Let me preface this article by saying this is one of the most difficult pieces I have ever written. Although the following songs are my own favorites, the entire One Direction discography is spectacular. There’s much more to the British boyband than their radio classics, and hopefully these songs are just the beginning for all of you closeted fans out there.
- “Change My Mind”
From the band’s second album “Take Me Home,” this song makes my top 10 solely based on the range of vocals that each band member displays. In their first album, their voices weren’t as developed, and this song is a perfect example of the growth to come for them as artists. It’s also impossible not to sing along.
- “Happily”
The album “Midnight Memories” is a turning point in the band’s discography. The range of songs on this album is wider, and “Happily” is a great example of this. This one was particularly hard to choose as it contended, in my opinion, with “Right Now”.
- “You & I”
This song, also from “Midnight Memories,” is one of the band’s most underrated songs. The music video is odd. Perhaps this is why the song didn’t get the attention it deserves.
- “Night Changes”
In contrast, the music video for this song is a cinematic masterpiece. “Night Changes” is good to listen to when you’re driving through the empty streets late at night and trying not to think. It’s also from One Direction’s best album, “FOUR.”
- “18”
This song is about falling in love at a young age and is one of the first One Direction songs that stuck with me. There’s a particular lyric in it which is always floating around my brain: “Long before we thought the same thing / to be loved, to be in love.”
5. ”Girl Almighty”
Nobody, 1D fan or not, knows exactly what this song’s lyrics mean. Yet, it’s an instant mood lifter, which is the reason it cracks my top five.
- “History”
This song is on the list without question. It’s a love letter from the artists to fans after they announced that they were going on hiatus. It never fails to make listeners feel nostalgic.
- “Fireproof”
“FOUR” was a devastatingly underrated album, due to the drama surrounding the band after Zayn Malik left. Masterpieces like “Fireproof” were buried because of the controversy.
- “Walking in the Wind”
A song which I can only hope and pray to see performed live one day.
- “Perfect (Stripped)”
My number one pick may be a shock to most One Direction fans. From what I’ve learned by talking to others, this song is rarely a favorite. For me, this was the song which drew me to One Direction. It introduced me to one of my favorite bands in the world. Although the regular version of the song is great, there’s something serene and gentle about the stripped version.
If you end up listening to any of these or want to mention any songs you think should be on my list, feel free to add them down in the comments.
We made a playlist of One Direction’s best songs. Check it out here.