Written by: Katie Curran
2023 marks thirteen years since One Direction was formed, and we have loved every minute. Over the years, the group gave us so many iconic songs and even some iconic music videos! This week, we’re ranking all of 1D’s music videos from least to most favorite. 😍
#16: You & I
Coming in at #16 is “You & I.” The fourth single from their third album, Midnight Memories, the song talks about a relationship that seems to thrive against the odds. While we LOVE this song, it’s just not our fav video! For how big the band was at the time, we feel like there could have been a better video for the song. Plus, we just *know* that filming that video had to be cold! 🥶
#15: Little Things
"Little Things" is one of our all-time favorite songs! The song is so beautiful, and it has a sweet video to match. The music video is very simple: the boys are in a recording studio, singing along to the song in black and white. A lot like the last entry, we think that this song could have had a better video, especially considering how the Take Me Home era was when they got even bigger. 🤍
#14: Gotta Be You
This one is a classic from the Up All Night era! Compared to the rest of One Direction’s videos, though, its budget was much smaller. Once the group got bigger and they had more room for creativity, this one got put on the back burner. Again, we love this video. It’s just that we think other videos are better!
#13: History
This one has a lot of history, pun intended! When One Direction announced their 18-month (aka indefinite) hiatus in 2015, this was the last music video released before it. This video has old archival footage of their journey as a band (Zayn is even in it!) mixed with the boys years later and had us all in tears when it premiered. While it’s a very special video to fans everywhere and has some memorable moments, it’s just not our favorite. 📖
#12: What Makes You Beautiful
This pick may be a *little* controversial, but it was the first song and music video One Direction ever released! Filmed in California, it was the first time the band had left the UK as a group. As for the video, it was cute! It showed the boys running across the sand, throwing water at each other, and having fun. That being said, the video served as an introduction of the band to the rest of the world, and everything else is history. It served its purpose, and we still love it! Being the first video, though, there was a lot of room to expand in later videos. 🥰
#11: Perfect
Another controversial pick, but next is “Perfect”! This video, as the song suggests, is perfect. Shot in black and white, this one shows the group in a more serious way, with glances out of high-rise windows and a meal around the dinner table. While there are some more sincere moments in this video, it does not come without some goofy ones! At one point, Niall can be seen dancing down the hallway, Harry is almost bouncing from wall to wall, and Louis and Liam are messing around with a luggage cart. We love this video and the memories it gave us! 🖤
#10: Drag Me Down
This one is a fan favorite and for good reason! “Drag Me Down” was the first song released after Zayn left the band, and all eyes were on them. Shot at NASA’s Johnson Space Center, the boys prepare to go into space as if they were really astronauts. It’s an even more iconic video because it was the first with Long Hair Harry and the first of the Made in the AM era!🚀
#9: Steal My Girl
“Steal My Girl” will always be special for fans, and we are not surprised! The lead single from Four had to be one for the memory books! It takes place on a fictionalized music video set and features each member of the band as a different expression given to them by none other than the icon himself: Danny DeVito. This video gave us the moments where Zayn breaks up a fight between two sumo wrestlers and Louis befriends a monkey. It also gave us the iconic Harry quote, “It’s very warm. I’m wearing a coat. Nobody knows why.” Much like the song, this video will always hold a special place in our hearts. 😊
#8: Midnight Memories
The music video for the title track of Midnight Memories was always going to be unforgettable! It shows the group at a party in London, making their way from the house where it’s being thrown all the way to the top of Tower Bridge. It also shows them piling into an Addison Lee taxi, getting kebabs, and riding a boat on the River Thames. We love seeing One Direction getting to be themselves and have fun in a music video, and this one is no different! 💃🏻
#7: Story of My Life
Easily the most sentimental music video the group ever made, the music video for “Story of My Life” shows the band in a room full of photos from their respective childhoods. At some points in the video, they can be seen developing these photos and hanging them. At other points, the photos come to life with the people in them! Each member’s family makes a guest appearance, which makes it *that* much more special to fans around the world. 💙
#6: Night Changes
Night Changes has been a fan favorite since it premiered, and it is the same for us! In this video, each of the boys goes on a date with the person watching the video - very Y/N if you ask us! The dates initially start off well, but as the video goes on, they start going horribly wrong. This one is bittersweet because it was the last video released while Zayn was a member of the band. Nevertheless, we hold it very close to our hearts. 💕
#5: One Way Or Another
This music video is special for many reasons! For this song, the group partnered with the nonprofit organization Comic Relief in celebration of Red Nose Day and helped raise funds for those living in poverty in both Africa and the UK. Rather than a big production, the group filmed the video while they were on tour and donated the money that would have gone towards filming to Comic Relief instead. It shows the boys all over the world, and even with some of the people they were able to meet along the way. They even feature the former UK Prime Minister near the end! Getting to see them do something like this was something we will never forget. 😎
#4: Live While We’re Young
The first single from Take Me Home, fans were in for a treat with this video! It shows the group at a campsite with some of their closest friends, just having fun and being young, which is exactly what the song is about! At one point in the video, they are seen in giant hamster balls on a lake and even having a water fight. We love this video because it shows not only the boys having fun but also fans that being young is about just enjoying life. 🥰
#3: One Thing
The last video of the Up All Night era, the music video for our number three pick, saw One Direction going all around London on the classic double-decker bus. For “One Thing,” the boys visited iconic sites such as Big Ben and even started busking in Trafalgar Square, all while meeting fans where they went! At one point, they even do the iconic Inbetweeners dance, which fans have loved since they first saw it. We know one thing about this video: we will always love it! 😍
#2: Kiss You
This may be a hot take, but the Take Me Home era had arguably the best music videos One Direction ever released! It started off with “Live While We’re Young” and ended with our number two pick: “Kiss You.” In this retro-style video, the boys are seen recreating famous music videos such as Elvis’s “Jailhouse Rock” while driving classic cards against a backdrop and even going surfing! Fans can tell they had the time of their lives making this video, and it remains a fan favorite as a result. ❤️
#1: Best Song Ever
Occupying the number one spot is “Best Song Ever”! As the song was the lead single from Midnight Memories, it had to be one that fans were going to remember for years to come. And remember, they did! This video has everything - Niall and Louis dressed as music executives, the boys dancing, Leroy the Choreographer, Marcel, and even Zayn dressed as a secretary! In our opinion, this is definitely the “best video ever.” 🏆
One Direction will always be super special to us, and we hope they will be for you too. If you liked this post and want to enjoy more content about One Direction and your favs, follow our Instagram and Twitter! 💜
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