As It Was

"As It Was" is a song by English singer Harry Styles, released through Erskine and Columbia on 1 April 2022 as the lead single from his third studio album, Harry's House (2022). The song was written by Styles alongside its producers Kid Harpoon and Tyler Johnson. "As It Was" was widely acclaimed by music critics and entered at the top of the UK Singles Chart, becoming Styles's second number-one single after "Sign of the Times" in April 2017. "As It Was" spent ten weeks at the top of the UK Singles Chart, becoming the longest-running number-one and best-selling single of 2022 in his home country. It also became his second number one single in the US; the song spent 15 non-consecutive weeks atop the Billboard Hot 100, becoming the longest-running US number one by a UK act and the fifth-longest-running number one in the chart's history. "As It Was" became a huge worldwide hit topping the charts in 45 countries, including Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Croatia, Denmark, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Lithuania, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Singapore and Sweden. Background Harry Styles announced the title of his third studio album as Harry's House on 23 March 2022, unveiling its artwork, a 40-second trailer and the album's release date as 20 May 2022. Five days later, he announced the title of its lead single as "As It Was", along with pictures of him in a "sequined, sleeveless red outfit" and its release date as 1 April 2022. Simultaneously, posters bearing the lyrics "It's not the same as it was" and a picture of Styles sitting on a big ball appeared in various cities. He released a teaser of the music video on 30 March, which included an "energetic drum beat" and a "sunny electric guitar riff", and depicted him in a red jumpsuit spinning in circles atop a motorised turntable.