Theory after theory, we’re getting ready for what’s waiting
Author: Andrea Mendieta
On March 23, Harry Styles announced his third studio album, Harry’s House, causing euphoria all over the world. Not even a week had gone by and the fans had already speculated about the 13-track album, which is dropping on May 20: was everything planned? Has Harry been giving us hints? What are the meaning of the cover and the pictures Harry posted? Has Harry been tying everything with a golden thread, leaving crumbs in every lyric? What’s waiting behind the doors? What’s inside Harry’s house?
–An invisible string throughout the albums
Every corner of Harry’s fanbase is covered in theories, sharing thoughts and expressing opinions. Scrolling through them, I’ve found some very interesting ones, making me question my own thinking. One we all share, which is more of a statement than a theory at this point, is about the lyrics; the constant mention in Harry’s songs about home. In his debut album, HS1, he expresses his deep wish for going home, this being reflected in songs like Meet Me In The Hallway and Sweet Creature. We then pass to Fine Line, his sophomore album, where he’s on the lookout for that home (ahem, Canyon Moon). And now we’re on the last stop, Harry’s House, where everyone suspects Harry is already… home.
–Bubble, bubble, bubble
Jumping from album to album, many have focused on the gloved hand on the Fine Line cover. It is suspected that the hand helped him get out of the bubble Harry was standing in, leading him to the top of it – where he’s sitting now. The gloved hand… you saw the As It Was music video? Then you also probably saw Harry wearing gloves. So, did he help himself get out of the bubble?
Adding more wood to the fire, they think that the color palette is one of meaning. In the Fine Line cover, everything is pink and light blue; whereas, in the picture of Harry atop the bubble, everything is gray. The fans say that Harry might have been taken out of his colorful bubble, of his own world. But would that fit Harry’s House theme?
–There’s no place like home
Has Harry been leaving bread crumbs as he toured the US? Many fans do think so. In Harryween (the show of Halloween in New York City, night One) Harry dressed as Dorothy, a character from The Wizard of Oz. In the movie, Dorothy clicks her heels three times to go home and says ‘there’s no place like home’. The fans think that Harry might have been hinting at something back then.
–Broke a finger knocking on your door (just open up, really)
As a principle, every harrie is already aware of the You Are Home account. For those who aren’t, it’s an account that posts lyrics on Twitter, and pictures of weird semi-open doors on Instagram, among other things. It’s basically another kind of “Do You Know Who You Are” account. The quotes the Twitter account posts are obviously lyrics, but the doors? Just like this paragraph is longer than the previous ones, so is the talk about the doors. The images behind them, fans say, could be covers from books Harry has read. The first one is supposed to be the author’s Haruki Murakami book cover. What does it even have to do with Harry’s House? It might be a tie that connects to some kind of snippet of the album, to some clue about the other songs. We know it wouldn’t be the first time. Recently, it was discovered that parts of the As It Was music video were waiting behind the doors. Then there is another with the Eroda map behind. So, is the fruit man giving us a grape song?
–You know it’s not the same as it was (now you’re in my life)
With As It Was already out we can discard some theories, like the one in the video that Harry posted. If you put it backward, it makes a melody. Many said it was a sneak peek at the new single. I myself was very excited about it, but it appears to be a theory proven wrong. Fans also said that the lyrics of the account You Are Home tweeted matched the melody. While it does sound as if it fits, the lyrics belong to the single As It Was. But something we cannot discard is the question: will it be a rock album? Yes, no, probably, argh. As It Was is already out, we’ve already heard Boyfriends and Late Night Talking. Every song we’ve heard is another kind of bean. Hence, who knows what else there is? Maybe some kind of Medicine-y song? No one would have anything against it.
Like always, it’s been a rollercoaster to find little details and messages under the microscope, even the ones that are just a stain and nothing else. There are endless theories – about the flowers, about the couch, about the doors… The fans have done it once again; they have interpreted every line in the walls, and have awoken once again the need to understand whatever Harry is trying to say (if he’s trying to say anything at all, that is).
So many questions have been proposed the real one got lost: are we sure we’re not used to overthinking everything when it comes to Harry or does every color really have an actual meaning?
I’m not sure about that one, but I’m sure that I won’t be able to sleep until Harry drops the album.
