'Best Song Ever' (2013)

'Best Song Ever' is highly energetic and enthusiastic. It served as the lead single for the group's third studio album Midnight Memories. One Direction encapsulates all of the fun and humor of the group in one song. 'Best Song Ever' peaked at #2 on the pop singles chart in both the US and the UK.

The accompanying music video is a humorous mini film featuring the group members portraying additional characters ranging from a sexy female assistant to a gruff, hairy-chested music executive. It was filmed over a two-day period in Miami Beach, Florida. The music video also includes clips from the One Direction film This Is Us. 'Best Song Ever' broke the Vevo 24-hour view record with 12.3 million views. The record was later broken by Miley Cyrus with her controversial clip for 'Wrecking Ball.'

'Story Of My Life' (2013)

The ballad 'Story Of My Life' from the group's third album Midnight Memories finds boy band One Direction moving in more of an adult pop direction. Critical observers praised the new approach by the group. Adult pop radio responded by sending the song all the way to #1. 'Story Of My Life' also reached #2 on the adult contemporary chart while reaching #6 on the Billboard Hot 100. It has sold more than two million copies in the US alone. 'Story Of My Life' was covered on the hit TV show Glee.

The song was co-written by the band members and is accompanied by a poignant video directed by Ben Winston who also worked on the 'Best Song Ever' clip. It includes footage of the real life family of the band members. Photos are shown with the family when the One Direction members were young, and more recent photos show the deceased relatives fading away.

'One Way Or Another (Teenage Kicks)' (2013)

One Direction covered Blondie's 'One Way Or Another' and the Undertones' 'Teenage Kicks' in this 2013 smash-up recording released as an official Comic Relief charity single. Their performance is strong and instantly bridges generations bringing the energy of late 1970s punk to an entirely new generation of music fans. 'One Way Or Another (Teenage Kicks)' climbed to #13 on the US pop singles chart and went all the way to #1 in the UK. It was the first Comic Relief single to reach #1 since 2009. 'One Way Or Another (Teenage Kicks)' earned a gold certification in the US for sales. The recording earned a Brit Award nomination for Best British Single.

The accompanying music video features British Prime Minister David Cameron. It was shot in multiple locations around the world including Tokyo, Ghana, London, and New York City.

'What Makes You Beautiful' (2011)

'What Makes You Beautiful' is the single that started it all for One Direction. According to the upbeat lyrics, a girl overwhelmed the guys in One Direction simply by flipping her hair, but she didn't understand she is beautiful. Many observers have seen similarities between the opening guitar figure in this song and 'Summer Nights' from Grease. Co-songwriter Savan Kotecha said that he had the melody for the song in his head for a year and was inspired to begin writing lyrics when his own wife complained one day of feeling ugly. The members of One Direction stated that they knew this song should be their first single as soon as the recording was complete. 'What Makes You Beautiful' was a #1 smash hit and landed in the pop top 5 in the US. It also broke into the top 10 at adult pop and adult contemporary radio while topping the dance chart. The song has sold over four million copies in the US.

The accompanying music video was filmed at Malibu in California. It was directed by John Urbano and earned two MTV Video Music Awards including Best Pop Video. One Direction took home Best New Artist Award as well.

'Kiss You' (2013)

'Kiss You' is an effortlessly fun track from the Take Me Home album. It is uptempo and driven by pop guitar. The song became One Direction's sixth top 10 pop hit in the UK upon release as a single in late January 2013. 'Kiss You' was reportedly written in response to a challenge from the group's manager Simon Cowell for notable songwriters to come up with songs for their second studio album. 'Kiss You' is included in the dancing game Just Dance 2014. Font for jersey letters.

The accompanying video cleverly spoofs a number of teen oriented movie genres. Among those referenced are 60s beach movies and Elvis Presley films. The music video attracted 10.4 million views in its first twenty-four hours on Vevo.

