Taking the Fine Line Journey
It’s during the two-and-a-half minute guitar interlude, worthy of transporting one to the glorious era of rock ’n roll, that an alarm goes off in the background of She, the eighth track on Harry Styles’ second album Fine Line. Serving as an interruption in our protagonist’s daydreams of a mystery woman, the ringing tips him back into reality and is the kind of detail that makes the album cross the fine line between success and brilliance.
Fine Line is a story in sound; a tryst with love, self-discovery, loneliness and acceptance. For this reason, song sequence is of great importance to the narrative that Styles beautifully delivers through lyrics, instrumental breaks, album artwork and music videos of his singles.
Golden starts off Side A of the 47-minute album on an immediate high — falling hard and fast even through the awareness of the much too bright flame. The early warning signs hide in plain sight as lyrics are masked by upbeat music, carrying listeners into the next up Watermelon Sugar and Adore You. Both deliberate songs of the summer, they are unapologetically pop and all about the headiness of loving (sometimes to a fault) and bright (mainly fruit) imagery. But between begging permission to adore his lover and asking “Do you know who you are?” in Lights Up, there is a slow but sure shift in the narrative. The illusion breaks, revealing the toxicity of that heady love and prompting the journey to self-love and acceptance instead.
Despite the watershed moment, Side B has Styles struggling with relatable post-break up woes. Through Cherry (complete with a voice note at the end of his ex-girlfriend speaking French) and Falling, we trudge through inevitable jealousy of the new significant other, the fear of being forgotten and not liking one’s own company. The side ends with a 6-minute tribute to classic rock (reminiscent of a Prince and Pink Floyd jam as per the Rolling Stones) which Styles admits was created under the influence of psychedelics. While more obviously interpreted as a storytelling song of a man caught up in his daydreams with a lady to escape the mundanities of his life, She could also be an exploration of the protagonist’s gender identity. “A woman who’s just in his head, and she sleeps in his bed, while he plays pretend”. There is a sense that this ‘she’ may not be the duplicitous protagonist’s love affair but rather his own interior feminine self that he is both in touch with and yet in denial of.
The Easter eggs continue in Side C, starting with the first 7 seconds of Sunflower, Vol. 6 echoing the word “sunflower” when played in reverse. Spirits in the narrative pick up here with Styles singing about the tongue-tied, never-get-enough phase of a new love. It’s followed by Canyon Moon with its characterising dulcimer sound; this is peak folksy domestic bliss and perhaps the easiest segway into the equally singalong worthy Treat People With Kindness, titled after what could be called Styles’ brand given his strong advocacy of kindness and #loveislove. This song is an interesting one, reminiscent of retro musical theatre, it’s all things good feeling and togetherness- handclaps, congas and Mellotron all adding to the effect.
While the first three sides are quite the journey, the final Side D with only the song that doubles as album title is an almost-spiritual experience in itself — even unaided by the shrooms. Fine Line is really the essence of the album, condensed into 6:18 minutes. It’s raw and emotional as Styles croons “Put a price on emotion, I’m looking for something to buy”. Minimal but impactful lyrics, repetitions of “We’ll be a fine line” and “We’ll be alright” and the horns and string instruments all chalk up to an out-of-body experience. Styles’ vision admittedly was to have a “big epic outro” and the orchestral music crescendo with soulful harmonising achieves exactly that, and more.
With 12 spectacular tracks ranging from pop and classic soft rock to more experimental R&B and folksy sounds, the album — much like its creator — is better unlabelled. Styles brings a new perspective to break up albums but leaves it open for listeners’ interpretation. Perhaps it is the embedded messaging, or the incredible production and diversity of sound or Styles’ charisma that makes Fine Line stand out. Or maybe it’s all of those things and a dedicated fan base that has awarded Styles the success that this album has had and is yet to have, if Billboard and Forbes Grammy Predictions are anything to go by.
Between the Fine Line era starting with Lights Up’s “Do you know who you are?” promotional posters and ending with “You’re so golden” from the work-in-progress Golden music video, the album is a reassurance. A promise that things will be okay, which is somehow just what the uncertainty of this time needs. After all, if Harry Styles in all his tattooed, high-waisted trousers glory says we’ll be fine, then we probably will be, right?
