Harry Styles" sexuality has long been the subject of speculation. Fans have even speculated that Harry and Louis were lovers during their One Direction days.
Now, fans believe that his new song lyrics show that he"s just come out.
Is Harry Styles bisexual? Is "Medicine" a new bisexual anthem?
As you can see in the video below, Harry Styles has a new song, titled "Medicine."
That song contains the lyrics: "The boys and the girls are here/ I mess around with him/ And I’m OK with it."
While song lyrics aren"t always literal or personal, many fans immediately latched onto that line, hailing "Medicine" as a bisexual anthem and wondering if this is Harry"s way of coming out to his fans.
Though Harry has yet to release this new song, he played it for fans, where it got recorded and shared on social media.
(Which is why you can, of course, see and hear that performance below)
Twitter, which has almost since its inception been obsessed with One Direction"s various members, lost its collective mind with excitement.
"This is the new bi anthem, thank you harry styles."
Other bisexuals were grateful for a song whose lyrics spoke to them coming from such a mainstream source.
"When you listen to Harry Styles new song "Medicine" and your bi heart explodes a lil (a lot)." That tweet was followed by multiple heart emojis.
Other Twitter uses expressed their appreciation for the song using hyperbole.
"My kids won’t be getting cough drops or flu shots they’ll just get harry styles’ unreleased masterpiece medicine on a loop until they feel better."
Some interpreted those lyrics as Harry himself coming out as bisexual.
"Harry Styles: I’m bi / Literally everyone: we been knew."
And others still pointed out other parts of the song that they believe (since the lyrics have not been released) also indicate a bisexual singer.
"HE DEFINITELY SAYS ‘I’ll treat you like a gentleman’ at 0:24 YOU CAN"T CHANGE MY MIND."
Note that "you can"t change my mind" is a reference to a meme that is currently all the rage on social media.
If this is the intended meaning of "Medicine," it could certainly work as a bisexual anthem.
The most famous bisexual anthem right now would have to be "Mr. Brightside" by The Killers.
"Mr. Brightside" describes in its lyrics a pining, heartbroken individual who is enviously imagining a specific man and woman hook up. The lyrics do not at any point indicate which party the singer desires and which party the singer envies.
That ambiguity allows listeners to put themselves in the singer"s shoes whether they"re attracted to men, women, or both. In fact, some argue that perhaps the singer would rather join both objects of his affection.
It"s also worth noting that Katy Perry"s "I Kissed a Girl" works as a bi anthem.
Initially, of course, the song was dismissed as being less about bisexuality than it is about how women can kiss each other experimentally and be sexualized by men, often without people making assumptions about their sexuality.
But later, people realized that the line "taste of her cherry chapstick" may refer to cherry chapstick being lesbian slang for a clitoris.
If that"s the case, then that song takes a very different meaning that goes well beyond the image of two college girls making out at a party.
This wouldn"t even be the first time that lyrics hinted at Harry Styles being bisexual.
Taylor Swift"s song from 1989, "Style," is not subtle about which ex boyfriend it references — the name, fans say, says it all.
That song also contains the lyric: "You"ve got that James Dean daydream look in your eye."
While, on the surface, this could be a reference to Harry"s eyes and acting talent reminding Taylor of the also famously handsome actor, James Dean.
But … James Dean is now famous for having been bisexual and for having been frustrated by his inability to come out.
Some wondered when Taylor"s album came out if she was hinting that her ex was something other than straight.
Ultimately, however, if we"re going to excoriate cowardly singers for swapping pronouns when they cover songs (to avoid sounding like they"re singing about the same gender), we as a society might need to also not make assumptions about original lyrics.
Perhaps Harry Styles intended "Medicine" to be his coming out song. If so, that"s wonderful, and good for him.
But perhaps fans should enjoy the song — which can certainly function as a bi anthem — but not take it as a personal confession.
If Harry Styles is intending to come out, let him do that in prose, not in lyrics.
And let him be the one who decides his own label. Each person is the author of their own identity.
Here"s the video taken from the crowd:
