The internet has strong feelings about Harry Styles’ latest music video.
Following the hit lead single “Sign of the Times,” from his self-titled debut album, on Wednesday, he released the music video for second single “Kiwi” — his most upbeat, rock ‘n’ roll track off the well-received album, and a crowd favorite. Styles teased the video days in advance with photos of nattily-dressed schoolchildren, showing up in alongside them like a well-dressed teacher in a shocking blue floral Gucci suit. Even so, fans weren’t quite sure what to expect from the accompanying video. Of all of Styles’s songs, “Kiwi” is the least kid-friendly, instead documenting a hard-partying romantic interest. It both overtly and implicitly references everything from cigarettes to alcohol, drugs and sex.
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The final visual, directed by the duo Us (Chris Barrett and Luke Taylor), remains just as befuddling for fans. It’s a giant cupcake food fight of sharp-suited schoolkids in a gym. At the last minute, Styles himself enters the fray yelling, leading the charge of a bevy of adorable puppies. He and his mini-me (young Star Wars actress Beau Gadsdon) band together to eat sweets and continue lobbing pastries into the crowd. At the very end, surrounded by his army of kids, Styles cracks a one-sided smile.
What does it all mean? Does it have any connection to the song’s lyrics? Does the combination of cute kids, cuddly animals and sweet treats deliver a darker message — something about Harry’s alter egos, maybe, or the challenges of growing up in a world of violence? Then again, perhaps we should just take it at face value. As always, the internet is having some fun:
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