#can't explain but what i have with louis truly feels so special

[fuchsea]

💀

[savebylou]

Louis & Louies' messages on the Live Album.

I transcribed all the messages of the album that Louies wrote as well as the message of Louis so is easier to read it. All of them are organized by photo.

The birmingham show will stay in my mind for a long time as one of the happiest nights of my life, it was really special, thank you louis <3 - Lucy H

You motivate me to have faith in the future that despite the moments we can move foward - Alejandra D

You are the greatest I love you so much lots of love and support from Pakistan - Alina K

Being able to hear "Chicago" in Chicago was an amazing experience as someone who grew up in Chicago. It made the song feel unique - Amy S

Thank you Louis for sharing this live album with us, for including us fans. It means the absolute world to us. WE LOVE YOU!!! - Archisha D

Thank you for coming to Greece, it means the world to us greek fans <3 - Efi C

Louis' live shows are truly my happy place- so grateful to have experienced them as they've helped me through so much! - Julia S

The Brisbane show was unlike anything I've experienced. The crowd was a wall of sound, support and strength for Louis. Amazing! - Karly O

Is super special for me to be involved in all these moments. I feel like I'm part of a family :) - Lais C

This album means everything to me! Hearing it live was one of the best experiences in my life! - Lovis W

Louis Tomlinson's tour just made everything better ❤️ ❤️- Megan I

This album moved me in many ways and was even better to hear live at concert. To go through the emotions, us together, was mighty, a gift. - Merel VP

Thank you for doing these live versions, now I feel part of the concert even if I couldn't go. Love you so much! - Milena M

This tour has given me SO much! It's awesome to connect with other people that enjoy and love the same music as you do. Love from Costa Rica - Priscilla A

Dear Louis. Your world tour rocked! Thanks for sharing your passion and talent with us all. Can't wait for what's next! #LouisTomlinsonTour - Mitali J

So happy that I was born in an era in which Louis Tomlinson exist :))))) - Niayesh N

Louis being at your shows is the definition of happiness and joy. You gave your all at the shows and we couldn't ask for more - Nora Z

Louis tour was amazing and will always hold a special place in my heart. Being able to experience the shows again through LIVE is a gift - Olivia R

Seeing you and listening to your music was the best feeling ever. All the love x - Daria O

This tour has been an unfforgettable tour that'll undoubtedly remain in the memory of all of us who have attended. We love you Louis - Paulina E

My favorite memory of the tour is when he played the greatest. The atmosphere made goosebumps run through my body. Hope to see you soon - Payton N

It was amazing to see you on tour in London and I had the best night! The atmosphere in the o2 was incredible! Thank you for the memories! - Rebekah J

Thank you for making me feel seen! So proud of you and everything you've achieved! - Rhiannon J

Thank you for this. Thank you for making me feel included. Thank you for making me feel home <3- Saida N

Ir al concierto de tu artista favorito es un sentimiento completamente inefable, y con LIVE, es posible recordar esos lindos momentos -Brida H [translation: Going to a show of your favorite artist is a sentiment that words can't explain and with LIVE is possible to remember those beautiful moments]

Thank you for the chance to make so many amazing, lovely, talented and kind new friends <3 - Sam W

Listen to this album feels like a celebration to all that Louis has achieved in his solo career! He make us fans feel so proud!! - Smital P

It's crazy that I'm from the other side of the world to you but still listen to your music!! You have come so far! I love you !! - Sienna MB

Louie, Melbourne Concert was perfection - nearly lost my voice from singing every song. Your music brings pure happiness. Thank you forever - Stacey K

Louis your music resonates deeply, touching hearts with its autenticity. Thank you for sharing your talent and being an inspiration - Tae M

Louis is the reason I've got myself surrounded by people whom I can call family. Forever proud of you and your accomplishments. - Navya P

Genuinely the best experience of my life! I've never had so much fun and it was just the best atmosphere and the loveliest people!! - Tiggy S

Thank you for being your autentic self, and allowing us to do the same - Vera S

Thanks for the memories of a lifetime you gave us with these 2 tours. I had the BEST time. Always by your side. - Victoria V

My first concert experience was yours and to be honest, it couldn't be more amazing! - Doğa B

memories, relationships, the opportunity to live my best life is something that I will always associate with this tour, thank you for that - Wiktoria P

I'll never forget the feeling and the love of the crowd in Bilbao - Daniela M

Louis came to my home country and I went alone to the concert. I met so many amazing people. I didn't feel alone for a second :) - Yoana I

