One Direction Songs: Which Is No.1 On The Top 20 Biggest Selling List?
When you think of One Direction songs, which do you envisage being the band's biggest selling? Any idea? Well, One Direction fans, it's time to stop squabbling because we have the official list right here. We're not talking about One Direction's Best Song Ever, we're talking about the biggest selling.
Well, it's actually the Top 20 biggest selling songs on the Amazon UK MP3 Music Store but we'll be willing to stake a considerable amount that it echoes the elusive list of overall biggest selling One Direction songs. For the record, the good people at Amazon were the only people who would provide us with the figures. So well done them.
20. They Don't Know About Us
We're starting on a positive note with number 20 'They Don't Know About Us'; a song about being madly in love despite being so young, and that ever familiar feeling that you're absolutely sure there's no relationship like yours going on in the world. Taken from their second album, it has been written by country producers Tebey Ottoh and Tommy Lee James, and thus has a rather a different vibe about it than some of their other hits with a piano led intro which continues as a gentle backdrop throughout the rest of the song.
19. Nobody Compares
'Nobody Compares' is another of those One Direction songs that failed to make the tracklist of 'Take Me Home' but appeared on the limited yearbook edition and iTunes Store deluxe (as well as the Japanese versions of the two). It reached number 174 in the UK chart and 79 in Canada and is a pretty heartfelt tune about been dumped by a girl without warning. That's the beauty of 1D though, they're never afraid to pick up on those timeless topics people love to write so much about.
18. I Want
McFly's Tom Fletcher returns as a writer for 1D with 'I Want' which featured on the tracklist for 'Up All Night'. It's got quite a unique retro edge to it and tells of men's frustrations with the materialism of the women they're dating. It's perhaps a little sexist, but for a band so often compared to the biggest selling artists of the world, The Beatles, it's hardly an issue for most fans. Richard 'Biff' Stannard and Ash Howes produced the track.
17. I Should Have Kissed You
One Direction seem to only have one thing on their mind; 'I Should Have Kissed You' is the first of three songs from their first two albums to mention kissing in the title (though it's not to be confused with the song of the same name by Chris Brown). This is from 'Up All Night' and was produced and co-written by Steve Robson alongside Norwegian songwriter Ina Wroldsen.
16. Heart Attack
Another One Direction song about heartbreak, 'Heart Attack' just scraped the Canadian Top 100 chart at number 100 on its release on their 'Take Me Home' album. However, in true 1D form, they still manage to turn a sad subject into an upbeat sing-a-long tune with a little essence of Michael Jackson thrown in there with the repeated 'Ow!'s that one of the songwriters from the album, Savan Kotecha, mentioned was mainly courtesy of Niall.
15. I Would
Several of One Direction's songs have been written by other artists, but 'I Would' was a collaborative writing effort between three members of fellow boyband McFly: Tom Fletcher, Danny Jones and Dougie Poynter. It's one of the more downbeat tracks of their collection as they sing not about partying or meeting mysterious girls, but about trying to compete with the scary tattooed boyfriend of their latest infatuation.
14. She's Not Afraid
'She's Not Afraid' threw in a little guitar riff here and there, giving it a distinctly edgier sound to their previous hits. This was a bonus track to various editions of their second album 'Take Me Home' including the limited yearbook edition, the Japanese limited yearbook and the iTunes Store deluxe. It may not be the most stand-out track of their back catalogue and it didn't venture into the Billboard Hot 100 - but Billboard magazine did place it at number 3 for the Bubbling Under Hot 100; a chart depicting the main singles that are yet to enter into the Hot 100.
13. Na Na Na
The other track to be produced by Matt Squire and another one that solely features on the German Edition of the 'Up All Night' album and the Souvenir Editions for Australia, Mexico etc. It is the B-side to their debut single 'What Makes You Beautiful' and one that they performed alongside it at the BBC Radio 1 Teen Awards. It's a light-hearted number about a love-hate relationship and managed a number 27 spot on the Irish Singles Chart - again, an impressive feat for an unpromoted tune.
12. Another World
'Another World' was one of the charting tracks from 'Up All Night' but didn't actually feature on the original album tracklisting. Instead, it appeared on the Souvenir Edition which was available in Australia, Mexico, the Philippines and New Zealand, as well as the German Edition. It was produced by the Grammy nominated RedOne and had a rather heavier drumbeat behind it than most of their tracks - amazingly, for a track that wasn't even on the main edition, it reached the UK and Australian charts at 85 and 66 respectively.
11. Up All Night
This is, as many 1D fans will know, the title track to their multi-platinum certified debut album and certainly rounds up the general upbeat party feeling of the album. There's even a nod to their fellow chart success Katy Perry in there - a small detail, but a massive emphasis on the harmony and non-competitiveness of pop music these days. It is one of two tracks on the record to be produced by Matt Squire, who's previously worked with the likes of Kesha, Demi Lovato Panic! at the Disco, HIM and The Used, and was compared to a Backstreet Boys track and LMFAO by Billboard on its release.
10. Rock Me.
Just scraping into the Top 10 is 'Rock Me'. You know, Rock Me? Sure you know Rock Me, it was on One Direction's second studio album. Written again by a flurry of songwriters including Peter Svensson, Sam Hollander, Lukasz Gottwald, Henry Walter and Allan Grigg, production was handled by Dr Luke - who recently worked on Britney Spears' new record. Its riff bears a likeness to Queen's 1977 single We Will Rock You. It really does. Yep, some of the lyrics are just excruciating and the track wasn't a massive hit chart-wise, peaking at No.98 on the Billboard Hot 100.
