#CCME announcement

[isupportzaynxliamxziam]

Saturday, 1 June 2019

credits: Liam's Instagram Stories / liam-93-productions' Tumblr

[thisiskatsblog]

Louis’ LGBTQ+ support

The other day I had an anon complaining - I suspect - about my post on Louis’ contribution to the Rainbow Chain, telling me, among other things, to “come back when [Louis] shows real support”. This really irked me. 

So much, that here is an entire masterpost of its own, with all the LGBTQ+ support we’ve seen from Louis. Because there is loads of it, if you are only willing to see it. No pics, all text and references, this already took me forever because there is lots to collect:

- First put together with One Direction, Louis seemed to be having a pretty good time at the G-A-Y gig so at the very least we can safely assume he was never a homophobe...

- ... in fact, even back then, he actively challenged interviewers’ suggestions that male fans were not appreciated saying “whatever floats your boat”, and, to the question whether he prefers straight or gay fans, has said he loves « all of [his] fans, no matter what or who they are. » 

- But he’s shown active support as well: alongside BlackLivesMatter, mental health, and women’s rights stuff, there were articles on LGBTQ+ rights, marriage equality and gender identity in his Just Like You music video

- And it’s not token support, he showed himself to be very caring and supportive towards LGBTQ+ contestants in TXF

- ... and he casually hung out and had his fotograph taken with a fan in the gay neighborhood while on a trip to Amsterdam, again, you can’t say he’s homophobic 

- During Walls promo, he continued to show this supportive attitude to LGBTQ+ people when he signed the CD of two girls carrying a pride flag with “be proud”, he signed two girls’ pride flags with his smiley (x,x,x), and told a girl who brought her girlfriend to the signing it was “cool, wicked, amazing”. All of them reported that he did so happily, not batting an eyelid, and LGBTQ+ people who met  him stated they felt safe and appreciated (x, x) Years ago already, he signed a rainbow direction tote bag with that smiley so this should have been no surprise. 

- And it’s the same during shows: he pointed out all the pride flags (x, x, x, x, x) during his Poptopia show, with similar reports from CCME Madrid, the Jingle ball Z100 show (see also x,x,x), the Scala show for Warchild UK , and his show in Barcelona ( x, x ). Again, he already did stuff like that years ago ( x, x, x,) so this should not have been a surprise.

I’m not sure how any of this, very consistent support can get dismissed as “not real”. 

In any case, it’s in the above context that we have to understand that when...

- ...Louis wears rainbow themed shirts on days when Rainbow Direction had no signed participants (three times!) and a rainbow apple shirt just after Apple CEO Tim Cook came out and Harry said that gender was “not that important”...

... you can’t just dismiss that as “not a stricly a pride flag” so “not really supportive of LGBTQ+”, particularly not when he has also:

- put rainbow visuals in his music video for “we made it”, (which are also featured in out gay artist Alfi Arcuri’s "If they only knew” music video about two guys first figuring out their feelings for eachother); 

- featured a rainbow river in the mural announcing his setlist; and

- has shown a rainbow coloured smiley at the start of his shows 

In conclusion: given how much rainbows Louis features; given how strongly rainbows are associated with the LGBTQ+ cause; and most of all given how supportive Louis has been to specific LGBTQ+ people in the fandom, I think it’s very unfair to say Louis has never shown real support. He does it all the time.  

[silverfoxlou]

Hello! Your post about Louis ‘statement of intent’ note is so interesting. Especially the part where where you point out that WMI was a Larry moment right before Harry started his promo. Do you think WMI was stealth Harry promo by Sony? It did sooth some questioning Larries and made FineLine (HS2 before we’d had LT1) more palatable to the Louie/Larrie segment of fans. But as you point out it did little for Louis.

Hi anon,

Rhetorical question?

Here’s all the promo Louis did in 2019. To break down the major events from both of them

Aug 27 : Teases KMM

Aug 29 : Announces KMM

Sep 5 : Releases KMM

Sep 9: The great Harry Styles returns to Twitter

Sep 13: KMM music video

Sep 14: CCME

Sep 23: This random IG post

Oct 5: Do 

Oct [something] : DYKWYA website launches

Oct 11: Releases Lights Up

Oct 13: The title of Walls is leaked through a tabloid

Oct 20: Teases WMI and announces celebrity session

Oct 21: Taunts us with the album

Oct 21: WMI Listening Parties

Oct 22: Teases Watermelon Sugar (by stealing a fan’s tweet)

Oct 23: Announces the album

Oct 24: Releases WMI

Oct 24: Announces LTWT

Oct 24: Announces double duty for SNL

Nov 1: LTWT goes on sale

Nov 4: Announces Fine Line

Nov 5: Announces One Night Only

Nov 11: WMI Lyrics Video

Nov 13: Announces HSL<3T

Nov 16: Harry hosts SNL and premieres WS

Nov 18: HSL<3T goes on sale

Nov 23rd: Releases DLIBYH (with a performance on X Factor)

(Kind of poetic how DLIBYH is released at the end of this mess..)

So the only song that isn’t about a break up (but he kept insisting was written over 2 years prior to its release) was promoted around the same time Harry announced his sophomore album. And he had this to say about the label pushing the song too. 

As you said -  “It did sooth some questioning Larries and made Fine Line (HS2 before we’d had LT1) more palatable to the Louie/Larrie segment of fans.” We’ll never really know all the details and logic (or lack thereof) behind his promo, but it does suggest this as a possibility.

