Haylor- What Really Happened

The whole picture

Now that I've combed through every single detail, it's time to take a step back and look at the whole picture.

This is where MITAM leaves us, because I don't believe it's exactly accurate and personal enough for this analysis, in the perspectives of Harry and Taylor.

However to compare Harry Styles debut album, and 1989 as a whole is something else.

Both albums I believe are represent rebirth, or new beginnings.

The artwork of Sign Of The Times if you remember, shows Harry standing in water, his back turned to the audience.

Now if you look closely there's two hands seen under the water. You can see the signature rings on the fingers, so it's safe to say this is Harry's hands. It's almost like he's watching himself drown, but a past version of himself. In other words the Harry we used to know, the persona he had in One Direction. As morbid as this sounds, it's a natural part of life. How we learn and grow and become not new people, but different versions of ourselves through time.

Now running with the theme of rebirth, we take a took at the album itself.

On the album cover of Harry Styles we see him bathing in pink water, only his back and neck exposed. I'm drawing straight from Billboard's article here, so bear in mind these are not my ideas. But it mentions how the pink of the bathwater, though aesthetically pleasing, is an effective symbolism of impurity.

"Historically, pink water is a type of waste water that exists only on toxic environments: it's colour is discharged in situations of demilitarisation, when TNT dissolves in water. It's unusable, and turns brown when exposed to too much sunlight."

- Billboard/ The Meaning Behind Harry Styles Solo Album Artwork/

Him bathing in this water signifies his "baptism" if you will. He's shedding his impurities and flaws, whatever they may be. And to do so, he must be vulnerable, which is why we only see his back, the most unmarked and vulnerable part of his body. He's covering his face with his hands, which is a vulnerable gesture. It's something that we do to hide our emotions, not from ourselves, but from the rest of the world. The barrier gives us the protection we need to come to terms with ourselves. And hanging down his back we see the lotus pendant, symbolising purity. A lotus, though a beautiful flower, is born admist filth and mud. Much like how I compare Harry himself against the world, but here it means something different. It's understanding that the best version of yourself is born from your worst moments. It's understanding that maturity isn't burying your flaws, it's confronting them. True vulnerability is raw and honest and brutal, and there's a special strength in being able to be in that state, and pull yourself out of if.

This is Harry Styles remaking himself, accepting change and growing up. This is Harry Styles, reborn.

A new era. A new album.

Which is exactly what 1989 achieves so well. The whole album is sonically cohesive and tells the story of her journey, from top to bottom, which is really pleasing to listen to. This album was her breakthrough into pop music. Though the transition between country and pop were explored in Red, she fully embraces pop artistry in this album. Just like how it was Harry coming out as a solo artist, this is Taylor coming out as a pop artist.

Writing 1989 instead of printing it gives it a more personal feel, and naming the album after her birth year obviously speaks volumes. And using a polaroid, something that was not just significant in the relationship but is also a symbol for age and growing up, and this is even more emphasised in the washed out colours of the cover. And even though it's slightly faded, Swift's signature red lips are the next focus, and it will slowly become a feature that you associate with this artist specifically, and other people, like the artist's love interests, will remember later. And though it's clear this album is personal, she doesn't show her eyes, which display true human emotion. When you look into someone's eyes, it's not difficult to read them. This shows that she's willing to share but only to an extent, because no one needs to know the whole narrative of someone's life. A fair opinion to have that's often overlooked in our greed to just know.

These albums were significant in their careers, and not just in terms of sales. They're both stepping into adulthood and exploring new styles that are our of their comfort zones.

They were bold steps, risks that paid off very well, and I have no doubt that they will be remembered in the industry for years to come. Personal, raw and honest music is what could save the industry today. It's what we're so desperately starved for. And I hope that as time passes people will be able to but aside their judgement for the artist long enough to listen to the lyrics and feel something. I'm referring to the unjustified haters, not the innocent people of punk music or rock or whatever genre. Some of us have various genres of interest, and that fine. We all like different things, I get it. You do you.

And now, though I have done exactly what I despise others for doing in this analysis, I must leave you all with something to think about.

This analysis is in no way fact, it was not confirmed by the artists themselves. I took what was available to me and wove a story. All the quotes, songs and my own personal bias, I made it work. And I could've easily done it for anything else, I could've argued that these songs were about Hendall or even Larry. I could've argued that these songs were entirely impersonal, that the artists said what they needed to ensure the success of their work. I could've painted them as money hungry, detached individuals. But I didn't. But someone else could just as easily done the opposite.

All the words you need are out there, waiting for someone to put them in the 'right' order.

So when you leave, if you take away anything from this, let it be this. Remember to not believe everything you read. Ask questions, look closer. Even highly controversial topics that seem absolute. I'll use Zayn's departure from 1D as an example, because it's highly likely those reading will find it relevant. The things he said, the songs he wrote and the way he acted, was it all real? Was he forced to say those things for his image as a 'solo' artist? Did it gain him a broader audience and more acceptance from those who didn't like One Direction? There's something trendy in hate these days, and it gets you a hell of a lot of validation. It's understandable that he may not have liked the style of music, but did he feel forced to reject everything he was a part of to feel accepted by the world for his new self? If he wanted to appeal to more than teenage girls, (who make up majority of the fan base) and to an older audience, was this effective in doing so? Having your own wonderings aren't accusations. Nothing I said here is true or absolute. But its important to look at every perspective, every angle. Don't trust anyone or anything fully. Even the words that come out of someone's mouth don't belong completely to themselves sometimes.

No one is going to reveal anything to you, because no one owes you anything. Think smarter.

And remember, Treat People With Kindness.

Peace ✌🏼