You will always be the person i adore the most <3 - Sofia R

love you louis, very proud of you x x - Kayley N

i'm so proud of you <3- Abi R

louis thank you for making life easier <3 -Aina J

you are incredible I saw you three times live and I loved each time. Thanks to you I met the most special people in the world. Ti amo -Gulia A

Experiencing both tour alongside Louis is something us fans we will never forget. Thank you Louis for the environment you've created for us -Aleena H

I'm in love with the way you think faith in the future is such a great concept as well as an album <3 - Alex H

Be your fan, see all that you've made its incredible, im truly thankfull for being able to see all of this- even miles away -Ana Clara

Seeing what Louis has done these last few years is incredible, and it makes me proud to be part of it :) - Anna J

So much love from Australia and I love FITF - Annalise D

Faith in the future for ever - Anya M

He knows how to connect with people through his music, you dance or cry but you FEEL every song. Louis makes you feel alive with every song. - Melany A

I flew from NZ to his Aussie show in Brisbane. It was one of the best nights of my life. I think that sentence speak for itself. - Ariah C

Hi louis, I just wanted to say thank you everything. Love you so much and we are very proud of you. You make us feel so safe ❤️ - Arina Y

Louis Tomlinson is a genius. Incredible experience with this live album. Lots of love ❤️ - Arshi K

I love Louis from Mexico Guadalajara some tequila shots in your honor legend - Noemí F

I still remember the electric magic the second I saw you. We've never felt more loved and honoured that we shared our greatest night w/ you. - Arushi R

thank you Louis!! Being able to hear this album live was the greatest day of my life and it will always be one of my favorite memories!! - Ashley H

I really loved the show in Greece, thank you so much for coming, i can't wait to see again live on stage. - Athina K

The FITF tour is one of, if I say the best tour and atmosphere in the whole universe. It feels like home to most of us Louies, proud of you Lou! - Ava MW

singing walls live was the most magical moment of my life n im lucky enough to have it inmortalize in a live album, i'll thank u forever - Aylen D

I speak for a lot of people when I say that this tour gave us happiness and a reason to wake up in the morning. We love you so much Louis - Bailey F

Your concert changed my life and I watch the videos every single day - Bella K

By far the best show I've ever experienced!!! I really miss the feeling of watching Louis perform!!! - Joelina W

Louis has created more then just music. He's created an environment where friends are family and love is unconditional - Bess L

You are us and we are you. There will be a never-ending collaboration between us. Because together we're the greatest!!!! - Beyza E

Faith in the future tour has showed me that eventually you will be rewarded for everything you worked for and Louis is the best example - Saul B

Give Louis Tomlinson a listen, you'll become a fan. Listen to him live and he'll own your heart and soul. The most beautiful voice!- Laura B

This tour was the best concert of my life thank you for creating the most amazing bond between you and your fans! - Brianna W

Faith in the Future, but also Faith in Louis - Camila R

You are extraordinary thank you for simply being you, I love you from Chile - Camila F

i went to 4 cities on FITFWT and people asked, isn't the same each night? no, louis made it special, each show was an adrenaline rush - Angel C

Together, over the last 3 years we have created memories that will live with me forever. Thank you for making it all possible - Louis T x

FITFWT, Brought fans from all ages and countries together. It is an experience you need to experience once in your life. - Cassie I

Heart warming and breath taking tour. Louis always out does himself, and his love for the fans is forever spectacular, we love you Louis! - Catarina B

Louis' music has helped me through my worst. He told me to not let it break your heart, and that time takes time to heal, I believed him - Chaitali M

I'm so proud of you Louis, both this album and Walls are masterpieces and I hope to see more music from you in the future! -Cynergy HK

this tour meant the world to me, i was feeling really lonely during my first semester of uni and getting to attend tour gave me comfort <3 - Chloe B

i loved every second of this thank you Louis for making many dreams come true <3 - Berra O

So excited to be part of this amazing project. Proud of what Louis has done over time. Here 4 u since 2011, mate. Thanks for everything. - Daniela L

Your presence in my life is priceless. Your music guides me through tough times, and I'm incredibly proud of your success as an artist - Danna G

You and your songs are my safe place. You are the best I love you :) - Dayana S

Well done Louis you are amazing. Love the album. Xo - Donna M

I can't even tell you how much I enjoyed the show! Thank you so so much Louis for this amazing experience <3 - Déníca B

[Note: the t-shirt of the last photo says "Gracias" that is thank you in Spanish. I wrote the messages as it's written, if they wrote a mistake I didn't fix it, I did my best but if I made a mistake on the transcription or how I wrote a name please let me know so I can fix it]. x

[anticonspiracist]

I can't understand one thing. You have made this blog dedicated entirely to larries and their theories. You study their posts, their thoughts, you interpret their opinions according to your own perspective, then you tell everyone how according to your perspective their opinions and theories are wrong. You keep an constant eye on larries, you try to understand what they are doing and why they are doing it, you are really putting up time and effort to understand the actions of a particular group of people (I don't want to call this obsession but that's what it seems to be).

