Outside the UK and US, the song was a commercial success and topped the charts in 45 countries, including Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, France, Germany, Ireland, Lithuania, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Singapore, Sweden, and Norway.
[1][2] Five days later, he announced the title of its lead single as "As It Was", alongside 3 pictures of Styles facing away from the camera in a sequinned, sleeveless red outfit, and set its release date as 1 April 2022.
[6] He released a teaser of the music video on 30 March, which included an "energetic drum beat" and a "sunny electric guitar riff", and depicted him in a red jumpsuit spinning in circles atop a motorised turntable.
In an interview with Consequence of Sound, producer Kid Harpoon stated "We moved all the furniture out and put a drum kit in the TV room.
[11] He called the original voice note of the slower track "a death march" in an interview with Zane Lowe,[12] although the existence of this version has been disputed by Kid Harpoon.
[18][19][20][21][22] Chris Willman of Variety noted it takes heavy inspiration from Depeche Mode and A-ha, while also suggesting it adopted a style similar to the Weeknd's 2019 single "Blinding Lights".
[19] Euphoria magazine felt that Styles was inspired by James Bay's 2018 single "Pink Lemonade", adding that the two songs sound "eerily similar".
NME's Rhian Daly gave the song five out of five stars, describing it as "not a million miles away from where Fine Line left off, but hardly retreading old ground."
"[25] In his review for Rolling Stone, Rob Sheffield regarded "As It Was" as one of Styles's most "emotionally powerful" songs, calling it a "daring change-up" and a "straight-from-the-heart cry that's also an irresistible dance-floor challenge.
"[29] Evening Standard reviewer Jochan Embley meanwhile found the track inferior to the singer's previous singles "Watermelon Sugar" and "Adore You", but wrote that Styles and his collaborators "still know how to make an instantly enjoyable tune".
[30] Olivia Horn of Pitchfork was less impressed and bemoaned that the song "winds down without any real payoff", citing the circuitousness of the lyrics as "a frequent shortcoming in Styles' songwriting.
"[31] Entertainment Weekly named "As It Was" as the best song of 2022: "The synths gallop like excitable ponies while his warm-wash vocals swoop and dip, a sweet little slice of life-support disco for the lonely.
But then you understand Styles' longing for the perfect something that was yanked away, his dreamy vocals taking on a sadness as he recalls that blissful bubble and resigns himself with a sigh to his current reality.
"[33] Billboard ranked it at number 3 on their "The 100 Best Songs of 2022" list: "Coming in at a lean 2:47, "As It Was" serves as a broader anthem about how nothing is "the same as it was" before the pandemic, but on a micro level, it turns out Styles isn't the same either as he grapples with fame and the realization that "he's no good alone" when left to his own devices and pills.
Change is a constant beneath the track's heart-raising BPM and twinkling melodies: here, Harry Styles' empathetic songwriting saw him fight for stability amid breakups and personal upheavals, finding strength in a renewed relationship with himself.
"[36] The Guardian ranked it at number 5 on their "The 20 best songs of 2022" list: "Occupying the slim valley between A-ha's Take On Me and Vampire Weekend, As It Was delivers bruised-peach hurt, sophisticated languor from the back seat of a tastefully expensive car.
Its slippery nostalgia is grounded in a synth line evoking the New Romantic era of Styles' parents' youth and in the singer's cool, bossa nova-ish croon, which sounds like the way it feels when that departing lover wistfully strokes your hair.
The Easter-eggy verses matter to fans, but the chorus is what made "As It Was" so sticky in 2022: It renders regret comfortable, a service everyone needs in a time of chronic heartbreak.
"[41] The Fader ranked it at number 33 on their "The 100 best songs of 2022" list: "On Harry's House lead single "As It Was," the singer hits an effervescent pitch both sonically and conceptually, expressing a willingness to embrace introspection while delivering one of the most textured performances in his loaded discography.
"[42] Pitchfork ranked it at number 100 on their "The 100 Best Songs of 2022" list: ""As It Was" is the kind of twinkly little confection that would easily get the indie kids pogoing at any local DIY dance night at any point in the last two decades.
[47] Jon Bon Jovi stated "It is not going to be the same as it was folks, I love that because he gave you a slap upside the head and said, “I’m here with you but doing it on my terms.”[48] Artists such as Jorja Smith and Arcade Fire also covered the song in the Live Lounge.
[72][73] The song reached number one on the official charts of Australia,[74] Austria,[75] Belgium,[76] Croatia,[77] Denmark,[78] Germany,[79] Greece,[80] Ireland,[81] Israel,[82] Lithuania,[83] the Netherlands,[84] New Zealand,[85] Slovakia,[86] Sweden,[87] and Switzerland.
[99] In the clip, Styles joins dancer Mathilde Lin on a turning platform and performs choreography by Yoann Bourgeois[100][101] in the Barbican to release negative emotions.
The music video references a photo mural of industrial designers Charles and Ray Eames on exhibit at LACMA as Styles and his love interest grow further apart.