— Harry on My Policeman
golden - a close reading
fine line is my favorite album of all time, truly a masterpiece and the music that brings me ultimate comfort. i’ll be making a post about every track and then finish it off with a grand conclusion; an ode to the album as a whole, if you will. thanks for all the nice responses to my previous lyric analyses (only angel, mmith) - it really really means a lot to me. alright, enough blabbing
fine line, track 1
Golden, golden, golden as I open my eyes
Hold it, focus, hoping, take me back to the light
awakening, realisation. EYES OPEN. ～ lights up, “step into the light”
opening track, eyes are open: one of the central themes of the album
again: “you” needs to help H ～MMITH
I know you were way too bright for me
first meeting, at the start of their relationship H was awestruck/tongue-tied (～sunflower vol. 6)
I'm hopeless, broken, so you wait for me in the sky
recurring theme: self-deprecating H (～MMITH)
“you” is the one waiting ⟷ H in MMITH: was “you” on the right side of the door all along, waiting for H to come around?
Brown my skin just right
“you” is Harry’s sun, force of life; knows how to warm H up to anything
You’re so golden
I’m out of my head, and I know that you’re scared
crazy in love / has no inhibitions anymore, doesn’t want to hide away their love
Because hearts get broken
“you” is scared, despite being so bright and strong - fear of letting H fully in - walls are up
I don’t wanna be alone
recurring theme: loneliness (falling, from the dining table, to be so lonely, etc.)
I don’t wanna be alone when it ends
Don’t wanna let you know
when what ends? ～ MMITH “we don’t talk about it”?
recurring theme: lack of communication
But I can feel it take a hold
I can feel you take control
Of who I am, and all I’ve ever known
Lovin’ you’s the antidote
doubts fall away because the one right answer is that their love conquers all
ode to overcoming doubts ～ MMITH
their love took over their lives for good
“antidote”: recurring theme of love as a drug/medication: MMITH, Habit
⟶ for what? loneliness, insecurities?
I know that you’re scared because I’m so open
SYNTHESIS
As the opening track of Fine Line, Harry makes a clear statement about the album. It’s a celebration of love, an ode to the early stages of love, the insecurities that are involved in that. Just like in Meet Me In The Hallway, Harry is sure of this love, and its power to overcome anything, this time just with a bit more confidence. This relationship struggles with being open, with saying everything they’re feeling. Harry is still there, still waiting for this person to be as open as he is, but he acknowledges that that person is also waiting for him, and always has been. This song is Harry telling us that he’s finally opened his mouth, in contrast to his silent waiting in MMITH, and wants his person to come celebrate their love with him.
This openness in Harry is one of the central themes in Fine Line, and it’s an openness to love as well as an openness within himself and to everything that he can be.
He acknowledges their feelings, their hesitation in order to not get hurt, but wants those doubts to fall away. He’s instilling confidence in his love, because they’re the sun, they’re golden, and Harry is entirely enthralled by them. His sun has always helped him find the light, find his way back to himself and their love. Harry needing this sun, this person, is also a recurring theme in all of his music, and in Golden it’s sung as merely one aspect of their love, not something that takes over or is a burden (MMITH, falling). It’s a testament to Harry looking up to them, to that person giving him strength and showing him the way. They’re his compass, so to speak.
The music video for the song also shows the joyous character of the song: Harry is elated, sprinting and dancing. The parallels in visuals between the mv and movie Holding the Man are too striking not to mention. It’s a film about a long-term relationship between two men, and how they overcome their struggles over all the years they’re together. The opening scenes of the movie show one of the protagonists running through an Italian coastal city, much like Harry in the mv, all the way to the sea, where he jumps in. In the mv, we also see Harry in the water, and the side-by-sides make it clear where Harry found his inspiration. This parallel, to me, underlines the struggles a long-lasting love can go through, be it through internal or external causes, and that love, the knowledge that you have it, conquering it all. It also shows an acceptance of life and its twists and turns, and finding freedom and beauty in that.
This love makes Harry euphoric and he’ll shout it out to anyone who will listen. Love that for us.
read my other lyric analyses here
evenstarsinthesky
And this is only 1 stream ‼️ (LTWT Dallas, 1 February 2022).
Only The Brave, Dallas - 01.02
this is a pride walk
Louis spotting a fan’s daughter in the crowd in Dallas - 01.02
i know what you are
JARED???????
lovelovesayu-pyun
??????? JARED 25 ??????
gays dress like everyone from Jurassic Park tbh
Fair point
Not even sure if these are types of gay, but here we are
You forgot the T. Rex
Omg you’re right, I forgot the T-Rex!!!
The dinosaur is an amazing punchline but Dennis Nedry not making it on this post is pure ‘Hawaiian Shirt Gay’ erasure.
am a big fan of the relationship dynamic that is “scary powerful lady falls in love with total himbo because he’s too dumb to be intimidated by her but drinks enough respect women juice on the regular to be very impressed by and genuinely supportive of everything she does”
the-ferret-mumbler
yall see “love” and immediately go to “romantic love” if you translate “love is the whole point” to “romantic love is the whole point” you need to rethink everything because love is found in everything. in community, in friendships, in family, in food, in nature so actually love is the whole point and u can die mad about it. hope this helps <3
Sokka and Suki absolutely deserve more time with each other
orbitalgay
Suki made Sokka drink respect women juice one time and he proceeded to chug it for breakfast for the rest of his life
Makes me very happy they’ve put all of avatar on netflix I get to relive this cuteness again
zenlikejen-deactivated20221002
Yes, Of Course, Always
This was sent to me by a (”beautiful, intelligent” there, I covered you!) source. I took out the parts that would reveal too much in terms of identity. Enjoy:
“_” met them the first time when they made an appearance at an event in late 2013. Harry was very sweet, personally looked for “_”, introduced himself and confessed his admiration about both “_”’s professional and personal achievements. He said that he was eager to follow his steps as soon as he could and openly talked about Louis and mentioned they had been together for 3 years (so since 2010).
Next time “_” ran into Harry in LA, at a private party of a common friend. Harry was in a very good mood, said things were fine and had recently come back from a birthday trip in Cuba (or Jamaica, “_” was not sure) with friends and boyfriend.
”_” is probably the most reserved person in the world, you wouldn’t believe, but he said that Harry had been so cute and open hearted the previous time that he didn’t want to sound disinterested and jokingly asked if it was still the same boyfriend of the last time. Apparently Harry was a little taken aback, then smiled fondly and hurried “yes, of course, always” (which, ❤️❤️❤️).
Finally, “_” casually met both Harry and Louis last fall in London while having a private dinner out with his own boyfriend. They just said hello and exchanged brief talks before parting ways.