You do everything you can and spend time on larries. You think what you see according to your perspective is totally correct and nothing else than that can be correct. Your opinion is the ultimate truth according to you. You do not question anything that appears at the surface and neither you want anyone to question anything. But are you really sure what you think is the ultimate truth. I mean I can't understand that if you think that you are absolutely correct and nothing can deter your beliefs then why are you afraid of people who actually wants to talk to you. You do not post ask that comes across as threat to your theories and people might see other side of things. You just conveniently pick lines up that will support your beliefs and you answer them and if someone reblog your posts and question your beliefs publicly you just block them. @back-to-louis did the same thing. I witnessed that.

After seeing all this you really think picking certain things up done by larries, then manipulating the whole thing, and presenting it to people set in accordance to your perspective is really being an anti conspiracist? This really seems to me like you are just entertaining yourself and seeking attention and you think you are special and different and just because you are against a popular belief. Like what kids do in school. They try to do something different then other kids so that they can seek attention and they can be termed as "special" , "different". You obsession is really very insensitive. I think you might belong to that anti group who can do anything to make larries vanish. The type of antis who abused FIMQ, the type of anti who called Louis and said I hope you die, I hope your son dies (it was a solo harrie and an anti). I really think you need to get​ over this obsession. Get help of you want. It's ok to seek help. This dense hatred towards a particular group of fandom is not healthy. Just think about this.

against my better judgment, i'm responding to this.

you clearly don't understand the field of psychology. that entire area of study is about trying to understand why human beings act the way they do. ???? should every psychologist "seek help"? SORRY for being interested in conspiracism, i guess i'll stop because it hurts your feelings when i say your beliefs are wrong??

(larries don't have theories, btw. theories are falsifiable and scientific. larrie beliefs are unfalsifiable and mimic religious beliefs so. no.)

as for the allegation that i'm the type of anti who abused ellie aka freddiesmyqueen? FUCK YOU. i was actually around when she made that fucking horrible video and i spoke out against her alleged doxxing WHEN IT HAPPENED. shows just how much YOU know, doesn't it?

if you don't even know the VERY BASICS about what i've done on this blog and on shit-larries-say before that, why do you feel like you should send me an ask like this? why do you feel qualified to explain my behavior? you just wanted to create an easy-to-hate enemy so you made up a bunch of shit to make yourself feel better.

tell me, what motivates you to write something like this? could it be the discomfort that comes from seeing information that contradicts your belief? you have to resolve that discomfort so you do the easy thing, which is explain away the disconfirming information? (it'd actually take some effort and introspection to truly wrestle with the implications of louis tomlinson actually being a father, wouldn't it?)

but oh, that's right, i'm just "obsessed." uh huh. so are all these researchers, right?

grow the fuck up and get to school.

[hldailyupdate]

Louis Tomlinson on 'sonically ambitious' new album Faith In The Future and a new-found 'creative freedom' as he releases lead single Bigger Than Me

As he readies the release of second solo album Faith In The Future and its lead single Bigger Than Me, Louis Tomlinson talks us through his most 'authentic' work to date

By Carl Smith

Waiting for the host to let us into a Zoom interview with Louis Tomlinson, we're extremely conscious you're about to speak to one of the world's most accomplished musicians. It's quite nerve-racking, really. Even having interviewed Louis many times across his career, from the early One Direction days, we can't help but wonder if the fame's somehow changed him.

We needn't have worried.

At 30 years old, Louis has achieved feats few would deem possible. Seen corners of the world many will never visit. Experienced pandemonium only The Beatles or the Spice Girls could ever truly comprehend. But, while it'd be all too easy for him to sit back, consider his ambitions fulfilled and live off some sizeable royalties, Louis is looking ahead.

On November 11, Louis will release his second solo studio album Faith In The Future. The follow-up to his 2020 debut Walls, it sees him collaborate with such unlikely influences as Australian trio DMA's, Courteeners' bassist Joe Cross and Hurts' Theo Hutchcraft.

