The timing of ex-One Directioner Harry Styles' debut solo single "Sign of the Times" is strikingly apt; it was released on the same day that US President Donald Trump orderd the launch 59 Tomahwak missiles at a Syrian regime airbase (the missiles took off while he had dinner with Chinese president Xi Jinping in south Florida) - as a warning against Syrian president Bashar al-Assad's use of chemical weapons against his own civilians.
There are no specific geopolitical references in the song, but the opening verse and chorus allude to an chilling apocalyptic atmosphere. Against a setting of uncertainty and possible violence, Styles' compelling vocals offer a hand of solidarity and the promise of escape:
'Just stop your crying, it's a sign of the timesWelcome to the final showHope you're wearing your best clothesYou can't bribe the door on your way to the skyYou look pretty good down hereBut you ain't really goodWe never learn, we been here beforeWhy are we always stuck and running fromThe bullets? The bulletsWe never learn, we been here beforeWhy are we always stuck and running fromThe bullets? The bulletsJust stop your crying, it's a sign of the timesWe gotta get away from hereWe gotta get away from hereJust stop your crying, it'll be alrightThey told me that the end is nearWe gotta get away from here'
Lyrics: Genius
The song spells out Styles' ambitions with its grandiosity and bombast. It begins as a somber John Lennon-esque piano ballad which then expand into a maximalist arena-rock number (cue the violin strings, loud cymbals and guitar solos) that has earned him several comparisons with David Bowie. The choir that accompanies the outro makes the song a tad excessive (running at 5 minutes and 40 seconds, it threatens to overstay its welcome) and the lyrics lack the kind of memorability that might place styles in the company of end-of-times crooners like Bob Dylan ('You can't bribe the door on your way to the sky' is the most distinct poetic line the song has to offer).
But it highlights Styles' credibility as a serious musician and charismatic vocalist in a way One Direction never did, and suggests that we are all about to witness the beginnings of a storied solo career.