And them emphasizing WMI so much clearly worked, because there are still some people who can listen to the entirety of Walls and still believe that Louis is in the same happy, healthy loving relationship he’s been in for the past decade ♥️. Selective hearing at its best ♥️. 

----

Also, as I was looking up Harry’s tweets to include in this I saw all his painfully sad attempts at engaging his fans on twitter. That man does not have a personality that translates well to social media anymore.

[dailytomlinson]

It’s hard to deal with the thought that we’re leaving the decade that birthed One Direction behind, and that it’s unlikely we’ll see them together again in the new decade. Louis Tomlinson, Harry Styles, Liam Payne and Niall Horan seemingly haven’t made any plans for a comeback, not yet at least.

Something positive that came out of their break-up, though, are their careers as soloists, which we support and cherish – with all of our heart.

Here’s a journey through Louis Tomlinson’s top 7 moments of 2019 – just in time before the release of his debut album, set to be in January!

And if you don’t know who he is – take a look at our previous article about him. You won’t regret it.

1. When he announced the release date of his debut album AND a headline worldwide tour in the span of two days!

It’s October 23, 2019 when Louis Tomlinson manages to send the whole of Twitter into a meltdown with one simple tweet.

“Got something hiding around online for you… here’s a head start”

What was he hiding? Nothing less than the artwork cover for his debut solo album, “Walls”, out on January 31, 2020. The fans went wild trying to piece the puzzle together, and eventually brought the name of the album in the worldwide trends!

Walls is available to pre-order here!

And since that wasn’t enough, Louis also announced his first headline tour, which brings him on stage in 20 different countries over 3 different continents, starting in March 2020.

Been waiting for this moment since I started my solo career. Can't wait to see you all on tour. There are also a few more dates going up at a later date. Thanks for everything. Here we go! http://louis-tomlinson.com

Make sure to get your tickets to see Louis on his website.

2. When he performed his biggest solo set yet, in front of 30.000 people!

A month ago, Louis performed as the headliner of the #CCME festival in Madrid in front of 30.000 people. Seeing him again on the stage, where he belongs, was one of the best experiences of my life He made me feel so proud, and he lighted up the whole city

Yes, you heard that right: Louis’ longest headline show to date was in front of 30.000 people. We’re in Madrid, on September 14: Louis takes over the stage with a brilliant performance that includes, other than his previously released singles Kill My Mind and Two Of Us, four brand new songs straight out of “Walls”: Don’t Let It Break Your Heart (which will later become his third single before the album release), Defenceless, Too Young and Habit.

Nedless to say – he absolutely smashed it. We’re jealous of everyone who had the chance to witness his incredible performance live.

3. Louis and Richard

If we thought Louis Tomlinson couldn’t prove himself to be a better person than he already did, boy, were we wrong! Along with the lyrical masterpiece, and incredibly emotional, that his song ‘Two Of Us’ is, Louis released a music video called Louis And Richard.

#LouisAndRichard http://smarturl.it/LouisAndRichard

“Who’s Richard?” one may ask. Richard is a lovely 83 years old British man who sadly lost his wife around the same time Louis lost his mum. In the video, Louis takes Richard to several places in order for him to fullfill his bucket list: they go racing, they drive a helicopter, Richard gives Louis a tattoo – and in the end, he performs in front of a sold out arena.

An incredibly heartwarming video if you ask us!

4. ‘We Made It’ signage in Times Square

“The song started with the title and we were talking about what the title means to me. It kind of was a message between the fans and myself that we made it. The feel of touring together, that’s the theme. It was the base and we really raved about those moments.”

“We Made It” is a song Louis built around the concept of ‘making it’ together with his fans. We can only imagine how much of a proud moment it must’ve been for him to see himself on a huge Billboard in Times Square when it was released!

Absolutely buzzing for this! Massive love @spotify ! I just wanna say another massive general thank you to anyone who has helped work the record and of course the biggest thanks goes to you, the fans.

His “Thank you,” as always, went to the fans who supported the song.

5. The iconic note that changed everything

Wanted to get this off my chest

Changing your whole sound may be terrifying to many artists – but not to Louis Tomlinson. He already went through something similar, after all, when he decided to take matters into his own hands and revolutionized One Direction’s whole discography, writing banger after banger and giving the band a chance to rise out of the “bubblegum pop” genre they had been put into.

The aforementioned note was tweeted by Louis as an announcement to fans: from now on, I’ll be myself, regardless of how well my music might do charts and sales wise.

It takes bravery to make such a move. Congrats, Louis! We’re behind you!

6. Don’t go against One Direction…

…or you might have to face serious consequences.

Such as, dealing with a very angry Louis.

Biggest load of bullshit I’ve seen in a while. Typical unprovoked venom from The Mirror. Couldn’t be further from the truth!

Ouch! We believe someone from The Mirror had to deal with loads of backlash – and probably an unhappy boss – after Louis’ tweet.

They clearly did it to rile fans up because they knew everyone was hyped for the band’s anniversary... actually disgusting how they would use such delicate topics against you guys. Imagine studying journalism for years to come up with bullshit like that..... ridiculous

I know tragic isn’t it! Anyway said my piece moving on

Louis didn’t stop there – he also called their poor attempt to bring the band down “tragic”. We couldn’t agree more.

7. Our Teen Choice Artist is:

For the third year in a row, Louis went and secured himself a Teen Choice Award, this time as “Choice Song Male Artist” for ‘Two Of Us’.

