Harry Styles’ 7th track on his newest album Harry’s House is capturing a generation aching with nostalgia. Matilda shows stronger ways of being, and the good things we once thought were too good may be within reach. Even the song’s namesake from the 1996 film “Matilda” is rooted in a time many of its listeners long for. The song’s extrapolation on themes of youth, maturing, and coming home are just what we needed.
First Verse: Then and Now
You were riding your bike to the sound of "It's No Big Deal" And you're trying to lift off the ground on those old two wheels Nothing 'bout the way you were treated ever seemed especially alarming 'til now So you tie up your hair and you smile like it's no big deal
Harry’s opening verse brings two times of a life together, and mirrors them with simplistic intensity. In those first two lines, we see a period unknowing of anything but goodness. Where you truly believed that if you pedaled your bike fast enough, you could fly. The pair of lines mirroring this present us with our current bodies. Where we find ourselves today: at what feels like the end of a long period of darkness. At what feels like eons away from terms like “Total Deaths Reported” and “Change in Seven-Day Average.” And all that darkness had something to say. An entire generation has lived a lifetime in the last two years – one characterized by truths that you can only find in the dark, in silence, and in isolation.
The last line of the verse brings us into the present tense. And Harry tells Matilda that he sees her pretending like she doesn’t know the truth. That he sees her preparing herself for more hardship. We get the feeling that he wants more for her before we even have a chance to catch our breath.
Chorus: Moving On
You can let it go You can throw a party full of everyone you know And not invite your family cause they never showed you love You don't have to be sorry for leavin' and growin' up, mmhm
In the first chorus, Harry tells the listener that wanting more is not just okay, it’s good. That you can let go of the things that hurt you, and throw yourself into the arms of love. This chorus is about a party. A celebration. It’s brings together our deepest needs for intimate, boisterous and joyful congregation at the tail end of this pandemic. That this album was released on the doorstep of our first summer with some semblance of safety from the pandemic is joyous. It truly is a celebration.
It’s not an ignorant joy, though. The joy that Harry presents in Matilda is informed. It’s integrated. It doesn’t attempt to bring together what doesn’t need to be together anymore, as he states in the third line. He assures Matilda that she can craft her own way forward, and bring with her what works for her. What brings her joy now. And most of all, that doing this is no reason for apology. He urges her to make her way forward free of guilt from those she can no longer bring along.
Second Verse: The Difficulty in Letting Go
Matilda, you talk of the pain like it's all alright But I know that you feel like a piece of you's dead inside You showed me a power that is strong enough to bring sun to the darkest days It's none of my business, but it's just been on my mind
In Matilda’s second verse, Harry speaks directly to the person that’s preparing to continue without respect for how they feel. He speaks to a certain sense of self-abandonment, and the feeling that carrying something dead inside of you is normal. Assuring the listener that they have the power to let this feeling go is brilliantly encouraging. It brings specificity to why: he received the kind of love from Matilda that he is reminding her of now. He tells her that she has shown him something he could not have seen by himself, but he doesn’t push too hard. He backs off in the last line, and assures us that just being there is the real priority. Like the image of the sun he employs in the previous line, the brilliance isn’t unseen. The sun doesn’t always know that it shines, does it?
Chorus (Expanded): Urging Forward
You can let it go You can throw a party full of everyone you know And not invite your family 'cause they never showed you love You don't have to be sorry for leavin' and growin' up You can see the world, following the seasons Anywhere you go, you don't need a reason 'Cause they never showed you love You don't have to be sorry for doin' it on your own
When Harry revisits the chorus, we hear a new section. As Harry sings again of moving forward with a full heart, he goes on to say that Matilda can go without looking back. That she can fully let go without having to justify it in light of what is hurting her now. That she can simply move through the world without need for explanation.
Bridge: Coming Home, and How to Get There
You're just in time, make your tea and your toast You framed all your posters and dyed your clothes, too You don't have to go, you don't have to go home Oh, there's a long way to go I don't believe that time will change your mind In other words, I know they won't hurt you anymore As long as you can let them go
Matilda’s bridge presents us with what feels like the climax of this story, where Harry welcomes listeners into his “home,” inviting Matilda to make herself comfortable as well. It is a strong parallel to the climax scene of the 1996 film Matilda where the main character (Matilda) is sitting on the porch of Miss Honey’s house, enjoying tea and toast before finally standing up for herself. He assures her that in this space, she’s moved on. She’s done the things that she’s wanted to do and carries herself differently. Her own home and her appearance mirror the changes she has experienced internally, and he can see it. She did it.
What’s interesting about this space is that it’s Matilda’s home too, while also knowing that Matilda is not home yet. She’s still journeying, and he’s acknowledging that this work of “coming home” is never really over.
In his third line, he reinforces this by saying that although she’s in his home, and somehow a little bit in hers too, she can grow. Harry presents Matilda with a version of the future without fear. Where she freely and openly lets things go. Where she holds things loosely. And where he loves her for it.
Final Chorus: Making Home
You can let it go You can throw a party full of everyone you know You can start a family who will always show you love You don't have to be sorry for doin' it on your own You can let it go You can throw a party full of everyone you know You can start a family who will always show you love You don't have to be sorry, no
As Harry sings the final chorus, he brings us into the heart of this song: home. And he introduces listeners to the idea that you make it. He states that we can start our healing by re-building the very thing that hurt us. In Matilda’s case, it’s her family. And he compassionately holds the space for her to make one of her own. And in sharing this song, Harry and his fantastic team of writers (Amy Allen, Kid Harpoon, & Tyler Johnson) hold space for us too. To reflect on the things that break our heart, to let go of them, and build a home for ourselves. It’s an empathic masterpiece, and it’s exactly what we needed.
Essay by Dale Ramirez