"Golden" is a song by English singer-songwriter Harry Styles from his second studio album, Fine Line (2019). The song was written by Styles alongside Mitch Rowland, Tyler Johnson and Kid Harpoon, with Johnson and Harpoon handling the production and co-production, respectively.
The song was serviced to contemporary hit radio formats in the United Kingdom on 23 October 2020 as the album's fifth single. In the US, the song was serviced to adult contemporary and contemporary hit radio formats on 26 and 27 October 2020 respectively. This song peaked at number 26 on the UK Singles Chart and at number 57 on the US Billboard Hot 100.
Contents
Composition
"Golden" is an indie pop and soft rock song, with a 1970s and Southern California sound. Sheet music for the song shows a time signature of |44 in the key of G major, with a moderately fast tempo of 140 beats per minute. The vocal line ranges from D3 to B4. The song incorporates clusters of background harmonies and is filled with twinkling glockenspiel.
Music video
The music video for "Golden" was directed by Ben Turner and Gabe Turner, and premiered on 26 October 2020. In the music video, Styles is shown running, swimming, and driving a car along the Amalfi Coast in Italy.
Credits and personnel
Credits adapted from the liner notes of Fine Line.
Recording
Recorded at Real World Studios (Bath, Somerset), Shangri-La (Malibu, California), Groove Masters (Santa Monica, California), and Harpoon House (Los Angeles, California)
Mixed at EastWest Studios (Los Angeles, California)
Mastered at Sterling Sound (Edgewater, New Jersey)
Personnel
Harry Styles – vocals, backing vocals, songwriting
Tyler Johnson – production, songwriting, backing vocals, keyboards
Kid Harpoon – co-production, songwriting, backing vocals, synth moog bass, acoustic guitar
Mitch Rowland – songwriting, drums, slide guitar, glockenspiel, electric guitar
Leo Abrahams – electric guitar
Sammy Witte – engineering
Jon Castelli – additional engineering
Mark Rankin – additional engineering
Nick Lobel – additional engineering
Dylan Neustadter – assistant engineering
Jeremy Hatcher – assistant engineering
Kevin Smith – assistant engineering
Oli Jacobs – assistant engineering
Oliver Middleton – assistant engineering
Rob Bisel – assistant engineering
Tyler Beans – assistant engineering
Spike Stent – mixing
Michael Freeman – mix assistant
Randy Merrill – mastering