'One Thing' (2012)

'One Thing' has one of the most instantly catchy choruses of all of One Direction's hits. It was the third consecutive top 10 pop hit for the group at home in the UK and is included on the Up All Night album. It has sold over a million copies in the US and landed in the top 15 at mainstream pop radio. 'One Thing' was originally written as two different songs. Co-writer Carl Falk said one had a good verse and the other had a good chorus. When they were merged, the finished song finally came together. He said that it was his personal favorite of three songs he worked on that are included on the Up All Night album. 'One Thing' broke into the top 40 at adult pop radio in the US.

The music video pays homage to the Beatles and the Monkees in its depiction of an energetic day in London for the group members. One Direction group member Harry Styles said the filming of the music video was a 'fun, carefree romp.'

'Live While We're Young' (2012)

'Live While We're Young' was the first single from the album Take Me Home and finds One Direction in a party mood. The song landed at #3 on the pop singles charts in both the US and the UK. It was a top 10 smash almost everywhere else in the world. 'Live While We're Young' successfully laid the groundwork for the album Take Me Home to hit #1 around the world. When the accompanying music video was first released, it set a new record for most views on Vevo in a 24-hour period. That record was subsequently broken by Justin Bieber. The first-week digital sales total of 341,000 was the highest debut week total for any non-US artist. The song also opened at #3 on the Billboard Hot 100, the highest debut by any British artist other than Elton John's 'Candle In the Wind' tribute to Princess Diana. 'Live While We're Young' was covered on the hit TV show Glee.

The accompanying music video was directed by Vaughan Arnell. It shows One Direction performing the song in a camp setting and at a pool party. The clip was filmed at Tunbridge Wells, Kent, England.

'Perfect' (2015)

The uptempo 'Perfect' became the final top 10 pop hit single in the US for One Direction. It followed 'Drag Me Down' as the second top 10 hit from the album Made In the A.M. The album is the group's second to generate two top 10 hits in the US following Midnight Memories. Julian Bunetta, co-writer and co-producer of the song, said the creation of 'Perfect' was sometimes difficult because it was written and recorded while the group moved from place to place on a concert tour. 'Perfect' reached #2 on the UK pop singles chart and broke into the top 25 at adult pop radio.

The 'Perfect' music video was directed by Sophie Muller. It was filmed in black and white and shows the group living on tour. The clip was filmed at the Intercontinental Hotel in New York City.

'Drag Me Down' (2015)

'Drag Me Down' is the first One Direction single released after the exit of Zayn Malik from the group. It retains an air of strong, professional musicianship. Stellar initial sales and mainstream pop radio support led to a strong chart debut at #3 in the US. 'Drag Me Down' also reached the top 40 at both adult pop and adult contemporary radio. In the UK it was the group's fourth #1 hit. Zayn Malik praised the work of his former bandmates in social media. 'Drag Me Down' served as the leadoff single from the band's fifth studio album Made In the A.M. It hit #2 on the chart, the only one of the group's studio albums to miss #1.

The accompanying music video was directed by Ben and Gabe Turner. It was filmed at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas. The band members are shown experiencing aspects of astronaut training.

'Steal My Girl' (2014)

Network marketing times blog. 'Steal My Girl' was released as the lead single from One Direction's fourth studio album Four. Group members Louis Tomlinson and Liam Payne helped write the song. Many reviewers commented on the similarities between the sound of 'Steal My Girl' and 80s power ballads, particularly Journey's 'Faithfully.' Multiple observers believed that it could be the One Direction single that would attract the attention of parents of fans. The song reached #13 on the US pop chart and broke into the adult pop radio chart. In the UK it became One Direction's eighth top 3 charting hit.

The accompanying music video is a big budget affair starring Danny DeVito and a marching band. It also includes Masai warriors, ballet dancers, sumo wrestlers, and animals including a chimpanzee, mountain lion, and flamingos.