As he readies the release of lead single Bigger Than Me, we speak to Louis about his most 'sonically ambitious' work yet, and why he's 'immensely proud' of his new-found artistic 'freedom.'

We firstly congratulate Louis on becoming a first-time uncle to sister Lottie Tomlinson's baby son Lucky ("I'm dead excited," he beams) and his mammoth world tour; a series of shows that've seen him play 80 shows to over 500,000 fans across five continents.

"I’ve been so lucky with this whole tour," he says. "I spent two years over lockdown being excited for these moments. I wasn’t even prepared for how I feel in this moment, right now. I feel so fulfilled with everything that’s happened this year.

"I’ve been so, so blessed. I mean this – everywhere I f**king go the crowd bring the energy. I feel incredibly lucky, and it’s taken quite a bit of work to get here. Looking back and reflecting, I’m really proud to be here and of the year I’ve had."

We tell Louis we were blown away by his performance at London's OVO Arena Wembley earlier this year. "Even in the sling?" he laughs. "There’s such a raucous energy out in the crowd, so it really warrants that feeling back from me."

On the topic of resuming his tour post-COVID lockdown, we question how Louis mentally coped with such a drastic lifestyle change; from 100mph living throughout 1D and his solo career to a complete standstill. How did he navigate such a shift?

"I’ve had most days filled for the last ten years," he acknowledges. "What I liked about that period? My life, by definition, comes with a lot of pressure in this job. I felt like the world had gone on pause. That was the first time I’d really had a moment where I didn’t have to worry what was to come. I felt a lot of freedom in that. I feel like it gave me room to declutter my brain and, hopefully, I got a better album out of that.

"I knew, in that time, I needed to make a record, but it just felt like I could take my foot off the gas a little bit. I really needed that. It revitalised me. It also made me dead excited about what’s to come.

"We live in a world now where we get everything we want quite quickly, and I think the fans would agree it was nice to wait for those moments. It meant that, when they did come around, it felt even more special."

The title of Louis' second record, Faith In The Future, immediately sparks a certain hope in things to come.

"I had the title before anything else," he explains. "I was 99 per cent sure I wanted to call it Faith In The Future, then lockdown happened and it just felt like an appropriate statement.

"I actually tweeted it for the first time, without any context, last year. I felt this magnetism to the phrase. With that statement, I’m not saying we can predict the future or that it’ll necessarily look any brighter, but it inspires hope. Have faith in that idea and you won’t be any worse off."

Taking some of the album's somewhat unlikely collaborators, from DMA's to Courteeners' Joe Cross, we ask if Louis allowed himself to be more open to experimentation on this record.

"This whole album’s been a learning process for me," he says. "With the first record, there was an element of me finding my feet and working out what it is I could do. Deep down I always knew what I wanted to do, but there was definitely a time when I asked myself the question ‘can I pull this off?’"

It's during moments like this it becomes apparent that superstardom hasn't actually changed Louis. Much as he was throughout The X Factor and One Direction's infancy, he remains somewhat self-critical, aware and refreshingly humble.

He continues: "I felt much more freedom in this record to express myself in the way I wanted to. I didn’t put as much restraint on myself as I did on the first record.

"On Walls, I was so overanalytical about every sound. Every lyric. Every moment. I went into this process with a lot more freedom and, naturally, I’ve created something that’s more true to who I am as a musician and as a music fan; what I like listening to.

"All my experience from being in a band like One Direction, the experience was incredible but doesn’t feel that relevant to what I’m doing now.

"The restraints, and they weren’t put in place by anyone specifically, I’m sure all the lads in the band will have felt their own version of this, you leave the band with this idea of who you are. Ironically, who I was was a member of a band. I wasn’t an individual artist. It took a bit of working out of exactly who I was. I had to work out if I was willing to be brave and say ‘it’s on my head, so be it.’ On this record, that’s what I did."

Asked what might surprise listeners most with Faith In The Future, Louis explains: "The fans won’t be surprised that the guitars are the most prevalent instrument across this record. That won’t surprise my fans, but it might surprise other people.

"There are a couple of more dance-leaning tunes on this record. I was so particular on the first record that I wanted to be seen in a certain light and it had to be organic and credible. Of course, those things are still vitally important to me, but I’ve given myself more freedom.

"I loved DMA’s last album THE GLOW, which Stuart Price produced. That has dance elements in it but was done in a really authentic way. It doesn’t feel remotely contrived or like a f**king made-for-radio pop-dance hybrid. That was really food for thought for me throughout the process.

