Much of the song sees Styles imploring his former lover to stop torturing him - "I hope you can see, the shape that I'm in / While he's touching your skin," he sings in the prechorus, perfectly encapsulating the possessive energy that can come out of a breakup. Styles, much like John, whom Styles admires so much that he even dressed up as him for a Halloween party last year, is aware of the campiness that comes with manufactured pop territory - he even hosted the Met Gala when the theme was "Camp: Notes on Fashion." So it's fair to assume that with a highly-stylized track like "Woman," he's aware of how his musical tendencies can come off. Yes, the stomping piano riff and the Elton John-esque "lalalalalalalas" that comprise half of the chorus are slightly ridiculous - but it's purely intentional. Pitchfork, in their 2017 review of Styles' debut album, called "Woman" "laughable," a critique that's just so wrong, I don't know where to begin. "Woman" is the ninth song on "Harry Styles." Song highlight: The shimmering, psychedelic guitar solo that comes towards the middle of the song perfectly captures Styles' classic rock influences - and it's pretty sexy, too. The searing guitar solo in the middle of the song calls to mind artists like Prince or Led Zeppelin, and Styles' lyrics ("She, she lives in daydreams with me / She's the first one that I see, and I don't know why") perfectly capture the frequently disconcerting power total infatuation can have on a person - even if you're not quite sure who it is that you're infatuated with. The song is an ode to unrequited love and lust, which makes sense considering that Styles previously said "Fine Line" is "all about having sex and feeling sad." Sprawling and sensual, "She" tells the story of a man who's infatuated with a woman from his imagination - whether she's based on a real person or is merely a figment of his desire is unclear, but that doesn't really matter. Song highlight: Exactly four minutes and 38 seconds in, when the music briefly pauses only to return triumphantly, seamlessly blending each instrumental. In the words of Paige DiFiore: "I just hate that it sounds like he is singing to me from 10 miles away through a cup." - Callie Ahlgrim It's a worthy send-off for such an intimate album, one that tenderly catalogs all the highs and lows of every experience. It needs time to build - and the song eventually blossoms into a choir of horns and drums and spectral harmonies. The six-minute showpiece may begin a bit slow, but only because Styles packs those six minutes with a kaleidoscopic emotional experience. Imagine my shock when my score of the gorgeous "Fine Line" title track (9.2/10) was combined with those of my esteemed Insider colleagues, and it landed at No. "Fine Line" is the 12th and final track on the album of the same name. Song highlight: The song delivers its strongest moment at the 1:18 mark when the chorus kicks off and Styles unexpectedly lifts up into the sky in the song's accompanying music video. But maybe that's why I write about movies. Personally, I think "Sign of the Times" is still a banger. According to Styles, the song was inspired by a young mother who died after childbirth who had five minutes to tell her newborn to "go forth and conquer." This song is soulful and emotionally heavy, and speaks about learning from our mistakes and persevering even in the bleakest of times. When I asked my coworkers why they all ranked what I believe is Styles' best song so low, they told me it was his perfect debut single, but it's too long and the lyrics are limited.
From the moment the piano starts up in Styles' debut single, it's hard to keep yourself from unconsciously bobbing your head to the rhythm of the song. Personally, I'm flabbergasted none of my colleagues enjoy this break-out anthem as much as I do and I think it's ranked far too low on this list. "Sign of the Times" is the second track on "Harry Styles."