Watermelon Sugar
A funk-pop song inspired by Richard Brautigan's novel.
"Watermelon Sugar" is a song by English singer-songwriter Harry Styles from his second studio album, Fine Line (2019). Written by Styles, Mitch Rowland, and producers Tyler Johnson and Kid Harpoon, the song was inspired by the American novel In Watermelon Sugar (1968) by Richard Brautigan. It was originally released as a promotional single on 16 November 2019 and later as the album's fourth official single on 18 May 2020. The song became Styles's first number-one single on the Billboard Hot 100 and won the 2021 Grammy Award for Best Pop Solo Performance, as well as Song of the Year at the 41st Brit Awards.
Quick Facts
- Artist
- Harry Styles
- Album
- Fine Line
- Released
- 16 November 2019 (promotional single); 18 May 2020 (official single)
- Genre
- Funk-pop, pop rock
- Songwriters
- Harry Styles
- Mitch Rowland
- Tyler Johnson
- Kid Harpoon
- Awards
- Grammy Award for Best Pop Solo Performance (2021); Brit Award for Song of the Year (2021)
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
The song was written in September 2017 while Styles was on a day off from his tour. The session took place at The Cave Studio in Nashville, Tennessee, where the group played around and developed the repetitive chorus melody. They had the book In Watermelon Sugar by Richard Brautigan and thought it would sound cool as the hook. The song is rumored to be about Styles's ex-girlfriend Camille Rowe, who is a fan of the novel. Styles first teased the song on 22 October 2019 with a tweet reading "Kiwi walked so Watermelon Sugar could run." It premiered at 23:30 ET on 16 November 2019 without prior notice, accompanied by an audio video showing the album cover art with a watermelon in the hand. The music video, directed by Bradley & Pablo and filmed in Malibu, California, features Styles alongside people dancing on a beach and eating watermelon. It was released on 18 May 2020.
Reader's Guide
"Watermelon Sugar" is a horn and guitar-driven funk-pop and pop rock song with 1970s and soul elements. It is composed in common time in the key of A minor (D Dorian mode) at 96 beats per minute, with a chord progression of Dm7–Am7–C–G. The song runs for two minutes and fifty-three seconds and features a structure of verse, pre-chorus, chorus, verse, pre-chorus, chorus, post-chorus, bridge, chorus, post-chorus. Driven by guitars and horns, it includes brass lines and a simple melody reminiscent of jazz. Styles's vocals span from D3 to A4 and are described as "raspy." The lyrics use the metaphor of fruit and summer to describe a sexual encounter; Styles has stated the song is about the initial euphoria of seeing someone and about the female orgasm. The song was generally well received by critics, with praise for its guitar hook and sultry, funky spirit. Commercially, it peaked within the top ten in more than 20 countries, including the United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, and the United States, where it became Styles's first number-one single on the Billboard Hot 100. It won the 2021 Grammy Award for Best Pop Solo Performance and Song of the Year at the 41st Brit Awards.
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