"Those moments across this record felt brave for me, because I dipped my toe in with the Steve Aoki track. That’s a song I’m immensely proud of, but if I’m being completely honest it was me playing for radio. It was something I felt I had to do. These songs come from a different place. Yes, I’m using dance elements, but I hope it’s done in an authentic way."

We tell Louis we're DMA's fans, too.

"They’re amazing, aren’t they? I’ve been lucky enough to meet them a few times. Johnny [Took] came to one of my shows in Australia. They’re just really f**king lovely lads, great blokes. They’re an amazing live band.

"What I did on this album, more than I did on the first, and this is meant with no discredit to professional songwriters, I tried to work less with ‘professional’ songwriters and more with artists. I found that idea so fulfilling across the record. It comes with a different intent when you work with artists.

"They understand that it’s not all about commercial success and radio. In my experience, there’s much more heart and soul in the music."

This leads us seamlessly into Louis' work with Hurts singer-songwriter Theo Hutchcraft. How did that come all about?

"Me, Theo, Joe Cross and David Sneddon did a writing camp together, and what was great about that was that – from the off – we were all on the same page. Theo is vastly intelligent and an incredible writer. Even just being around these people, getting into their brains and taking on their different ideas; I’ve learnt so much more making on this record than I did the first. That’s purely from being around the right kind of people.

"I'm a massive fan of both Hurts and The Courteeners. Even the fact they were willing to work with me, I was buzzing about that. We’ve got some really great songs out of it.

"The songs with them – She Is Beauty We Are World Class, Silver Tongues and Saturdays – two of those songs are my favourites on the record. There was something amazing about that writing camp. I got there on the first day, we went to the pub together and just spoke about music. It meant that, the next day, we were already on the same page. We’d already had those conversations. The whole thing felt so easy and so free.

"When you go into a studio, turn up at midday and know you’ve got to be out by 6pm, that brings with it its own pressure and actually influences what you create. What was great working with these guys, over two or three days at a house, was we had the freedom to create whatever we wanted. That freedom shows in the music."

Louis' passion in this project is clear. He beams with pride as he discusses the intricacies of the record and his reasoning behind certain artistic decisions.

"One song in particular, Silver Tongues, I’m immensely proud of," he tells us.

"It’s one of the first times that I’ve written a song that I could definitely imagine myself listening to, had I not written it.

"That track’s very much in line with what I listen to and love musically anyway. Writing that made me feel really confident that I was writing the album I wanted to write. I feel really confident in what’s to come."

It's a confidence that's in no way tinged with cockiness. Louis reflects on his growth, acknowledging how far he's come as an artist and how much further he hopes to go.

"I feel like I’ve come such a long way, since the start of my solo career," he explains. "Specifically with how I’m performing on stage.

"One of my fans actually made a video of a show I played pre-COVID, from the end of my set when I sing Kill My Mind. They compared that show to the same song from the most recent show I did, and it was a really literal example of how far I’ve come.

"That makes me feel amazing. There are times when I’m looking at myself in the mirror thinking ‘are you sure you can do this?’ But then I think ‘course you can f**king do it, man – and you do it well!’"

Louis Tomlinson's new album Faith In The Future is released November 11 via BMG. Lead single Bigger Than Me is released September 1.

[imbellarosa]

Okay so every time people question individual lines of lyrics, all those BNFs in particular practically come at people's throats for merely asking a totally valid question. Look, I get it. I've been a Lit student. I get that you can't take everything literally bc often in poems esp, it's all a carefully constructed metaphor which you have to dig deep to understand. But in terms of lyrics, everyone is always prattling on about not taking it word for word, understanding it can refer to arguments

& just emphasising 'the whole picture' & DO NOT FOCUS ON THAT ONE LYRIC. But sometimes I am so lost, like with all those lyrics e.g. 'we were in love, now we're strangers' or 'Maybe one day you'll call me and tell me that you're sorry too', what other way are you supposed to read them if not literally? I just don't understand. This is not a question craving reassurance that they're not broken up or whatever. I have faith in them, and I'm not looking for that. But really, at the end of the day,

3. I truly do not blame people for thinking that. I know all those BNFs LOVE to have their superiority complex and snub anyone who has doubts or asks questions about hl's lyrics bc gosh they've been there since day 1 and are NEVER wary/cynical of their lyrics bc hl are perfect & it's impossible they broke up (as if we actually know them??), but I get it. I don't have an anxiety attack over lyrics like that, I don't think they are broken up, but I am mystified as I mull over them to my wits end.

