Just listened to “As It Was” for the first time. Did I just hear a Coldplay song?

Nope. Turns out it’s a new single by Harry Styles, he of the now-defunct boyband One Direction, who are apparently “on hiatus” since 2016, according to the Internets. The last time I wrote about Styles was back in war-torn, pandemic-filled 2020, where he grooved my socks off with “Watermelon Sugar,” which I thoroughly enjoyed.

“As It Was,” the lead single off Styles‘ new album, Harry’s House, released in spring 2022, had no trouble trading on Styles‘ brand and shot to the top of the Billboard Hot 100 immediately on the strength of the artist’s name recognition.

But what kind of staying power does this track have?

As alluded to in my opening sentence, I literally thought I was listening to a Coldplay song; and the song itself didn’t grab me. But on repeated listens, I found things to like – especially after checking out the lyrics.

There’s a melancholy theme to the song that resonates with me. When he sings the lyrics, “Go home, get ahead, light-speed internet / I don’t wanna talk about the way that it was,” it reminds me of my ’80s childhood and ’90s teen years. Years I wish I could revisit with the knowledge I have now, and knowing that the grass isn’t always going to be greener on the other side.

I’m much older than Harry Styles, but when he sings “In this world, it’s just us / You know it’s not the same as it was,” it’s when I realize that even if “As It Was” sounds like 2011-era Coldplay, the sentiment is more powerful.