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.
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.
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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:
