Music Video Review: Harry Styles’ “Satellite” features stunning cinematography

I wasn’t expecting to shed a tear over a robot vacuum, but here we are.

Image+via+%40hshq+on+Instagram.

Image via @hshq on Instagram.

Abigail Meyers, Staff Writer

Harry Styles released a music video for “Satellite” on May 3, 2023, one of thirteen tracks on his third studio album “Harry’s House.” The album was released in May 2022 to critical acclaim, winning two Grammys: Best Pop Vocal Album and Album of the Year. 

The music video follows “Music for a Sushi Restaurant,” “Late Night Talking,” and “As it Was,” all off the album. With all three of the previous music videos being visually oriented, I was looking forward to the cinematography that would bring the song to life. 

“Satellite” has a robotic vacuum, Stomper, taking the starring role. While cleaning up mainly feathers from boas that have become a staple throughout “Harry Styles: Love on Tour,” Stomper spots a shot of the Curiosity Rover on a nearby TV. 

It’s love at first sight, and Stomper sets out on a cross-country mission to find the rover. Living up to the song name, Stomper will stop at nothing to make satellite contact with Curiosity. The high-energy, funky chorus, “spinning out, waiting for you to pull me in,” was accompanied by shots of some of the most picturesque locations in the United States, and immediately caught my eye. I wasn’t sure what to expect from the video, but the beautiful landscapes that were shown throughout were captivating. 

Many viewers related Stomper’s story to the movie “Wall-E.” At the end of the video, Stomper meets a similar fate. He, however, victoriously makes it to NASA, which owns the Curiosity Rover, before his battery gives out. Many fans are reflecting on Styles’ tour history and comparing it to the end of the video. Styles has been on tour since September 2021, with “Love on Tour” set to conclude later this year. With Stomper’s battery dying at the end of the video, many think this is Styles’ way of saying he needs to rest and recharge.

I never know what to expect from Harry Styles, but he never fails to amaze me with such careful attention to detail in everything he does. Throughout the video, the intensity of emotion it sparked in me truly stuck out to me. I wasn’t expecting to shed a tear over a robot vacuum, but here we are.

In the past, Styles’ music videos have been up for interpretation; the video for the blissful pop ballad “Adore You” on his sophomore album “Fine Line” has a fish as its main subject. “Music for a Sushi Restaurant,” the most recent “Harry’s House” music video before “Satellite,” metaphorically depicts absurd aspects of being in the public eye with Styles starring as a human-squid hybrid.

The Stomper and Curiosity love-at-first-sight trope mirrors real-life connections of people yearning to get noticed by people they love, and the visuals match the lyrics in a unique, yet perfect way, that only Styles is capable of.