{"id":3768,"date":"2022-04-24T15:39:05","date_gmt":"2022-04-24T15:39:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/freshsheetmusic.com\/blog\/?p=3768"},"modified":"2025-08-13T08:34:42","modified_gmt":"2025-08-13T08:34:42","slug":"facts-about-harry-styles-new-hit-as-it-was-that-you-didnt-know","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/freshsheetmusic.com\/blog\/facts-about-harry-styles-new-hit-as-it-was-that-you-didnt-know\/","title":{"rendered":"Facts About Harry Styles\u2019 New Hit \u201cAs it Was\u201d That You Didn\u2019t Know"},"content":{"rendered":"[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]The new song from Harry Styles, \u201cAs it Was,\u201d is taking the Billboard charts by storm! Here are F<\/strong>acts About Harry Styles\u2019 New Hit \u201cAs it Was\u201d That You Didn\u2019t Know.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Almost immediately, the song flew to the number one spot on the Billboard Hot 100 charts. Everyone from serious music critics to long-time stans are fans of this teaser from Harry\u2019s upcoming album.\u00a0But what is the true story of \u201cAs it Was<\/a>\u201d? What are some fun facts from behind<\/a> the scenes? Read on to know everything there is to know about this new hit song<\/a> from the world\u2019s favorite floppy-haired crooner.[\/vc_column_text][vc_custom_heading text=”\u201cAs it Was\u201d Is About Two Lovers Growing Out of Their Relationship”][vc_row_inner][vc_column_inner width=”2\/3″][vc_column_text]If you think that the song\u2019s music<\/a> has a tinge of melancholy in it, then you\u2019re right.<\/p>\n

\u201cAs it Was\u201d describes the moment when you realize that you and your partner are no longer the same people that you were at the beginning of the relationship.<\/p>\n

The lyrics \u201cYou know it\u2019s not the same as it was\u201d repeat, showing that at least one of the lovers is starting to come around to the truth and realizing that they\u2019re too different to be together now.[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column_inner][vc_column_inner width=”1\/3″][vc_single_image image=”3771″ img_size=”full” onclick=”link_image”][\/vc_column_inner][\/vc_row_inner][vc_column_text]However, change is not all bad. Styles explained in a radio interview that, \u201cit\u2019s about metamorphosis and embracing change.\u201d The two lovers in the song are different people now, but sometimes that\u2019s for the better.[\/vc_column_text][vc_custom_heading text=”The Mystery Lover in the Song Isn\u2019t Olivia Wilde”][vc_column_text]As soon as the song was released, fans began speculating about who the woman that Harry is drifting apart from in the song might be. People initially suspected that the song was about Olivia Wilde, Harry\u2019s current partner.<\/p>\n

Lyrics in the song reference a lover from America with two kids, which would describe Olivia Wilde.<\/p>\n

However, Harry has neither confirmed nor denied this allusion. Publicly, their relationship certainly seems happier than the melancholy in the \u201cAs it Was\u201d lyrics.<\/p>\n

For now, this is just a very plausible fan theory. When talking about the album, he mentions that it\u2019s about a more personal metamorphosis rather than changing away from a specific person.[\/vc_column_text][vc_custom_heading text=”Harry First Teased This Song Through the You Are Home Campaign”][vc_column_text]Harry Styles<\/a> is known for his complex, dedicated release campaigns for his albums, and the upcoming Harry\u2019s House<\/em> is no different. Styles first teased the album through a social media and poster campaign titled \u201cYou Are Home.\u201d A secretive website and scheduled Coachella headlining performance sent fans even further into investigative mode.<\/p>\n

\u201cAs it Was\u201d was officially released on April 1, but the first mention of the song is a cryptic lyric posted on the teaser account\u2019s Twitter page.<\/a><\/p>\n

Fans and music critics alike are excited for Harry\u2019s new album\u2014and so is the artist himself.<\/p>\n

He\u2019s mentioned in interviews that he feels as if this album is a place where he can be his most authentic self musically. If the lead single is any indication, the rest of the album is going to sound great![\/vc_column_text][vc_single_image image=”3775″ img_size=”full” alignment=”center” onclick=”link_image”][vc_custom_heading text=”The Song Draws Heavily on Retro Influences”][vc_column_text]The artist has always paid tribute to songwriters who came before him in his music, and that influence is felt heavily in Harry Styles\u2019 \u201cAs it Was.\u201d The song\u2019s sad lyrics play over upbeat synth beats and melodies<\/a> that sound as if they came straight from an \u201880s pop tune.<\/p>\n

The retro vibe goes beyond the production in the song. In the official music video<\/a>, Styles wears a red sequined jumpsuit that looks as if it could belong to any glam rocker of old. Even the album title, \u201cHarry\u2019s House,\u201d is a reference to a song by Joni Mitchell<\/a>, one of the best singer-songwriters from the 70s. Mitchell approved the reference, continuing the tradition of rock and pop music\u2019s<\/a> greats mentoring Harry Styles.[\/vc_column_text][vc_custom_heading text=”The Voice You Hear at the Start of the Song Doesn\u2019t Belong to Harry”][vc_column_text]When you first listen to \u201cAs it Was,\u201d you expect to hear Harry Styles\u2019 gorgeous voice. However, the very first thing you hear is a little girl\u2019s voice saying, \u201cCome on, Harry, we wanna say goodnight to you.\u201d<\/p>\n

In an interview, Harry confirmed<\/a> that the voice belongs to his young goddaughter, Ruby Winston. The two have a habit of speaking on the phone every night, and one time when Harry didn\u2019t pick up, his goddaughter left him this voice note. He used it in the song to show feelings of isolation and pushing away your other loved ones when you\u2019re fixated on one person.[\/vc_column_text][vc_video link=”https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=H5v3kku4y6Q” align=”center”][vc_custom_heading text=”The Music Video Had a Mostly Ukrainian Team” font_container=”tag:h3|text_align:left”][vc_column_text]Showing his big heart, Harry Styles made a point of using a predominantly Ukrainian creative team to work on his music video. As the war in Ukraine rages on, many Ukrainian creatives need opportunities to support their families and show the world that they are still living. Harry gave his team that opportunity on one of the biggest songs of the year and made sure to mention Ukraine in the Vevo Music Video credits.<\/p>\n

The music video was directed by Tanu Muino and creative directed by Molly Hawkins.[\/vc_column_text][vc_custom_heading text=”The Entire Album Was Heavily Inspired by Lockdown”][vc_column_text]In interviews, Harry Styles mentioned that he wrote the album while inspired by his personal experience, particularly during his experience under lockdown. In the past, Harry has been more transparent about his influences (although he makes a point never to confirm whether songs are about specific people in his life), but he\u2019s been more cryptic about the meaning<\/a> of \u201cAs it Was\u201d and his upcoming album.<\/p>\n

For now, fans have put together that many lyrics in the song are about craving human connection and feeling increasingly alienated from others. The music video\u2019s potential references to The Matrix<\/em> support this theme. Maybe the answer to what \u201cAs it Was\u201d is really about will be clearer when we get the rest of the album.<\/p>\n

Harry Styles\u2019 \u201cAs it Was\u201d is a hit and a song<\/a> for the ages. Its lyrics and backstory are rich with meaning<\/a>, including some allusions that you maybe didn\u2019t get on the first listen!<\/p>\n

You can learn to play the song with ease if you download sheet music here<\/a>.<\/em>[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row]\n