Harry's 'Lights Up' - Analysis

[OMonster 14,671]

'Lights Up' is an intimate look at how mental health, sexuality and life in the spotlight has left Harry Styles filled with darkness. 

Verse One / Two:

Reflecting on his life in One Direction, Harry explains that he is 'never coming back down' from where he is today. 

He's never going back to life as a 'family-friendly', ultra-mediated version of who he really is. 

Sure, it'd be 'sweet if things just stayed the same' - but Harry knows that this can never happen; he can never return to the days of false-expression and boyband control. 

He is going to be his true self from this point forwards, however difficult it might be.

Chorus: 

Here, Harry addresses his life in the spotlight - and the bittersweet dichotomy it creates. 

'All the lights couldn't put out the dark' within Harry - there's no amount of fame, money or success that's going to 'save' him from the scars of notoriety. 

But, despite this, when the lights are up: his audience - his fans - can see him for who he truly is. We know this because it is during his tour that Harry really communicated his sexuality. From gay pride flags to debuting an unreleased bisexual anthem: his audience - 'the lights' - allowed him to be free. 

Harry knows that his fans know who he is ('lights up and they know who you are') - but, inside, he is struggling. 'Do you know who you are?', he asks himself.

He's finding himself, and working himself out. Only he's doing it all under the watchful eye of the media - and that's what this song is about: learning about yourself in a world that already knows you.

Bridge:

'Shine, step into the light' is again a reference to the dichotomy of his life as a celebrity, and his life as a young guy who's working out who he is. 

He's stepping into the light of fame (his shows, his career) - but he's also stepping into the light of his true self: he's accepting himself for who he really is. And he's had to learn to do that. He's had to break away from the image that was created for him. 

The light is 'so bright sometimes',  but he's 'never going back'.

It might all be hard - facing the light (the truth) of oneself, and the lights of solo fame - but he's never going back. He's never going to not be himself again. 

Context: 

Harry recently commented in his Rolling Stones interview that it was his tour that allowed him to be free with himself. He saw how his fans loved him for who he is, and how that reception helped to unlock an inner-acceptance within. This is why, I think, the song is - in part - about how the 'lights' are good for you. 

The 'dark in his heart' is why the lights are bad for you, however. 

If lights = fame, then we know fame hasn't always been so kind to Harry. 

1D was an ultra-controlled group, and they had very little - indeed, if any - freedom over their own representations. They lived life as a 'role' - and Harry's was the heterosexual heartthrob. 

As a bisexual man, this greatly damaged Harry. He'll never get over it, but he's going to fight to be his true self now - and he's not going to hide it.

He'll step into the light - quite literally - and show the world who he is now, and he'll never go back to a time when he didn't do that. 

Additional context: promo for this song started on world mental health day, and the song itself was released on national coming out day. This only re-confirms the themes of 'Lights Up', as Harry has previously shown awareness of these dates.

Conclusion:

This song is about how fame has hurt Harry over-time, but how he's now ready to take back control.

He's going to live life as who he is, and he doesn't care who sees it.

Harry might be scarred by fame, but he's slowly learning who he is and he wants to inspire others to live freely, too. 'Do you know who you are?' is the question that Harry is asking here. Be yourself and be free. 

 

[Chromaticunt 5,529]

Great analysis. I took a lot of that away from the song as well. It definitely sounds like a self acceptance song and the video confirms it's about his sexuality (plus the fact he released it on National Coming Out Day). But I don't think we're in an age anymore where he has to explicitly 'come out'. He's  just being himself unapologetically and making it clear how he identifies through his art. It's really brave. 

I wish the song had been a bit longer, but I still love it. Had it on repeat.

[OMonster 14,671]

41 minutes ago, ThatBinch said:

Great analysis. I took a lot of that away from the song as well. It definitely sounds like a self acceptance song and the video confirms it's about his sexuality (plus the fact he released it on National Coming Out Day). But I don't think we're in an age anymore where he has to explicitly 'come out'. He's  just being himself unapologetically and making it clear how he identifies through his art. It's really brave. 

I wish the song had been a bit longer, but I still love it. Had it on repeat.

Thanks!  

I agree, I don't necessarily think the song is explicitly about coming out - it's more about just generally finding yourself. And for Harry, that happens to concern his sexuality in part.

I think the main crux of the song is how Harry has to learn about himself whilst being famous - and how that element of his life has both hurt him, but also helped him along the way, too. 

As I was writing the above, I felt cross-overs with 'Applause' - thematically, anyway. 

Applause is about how fame is bittersweet - it is evil (the critic) but it is freeing (the applause). 

'Lights Up' is the same. Fame is evil for how it forced Harry to hide who he is, and suppressed his true expression - but it's also a saviour in the form of his fans. 

Both Gaga and Harry live in the lights, and addressed their feelings about that in these two lead singles. 

 

[ElectricKing 9,405]

Although I don't want to speculate on it because it's sort of counter-productive, I don't think he's bisexual. He's just an ally and wants to normalise all different types of sexualities. He's just a kind human being, that's all.

[OMonster 14,671]

10 minutes ago, PinkPop said:

Although I don't want to speculate on it because it's sort of counter-productive, I don't think he's bisexual. He's just an ally and wants to normalise all different types of sexualities. He's just a kind human being, that's all.

Bisexual or not, he's definitely non-conforming in a few ways. And he wasn't able to be that way in 1D, which is what this song is about I think. 

I'm not sure what his sexuality is. But he has done many interviews where he has allured to this. He even has a song where he says he 'tastes' men. And in the 'Lights Up' video, he is interacting with men as well as women.

[ElectricKing 9,405]

42 minutes ago, OMonster said:

Bisexual or not, he's definitely non-conforming in a few ways. And he wasn't able to be that way in 1D, which is what this song is about I think. 

I'm not sure what his sexuality is. But he has done many interviews where he has allured to this. He even has a song where he says he 'tastes' men. And in the 'Lights Up' video, he is interacting with men as well as women.

oh yeah for sure he didn't get to be the flamboyant harry he is now back then

tbh i take it with a pinch of salt. it's like bey with lemonade - everyone alluded to the fact that jay-z cheated because of the lyrics, album campaign etc, when in reality bey and jay are marketing geniuses and jay never cheated. i know harry isn't doing this for marketing, but it's the same concept about taking lyrics with a pinch of salt - there could be a thousand reasons behind lyrics.

[LordEnigma 11,313]

47 minutes ago, PinkPop said:

oh yeah for sure he didn't get to be the flamboyant harry he is now back then

tbh i take it with a pinch of salt. it's like bey with lemonade - everyone alluded to the fact that jay-z cheated because of the lyrics, album campaign etc, when in reality bey and jay are marketing geniuses and jay never cheated. i know harry isn't doing this for marketing, but it's the same concept about taking lyrics with a pinch of salt - there could be a thousand reasons behind lyrics.

He did cheat though