On Harry Styles’ Birthday, Some Live Performances To Swoon Over
Happy birthday Harry Styles!
The Holmes Chapel-born English singer, best known for being 1/5 of the pop group One Direction and having a very successful solo career, celebrated his 26th birthday today. And despite having to cancel his pre-Super Bowl performance in Miami last night due to the worsening weather conditions, that doesn’t mean that I couldn’t enjoy a live performance or two from my teenage celebrity crush!
(And yes — I was that girl who read Harry Styles fanfiction during the height of the 1D era. And I’m not ashamed of it. ❤)
So to give props to the singer, here is a list of some of my favorite performances Styles has performed in the last few years.
Disclaimer: Be prepared to swoon over Styles’ hair and affinity for colorful 1970s fashion. I know I have.❤
“Sign of the Times”
As the first single of Styles’ solo career, I’m going to be honest — this was not what I expected coming from him in 2017. But over the years, this song has grown on me in the best of ways — so much so that this continues to be a staple on my iPhone.
Best Lyric: “We don’t talk enough / We should open up / before it’s all too much.”
“Watermelon Sugar”
As Styles tweeted in October 2019: “Kiwi walked so Watermelon Sugar could run.” The second of three songs that feature fruit in its title (the other two are “Kiwi” and “Cherry”), this tune features some brass instruments and a fun beat to jam out to — any time and anywhere.
Best Lyric: “Breathe me in, breathe me out / I don’t know if I could ever go without.”
“Two Ghosts”
Is this song inspired by his former flame, Taylor Swift? Is this inspired by someone else? That we’ll never know. What fans can say is that Styles has covered this Fleetwood Mac-sounding song with the legendary Stevie Nicks, transcending musical generations.
Best Lyric: “We’re just two ghosts standing in the place of you and me.”
“The Chain (Fleetwood Mac cover)”
What would you do if you were a musician who is friends with Stevie Nicks, aka the most famous member of Fleetwood Mac? Cover one of the band’s beloved songs — and Styles does not disappoint with his rendition of “The Chain.”
Best Lyric: “And if you don’t love me now / You will never love me again / I can still hear you saying / You would never break the chain.”
“Juice (Lizzo cover)”
This is the cover that you never knew you needed — until Styles released his version of the popular Lizzo tune in early December.
Best Lyric: “Somebody come get this man / I think he got lost in my DMs, what? My DMs, what? / You better come get your man / I think he wanna be way more than friends.”
“Ever Since New York”
This is possibly my favorite song from Harry. The musical arrangement is beautiful. The lyrics are soulful. As a born and raised New Yorker, I relate to this folksy tune in so many ways. And this particular performance? It features the pink suit that made me swoon when I originally watched this in 2017. ❤
Best Lyric: “I’ve been praying, I never did before / Understand I’m talking to the walls / I’ve been praying ever since New York.”
“Carolina”
I don’t know what it is about this song, but I absolutely love it. The musical juxtaposition set up in the song (the folksy-sounding guitar contrasting with the drumming throughout the tune) is one that I wish I could have created myself, and it’s just a fun song to bop to while getting ready to go out on the town with some friends.
Best Lyric: “I met her once and wrote a song about her / I wanna scream, yeah / I wanna shout it out / And I hope she hears me now.”
Girl Crush (Little Big Town cover)”
Who knew that Styles had a little country in him? In my personal opinion, Styles’ interpretation and musical arrangement of the Little Big Town hit edges out the original in just how good this song actually is.
Best Lyric: “Lord knows I’ve tried / I can’t get her off my mind.”
“Adore You”
Released on the same day as Niall Horan’s single, “Put a Little Love On Me” (please don’t ask me to choose which 1D member I like better), the music video features Harry dancing around with a CGI fish. This tune is so quirky — and I love it.
Best Lyric: “I’d walk through fire for you / Just let me adore you / Like it’s the only thing I’ll ever do.”
“What Makes You Beautiful”
The live performance to top all live performances. Only Styles could take the song that put him — and the rest of 1D — on the map and recreate it into a rocking banger. The jumpsuit. The moves. The backing band. All parts create a beautiful symphony — pun intended.
Best Lyric: “Everyone else in the world can see it / Everyone else but you.”
And for those who can’t afford to see a Harry Styles live performance at the drop of a hat, enjoy what happens when James Corden ropes him into performing in the middle of L.A. traffic:
