Harry Styles released “Watermelon Sugar” in 2020, and it quickly became one of his most recognizable hits. While it sounds like a breezy summer song, the lyrics are much more layered than that, using fruit, sunshine, and warm imagery to describe sex.
Below you’ll find a full interpretation of the lyrics in “Watermelon Sugar.”
- Song: Watermelon Sugar
- Artist: Harry Styles
- Songwriters: Harry Styles, Mitch Rowland, Tyler Johnson, Thomas Hull
- Released: 2020
- Album: Fine Line
- Genre: Pop rock
- Awards: Brit Award for Song of the Year
What is “Watermelon Sugar” About?
Verse 1: Craving Her
Tastes like strawberries on a summer evenin’
And it sounds just like a song
This is an obvious sexual metaphor, as are most of the other lines in the song.
The taste of strawberries is a stand-in for going down on a woman, and the “summer evenin’” adds warmth, relaxation, and extra intimacy to the moment.
“Sounds just like a song” isn’t about nostalgia. It’s a smooth way of describing the sound of her orgasm without spelling it out.
I want more berries and that summer feelin’
It’s so wonderful and warm
“More berries” means he wants to do it again and keep the high going.
“That summer feelin’” connects the act to a sense of ease, joy, and satisfaction. It’s about the physical experience and the feeling that sticks with you afterward.
Pre-Chorus: Needing the High
Breathe me in, breathe me out
I don’t know if I could ever go without
This is about being totally absorbed in someone to the point of obsession.
It’s not just attraction, it’s dependency. He’s addicted to the feeling she gives him.
I’m just thinking out loud
I don’t know if I could ever go without…
He’s admitting how much he needs this.
He can’t imagine going back to not having it. He’s completely hooked.
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Chorus: High on Her
Watermelon sugar high
The phrase gets repeated like a hook, but it’s more than catchy. It’s the name for the high he gets from giving her oral pleasure. It’s euphoric and sweet, tied to taste and timing.
He’s chasing the same rush every time, and it hits him like a drug.
Verse 2: Her Impact
Strawberries on a summer evenin’
Baby, you’re the end of June
The strawberries return as a metaphor for her body and taste.
Calling her “the end of June” places her in the peak of summer, full of warmth and light. It’s a way of saying she’s everything he wants in that moment.
I want your belly and that summer feelin’
Getting washed away in you
“I want your belly” is just another way to say that he wants to go back to pleasuring her.
“Getting washed away in you” shows he’s fully giving in to the act and losing himself in the moment.
Post-Chorus: Giving In
I just wanna taste it, I just wanna taste it
Watermelon sugar high
The “high” isn’t just a feeling, it’s a need.
He’s caught up in the taste, the act, and the closeness, and he wants to stay there.
“Watermelon Sugar” Song Meaning: Intimacy as an Addiction
“Watermelon Sugar” is a sensual tribute to a specific kind of physical and emotional high that comes with new intimacy. The imagery of strawberries, warmth, and sweetness isn’t just poetic. The song points to a passionate connection that’s lighthearted on the surface but intense underneath.
While the lyrics never spell it out, the song is a celebration of female pleasure. Styles uses taste and season as metaphors to explore how powerful and irresistible that experience can be. It’s a clever way to make something personal feel universal, wrapped in pop production and summery vibes.
Songs Like “Watermelon Sugar”
Here are a few songs that have the same theme and/or vibe as “Watermelon Sugar”:
1. “Earned It” by The Weeknd
“Earned It” is about obsession and seduction, using slow buildup and suggestive lyrics to highlight desire and the blurred lines between love and lust.
2. “Peach” by Kevin Abstract
“Peach” is about the warmth and sweetness of love, while also hinting at sexual longing through fruit-based metaphors.
3. “Blow” by Beyoncé
“Blow” does not attempt to hide its sexual themes, pairing candy and dessert imagery with blunt lyrics about physical pleasure and mutual attraction.
4. “Versace on the Floor” by Bruno Mars
“Versace on the Floor” is pure slow-burn seduction. It’s about undressing, taking things to the bedroom, and letting her dress fall off as things turn physical.
5. “Birthday Cake” by Rihanna
“Birthday Cake” is an R&B song that uses food and celebration imagery to express sexual craving in a very direct way.
Conclusion: Sweetness, Sex, and the Summer High
“Watermelon Sugar” sounds light and fun, but it’s really about sex, obsession, and a kind of pleasure that lingers long after it’s over. Styles uses sweet and summery images to describe something very physical and hard to forget. It’s about chasing that rush again and again, the type of feeling you don’t want to let go of.
Find “Watermelon Sugar” and more great tunes on the Best Summer Songs list!
Check out more 2020s Song Meanings!
