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Harry Styles' Late Night Talking: The Living Traditions of Modern Rock Music

"Late Night Talking" by English singer-songwriter Harry Styles was released on December 13, 2019. Written and produced by Kid Harpoon and Tyler Johnson, the track debuted as part of their collaboration. Harry Styles' "Late Night Talking" is an explosive pop song that blends a wide array of musical traditions and influences, both old and new. From its unique instrumentation and a catchy chorus to its poetic lyrics, this song represents an eclectic medley of styles that captures the depth and breadth of influences found within modern rock and pop music. This paper investigates the various elements of "Late Night Talking" and explores their connection to different historical and cultural traditions both here in America and around the globe. "Late Night Talking” proves rock and pop music's continuing relevance and many changes over time.

Instrumentation:

"Late Night Talking’s” instrumental backing features electronic and acoustic sounds to create an intricate sonic landscape. Beginning with synthesized sounds leading into an electric guitar riff that sets the scene, electric guitar, bass guitar, drums, and tambourine are all used to add energy and momentum. Drums provide a steady driving rhythm, bass guitar, and electric guitar add depth and texture, while tambourine adds percussive brightness, creating rhythmic variation. For example, at 0:15-043, instruments significantly change, varying the composer and the sound of the song. At 0:15, when the singer introduced the line “It's only been a couple of days and I miss you, mmm, yeah When nothing really goes to plan” the instrument used has a bass, and later transforms towards 0:43 to include more quitter and drum. The instrumentation also changes, with the guitar taking a bit of a backseat to the synthesizer and drums, creating a dreamy, atmospheric vibe (Merwe).

At 2 minutes and 21 seconds, Styles begins his final chorus by belting out his signature belted out chorus with great force. From here on out, the song gradually winds down before ending with an instrumental outro featuring the same synthesizer riff heard throughout. "Late Night Talking" consistently draws from multiple musical traditions and influences. Synthesizers, electric guitars, and an infectious driving beat all contribute to creating a sound reminiscent of disco songs of the 70s and 80s, while more contemporary production techniques, such as pitch correction, give vocals an elegant yet upbeat quality (Davis).

One of the most striking elements of "Late Night Talking" is its stylistic similarities to disco songs from the 70s and 80s, specifically disco songs by David Bowie or Prince. At the same time, one can detect some influence from Prince. Furthermore, its instrumentation (with synthesizers and bass guitar) recalls disco songs of this era while its pitch correction technique surprises listeners in modern pop music; Kid Harpoon (Spanos) explained to Rolling Stone that he wanted to change pop's sound - this can be found within its production choices in "Late Night Talking.”

However, "Late Night Talking" follows a traditional song structure with an introduction, chorus, and verses. Harry Styles has made sure his musical career reflects this commitment to tradition; his love for classic rock and pop has influenced his songwriting process. Harry Styles' "Late Night Talking" amalgamates various historical and stylistic traditions in modern rock/pop music, using synthesizers, bass guitar, disco-inspired instrumentation, and traditional song structures to draw from these sources. His use of synthesizers, bass guitar, and disco-influenced instrumentation, along with its use of pitch correction, illustrates Styles' respect for what came before him while its production choices, such as pitch correction, display an attempt at pushing modern pop boundaries further still. According...