You’ve probably seen the TikToks. Or maybe you were scrolling through YouTube and saw a thumbnail with a grainy, sepia-toned photo of a forest. It’s a specific kind of digital ghost story. People are desperately hunting for the as it was lyrics hozier version, convinced that the Irish singer-songwriter behind "Take Me to Church" took Harry Styles’ synth-pop juggernaut and turned it into a dark, folk-horror masterpiece.
It makes sense, right?
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Hozier has this uncanny ability to make anything sound like it was written in a damp cave by a man who hasn't seen the sun in three years. But here is the thing: he never actually covered it.
The internet is currently obsessed with a song that doesn't technically exist in the way we think it does. It's a fascinating case study in how AI, fan culture, and the "Hozier-ification" of music have created a Mandela Effect for the streaming age. We want the as it was lyrics hozier style so badly that our collective consciousness has basically manifested it into reality, even if the man himself hasn't stepped into a booth to record it.
The Viral Confusion Behind the As It Was Lyrics Hozier Craze
Social media is a weird place. It’s where reality goes to get a filter. The obsession with a Hozier-led "As It Was" mostly stems from a series of high-quality AI covers that began circulating in late 2023 and exploded into 2024. These aren't your typical robotic, glitchy voice clones. They capture that specific, breathy baritone. They add the reverb. They replace the upbeat 80s drums with a thumping, organic heartbeat or a finger-picked acoustic guitar.
When you look at the as it was lyrics hozier search results, you aren't finding a Spotify link to an official Columbia Records release. You’re finding "concept" videos.
Why did this happen with this specific song? Harry Styles' original is deceptively sad. Underneath that "A-ha" inspired beat, the lyrics are about isolation, changing dynamics, and the "gravity" of a relationship that isn't what it used to be. "Go home, get ahead, light-speed internet" sounds like a quirky line when Harry sings it. If Hozier sang it? It would sound like a commentary on the death of the soul in the digital age.
We crave that contrast. We want to hear the "Hozier version" because his brand of melancholy is rooted in the earth, whereas Harry’s is rooted in the neon lights of a lonely city.
Analyzing the Lyrics Through a Hozier Lens
If we actually break down the as it was lyrics hozier would likely interpret, the song takes on a much more ancient feel. Hozier’s writing—and the way he chooses covers—usually leans into the mythological or the visceral.
Take the opening lines: Holdin' me back / Gravity's holdin' me back. In a Hozier song, gravity isn't just physics. It’s an elemental force. It’s the weight of the soil. When fans imagine him singing these words, they aren't imagining a dance floor. They’re imagining a man being pulled back into the mud.
Then there’s the bridge: Answer the phone / Harry, you're no good alone / Why are you sitting on the floor? What kind of pills are you on?
That’s where the "Hozier-ification" gets intense. These lyrics are raw. They deal with substance use, mental health, and the voyeurism of fame. Hozier has a history of tackling these heavy themes with a sort of liturgical dignity. Think about "Cherry Wine." He can take a subject as harrowing as domestic abuse and make it sound like a hymn. That is exactly why the idea of him singing "As It Was" resonates so deeply. It’s the potential for him to take a pop hit and strip it down to its skeleton.
The "Mandela Effect" of Music Covers
There is a real psychological phenomenon happening here. People swear they’ve heard it. I’ve seen Reddit threads where fans argue about when he performed it. "Wasn't it a BBC Radio 1 Live Lounge set?" No. He covered "Do I Wanna Know?" by the Arctic Monkeys (which was legendary) and "Say My Name" by Destiny’s Child. He never did Harry.
But because the AI versions are so prevalent, the as it was lyrics hozier search query has become a self-fulfilling prophecy.
The internet has a "type."
Hozier is the "Forest Father."
He is the "Bog Man."
When a song fits his aesthetic—lonely, contemplative, slightly resigned to fate—the internet's collective imagination just slots him in. We’ve done it with other artists too. There are "Lana Del Rey" versions of songs she’s never touched. But Hozier's voice is so distinctive, so rich with that Irish lilt and bluesy grit, that the "As It Was" cover feels inevitable. It feels like something that should exist in a just universe.
Why We Want Hozier to Claim This Song
Let’s be honest. Pop music is great, but sometimes it’s a bit... shiny.
Harry Styles created a masterpiece of modern pop. It’s catchy. It’s everywhere. But there is a segment of the music-loving public that wants to see the "prestige" version of everything. They want the grit.
Looking for the as it was lyrics hozier isn't just about the words; it's about the texture. People want to hear how he would handle the line "You know it's not the same as it was." In Styles’ version, it’s a realization. In a Hozier version, it would be a eulogy.
