry and Louis’ love for each other.

“We should open up

Before it’s all too much” -

And that says it all. Harry Styles is not going to be silenced on his love for Louis Tomlinson. They are not going to be beaten.

This verse also has an interesting change in the phrasing from “We never learn” to asking “Will we ever learn?” And he answers why they haven’t learnt before. Because “ we’ve been here before, It’s just what we know.” It is what it is. It’s a sign of the times. They got accustomed to living in that trapped situation of promises and being let down. They had an amazing life except for not being able to be free to be themselves and show they love each other.

The final verse is that climax with Harry’s voice showing its power - its strength. It is life affirming. They have made their decision. This is Harry’s warning. Harry and Louis are not going to run away from those bullets anymore. They are going to talk. They are going to open up.

This is the point that Harry’s voice takes full volume and sounds enough strength for two people. We have got to - got to - away…. they have to be free. .

Stop your crying, baby
It’s a sign of the times
We gotta get away
We got to get away
We got to get away
We got to get away
We got to get away
We got to—we got to—away
We got to—we got to—away
We got to—we got to—away

I believe there is hope in that final verse. This is the warning that Harry and Louis are coming out. They are not staying trapped in that cage any longer.

And again we have the repetition because this two people who make a whole. Soulmates.

Harry has opened that door to the light and he has washed away the vile grubby nasty things he has been told about himself and Louis over the years. He is sharing this baby with the world in more ways than one.

In his video he is flying over the Isle of Sky - over the sea. Freedom.

And, hearing how happy and relaxed, how giggly and positive Harry has sounded in his interviews, I do believe this song is his gay anthem on his experience with Louis of their forced closeting, being trapped like two birds who couldn’t sing and soar.

I believe that cage has is opening and they will soon be free to speak, to sing, to hold hands, to fly and soar together.

Freedom.