He’s only gone and won another Teen Choice Award! Well done @Louis_Tomlinson - You have the best fans on the planet #TwoOfUs 

Your #ChoiceSongMaleArtist is...@Louis_Tomlinson! #TeenChoice

And for the third year in a row he gushed about how much he loves his fans, and how grateful he is for their constant support.

Could we love him more? We don’t think so, but we hope our list of Louis’ top 7 moments of 2019 made YOU love him more!

[ourheroictommo]

Aaaand like I said. She supports some guy more than she supports her boyfriend of what? 7 years? Shes never commented on his music or supported him like his friends and family do.

Anyway, here’s Eleanor supporting the shit out of Louis

At his football matches:

At VMAs

At TIU premiere

Backstage at the NMAs

Before 2014 AMAs

With Gemma and Sophia at the brits

At 1D gigs:

Supporting him and 1D on twitter:

Standing up for Louis against nasty haters:

Taking his side during his feud with Grimmy:

Dragging the shit out of the wanted:

Supporting solo Louis: 

She supported him at his late late show performance in 2017 and James Corden followed her afterwards

Supported him while he was shooting BTY music video:

Bringing Louis’ starbucks when he was rehearsing:

She wat at Louis’ key103 gig in Manchester in 2017

Supporting him at his xfactor performance in 2017:

Her boyfriend is fitter than yours!!!

Supporting Louis at xfactor in 2018:

Cheering for Louis at Daisy&Phoebe’s birthday party:

Supporting Louis at his gig in Birmingham

Supporting Louis at CCME

She liked his album announcement post

In conclusion:

[hlupdate]

It’s hard to deal with the thought that we’re leaving the decade that birthed One Direction behind, and that it’s unlikely we’ll see them together again in the new decade. Louis Tomlinson, Harry Styles, Liam Payne and Niall Horan seemingly haven’t made any plans for a comeback, not yet at least.

Something positive that came out of their break-up, though, are their careers as soloists, which we support and cherish – with all of our heart.

Here’s a journey through Louis Tomlinson’s top 7 moments of 2019 – just in time before the release of his debut album, set to be in January!

And if you don’t know who he is – take a look at our previous article about him. You won’t regret it.

1. When he announced the release date of his debut album AND a headline worldwide tour in the span of two days!

It’s October 23, 2019 when Louis Tomlinson manages to send the whole of Twitter into a meltdown with one simple tweet.

“Got something hiding around online for you… here’s a head start”

What was he hiding? Nothing less than the artwork cover for his debut solo album, “Walls”, out on January 31, 2020. The fans went wild trying to piece the puzzle together, and eventually brought the name of the album in the worldwide trends!

Walls is available to pre-order here!

And since that wasn’t enough, Louis also announced his first headline tour, which brings him on stage in 20 different countries over 3 different continents, starting in March 2020.

Been waiting for this moment since I started my solo career. Can’t wait to see you all on tour. There are also a few more dates going up at a later date. Thanks for everything. Here we go! http://louis-tomlinson.com

Make sure to get your tickets to see Louis on his website.

2. When he performed his biggest solo set yet, in front of 30.000 people!

A month ago, Louis performed as the headliner of the #CCME festival in Madrid in front of 30.000 people. Seeing him again on the stage, where he belongs, was one of the best experiences of my life He made me feel so proud, and he lighted up the whole city

Yes, you heard that right: Louis’ longest headline show to date was in front of 30.000 people. We’re in Madrid, on September 14: Louis takes over the stage with a brilliant performance that includes, other than his previously released singles Kill My Mind and Two Of Us, four brand new songs straight out of “Walls”: Don’t Let It Break Your Heart (which will later become his third single before the album release), Defenceless, Too Young and Habit.

Nedless to say – he absolutely smashed it. We’re jealous of everyone who had the chance to witness his incredible performance live.

3. Louis and Richard

If we thought Louis Tomlinson couldn’t prove himself to be a better person than he already did, boy, were we wrong! Along with the lyrical masterpiece, and incredibly emotional, that his song ‘Two Of Us’ is, Louis released a music video called Louis And Richard.

#LouisAndRichard http://smarturl.it/LouisAndRichard

“Who’s Richard?” one may ask. Richard is a lovely 83 years old British man who sadly lost his wife around the same time Louis lost his mum. In the video, Louis takes Richard to several places in order for him to fullfill his bucket list: they go racing, they drive a helicopter, Richard gives Louis a tattoo – and in the end, he performs in front of a sold out arena.

An incredibly heartwarming video if you ask us!

4. ‘We Made It’ signage in Times Square

“The song started with the title and we were talking about what the title means to me. It kind of was a message between the fans and myself that we made it. The feel of touring together, that’s the theme. It was the base and we really raved about those moments.”

“We Made It” is a song Louis built around the concept of ‘making it’ together with his fans. We can only imagine how much of a proud moment it must’ve been for him to see himself on a huge Billboard in Times Square when it was released!

Absolutely buzzing for this! Massive love @spotify ! I just wanna say another massive general thank you to anyone who has helped work the record and of course the biggest thanks goes to you, the fans.

His “Thank you,” as always, went to the fans who supported the song.

5. The iconic note that changed everything

Wanted to get this off my chest

Changing your whole sound may be terrifying to many artists – but not to Louis Tomlinson. He already went through something similar, after all, when he decided to take matters into his own hands and revolutionized One Direction’s whole discography, writing banger after banger and giving the band a chance to rise out of the “bubblegum pop” genre they had been put into.

