Are Harry Styles' "Paint By Numbers" Lyrics About Olivia Wilde & Liam Payne?

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In between all his kissing and discoing, Harry Styles found some time to get reflective on important figures in his past on his new album. At least, that’s how fans are interpreting the record’s most emotional song. On “Paint By Numbers,” Styles contends with his own fame, lamenting that it’s impossible for him to fully control his public image: “It’s a lifetime of learning to paint by numbers / And watching the colors run.”

But the lyrics get more specific in the second verse, which is what has really caught listeners’ attention. Two lines in particular have fueled theories about the track’s inspiration: “Holding the weight of the American children whose hearts you break / Was it a tragedy when you told her ‘I'm not even 33?’”

One interpretation of this couplet is that Styles is reflecting on his past relationship with Olivia Wilde, whom he dated throughout 2021 and 2022. T...