Busybee's Playlist

Harry Styles and Fleetwood Mac 

• Harry Styles 

Where does even begin to explain my devotion, and love for this artist? From the heydays of One Direction, to his big solo debut, I have never failed to express my positive opinion concerning Harry Styles. 

It is no secret that when a boyband arises and makes headlines, devoted fans love all members but feel especially connected to one. Not to say we are picking favorites here, but more so their persona, on stage, on tape, or even through a photograph, entices us and keeps us there. 

To me, it was Harry Styles of One Direction. I will be honest, I resisted it for as long as I could. Harry was the most popular member back then (circa 2011). His mop of curls was rivaling the Bieber hair flip. His dimples were the two additional members of the group; and who can forget the day when he confessed that he had two extra nipples? 

Back in 2011, 14-year-old Youmna was trying her best to go against the current. To stick to her classic rock playlist, and not listen to pop music. She was trying too hard, if you ask me, because when Shakira would play anywhere near her, she would drop everything she was doing to shake her hips to the beat. 

And yet, what drew me to this dimpled-curly-haired boy wasn’t any of the aforementioned qualities above (although, I must admit, they did help). It was his voice. 

Many refuse to take a listen to Harry Styles, most likely because of the incessant shrieking fans surrounding him, and they are severely mistaken. The Beatles had teenage girls committing suicide at their concerts, claiming they will never feel happiness like that again, and everyone still venerates them as a talented bunch. Because they listened to their songs. They recognized the commitment to the music. And that is what I heard, when I first took a listen to Harry Styles.

As someone who grew up with rock music, I was accustomed to singing voices that can be paired with an electric guitar. And out of the five boys in this band, Styles was the one for me. Strong, raspy, and loud, his voice was, ironically, a direct contradiction to how he would carry himself in interviews, and I found that fascinating. Whilst his bandmates were animated and keen, he would smile shyly, with a few random jokes every now and then, and keep quiet. But on stage, it was another story. He would hype up the crowd, he would speak in a different tone, he would quite literally exhaust his voice to put on the best show for his fans. Not a lot of people can have an intense stage presence in this lifetime; not since Freddie Mercury has obliterated the competition. And yet …

When One Direction went on hiatus, I was devastated but at the same time, quite excited to see what the members will do once they go solo. Most importantly, I was excited to see which direction Harry Styles was going to take. I was secretly hoping for a rock’n’roll album. I needed one. And he did not disappoint. Enter songs like KIWI, and ONLY ANGEL to finally confirm what I have known all along: Harry Styles and an electric guitar equals a match made in heaven. His raspy voice, the scream he would emit to fit the musical notes, the confidence in his belts. Not to mention the masterpiece that is SIGN OF THE TIMES, showcasing the intensity, and passion he brings to his songs. 

The man is not only musically talented, he is also lyrically gifted—but for the latter, I would mostly suggest his second album. As wonderfully catchy as WATERMELON SUGAR is, the upbeat melody makes it his most popular tune, but the lyrical masterpiece has to be FINE LINE, and it gets quite snubbed. The 6-minute-long song is a beautiful fusion of melody and words; as the musical build-up ties excellently with the array of emotions the lyrics force the listener to feel. 

So fellow music lovers, if you are incapable of overlooking Harry Styles’ boyband past, it’s okay; because the artist himself is not asking you to. One of the innumerable reasons I respect this man is that he doesn’t shy away from One Direction. On the contrary, he fully embraces it. Every night, while on tour, he makes sure to end the concert with his personal cover of the band’s most popular song, WHAT MAKES YOU BEAUTIFUL, fully proving to the world that being in a boyband mustn’t be a flaw to cancel out one’s talent. 

All this to say, this man deserves recognition for more than just his looks. Although, I’ll admit … they are quite enticing. 

• Fleetwood Mac 

Every interaction I’ve had with a fellow human being about this band can be summed up in a few sentences. 

“Yeah one of my favorite bands is Fleetwood Mac.”

“Oh, don’t know them.”

“Yeah you do. Little Lies? Everywhere? Landslide? The Chain? Seven Wonders? *proceeds to sing one lyric from any of these songs*”

“OOOOOH!”

Everyone knows Fleetwood Mac. But not everyone knows they know Fleetwood Mac, if that makes sense. 

You probably listened to them on your way to school, from one of your parents’ extensive music collection. Or you overheard that song playing in a café once, and used Shazam to identify it. Or you’ve come across the ever-so-famous shot of the RUMOURS cover, with Stevie Nicks and Mick Fleetwood. Either way, this band would have made an appearance in your life one way or another. 

I don’t believe there was ever a more complicated, drama-riddled band to rival Fleetwood Mac. 

Most people know the band as Mick Fleetwood on drums, John McVie on bass, Lindsey Buckingham on guitar, Christine McVie on keyboard and vocals, and Stevie Nicks with a shawl belting notes, shaking a little tambourine. But that was not always the case. 

Originally formed in 1967 by the late guitarist Peter Green (who passed away in July 2020), drummer Mick Fleetwood (who is still as tall and alive as ever) and guitarist Jeremy Spencer, Fleetwood Mac has quickly become legendary in the Rock music industry. They have undergone a number of changes when it comes to band members, what with mostly the lead guitarists being replaced ever so often. From problems with substance abuse, to continuous relationship clashes, all were somehow used as inspirations to produce some of the best songs to date. 

The most popular being Dreams and Go Your Own Way, both of which were featured in the band’s most successful LP to date, RUMOURS — inspired by the Buckingham-Nicks breakup. 

Or Gold Dust Woman written by Nicks about her very serious addiction to cocaine that was leading her to an inevitable demise. 

My earliest memory of Fleetwood Mac comes from an early morning drive to school with my father and sister. Back when you made your own mixes, and “burned” so many CDs to include your favorite songs, my big sister would create as many as she could, for every member of the family. She knew how to operate the software, whereas I always ended up with an empty disc no matter how many times I thought I had gotten the hang of it. 

She had made Dad a mix of all his favorites: Sir Elton John, The Beatles, Supertramp, Eagles, and one errant song of Fleetwood Mac’s. The song in question was Little Lies. 

I remember it being one of the rare times I didn’t sleep during a card ride to school. I remember bopping my head to the music, and enjoying the sound of Christine McVie’s contralto vocals, the echoing of Nicks’ “Tell me liiiiies” and smiling. The upbeat melodies were a direct contradiction to the sad lyrics of not believing anything your lover tells you. I wasn’t that fluent in English back then, but I was pretty sure “lies” weren’t something to be this perky about. And yet I was smiling. And I finally understood what my Dad meant by starting your day with the right music. 

Fleetwood Mac may genuinely be my favorite rock band of this era of music, mostly because of their eclectic way to adopt rock music. The instrumental cocktail every song offers the listener is an ethereal voyage that I always find pleasure in. 

Favourite songs of these two artists: (roughly rounded to three each, as I cannot pick just one)

Harry Styles: 

• Sign of the Times (Harry Styles)
• Woman (Harry Styles)
• Sunflower, Vol.6 (Fine Line)

Fleetwood Mac: 

• Gold Dust Woman (Rumours)
• Caroline (Tango in the Night)
• Storms (Tusk)