The aforementioned note was tweeted by Louis as an announcement to fans: from now on, I’ll be myself, regardless of how well my music might do charts and sales wise.

It takes bravery to make such a move. Congrats, Louis! We’re behind you!

6. Don’t go against One Direction…

…or you might have to face serious consequences.

Such as, dealing with a very angry Louis.

Biggest load of bullshit I’ve seen in a while. Typical unprovoked venom from The Mirror. Couldn’t be further from the truth!

Ouch! We believe someone from The Mirror had to deal with loads of backlash – and probably an unhappy boss – after Louis’ tweet.

They clearly did it to rile fans up because they knew everyone was hyped for the band’s anniversary… actually disgusting how they would use such delicate topics against you guys. Imagine studying journalism for years to come up with bullshit like that….. ridiculous

I know tragic isn’t it! Anyway said my piece moving on

Louis didn’t stop there – he also called their poor attempt to bring the band down “tragic”. We couldn’t agree more.

7. Our Teen Choice Artist is:

For the third year in a row, Louis went and secured himself a Teen Choice Award, this time as “Choice Song Male Artist” for ‘Two Of Us’.

He’s only gone and won another Teen Choice Award! Well done @Louis_Tomlinson - You have the best fans on the planet  #TwoOfUs

Your #ChoiceSongMaleArtist is…@Louis_Tomlinson! #TeenChoice

And for the third year in a row he gushed about how much he loves his fans, and how grateful he is for their constant support.

Could we love him more? We don’t think so, but we hope our list of Louis’ top 7 moments of 2019 made YOU love him more!

[theproofinthisong]

WALLS REVIEW

i’m back for my review of walls!!

kill my mind: the perfect opening for the album & to announce the new era. i remember listening to it for the first time and my jaw dropping because i didn’t expect that sound & at the same time, it made total sense. it’s not my favorite genre personally but this track is so audacious and amazing. it’s probably the one that is the most different from louis’ previous sounds (in the band or solo stuff) and he’s giving us LIFE with the pop punk bop we always dreamed of. his voice is unique in every song but it especially stands out in this one, particularly at the beginning of the track. it’s such a fierce catchy and energetic track, you want to scream it at the top of your lungs. this is the type of song that makes the crowd lose its shit live. can’t wait to see it. the gimmicks in this one (the aaaah aaah part and the kill my kill my at the end mostly) are so clever, you hear them one time and boom, they can’t leave your mind, it’s witchcraft. i love the contrast between the very high and very low notes, they’re just perfection. AND THE BELTING!!! it’s hot. the earlier pop inspirations are pretty much there and it’s such a wonderful tribute. no wonder why louis loves this track so much. it’s gold and very very bold. 

don’t let it break your heart: see, the first time i listened to the new tracks (at ccme), i was instantly captivated by defenceless & habit. dliby was not a favorite instantly. but it became one. i don’t know why THE FUCK i didn’t pick as a favorite right on the spot. because it is a godsent. like hell!!! the nostalgia!! the raw emotion!! the hope it’s giving you!! the goosebumps!! and OH MY GOD louis’ voice in his...one of his best vocals. like period. it’s so soft and so strong at the same time. it’s so full of feelings, like the vulnerability!! the song speaks to me so much. AND OH MY GOD THE ALBUM VERSION!!! the single one was already extraordinary but the album arrangment makes it even more perfect and delicate!!! the writing in this one makes me cry, it’s so to the point and honest, like you can feel his heart beating in it. it’s the kind of music you carry with you. i know decades from now, it will remind me of my youth and the happy times i had back then. god i’m already sobbing.

two of us: honestly, there are no words for this one. it’s above everything. it’s without a doubt louis’ most personal and gutwrenching track. it’s not the one i listen to the most because it’s painful and so real. you can feel every crack, every hurdle, every tear, every ounce of desperation, every bit of newfound hope. i have a personal connection to this one because i experienced what louis is talking about. i lost my dad when i was 16, a little younger than louis. and oh my god the words he uses to talk about it and his grief is what i felt and still feel. those songs where EVERY WORD could be applied to you and your situation almost never happen. it’s a miracle. so yeah, it hurts to listen to it. but it also makes me really happy. i feel understood, i feel a kinship to him. and while i have no doubt everyone can relate to this song and have it resonating with them, losing a parent is a very specific kind of grief. and i never saw someone describing it so well in a song. his voice is so angelic in this. it’s so controlled but at the same time it’s on the verge of collapsing everytime and never does. god. if i had to pick a song to have as a tattoo, i will pick this one for sure. what a masterpiece.

we made it: BLOODY WE MADE IT. one of the most IN YOUR FACE larry songs out of walls (even if they all are) and i’m dying. it’s easily in my top 3 of louis’ songs performed live. THE POWER. THE CERTAINTY OF IT ALL. like his voice is so assured in this while still being able to be vulnerable and fragile. HOW?? HOW CAN YOU DO IT?? it’s one of the sappiest love songs i’ve ever heard but those are my weakness and fave. what a beautiful declaration. the lyrics are...well i still can’t believe they’re real. he deadass told us everything about his relationship with harry and how they were able to overcome all the obstacles thrown in their faces. in terms of melody, it’s a 10000000/10. you can’t help but sing it with him. it’s wonderfully produced, like the best kind of pop. it has a bit of those oasis vibes (walls and dlibyh also have them) which i’m a HUGE fan of. it’s such an effective single, like i can’t even count the times i listened to it. fucking treasure.

