Upon its release in December 2019, Harry Styles‘ second studio album, Fine Line, was widely praised by critics and fans. The captivating project is a major creative expansion from the polished rock sound of his 2017 self-titled debut. Its captivating mix of reflective and infectious lyrics and experimental production elements offered something fresh and unexpected.

The celebrated record helped elevate Styles, a former member of English boy band One Direction, to solo pop star status. Although each of the 12 tracks featured on Fine Line are true musical gems, the record’s definitive title track is one of Styles’ most heart-wrenching songs to date.

The Lyrics

“Fine Line” serves as the album’s stunning final track, slowing building to a triumphant musical climax. The song begins with Styles questioning what his relationship is worth as he numbly goes through the motions of life.

I don’t want to fight youAnd I don’t want to sleep in the dirtWe’ll get the drinks inSo I’ll get to thinking of her

Throughout the song, Styles hints at the tension between him and his lover. Is he too afraid to walk away from something that isn’t working? Or is this his defeated goodbye?

Test of my patienceThere’s things that we’ll never knowYou sunshine, you temptressMy hand’s at risk, I fold

The listener never gets a true answer, as he repeatedly calls out [We’ll be a fine line] through the track’s haunting chorus.

The Inspiration Behind “Fine Line”

Co-written by Styles, Thomas Hull, Tyler Johnson, Mitch Rowland, and Sammy Witte, “Fine Line” offers a mysteriously magical sense of melancholy. That feeling runs through many songs on the album, which Styles crafted while still recovering from a painful breakup.

The theme of feeling distance and resentment towards someone who once captivated your heart is at the core of “Fine Line.” Styles has never directly confirmed that the dissolution of a romantic relationship is what inspired the song. Instead, he’s focused his commentary on what inspired the creation of its dramatic, slow-building soundscape.

“It started simple, but I wanted to have this big epic outro thing,” Styles told Rolling Stone of “Fine Line” in a 2019 interview. “And it just took shape as this thing where I thought, ‘That’s just like the music I want to make.’ I love strings, I love horns, I love harmonies — so why don’t we just put all of that in there?”

Those carefully curated elements come together perfectly, evolving the track from a sparse and intimate ballad to a sweeping sonic peak. It’s a carefully orchestrated chaos that echoes the complicated feelings Styles desperately proclaims, as he seemingly searching for some sort of certainty during the record’s final moments.

Photo by Lillie Eiger, Courtesy of Columbia Records