SYCOmusic (label)
12 February 2012 (released)
29 February 2012
When I think of One Direction, or 1D as they are irritatingly known, a sense of anger reverberates within me. It’s a knee-jerk reaction that cannot be helped. You know the score – stadium-sized choruses jam-packed with overly sentimental lyrics of a love forlorn, teenage girls shrieking and the overwhelming knowledge that they do not have any input into their own material. They are merely pawns in a marketing scheme to deeply fill the pockets of those in control of them.
For those who boycott The X Factor, One Direction placed third in 2011’s competition. Simon Cowell is the king-pin, and he and his record label Syco have unleashed the group of adolescent teenagers onto the market – with great success.
In four months they’ve sold over 1.6 million records, picked up a Brit for best single, had 100 million views on their YouTube page and had a sell-out tour of the UK – of which all tickets were sold in less than fifteen minutes. They’ve also had a book, which rocketed to number one in the charts. Not a bad twelve months at all, really.
So, to the single. What irks me most – is that it’s not that bad. No really, it’s not dreadful. Following in the same vein as hit single ‘What Makes You Beautiful’ – in terms of its structure, it’s three minutes of sing-along-pop with a catchy, toe-tapping melody.
Liam Payne and Harry Styles are unofficially the bands lead singers, swapping each verse, crooning lyrics like; ‘Shot me out of the sky/You’re my kryptonite’. If you can hear some wailing in the background – that’s Niall, Zayn and Louis providing the ‘oohs’ ‘ahhs’ and ‘woahs’.
It’s all over very quickly, though. For me, that's a good thing, but for their devoted fans it will leave them wanting more. So, another hit single in the waiting that will please the masses of youthful fans that adore them. I’ve heard of girls actually hyperventilating at the mere sight of these lads. Why? They are, to them, undeniably charming. Just look at Niall’s audition for The X Factor, anybody over the age of 16 will contest that he needs a swift kick in the groin, but to the younger age group his charm comes across as daring and cool.
The longevity of the boy-band is short, at best. One Direction may as well make the most of it while they can. In 2012, world domination awaits. They are set to tour the US, and if ‘One Thing’ is anything to go by, they will be a huge success. Gag. Gag. Gag.