Harry Styles fans are freaking out over his latest music video, “Daylight,” which dropped on July 19. Of course, it’s not just the song that has fans hyped, but the video’s visual aspects are proving themselves to be a total conversation starter — especially the reappearance of a yellow bird suit that fans saw photos of Styles in a while back. It looks like we finally have an explanation for why Styles was wearing that costume. (He really said “never let them know your next move.”)
“Daylight” is the fifth music video from Styles’ third album Harry’s House, following “As It Was,” “Late Night Talking,” “Music for a Sushi Restaurant,” and “Satellite.” All of the videos have gone viral on social media for their creative storylines — never forget the tentacles in “Music for a Sushi Restaurant,” or “Satellite” and its adorable robot — and “Daylight” is no exception. This time around, Styles appears to be the ringmaster of a circus, and we follow him as he interacts with the different circus acts and performers. The yellow bird suit comes in when Styles is shot out of a cannon, like, well, a bird, and he floats and flails around in the sky for a bit before coming back down to ground level.
The bird costume gained notoriety all the way back in May 2022, around the time Harry’s House was released, when photos of Styles wearing it surfaced on TikTok and Twitter. Harries were quick to put together the circus theme, but had no idea what the project was for. Originally, many people figured it was for the “Music for a Sushi Restaurant” video, but when that dropped with a completely different aesthetic and plot, they were left scratching their heads. Eventually, fans were left to assume that “Birdrry” was just for fun, which, given Styles’ penchant for out-there fashion, wouldn’t be too much of a stretch, IMO.
Still, fans are stoked to see that the bird suit wasn’t a fandom-wide collective fever dream, and we finally have a meaning for the madness.
But before you write the bird suit off as Styles just wanting to have some feathery fun, some fans are analyzing why he would include the costume in the video. After all, Styles’ videos tend to always have a deeper meaning.
To understand this one, you’ll need to know the “Daylight” lyrics, which include the line, “If I was a bluebird, I would fly to you, / You’d be the spoon, dip you in honey so I could be sticking to you.” Obviously, Styles is not a bluebird — he’s a yellow bird, meaning that he can’t fly to the person he’s singing about. Instead, Styles’ plan to shoot himself out of a cannon ends with him pouting and crossing his arms in disappointment. Meanwhile, he’s surrounded by bluebirds, shown in the form of the female circus performers who are adorned with blue feathers. At the very end, Styles is standing on a tightrope, and eventually falls off of it, unable to fly. While it maybe puts a damper on the silliness of the bird costume, the connection to the lyrics has definitely stuck with fans.
Whatever you make of the meaning of the bird suit, one thing is for sure: Styles has another hit on his hands with “Daylight.”