“Sign of the Times” by Harry Styles is a dramatic pop rock and soft rock ballad that marked the singer’s official debut as a solo artist after One Direction. Released on 7 April 2017 as the lead single from his first solo album, Harry Styles, the song was issued through Erskine Records and Columbia Records. It was written by Harry Styles, Jeff Bhasker, Mitch Rowland, Ryan Nasci, Alex Salibian, and Tyler Johnson, and produced by Jeff Bhasker, with Alex Salibian and Tyler Johnson as co-producers.

Musically, “Sign of the Times” blends pop rock, soft rock, piano ballad, glam rock, psychedelic soul, indie rock, and 1970s British rock influences. The song is built around a slow, emotional piano foundation that gradually expands into a cinematic rock arrangement. The main instruments include piano, keyboards, lap steel, guitar, drums, bass, layered vocals, and a 25-voice choir. According to the song credits, Jeff Bhasker played piano, keyboards, and lap steel, Mitch Rowland played guitar and drums, and Ryan Nasci played bass.

The song is written in F major, set in 4/4 time, and moves at a slow tempo of around 60 beats per minute. Its long build-up, soaring vocal performance, and atmospheric production give it the feeling of a classic rock power ballad rather than a conventional radio pop single.

Lyrically, “Sign of the Times” is much darker than many listeners first expected. Harry Styles explained that the song was written from the perspective of a mother giving birth during a medical complication. The child survives, but the mother is told she will not make it, leaving her only a few minutes to tell the child to go forward and live. This gives the song its apocalyptic, emotional, and almost spiritual tone.

“Sign of the Times” became a major commercial success. It reached No. 1 on the UK Singles Chart and No. 4 on the US Billboard Hot 100, making it a powerful debut for Styles as a solo artist. In the United Kingdom, it ended Ed Sheeran’s long run at No. 1 with “Shape of You.” In the United States, it debuted with strong sales, streaming, and radio numbers, becoming Styles’ highest-charting solo song at the time.

One curiosity about the song is that the idea began while Styles was playing chords on a piano in Jamaica. Producer Jeff Bhasker later said the full song was cut in about three hours, calling it an “instant classic”-sounding record from the beginning.

Another interesting detail is the music video, directed by Yoann Lemoine and filmed on the Isle of Skye in Scotland. The video shows Styles singing in a meadow, flying through the sky, and walking on water. According to the article, the stunt pilot said Styles flew more than 1,550 feet high during filming, and that the flying scenes did not use green screen or CGI.

The video became a major part of the song’s legacy, winning British Artist Video of the Year at the 2018 Brit Awards and Best Music Video at the 2018 iHeartRadio Music Awards. The song itself also won a BMI Pop Award in 2018 and was later placed by Rolling Stone on its list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.

Just stop your crying, it's a sign of the times
Welcome to the final show
Hope you're wearing your best clothes
You can't bribe the door on your way to the sky
You look pretty good down here
But you ain't really good

We never learn, we've been here before
Why are we always stuck and running from
The bullets?
The bullets?
We never learn, we've been here before
Why are we always stuck and running from
Your bullets?
A bullet?

Just stop your crying, it's a sign of the times
We gotta get away from here
We gotta get away from here
Just stop your crying, it'll be alright
They told me that the end is near
We gotta get away from here

Just stop your crying, have the time of your life
Breaking through the atmosphere
And things are pretty good from here
Remember everything will be alright
We can meet again somewhere
Somewhere far away from here

We never learn, we've been here before
Why are we always stuck and running from
The bullets?
The bullets?
We never learn, we've been here before
Why are we always stuck and running from
The bullets?
The bullets?

Just stop your crying, it's a sign of the times
We gotta get away from here
We gotta get away from here
Stop your crying, baby, it'll be alright
They told me that the end is near
We gotta get away from here

We never learn, we've been here before
Why are we always stuck and running from
Your bullets?
The bullets?
We never learn, we've been here before
Why are we always stuck and running from
Your bullets?
Your bullets?

We don't talk enough
We should open up
Before it's all too much

Will we ever learn?
We've been here before
It's just what we know

Stop your crying, baby, it's a sign of the times
We gotta get away
We got to get away
We got to get away
We got to get away
We got to get away

We got to, we got to run
We got to, we got to run
We got to, we got to run away

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