Hozier brings a sense of E-E-A-T (Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness) to the folk-pop genre. He’s studied the blues. He knows gospel. When he sings about sorrow, we believe him because his vocal technique is grounded in traditions that are centuries old. Harry is a superstar; Hozier is a bard. We want the bard to tell us why things aren't the same as they were.
The Reality of AI and "Ghost" Tracks
We have to talk about the tech. The reason you can’t find a "real" version of the as it was lyrics hozier is that AI models are getting too good at mimicking his vocal fry and his specific vibrato.
A creator on YouTube or TikTok takes the stems of the original song, runs a Hozier-trained RVC (Retrieval-based Voice Conversion) model over the lead vocal, and tweaks the pitch. Suddenly, you have a viral hit.
This creates a weird problem for artists.
Does Hozier get annoyed?
Does he find it funny?
In several interviews, Andrew Hozier-Byrne (the man himself) has expressed a mix of fascination and caution regarding AI. He’s a guy who cares about the soul of music. He’s talked about the "ghost in the machine."
When you search for these lyrics, you're interacting with a ghost. You're looking for a performance that happened in a computer, not in a studio in Wicklow. It’s a bit eerie, actually. It fits the Hozier vibe perfectly—a digital phantom singing a song about how everything has changed.
How to Tell a Real Hozier Cover from an AI Fake
Since you're likely here because you want to hear the "real" thing, you need to know how to spot the fakes. If you’re looking at a video and the title says "As It Was (Hozier's Version)," check the following:
- The Breathing: AI often struggles with the "wetness" of human breath. Hozier is a very "breathy" singer. He uses his inhales as part of the rhythm. If the breaths sound perfectly timed or a bit "clipped," it’s a machine.
- The Pronunciation: Hozier has a very specific way of rounding his vowels, a byproduct of his Irish accent and classical training. AI often over-emphasizes the "American" pop inflections present in the original track.
- The Arrangement: Hozier rarely just sings over a pre-recorded pop track. If he were to cover this, he’d change the time signature or add a choral arrangement. If it sounds exactly like Harry Styles’ instrumental but with a deeper voice, it’s 100% fake.
What to Listen to Instead
If you’re disappointed that the as it was lyrics hozier version isn't "real," don't worry. There are actual Hozier covers that scratch that exact same itch.
Go listen to his cover of "Sweet Thing" by Van Morrison. Or his version of "Bridge Over Troubled Water." These show his actual range and how he deconstructs a song to find its heartbeat.
Also, if you like the "As It Was" vibe but want Hozier's actual soul, dive into his 2023 album Unreal Unearth. Songs like "Francesca" or "Unknown / Nth" carry that same "everything is different now" weight but with the benefit of actually being written by a human being with a guitar and a broken heart.
The search for the as it was lyrics hozier isn't a waste of time, though. It shows us what we value. It shows that even in an era of 15-second clips and upbeat dance tracks, we are still hungry for music that feels heavy, ancient, and deeply personal. We want the "As It Was" lyrics to mean something more, and we’ve chosen Hozier as the person to give them that meaning.
Making the Most of the "As It Was" Obsession
If you're still humming the imagined version of this song, here's how to actually lean into that aesthetic without getting lost in AI-generated hallucinations.
- Read the Lyrics as Poetry: Forget the beat. Read the lyrics to "As It Was" as if they were a poem. You'll see the Hozier-esque themes of isolation and the passage of time.
- Check the Live Lounge Archives: While he hasn't done Harry Styles, Hozier has a decade of incredible live covers on BBC Radio 1 and various radio stations that are fully authentic.
- Follow the Official Channels: Hozier is active on TikTok and Instagram. If he ever does decide to give the fans what they want and record a real version, that’s where it will break first.
The phenomenon of the as it was lyrics hozier search is a reminder that music is a two-way street. It’s not just about what the artist gives us; it’s about what we imagine they could give us. We’ve collectively written a cover song in our minds, and honestly? It sounds pretty good.
For now, stick to the official discography. There’s enough real magic in Unreal Unearth and his self-titled debut to keep you occupied until the day he actually decides to sit down and tackle the "Harry, you're no good alone" line for real. And when he does, it’ll be way better than anything an AI could dream up.
Actionable Next Steps:
- Verify the source of any "Hozier cover" on YouTube by checking for official artist verification or "Topic" channel labels.
- Explore Hozier's Unreal Unearth album for tracks like "Abstract (Psychopomp)" which mirror the themes of memory and change found in "As It Was."
- Use "Hozier Live Lounge" as a search term to find high-quality, authentic covers that demonstrate his real vocal capabilities.