Maps of Music

Harry Styles (2017)

Where the lyrics of Harry Styles take you, and where it was really made.

Most of the album was recorded at The Village in Los Angeles, but its writing retreat took place at a hotel studio in Jamaica.

Key places

Main recording studio in Los Angeles (2017)

Recording site Village Recorders — The album was primarily recorded at The Village in Los Angeles. Other sessions took place in London and at a hotel studio in Jamaica. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Writing retreat in Port Antonio, Jamaica (2017)

Recording site Gee Jam Hotel Recording Studio — Styles and his production team held a two-month writing retreat at the Gee Jam Hotel Recording Studio in autumn 2016. The point is set at the city centre of Port Antonio. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Full live performance filmed at Abbey Road (2017)

Live show Abbey Road Studios — A full-length live performance of the album was filmed at Abbey Road Studios for the Performances version of the Behind the Album film. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: Jubilee line to St John's Wood station, then about a 5-minute walk.

Surprise concert the day after release (2017)

Live show The Garage — Styles held a surprise concert at The Garage in London on 13 May 2017, a day after the album was released. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Second surprise show with Stevie Nicks (2017)

Live show Troubadour — Styles held a similar show at the Troubadour in Los Angeles on 19 May 2017 and invited Fleetwood Mac's Stevie Nicks as a special guest. Proceeds were donated to charity. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Album story

Overview

• Harry Styles: first solo studio album by Harry Styles
• Released 12 May 2017 through Erskine and Columbia Records
• Produced with Jeff Bhasker, Alex Salibian, Tyler Johnson and Kid Harpoon
• Lyrical themes focus mostly on women and relationships
• Influenced by music of the 1960s and 1970s, including classic rock and singer-songwriter ballads
• Lead single "Sign of the Times"; "Two Ghosts" and "Kiwi" followed as second and third worldwide singles
• Supported by Harry Styles: Live on Tour, his first headlining tour

Background

• August 2015: One Direction announced an extended hiatus after their fifth studio album
• January 2016: Us Weekly reported a permanent split, which the group denied
• February 2016: Styles left the group's management
• June 2016: Styles signed a recording contract with Columbia Records
• Jeff Bhasker executive produced the album and co-wrote most of it with Styles
• Writing retreat: two months in autumn 2016 at a studio in Port Antonio, Jamaica

Recording

• The album was primarily recorded at The Village in Los Angeles
• Sessions also took place in London and Jamaica
• "Sign of the Times" was conceived in Jamaica and written and recorded in 3 hours

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Tracklist

Sources: musicbrainz.org

Artist

Formation

• Harry Edward Styles, born 1 February 1994 in Redditch, England, grew up in Holmes Chapel, Cheshire.
• Auditioned for The X Factor in 2010 as a solo contestant; eliminated, then placed in a boy band formed with four other contestants.
• That group, One Direction, was mentored by Simon Cowell and suggested the name 'One Direction' by Styles.

Members

• Original members: Harry Styles, Niall Horan, Liam Payne, Louis Tomlinson, Zayn Malik.

Career

• One Direction signed with Syco Records in 2011 and became one of the best-selling boy bands of all time before an indefinite hiatus in 2016.
• Solo debut album 'Harry Styles' (2017) was led by the UK number-one single 'Sign of the Times'.
• Second album 'Fine Line' (2019) topped the US charts; 'Watermelon Sugar' reached number one on the US Billboard Hot 100.
• Third album 'Harry's House' (2022) won the Grammy Award for Album of the Year.
• Fourth album 'Kiss All the Time. Disco, Occasionally.' (2026) featured the global number-one singles 'Aperture' and 'American Girls'.
• Acting roles include Dunkirk (2017), Eternals (2021), Don't Worry Darling (2022) and My Policeman (2022).

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Reception

At release

• Metacritic: average score 68 from 24 reviews, indicating generally favorable reviews
• AllMusic critic Tim Sendra: works exceedingly well as a modern pop record and an extension of One Direction's sound, but falls just short as a personal statement
• Rolling Stone's Rob Sheffield: called it a superb solo debut in which Styles claims his turf as a true rock & roll prince
• Pitchfork's Jamieson Cox: pays fine tribute to classic rock'n'roll and shows off an exceptional voice
• The Guardian's Alexis Petridis: Styles is remarkably good as a confessional singer-songwriter, but not all the musical homages work

Reappraisal

• In 2022, Consequence of Sound retracted its low grade of the album
• In 2024, American Songwriter named it the most impressive solo debut following a band breakup

Records

• UK Albums Chart: debut at number one with 57,000 first-week sales
• US Billboard 200: debut at number one with 230,000 album-equivalent units, 193,000 of them pure album sales
• Highest first sales week for a British male artist's debut full-length album since Nielsen SoundScan began in 1991
• Second week: 67,000 units, falling to number three
• IFPI: ninth best-selling album of 2017 worldwide, with 1 million copies shipped
• UK year-end: number 22 in the top 40 biggest albums of 2017
• Platinum certification in the UK, US, Australia, Canada, Italy, Brazil, Denmark, Poland and Mexico

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Trivia

• "Sign of the Times" was conceived in Jamaica and written and recorded in 3 hours
• "Only Angel" contains a sample of dialogue from the film Barfly, written by Styles's hero Charles Bukowski
• "Ever Since New York" is perceived to be a response to Taylor Swift's song "Style"
• Styles held a surprise concert at The Garage in London the day after the album's release
• Harry Styles: Behind the Album was released exclusively on Apple Music on 15 May 2017
• Styles debuted two unreleased songs, "Oh Anna" and "Medicine", on tour, both originally written for the album

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

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