The song “Ever Since New York” by Harry Styles was first debuted live on SNL on April 15th, 2017 and it was then heard on the official album Harry Styles released on May 12. The song is speculated to be about his former companion, however, I interpreted the song in a different way, adding meaning to his character and the New York City lifestyle. His song starts with the lyrics,

“Tell me something, tell me something

You don’t know nothing, just pretend you do

I need something, tell me something new

Choose your words, ‘cause there’s not antidote

For this curse, oh, what’s it waiting for?

Must this hurt you just before you go?”

 

Harry could be talking about the media and their interaction with him. This could be looked at from the perspective of the media questioning him. The lyric “Tell me something” repeats multiple times throughout the song, highlighting this urge for the media to learn more about celebrities in order to make profit out of them. Further on, in another verse, the perspective seems to change and Harry sings,

 

“Brooklyn saw me, empty at the news

There’s no water inside this swimming pool

Almost over, had enough from you

And I’ve been praying, I never did before

Understand I’m talking to the walls

I’ve been praying ever since New York”

 

This verse could be touching upon Harry’s urge to leave the spotlight and go somewhere where the media does not feed on him for views and money. This is specifically tied to New York, because he has been praying for a more private life ever since he visited it. Maybe New York’s atmosphere was too scarring for him. His interviews could have felt repetitive and unnatural due to the fact that New York has such a large population of people, especially journalists. People could have been asking him the same questions and at times he felt like there is no more water in the swimming pool (he has run out of things to say). The constant meaningless interaction led Harry to feel not genuine. This shows how sometimes the large population of people in New York could negatively affect someone’s persona, making them feel claustrophobic in the environment.

 

By: Talita-Elena Vuvunikyan