Imagine being in love with someone, but not being able to show it. Now, on top of that, imagine being a part of the biggest boyband of the decade. That is, possibly, what band members Harry Styles and Louis Tomlinson had to do since 2010. Throughout the 5 years of One Direction, there have been numerous songs written by Harry or Louis that made fans speculate that there was a romance between the two boys. Songs such as "Something Great", "Strong", "18", "Home", and "Perfect" (written by both Harry and Louis, references going on "secret rendezvous'") are just a few examples of songs that fans have been analyzing for years about who they were written about. When One Direction broke up and the boys continued with solo careers, even more songs were written that provided further evidence of their possible relationship. "Two Ghosts'' by Harry Styles and "Too young" by Louis Tomlinson are two examples of possible proof of their secret relationship, as they both repeat common themes and allusions, aiming for an emotional appeal.
"Two Ghosts'', written by Harry Styles around 2014 and released in 2017, is a song that had a lot of speculation of who he wrote it about. The media speculated that it was about his ex-girlfriend, Taylor Swift, whom he dated in 2012. However, many fans believe this song is about Louis Tomlinson. The opening lyrics are "Same lips red, same eyes blue/Same white shirt, couple more tattoos''. Many people believed that describing red lips and blue eyes immediately meant it was about Taylor Swift, as she always wore her staple red lipstick, and she has blue eyes (however Louis Tomlinson also has blue eyes). The next line, "Same white shirt, couple more tattoos'' is a clear indicator that this is could be about Louis Tomlinson, as Harry and Louis have many tattoos that seem very complimentary such as a ship and a compass, a rose and a dagger, a rope and an anchor, a heart and an arrow, and birds and an empty bird cage. Harry doesn't seem to have any tattoos that can be connected to Taylor, so indicating he got a couple more tattoos because of her wouldn't make sense. The next line, "But it's not you, and it's not me" is saying how there was an external/outside force that caused them to split. In regard to Harry and Louis' relationship, that could have been the pressure from their management and having to hide their relationship. "Tastes so sweet, looks so real/Sounds like something that I used to feel/But I can't touch what I see" is the next part of the song. The line "But I can't touch what I see" could mean how he can't touch or publicly show his love for Louis because of management. When artists sign to a record company or management, contracts are always put into place. It is rumored that once fans started catching on to Louis and Harry's relationship, their management made them sign a contract that would keep them from coming out or admitting to being in a relationship with each other. This has happened with other artists, such as Olly Alexander, who was also in a band and was told to keep hiding his sexuality so it wouldn't harm the band's success. This line is evident that whoever he was with, he could not show his love. This would not make sense for this relationship with Taylor swift, because a lot of their dates were fairly public, and they did not have to hide their relationship. The chorus, "We're not who we used to be/ We're not who we used to be/ We're just two ghosts standing in the place of you and me/ Trying to remember how it feels to have a heartbeat" is significant because it alludes to a relationship where they went through a lot of change; Harry and Taylor had a short relationship, lasting barely three months, whereas Harry and Louis met in 2010, and had possibly a several year long relationship, which would create more room for there to be actual change and depth between the two. "We're not who we used to be'' relates more for Louis and Harry as they changed a lot during the past 10 years. They went from being super close, constantly being with each other, publicly living together, being super open, to not even being able to sit next to each other in interviews or interact on stage during concerts. Referring to himself and his ex as "two ghosts'' can imply that who they were is in the past, and that part of them is dead. The love or relationship they had is no longer alive, which brings me to the next line, "Trying to remember how it feels to have a heartbeat" can imply how they lost themselves, they lost what it's like to love each other since they had to keep it a secret and they no longer can remember what it is like to be open and in love. This song was originally supposed to be put on One Direction's fifth album, Made in the A.M, however ultimately wasn't because Harry said, "some things are like more personal notes and you don't want anyone else to sing it", which could mean he didn't want to make Louis sing along to a song that was written about their past relationship.