too young: another case of a song i adored the minute i listened to it, but it wasn’t as intense as with others. now it’s truly one of my most cherished tracks out of the album. the opening lines simply kill you, it’s whispered, it’s tender, it’s!!!! too much for my heart!! i’m swooning. i love that he doesn’t push his voice there, it stays at a low level and it makes it even more louder, in a way?? you feel like he’s speaking to only one person (who?? i wonder...), it’s so intimate i almost feel like intruding?? it’s a fucking gift. in terms of writing, it’s also one of my favorite because there are no filters. it tells the story without fear. louis just spilled his whole heart out in his track and that’s so fucking admirable. a jewel we need to protect.

walls: FIRST THE FUCKING INSTRUMENTAL. it fucking ruined me. someone said this song was like a late night conversation and it’s true. walls is probably the song that shows his personal growth the most, like louis couldn’t have written this song five years ago. it’s so grown. it’s so wise. so full of life and conclusions you made. it’s peaceful. it’s reassuring. i don’t know how a song can make you feel all of that but it does. and the lyrics are one of his best. it’s so significative at times (the goodbyes line for example), but metaphorical also (the cardboard full of clothes lines IS GENIUS and the walls one...obviously the best) and opening the song with a sentence and ending it with it is...pure magic. it’s clever but not only. it shows how much he went through and how he’s healing from it and how it helped him, in a way. and the voice. liquid honey. bye.

habit: legend snapped when he included the princess park line. what a chaotic larrie. i expected nothing less from him. i love the melody, it’s so catchy and happy!! it’s kind of a break after the rollercoaster you just went through. very needed. i’m still having a breakdown over it though. it’s such a cute ballad and beautiful love song. you just wanna move your head to it, it makes you truly happy. sunshine in a song form. like i’m smiling rn. and you can hear louis smiling while singing it too!!! it’s...wow. he’s able to communicate his feelings in a manner no other artist can. i will never get tired of it.

always you: we did our waiting. we were fucking starved. now we’re being fed babes!! miss always you is so iconic. the melody is ingrained in my brain after hundred times of listening to that damn snippet. the things i would do for louis. i love what he does with his voice in this, like he’s changing tones and going from one note to another like a champ. this song is so fucking hard to sing and louis is the ONLY one who can master it. shows how unique his voice is. i’m in love with the high parts and the chorus. dang. that’s a song. tell me that this song isn’t THE SHIT. it’s iconic as fuck. and it’s so lovely. still haven’t recovered from all the baby and home mentions. ALSO the legs wrapped around me line??? kill me please!!! i do not thank you.

fearless: now that’s an adjective that comes to mind while talking about louis. the verses aren’t my favorite melody wise but omg the bridge and the chorus!! he did that!!! it’s also the song where he’s singing the lowest (that head voice bitch) and omg. for now it isn’t in my top but i know it will grow on me and i can’t wait.  the lyrics are amazing nonetheless.

perfect now: we know it’s louis’ least favorite track and it’s mine too. it’s still louis though so still amazing. just like fearless, the verses aren’t my favorite part but same, the bridge and the chorus are wonderful. it’s pretty soft. also this is a song about harry (you steal the scene and it’s unrehearsed??) but some sentences can be applied to family and it’s such a nice & encouraging track to listen to when you think about the people you love. it’s very happy. makes you feel loved and exactly where you should be. and as always, his voice is to die for in it.

defenceless: to the surprise of exactly nobody, it’s my favorite song out of walls. it was love at first sight. you cannot explain it. it just is. in terms of writing, it’s my personal favorite (especially “sleeping on our problems and we’ll solve them in our dreams” which is pure poetry...the talent, the impact...i’m dying. also i put this quote everywhere i could, i’m OBSESSED with it). it tucks at your heartstrings, like it’s a very hopeful song but at the same time it’s full of memory of heartbreaks. i could bawl talking about it. harry and louis’ situation is impossible to describe and to comprehend. the things and contradictory feelings they had to face..i can’t even imagine. but he gives us a full glimpse of it in this song. and it’s so fucking brave to be this honest. it takes so much courage and trust. and i’m just in awe. artistically speaking, it’s a fucking tour de force. but like personally, what it means to louis...oh god. i’m dead. and THE MOTHERFUCKING FALSETTO. louis almost never uses it and oh my god. it’s breathtaking. it’s what you hear when you enter heaven. no one, fucking no one, has this kind of falsetto. it’s so special. it makes me wanna die. it’s too much for my heart. my god.

only the brave: it would have been ALSO my favorite song out of walls it it was longer. because it’s...i’m speechless. also very oasis but very louis. and sorry, but it’s better than oasis will ever be. there i said it. the lyrics are objectively the best out of the album, like i’m a slut for metaphors and they’re everywhere in here. i don’t know how to qualify it really but it has this anthem like quality? i can see the arena and thousands of people singing it back to louis. it reminds me of home in the sense that it’s subtle but very blatant at the same time. like he wrote this for us gay people. that ache is there. the pain. the underlying anger. but the optimism. knowing the hurt but never wishing to go back. the vocal control is incredible in this, i’ll say it again, but the ability to switch to chest voice to head voice back to back...he’s one in a billion. there is an intention behind every line and you can feel it piercing your soul. gimme rest.