4. Alright whoops so I may have gone off a tangent (unexpectedly so) but I hope someone can at least see where I'm coming from. There was supposed to be a question in there haha but I just rambled on a lot. Since I admire your flair for reading lyrics like literature and really capturing the nuances of their writing in your analyses, I wanted to know, how do you deal with lyrics like that? What thoughts do you have and how do you read them more metaphorically when it seems far too literal?

hahahaha UR TRYING TO GET ME IN TROUBLE WITH OTHER FANS I SEE U ANON kasdjfkjdak but thats okay.  first of all i LOVE this rant let’s DISCUSS lyrics! I think there are two possible scenarios here, that we can explain in different ways, as long as we are in agreement that they at least fudged some parts of the truth. There was no two-year gap, just with the timeline, there was no uni, things like that. Those things have been shifted to fit with a narrative, and I get that - they’re storytellers! So, given that, I see two possibilities.

The first possibility is what I call Operation: Superman. By day, these guys are Superman, flying around, flashing their ability, being a rock star. By night, they’re mild mannered reporter Clark Kent who just wants to go on a date with their pretty coworker (I actually really love this metaphor lmao). This means that, just like Clark Kent (or Lois Lane I think she did most of the writing), the feelings behind the words they write are true (”Superman strives to be a symbol of hope, truth and justice”) while the actual words written (”Superman is an unidentified alien who likely is *insert massively untrue thing here* irl”). For these guys, that might mean that “We were in love, now we’re strangers” translates into “people used to see that we’re special to each other, and now they see us as strangers” (lmao @ the story that they wrote perfect in separate rooms), and “maybe one day you’ll call me, and tell me that you’re sorry, too” could translate into “we really got into it, and this feels like a delicate moment, and you SUCK at saying sorry, and I wish you would, because you were wrong, too”. Heartbreak comes in many different forms, and using one kind of grief to write about another is a tactic that I’ve used a lot in the past for my own healing process. So maybe that FEELING of being alone and lost and desperate for someone to reach out and see you is real, but the situation (i.e. ‘this is about a break up’) is made up. Goodness knows that much more has been made up for much less, and this way, no one knows who Superman really is. 

The second possibility is that they broke up for a period of time. Looking at some of the more extensive archives, if i had to guess when, I would say that it was likely Feb 2016-Oct/Nov 2016? Because Louis has talked quite a bit about how when his mother took a turn for the worse, his partner was really there for him, and how it brought them closer, and the lessons it taught him about being a partner. Let’s be clear: “we were having a hard time and they stepped up and we became stronger because of it” does not have to mean “we were on a break” - it could totally mean ‘we were fighting a ton and had no clue what would be next and it wasn’t fun anymore’. But if we take it to be that they were on a break, then the lie isn’t ‘we broke up’ the lie is ‘i was broken up with someone for a few years’. 

I can see the arguments for and against both of these possibilities, and idk which I’m more inclined to believe. Sometimes I’m like “they’re Superman!” and other times I think “eh, they probably did take a break in there somewhere”. So the way I look at the lyrics is as if the whole thing was a story, and I look at them in context of the larger story.:

The first step is “what is literally being said in this song”

The next one is “what is the theme of this song/the emotion driving it, and what does that say about the person writing it”

the third one is “where does this fit in the time it was written? who would have influenced the song? what was happening at the time?” 

And from that, just like from any book, we can build an analysis. I *really* feel that answering those three questions can tell you what you need to know about how literal any given song is! We can even do a quick run through - let’s do ‘Miss You’:

The song is literally saying that they miss the person they’ve been with for a long time, and that they wish they could go back to what they used to be 

The emotions driving the song are regret, loneliness, bitterness, and longing 

They were massively pushing ‘ reformed (ish) party boy Louis’ at the time, and the song fits that narrative well. When the song was released (Dec 2017) , he’d just gotten back together with Eleanor (Feb [?] 2017)so it would have been a reflection of that time they spent apart, and how he felt when he was alone. Given that we know he’s not actually dating Eleanor, we can assume that they narrative and the things that push that might also tilt towards “not literally true”. The song was written by 7 people, and any number of people could have taken the emotions driving the song and come up with different lines, and Louis could have connected with those lines for different reasons, some of them being more literal, and some more emotional/metaphorical. 

And then, taking all those components, you decide on what you think is the most likely read of that song. I can’t tell you what to think things are about, you know? No one can! I can only tell you what *I* think makes most sense when you put art in the context in which it was written, because nothing is ever created in a bubble.