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About One Direction

Following the success of JLS and the Wanted, X-Factor contestants One Direction were the next group of heartthrobs to help revive the boy band concept. The quintet outdid all of its predecessors, becoming the biggest boy band since Take That, selling millions of albums and singles, filling arenas and making movies, all while hitting number one many times over across the world with undeniably hooky songs and plenty of boy-next-door charm.
The group was formed by Niall Horan from Mullingar, Ireland; Zayn Malik from Bradford; Harry Styles from Cheshire; Louis Tomlinson from Doncaster, and Liam Payne from Wolverhampton (the latter had previously reached the judge's house stages of The X-Factor as a 14-year-old back in 2008). Each originally entered 2010's seventh series of The X Factor as individuals, but following a suggestion from guest judge Nicole Scherzinger, they were grouped together to become One Direction. Mentored by Simon Cowell, they soon became one of the favorites to win the show, thanks to renditions of Kelly Clarkson's 'My Life Would Suck Without You,' Elton John's 'Something About the Way You Look Tonight,' and Bonnie Tyler's 'Total Eclipse of the Heart.' However, despite receiving a standing ovation for their duet with Robbie Williams ('She's the One') in the live final, they eventually finished third behind Rebecca Ferguson and winner Matt Cardle.
Spotting the potential of five Justin Bieber-esque teen pin-ups, Cowell signed them to his Syco label in a two-million dollar deal, and after performing on the X-Factor tour, the quintet began work on its debut album with Savan Kotecha (Britney Spears, Enrique Iglesias). Following a sponsorship deal with Nintendo DS and a book, Forever Young, named after their cover of the Alphaville classic that was intended to be their winner's song, they released their first single, 'What Makes You Beautiful,' in late 2011. The full-length album Up All Night followed soon after. In 2012, One Direction became the first British band to debut on top of the Billboard 200 list when Up All Night sold over 176,000 copies during its first week of release in America.
In late 2012, One Direction released their sophomore album, Take Me Home. Highlighting more of the band's melodic pop, Take Me Home featured songs and production from Sweden's Carl Falk, Rami Yacoub, and Savan Kotecha, who worked on Up All Night, as well as contributions from singer/songwriter Ed Sheeran. The album proved to be another smash and topped charts around the world, earning multi-platinum certification in half-a-dozen countries. The singles 'Live While We're Young' and 'Little Things' also hit number one across the globe, and 'Kiss You' reached the Top Ten in the U.S.
One Direction then embarked on a globe-spanning tour in which the band played over 100 shows, including six sold-out nights at London's massive O2 Arena. At the same time, they were being filmed by director Morgan Spurlock for This Is Us, a mix of documentary and concert footage that proved to be successful at the box office when it was released in August of 2013. While they were touring, One Direction also began work on their third album, Midnight Memories. Released just in time for the 2013 holidays, the record featured songwriting input from all the members, a new production team, and some new folk and '80s hair metal influences. It nearly outdid Take Me Home and Up All Night, peaking at number one in seven countries and spawning the singles 'Best Song Ever' and 'Story of My Life.'
The group toured the world for most of 2014, but still found time to record a fourth album, which was released in late 2014. Produced by the same team who handled Midnight Memories, Four similarly looked back to the '80s for inspiration and featured a new song from old friend Ed Sheeran. A pair of platinum singles, 'Steal My Girl' and 'Night Changes,' helped the album hit number one in nearly 20 countries.
The band returned to the road and a busy promotional schedule in 2015, during which Malik was often absent. He left the tour due to stress in early March, then officially quit the band a few days later. (He went on to become the first to pursue a solo career.) The four remaining members continued touring, and in July released 'Drag Me Down,' the first single from their fifth album, Made in the A.M. Following the September announcement of the album, the bandmembers also revealed that, after the promotional efforts for the album were over, they'd be going on hiatus during 2016. Made in the A.M. was released in November of 2015, and featured the singles 'Infinity,' 'Perfect,' 'What a Feeling,' and 'History.' It performed very well commercially, peaking at number one in the U.K. and number two in the U.S. ~ Jon O'Brien

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