4 years in the making. i’m so glad i waited and was besides Louis through it all. i’m so fucking proud i could cry. it’s a masterpiece of an album. it has everything. simply everything. i couldn’t have dreamed something better. the voice, the melodies, the lyrics, the emotion, the confidence, the range, the diversity of sounds, the different influences and the way he’s able to bring the best out of them and make them this, the old pop vibe of it while remaining extra modern..it’s pure art. it’s what art should be. making you feel every emotion the artist wanted you to. no one does it better than louis. god. thank you.

[separatisms]

Personal Notes on Louis’ 4 New Songs CCME September 2019

Excerpt:

On Defenseless: This kind of strength is a lonely strength, because it cuts you off from people as much as it connects you. You’re obsessive about love. (That’s my first thought after I watched Louis’ performance: he’s a perfectionist. He’s obsessive.) You want to do the right thing so badly, out of love, out of principle, out of loyalty. Probably even out of integrity and ego. You want to fix things, you’re impatient and volatile with it. You write ten thousand words and it’s still not enough, but it’s too much so you cut it down to size. Then it really isn’t enough. And the problem, the biggest problem, about being this person, is that it scares people. When you think so much it bleeds into your dreams, when you pick at your own words so obsessively, when you pay so much attention because of the enormity of your love that you know your loved ones better than they know themselves: you scare people. You put them on the defensive. And you’re the one, you’re always the one, who has to muster up the strength to ask for love. Just love, not any more, not any less.

On Too Young: This song doesn’t resolve, which I don’t think is the point of the song. It’s interesting to me because I think optimism is itself a resolve, and the tone, sound and lyric of this song differs from the rest in that it doesn’t have that. The point of the song is an expression of regret and, more forwardly, an apology. Louis (the singer) wants to fix things. And in whatever order the songs are meant to be read (I’m going to read them in the order of the setlist for now), this song following the shattering vulnerability of Defenseless gives us insight into Louis’ strengths as a writer and a person. He wants to fix things. He keeps on thinking about what went wrong, still finding ways to blame himself, years after the fact. “Now we can finally have a conversation.” He still yearns for conversation, for clarity, to lay his heart out on the table, to say sorry and, maybe, ask for love. This is what I think about when I think about optimism to the point of self-parody. Not optimistic that things will work out, although he is that in other songs, but optimistic that there is still a point to all this. And it’s something you can get quite self-conscious about, especially if you keep getting knocked down continuously by things both within and out of your control. Because the hope for connection, communication, and love can seem meaningless in the face of senseless tragedies. But Louis still hopes, he still yearns, he still asks. He doesn’t give up, on his relationships, on the people he loves, and (because of that, he doesn’t give up) on himself. 

Steal my girl

Don’t let it break

Not about internal strife (or at least not in the way the other 3 songs are, i.e. not about the mortifying ordeal of being known) while still very much being about connection, a running theme.

Tried my hardest to conceptualize it as a break-up song and came up short. Saw someone say that the pre-chorus and chorus is addressed to the You, which I agree with on account of the first verse, but this person also believes this is a break-up song. According to that reading, “when you give so much and it’s not enough” is spiteful on the singer’s part, and “when you love someone and they let you go” where ‘they’ refers to the singer sounds a bit batty. If “I” am the one who let “you” go, “I” probably would not be singing about it like this. Spite is also pretty incongruous with the sound and emotion of song.

But that aside, let’s say this is a break-up song, then it’s one of the most emotionally interesting ones I’ve heard in a while. The singer offers comfort in a time when they are both in pain, but focuses on assuring and comforting the other. Our separation is painful, but don’t let it ruin you. Give it time, “I” will help you through this. The singer gives assurance that they will both get to somewhere better, not separately but together: “we’re driving down a one-way road” is pretty unambiguous. At best, this describes a particularly rough patch or even a separation. I understand Louis’ personal songwriting to be ‘optimistic to the point of self-parody’, but even I’m hesitant to think that he would write something like this about someone he has ‘let go’ (or wish for this to be the core message of a song he has written).

On a related note, I like thinking of the parallels and contrasts to Fix You. Where there’s something ominous to Fix You if you’re inclined to complain (someone is going through heartbreak and the singer wants to ‘fix’ them), Louis’ song is pure love and comfort. As a final stand, even if this song is about a break-up, ignoring everything else up there, it’s one that emphasizes strength and resiliency in shared pain, hope, and an optimistic, forward-looking outlook on the relationship. From it, I read Louis as someone who is not inclined on giving up on his relationships and the people he loves, someone who believes that the work is never done and can never be abandoned. It’s very admirable.

I understand where people are coming from when they interpret this song as being about shared grief. “Bed in a box” is a standout line, and the callback to ESNY could be telling, only complicated for me because I don’t personally relate ESNY as a song about grief (or receiving bad news about a family member). (Sidebar: the fact that it’s before Two of Us on the set-list makes this interpretation particularly poignant, at least until we get the album tracklist). This interpretation yields the same takeaways on Louis’ character, or at least the values and messages he emphasizes. It kind of drives home early on how secondary the concerns about their relationship status are, because it’s a better use of time for us to sit and admire what Louis is like.

“Got a place on the other side of London” might sound like something that would go into a break-up/separation song (especially because it clearly only refers to the singer, when the next part of the verse focuses on the You). In my mind, it might refer to Louis moving from where he lived around the time of Jay’s death and the immediate aftermath, which is contrasted with New York as a place of grief for Harry. I hesitate to conjecture too specifically, but my mind does come up with thoughts that help ease my understanding of that particular line. In any case, I think the emotional core and tone of the song speaks for itself.

