Throughout the song’s nearly six-minute run time, the memories of British rock history shoot off like fireworks – spanning from late-period Beatles to Bowie to Listen Without Prejudice-era George Michael to Suede to Robbie Williams and even early Coldplay. It doesn’t sound like a tribute to (or rip off of) any of these artists – it just sounds like someone who’s grown up studying at the feet of all these titans and now wants to try his hand at joining their ranks. And to Styles’ considerable credit, he basically succeeds: “Sign of the Times” is as lighter-waving, arm-swaying, random-mate-hugging a power ballad as they come, sounding – as many have pointed out on Twitter on this somewhat apocalyptic-seeming of Fridays – like the appropriate montage soundtrack for the end of the world.