5. Harry Styles - As It Was

Mentioned: a-ha - Take On Me, The Strokes - Ode to The Mets

Konstantin Samoilov: I am with Natalia San Antonio in Ocean Grove, New Jersey. Natalia loves As It Was by Harry Styles. Natalia, welcome.

Natalia San Antonio: So great to be here. Thank you for having me. 

Konstantin Samoilov: What do you feel when you listen to As It Was? 

Natalia San Antonio: I feel a lot of different emotions. It has been my number one song for almost a full year since it came out in I think April or March of last year. And ever since then, it's been my top song on Spotify. When I first listened to it, it really sounded Take On Me, the eighties song. And it just had that wonderful eighties feel. And I really love eighties music.

So it made me wanna dance. That was the first feeling that I had when I listened to it. But there's just so much to it. Like I feel nostalgia when I listen to it. I feel sadness when I listen to it, and I think I can listen to it in so many different settings. Like it just fits out any mood that I'm in. So that's why it's my favorite. 

Konstantin Samoilov: What places do you associate with it? If any? 

Natalia San Antonio: Yeah, when it first came out I was in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan. So I definitely associate it with Bishkek and especially during that time, like spring. And there was a really nice park by my apartment in Bishkek and I remember walking through the park and listening to it then.

And I think a lot about just the memories that I had in Bishkek and the type of person that I was in Bishkek and how I am different now and kind of how that song relates to all of that. And I'm a person who, like, when I listen to a song, I always think of the memories that I had when I listened to it first. And I think that's really important.

Konstantin Samoilov: Do you feel that this song more turns you into a different person while you're listening to it, or heightens who you are? Or both?

Natalia San Antonio: Yeah, I think it kind of does both. So this song is a lot kind of about someone changing and how there was this fleeting moment when something was one way and then it's never gonna be that way again. It's not the same as it was.

And I think that says a lot about myself, like thinking about myself maybe before the song came out, before I was abroad versus my experiences after I was abroad. Cuz I felt like that changed me a lot. And in some ways I'm a different person, but in other ways I feel like much more myself than I've ever felt.

Konstantin Samoilov: Why do you think As It Was is one of the most popular songs of the past few years?

Natalia San Antonio: Yeah, I definitely think a lot of it has to do with just how upbeat it is and how it has like the familiar eighties vibe and it reminds you of a lot of old songs. And specifically in the end it reminded me of, like, wedding bells and really just exciting getting up and dancing. 

And I think that's what makes it a big hit, and that's why it's been on number one for so long. But when you look at the words, it makes you really sad. And I think that's what I like so much about it, because in one sense it can be this hit that everyone loves, but there's just so much more to it.

And I think it's like one of the more sad songs that I know just because on the outside it's so upbeat, but it's actually, like, heartbreaking. And you know, there can be songs that are just sad songs. They have a sad melody and sad words, but when a song is like — on the outside, it seems very happy, but then when you actually look at it, it can be the opposite, I think that has a lot more meaning to it and can have many more layers to it. 

Konstantin Samoilov: Melodically, do you hear sadness too or just lyrically? 

Natalia San Antonio: I mean definitely lyrically, but melodically I'd say overall, no. But there are some parts where I can kind of — maybe I'm making it up, but I can kind of sense there's some sadness to it. Like in the chorus, like the  “in this world it's just us, it's not the same as it was”. Like, that part I can kind of see. And I've always wondered what the song would be like if the melody was sad and slow.

And I think that'd be interesting. I know some people did remake the song. But I don't know. I think it would be cool if Harry did that, like kind of an alternative version, even though I don't think I'd like it as much. I think it's perfect the way it is right now. 

Konstantin Samoilov: Have you heard this live? 

Natalia San Antonio: No, I haven't. But I wish I could. I’ve seen a lot of live videos of it and that's usually — in his concerts it's a really big crowd pleaser. Everyone is really excited. And yeah, it's one of his really really big upbeat songs during the concert. 

Konstantin Samoilov: You mentioned nostalgia. Moving later in life, much later, are you excited to be nostalgic about this song? 

Natalia San Antonio: Oh my gosh, I'm very excited. Honestly, I love nostalgia and I just love feeling nostalgia. Even though I found recently, sometimes it's hard for me to listen to this song. Just because there's so much attached to it, I think, and it's like, oh, I don't wanna be in my feels right now. I'm not gonna listen to this song. 

But I definitely am excited because, you know, the song came out in such like a wonderful time in my life and a time where I was really able to like, explore myself. And I think that, you know, it's a wonderful timestamp to have. For the future, for future me.

Konstantin Samoilov: Our third guest, Hallie, said that you need to be saved from Harry Styles. Is Hallie right in any way? 

Natalia San Antonio: I appreciated that she was trying to save me from Harry Styles, but I honestly don't think I could ever be saved from Harry Styles, and I think that's a good thing. I've always been a fan of his, but especially during the pandemic, his music was really something that kept me going, kept me positive.

And yeah, it's really fun liking an artist so much where you know everything about that person. And I don't know, his music is just so good. I can't stop listening to it.

Konstantin Samoilov: Should Hallie listen to more Harry Styles instead? 

Natalia San Antonio: I mean, yeah, I think so. I'm not gonna make anyone listen to any type of music, but I definitely think even though As It Was is very popular and I love it, I think some of his real gems are in the songs that people don't know as well. And I feel like that's the case with a lot of artists. They have hits and then which aren't as meaningful or — well, maybe that's not true, but yeah, I think it's nice listening to everything from an artist to kind of get a full glimpse of them before you make your opinions. 

Konstantin Samoilov: What's the most opposite music to As It Was that you also love? 

Natalia San Antonio: Well, I've been really listening to The Strokes a lot — this is just the first thing that popped into my head, but I was in the car with Julia, and there's a song that I've been loving called Ode to the Mets by the Strokes, and that song is very slow and it's very long and it's very — well, nostalgic, so I guess it's not completely opposite to As It Was, but there's a very clear vibe that's different and I was talking to Julia about As It Was and Ode to the Mets, and I was like — finally Ode to the Mets is my number one Spotify song, As It Was is no longer. And she was like, thank goodness, because Ode to the Mets, it's a sad song, but As It Was is so much sadder, so I'm glad that like you've transitioned out of that. I’m like, you're right. 

Yeah, so I'd probably say that one. Cause I'm not gonna dance to that song. I'm gonna dance to As It Was, and I have danced to it many times.

Konstantin Samoilov: if As It Was was a drink in a cafe, which drink would it be? 

Natalia San Antonio: That's a great question. I would say, As It Was could be a nice little cappuccino moment. Because from the first sips of a cappuccino, you have the foam and that's pretty light, just as the melody in As It Was is, but when you get deeper, you get to the espresso, which is, you know, pretty strong, similarly to As It Was when you look deeper and have the opportunity to think about more about what the lyrics are and how they relate to you.

Like a pop of espresso. If you want, you could add a little syrup in there, like caramel or vanilla. That's not my thing, but, you know, if.

Konstantin Samoilov: A remix. Natalia, thank you very much. My pleasure.

Natalia San Antonio: Yeah, thank you. I appreciated it.