Two of us

Habit

First: the 4 new songs Louis sang are all emotionally heavy, not-happy songs (I won’t say ‘sad’ because I don’t think that’s my main takeaway, and I don’t think it’s supposed to be, especially keeping in mind there are other songs on the setlist). The force of all 4 of them together is devastating, but it’s likely that these aren’t all written about or during the same period of time. They may be written after intense reflection, so we don’t know how far back in the past any of them could refer to. The fact that Louis chose to debut these 4 songs at once is interesting, but maybe it will be more interesting for us in retrospect. The reason I bring this up is because the tenses in this particular song are very difficult to parse and make sense of, and if ‘announcement of current relationship status’ was one of the reasons Louis releases songs (by the by, it’s probably not), then he’s made the task a hard one for us.

To me, this reads as a present-day fight (maybe on the brink of or at the start of a fresh break-up) that heavily references a past fight the two parties did not really commit to moving forward from: “what did you expect from me?” and “it’s no surprise anymore” start off in media res of the fight, “you’d give me another chance” and “mentally you were already done” referring to the past.  ‘Giving up’ would be painful, but furthermore, it’s impossible.

After the first chorus, there’s no more sense of catastrophe and doom, no more mention of giving up or being done. It makes sense to me if these thoughts take place in ‘the present’ where the singer reflects during an actual physical break. “I’m missing you,” “I’m missing out,” and “I don’t have to choose anymore” are all in present tense. It took the singer some time to get the point of being able to admit these things because he’s been tired, but reflecting on their relationship yields only positive sentiment. And finally, an apology: “I’m sorry I let you down … I was better with you.”

Again, I find it so difficult to twist this into a break-up song, when the more obvious, surface-glance suggests a fight, a break, a separation, but not a definitive goodbye. I saw someone who interpreted it as a break-up song point particularly towards the line Louis tweeted and its resolution: “Taking some time ‘cause I’ve run out of energy of playing someone I’ve heard I’m supposed to be,” where “I don’t have to choose anymore” means he’s left the relationship, so his problems there are done. This does not immediately make sense to me, especially given the present-tense chorus. Is his partner pressuring him to be someone else? Then why not say “playing someone you want me to be”? Why would he continue to fight for a relationship with someone he can’t be himself with? How is he ‘better’ with this person? Otherwise, who would be pressuring him to be someone he’s not by staying with this partner, i.e. staying with Harry? Is it Larries? Does this person believe that Louis’ pretending to be someone he’s not, for the sake of Larries? Aside from the nonsense, this reading also means that “I don’t have to choose anymore” is spiteful or petty, and I don’t particularly associate those sentiments with this song (nor with Louis’ oeuvre). Not to mention the line about Princess Park in this reading sounds bleak (‘we’ve come so far’ is, generally, read as positive, in my experience) and it colors the next line, “I’ll always need you in front of me,” as desperately sad. I don’t think the interpretation is unsustainable, but I do think we’re looking at things from two incommensurable viewpoints where nothing I could say would change your mind, and vice versa. That’s fine.

I appreciate the interpretation of this song as being about his relationship to the music industry, performing, the fans, etc. and it gives me a kind of lightbulb moment remembering when Louis said that some songs sound like love songs. I still think that the Princess Park reference would be quite incongruous in this case. 1D had about a thousand things on their agenda per week during the Princess Park era, we saw them almost every day, it really is odd for me to imagine Louis would pick out Princess Park manor to symbolize the time period in general. If it’s supposed to symbolize the start of his luxury lifestyle, it would be a weird glimpse of flash in an otherwise flash-less song. It’s not impossible because I don’t know what I don’t know, it’s just hard to imagine, and the dots aren’t connecting for me, so it weakens this interpretation for me overall.

If indeed this is one of his songs ‘for the fans,’ then I think that’s really cool. I’m upset that he feels he has to apologize, but I’m happy if he can use this song as a medium to express himself and work through his emotions.

Mr. Brightside

Defenseless

This is one of those songs, I feel, like Strong, that doesn’t jump out at a casual listener because the lyrics are so simple on paper, but I’d put it on repeat several times and end up sobbing in a heap. Out of all the things he can write about, he chooses this. Out of all the tools at an artist’s disposal in order to mask feeling or defer them through creative sleights of hand, he chooses none of them. Louis never just writes about being vulnerable, he is vulnerable, through song, through words. And I’m really, I don’t know the right word, but amazed comes pretty close, that he chooses to share his strength with the world, with us.

This kind of strength is a lonely strength, because it cuts you off from people as much as it connects you. You’re obsessive about love. (That’s my first thought after I watched Louis’ performance: he’s a perfectionist. He’s obsessive.) You want to do the right thing so badly, out of love, out of principle, out of loyalty. Probably even out of integrity and ego. You want to fix things, you’re impatient and volatile with it. You write ten thousand words and it’s still not enough, but it’s too much so you cut it down to size. Then it really isn’t enough. And the problem, the biggest problem, about being this person, is that it scares people. When you think so much it bleeds into your dreams, when you pick at your own words so obsessively, when you pay so much attention because of the enormity of your love that you know your loved ones better than they know themselves: you scare people. You put them on the defensive. And you’re the one, you’re always the one, who has to muster up the strength to ask for love. Just love, not any more, not any less.

