One Direction, as the entirety of the world’s population under the age of eighteen and of the female variety know (as well as many, many others), were formed on The X Factor’s seventh series in 2010 and 2011. Originally, the five boys auditioned separately and were put together as group my Simon Cowell (also head of Syco Records) when they were considered to not be good enough as individuals. Miraculously, the group made it to the top three, and despite not winning the show, did create a literal stampede of (predominantly female) fans all over the world, with their innocence-driven covers on the show. Their debut album ‘Up All Night’ was released and immediately hit number 2 in the UK Album Chart, as well as reaching similar positions in over fifteen other countries.
The typical bubblegum pop compilation commences with ‘What Makes You Beautiful’, which was released as a single on the 11th of September 2011, causing much controversy due to its clash with the eleventh anniversary of the terrorist attacks on the twin towers in New York City. The track also recently one a BRIT award for Best British Single, reflecting the power of the young teenage girl fanbase. However, the track peaked a-top of the UK and Irish Single Charts. The song is everything one might expect from an industry constructed group; work not original to the band members themselves, but a track that is every bit as catchy as the common cold. With its naïve references to the awkwardness of interaction with the opposite sex, Syco and Columbia Records have pin-pointed their audience precisely and effectively.
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| 'Up All Night': Artwork |
‘Gotta Be You’ is a wonderfully melodic ballad with great production and harmonies. The track was also released as a single on the 11th of November 2011, and sold over 59,000 copies in its first week, which, however impressive, is substantially less than ‘What Makes You Beautiful.’ However offensively innocent One Direction are crafted to appear, not assisted in any way by their constant co-ordinated outfits and backdrops, the band provide decent vocals, which not only provides them with more respect within the industry itself, but also stretches their work to an even wider audience.
Third track ‘One Thing’, a quaint, rhythmic and undeniably catchy and was sold as a single from the 6th of January this year. Although only a couple of the members actually play instruments, The Script style heartbreaker ‘More Than This’ is tarnished in quality by a back beat of club effects. Title track ‘Up All Night’ is somewhat limp compared to the first few tracks, despite it pop-culture references, ‘Katy Perry’s on replay’, which is why the sound effect elements were used, as well as constant repetition. The lyrics are almost humorous at times due to how much they project incorruptibility, ‘I wanna stay up all night and jump around until we see the sun.’ ‘I Wish’, a wilted, whiney pop ballad about young teenage ‘girl trouble whereas ‘Tell Me A Lie’ is an attempt at a mature track with yet more club-style pulses.
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| One Direction after winning their BRIT award for Best British Single |
Although lyrically simplistic, ‘you only want me ‘cause I’m taken…’, ‘Taken’ is a polite track and ‘I Want’ is as chirpy as Mika but terribly repetitive and somewhat tedious. ‘Everything About You’ is another feeble endeavour to appear older than in other tracks, such as the singles, which causes One Direction to come across as a younger, less successful The Wanted. One Direction’s ballad style tracks, like ‘Same Mistakes’, become tiresome towards the end of ‘Up All Night’ as their form is unmistakably similar throughout, to that of The Script. ‘Save You Tonight’ is a lacklustre, cyclic track and the upbeat and summery ‘Stole My Heart’ insults the boys’ vocal abilities by making use of excessive voice effects.
For saying they were formed within the industry itself, ‘Up All Night’ is a respectable debut album, portraying nothing but ‘girl trouble’, club beats and half-hearted ballads. Both the band and record label are aware of how many thousands of albums they can sell with just a couple of good singles.
3/5