"Too young", written by Louis Tomlinson and released in 2020, is a song that most fans attach to the Harry and Louis relationship. Age and young love seem to be a recurring theme in their songs, such as in "18", "Habit", "We made it", "Fearless", and "Sweet Creature", which is another indicator that Harry and Louis are in a relationship, as they met when they were 16 and 18. The opening lines, "We were too young to know we had everything/ Too young, I wish I could've seen it all along'' expresses how he was in a relationship when he was younger but implying it since has ended, thus creating regret that they took it for granted. He started dating his on and off again current girlfriend, Eleanor Calder, when he was almost 20. He wrote this song in 2018/2019, so it is unclear as to who this song is about since when he wrote it, he was in a relationship with the girl some presume it is about. The next lines, "I'm sorry that I hurt you, darling, no, oh/We were too young" implies that whatever happened between him and whoever this song is about, there was a lot of pain and heartbreak. The first verse, "I've been looking back a lot lately/Me and you is all I've ever known/It's hard to think you could ever hate me/But everything's feeling different now" is significant because the only long term relationships Louis has had is with Eleanor Calder, and possibly Harry Styles. At the time this song was written, he was dating Eleanor Calder, so him looking back on a past relationship with someone who hates him leaves many fans wondering how it could possibly be about Eleanor. The idea that this song is about Harry strengthens with the next verse, "Oh I can't believe I gave in to the pressure/ When they said a love like this would never last/So I cut you off cause I didn't know no better/ Now I realize, yeah, I realize" and then it repeats the intro, because there was most likely a lot of pressure, not only being in the biggest boyband at the time, but conflicts with management on how open he can be with Harry, possibly drew them apart. "So, I cut you off cause I didn't know no better" alludes to the fact that whoever this is about, he had to break off the relationship due to an increase in pressure and stress surrounding the relationship, which is allegedly what broke up Harry and Louis. The bridge is the most important line in deciphering who the song is truly about, "It's been two years since I've seen your face/I'm tryna find some better words to say/Before I let this moment slip away/Cause now I realize". One Direction broke up in late 2015, and all of the members went their own way and most lost connection with each other. So, during this time, perhaps for two years since the split, Louis and Harry also stopped communicating, which the line "It's been two years since I've seen your face" would have stemmed from. Louis Tomlinson posted a series of videos explaining the inspiration and meaning behind each track on the album, and when talking about "Too Young", he explains the song is about "how much responsibility to have at a young age...especially trying to deal with that at 18" in regards to being in a relationship. However, he didn't meet his girlfriend Eleanor until October 2011, where he was 19, almost turning 20. He was not officially dating anyone when he was 18, however that is when there were clear signs signaling that Harry and Louis were dating.
Throughout both Harry and Louis' solo albums, there are many numerous parallels and common themes in their songs. In "Two Ghosts" and "Too Young" specifically, there is very clear evidence of parallels. In "Too Young", Louis writes, "Face to face at the kitchen table, this is everything I've waited for" and in "Two Ghosts" Harry writes, "The fridge washes this room white/This was all we used to need". Both songs reference being in a kitchen, following by signifying how important those tiny moments were. Although it may seem like a tiny detail, the fact that they both mention a seemingly important moment taking place in a kitchen, is too much of a coincidence to look past. Lyrics such as "I cut you off because I didn't know no better" and "We're just two ghosts swimming in a glass half empty", "We were too young to know we had everything" and "Trying to remember how it feels to have a heartbeat", "Cause we don't say what we really mean" and "Now we can finally have a conversation/That I wish we would have had before", "I've been looking back a lot lately, me and you is all I've ever known" and "It's not you and it's not me... sounds like something that I used to feel" all allude to the same idea, complete each other or almost directly parallel. The purpose of Harry and Louis doing this, either intentionally or unintentionally, is their way of expressing their past love for each other and being able to open up about their relationship in a way that doesn't directly confirm it. Not directly confirming it may be because they're not ready, or not allowed, to fully come out and say whether or not they were romantically involved with each other. The intended audience was definitely each other, but also the fans, to give them some kind of indirect explanation and insight into their relationship.
We may never know the truth. Years and years of analyzing and speculating a relationship could have been nothing but a fantasy created by the fans, but there is too much proof that goes beyond just these two songs. (im awful at conclusions and idk how to end it so uh yeah thats my essay LOL hope yall enjoyed)
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larry essay
Randomi wrote this for a college assignment LOL (this is the rough draft so it's kind sloppy sry) and ppl on tik tok wanted to read it so here it is! these are my opinions, no disrespect to louis or harry :)