Like Harry, I’d never want to tell someone their interpretation is wrong, but if we’re playing a game of “determine their relationship status from song lyrics” with the assumption that these lyrics are at the very least semi-autobiographical in nature (and that carries from the assumption that Louis’ album is still going to focus on honest lyrics from recent promo-cycle and that the songs are loosely chronological from previous promo-cycle), then I don’t think this is the hill to die on. Again, if ‘announcement of current relationship status’ was one of the reasons Louis releases songs, you can hardly tell from this song. A rupture, a crisis, but less probably the advent or aftermath of a break-up. And again, if it was, it’s emotionally rich and interesting because it’s so different in tone from what you’d expect of typical break-up songs: “You don’t have to keep on being strong for me and you,” “Just wanna be loved by you.”

People are going to see what they want to see in this fandom, and nowhere is that most obvious than the line, “When you’re lost in your pride,” which I’ve seen some rads zero in on. But, because the song is so personal to me, and speaks to me on a level no song Louis has written since Strong does, I’m not particularly interested in what people say about it. I feel like this song is the most non-specific: it’s for us to relate to and reflect on. I think whatever people take away from this song, we can at least agree that the emotional texture of the song is extraordinary.

Little black dress

Too young

Even from the title, you could tell this was going to be a sad song. Through all 3 songs and just in general, I’m always working backwards from the assumption that they’re still together, and looking for suggestions that either support or debunk. On face-value, this is the only one out of 3 that I’d consider as debunking that assumption, but not with certainty (general caveats about “determining relationship status from song lyrics” aside). If we accept the assumption that this song is about Louis and Harry, it’s actually pretty hilarious what period of their lives this song could be referring to because they’ve been together since they were 16 and 18, any point between then and maybe 2 years ago could be considered ‘too young’ by a normal person (I say 2 years randomly, because that’s the reasonable amount of time someone can look backwards and think ‘oh, we were so young’, and not because of the lyric).

If the lyric was, in fact, ‘2 years’, then trying to fit the lyrics at face-value with what we know of Louis and Harry’s lives is difficult. The second verse leads to the bridge, so all these verses are occurring at the same time, where the singer is face to face with the You for the first time in two years, unsure if the You hates him. This is something occurring at present, and I think it can be read as the start of a reconciliation or the start of closure. But obviously it’s not something occurring at present, meaning it’s already happened for Louis to write about it, if it happened at all. So with all of this in mind, I can’t figure out the requisite 2 years to fit into what we know of Louis and Harry’s lives. I mean this in the sense, if we were to write Larry fanfiction with just the songs and what we know from official sources, what would it look like with this song in mind? I’m not too handy with keeping up with timelines, but if we only consider big events like song/album releases, promo cycles, and touring (all post-hiatus obviously), i.e. ignoring all other ‘coincidences’, the most I can stretch is just over 1 year, and even then you’d have to argue that Harry planned and performed IICF/SC during a period of separation, which I’m not too keen on.

Eleanor obviously fits in quite nicely with the ‘2 years’ line, but I personally don’t use ad hoc arguments of “this line was changed to fit the official narrative.” I prefer analyzing lyrics at face-value and leaving incongruities as they are.

This song places rigid constraints that the other songs do not, with its emphasis on time (which, fair enough, it’s literally in the title). This isn’t discouraging: it doesn’t mean the previous interpretations were too lenient because they lack similar constraints. But it does highlight, again, the fact that we don’t know what we don’t know. “It’s hard to think you could ever hate me / But things are feeling different now” and “It’s been (two years) since I’ve seen your face” are the only lines in the whole 4 songs that give me pause, and maybe they’re supposed to. I think the tracklist order of the album, as well as the official narrative they push in promo, will give more insight.

There are interpretations floating out there that relate this song as well as others to the particular pressures of closeting. I think such interpretations are interesting, although they always read rather fanfic-y to me. I generally stay away from thinking about any of their songs in this way, because I want to try to see what I can understand about them from my own knowledge and experience. I have neither knowledge nor experience of what it feels like be in the situations Louis has been in with regards to navigating his sexuality and his relationship, so I hesitate to rely on an interpretation of his songs where the underlying angst is about external pressures in those conditions. What they’ve been through is upsetting and frustrating for me as a fan, but it’s more interesting and relatable to me, to read internal strife and complications into these lyrics. However, I enjoyed reading some of these interpretations and they also give Just a Little Bit of Your Heart a different color.

This song doesn’t resolve, which I don’t think is the point of the song. It’s interesting to me because I think optimism is itself a resolve, and the tone, sound and lyric of this song differs from the rest in that it doesn’t have that. The point of the song is an expression of regret and, more forwardly, an apology. Louis (the singer) wants to fix things. And in whatever order the songs are meant to be read (I’m going to read them in the order of the setlist for now), this song following the shattering vulnerability of Defenseless gives us insight into Louis’ strengths as a writer and a person. He wants to fix things. He keeps on thinking about what went wrong, still finding ways to blame himself, years after the fact. “Now we can finally have a conversation.” He still yearns for conversation, for clarity, to lay his heart out on the table, to say sorry and, maybe, ask for love. This is what I think about when I think about optimism to the point of self-parody. Not optimistic that things will work out, although he is that in other songs, but optimistic that there is still a point to all this. And it’s something you can get quite self-conscious about, especially if you keep getting knocked down continuously by things both within and out of your control. Because the hope for connection, communication, and love can seem meaningless in the face of senseless tragedies. But Louis still hopes, he still yearns, he still asks. He doesn’t give up, on his relationships, on the people he loves, and (because of that, he doesn’t give up) on himself.

And it makes me want to scream when I remember that the first line of Home is “Make a little conversation.”

Just hold on

Kill my mind