9. More Than This
Another curious little selection on the Top 10. 'More Than This' is the fourth single to be taken from the band's debut album and was produced by Brian Rawling and Paul Meehan and composed by Jamie Scott. It's backed by synthesizers..and, well there's not much else to say. It only charted in Australia and Norway, though fans were too busy gobbling One Direction tickets for the big One Direction tour anyway. Intriguingly, it features an acoustic guitar riff similar to that of Cheryl Cole's 2011 single The Flood. Hmmm, a little bit of pop poaching perhaps? Anyway, it's almost indie in its sensibilities. It's quote good really.
Watch One Direction performing More Than This.
8. Gotta Be You
Ahh, it's 'Gotta Be You.' The weepy song. Harry Styles features prominently in this one. He broke hearts with this one. The single once again peaked at No.3 in Ireland the United Kingdom, marking the band's second top ten appearance in both countries (oh how far they've come since then). Interestingly, it peaked at No.24 on the Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles in the U.S as the group began to turn the screw stateside. The song unsurprisingly became a fan-favourite during One Direction's first headline tour, being performed to slow down the pace after the initial burst.
Watch the video for Gotta Be You.
7. One Thing
In at No.7 is 'One Thing' - again, not one of One Direction's finest moments but clearly popular enough to make the Top 10. Taken from the band's debut studio album Up All Night, it was written by Savan Kotecha and its producers Carl Falk and Rami Yacoub, initially as an upbeat pop rock number. The song actually dates back to the very early days of the band. After being signed to Syco music and completing the X-Factor tour, the band began working on their debut album. Falk and Yacoub had three songs almost immediately, 'What Makes You Beautiful,' 'I Wish' and 'One Thing,' the latter of which was initially written as two separate songs. Listen hard enough and you can probably understand why.
Watch the video for One Thing.
6. Best Song Ever
Ok so we hate the title. Everyone hates the title. One Direction fans hate the title, but One Direction's 'Best Song Ever' sits comfortably inside the group's Top 10 selling tracks on Amazon. The lead single off the group's third studio album Midnight Memories, it was written by a different group of music scribes, Wayne Hector, John Ryan, Julian Bunetta and Ed Drewett. It's fluffy, it's fun, it's certainly not the best song ever, but it's fine. Just fine. It did particularly well after being included in the trailer for the band's smash hit movie This Is Us.
5. Kiss You
'Kiss You' is another single from the band's second studio album Take Me Home (2012). Composed by a myriad of producers and songwriters including Kristoffer Fogelmark, Kristian Lundin, Albin Nedler, Savan Kotecha, Carl Falk and Rami Yacoub, the power pop song is probably one of the best on the album and was picked out as such by critics. It became the group's sixth top-ten hit in the United Kingdom and Ireland while attaining respectable chart positions in Australia, Canada, Denmark, France, New Zealand and the Netherlands. Kiss You has been certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) denoting 500,000 copies. It's video also became hugely popular amongst One Direction fans, particularly for its 'iconic' look reminiscent of clips for The Beach Boys' Surfer Girl and Elvis Presley's Jailhouse Rock.
Watch a behind the scenes Kiss You video.
4. Live While We're Young
Now we're talking! 'Live While We're Young' is probably one of those One Direction songs that we've all found ourselves singing along to. Or at least tapping our toes. An up-tempo bubblegum pop song complete with hand claps, harmonies and synthesizers, the track broke the Vevo record for having the most views in a 24-hour period with 8.24 million. Sure, it totally rips of The Clash's Should I Stay or Should I Go, but let's not worry about that for now. The song - which went in at No.3 on both the UK and US singles charts - was featured in a Pepsi commercial in the United States and was even performed on an episode of Glee.
Watch a behind the scene video from the Live While We're Young video shoot.
3. Little Things
Third on the list is probably the One Direction song that everyone wants to forget. In fact, it's absolutely One Direction's worst song. It's 'Little Things,' written by red haired singer-songwriter Ed Sheeran and Fiona Bevan. It's mid-tempo pop and folk ballad that talks about love and cups of tea and other things. It's not very good.
Watch the Little Things video.
2. One Way or Another (Teenage Kicks)
Hmm, a surprising choice at number two, mainly due to the fact that the song leaked so long before Comic Relief, for which it was recorded. Both 1D and Syco Music aired their dismay at the leak, though fans still gobbled it up. It is, of course, a medley cover of Blondie's 'One Way or Another' and The Undertones' classic 'Teenage Kicks.' The video, shot in Ghana, Tokyo, London and New York City famously featured a cameo from British Prime Minister David Cameron.
1. What Makes You Beautiful
Ahh it's the big one! 'What Makes You Beautiful' is the debut single from their debut studio album Up All Night and the biggest selling One Direction song on Amazon! Written by Savan Kotecha and its producers Rami Yacoub and Carl Falk - all now very rich men - it was recorded at Cosmos Studios in Stockholm. Though most 1D fans will argue, it was really the song that made the band when it won the BRIT Award for Best British Single at the 2012 ceremony.
Watch the What Makes You Beautiful video.
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One Direction's Midnight Memories is out on November 25, 2013.