"Drag Me Down" | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
![]() | ||||
Single by One Direction | ||||
from the album Made in the A.M. | ||||
Released | 31 July 2015 [1] | |||
Genre | Pop rock [2] [3] | |||
Length | 3:12 | |||
Label | Syco | |||
Songwriter(s) |
| |||
Producer(s) | Julian Bunetta | |||
One Direction singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
Music video | ||||
"Drag Me Down" on YouTube |
"Drag Me Down" is a song recorded by English-Irish boy band One Direction as the lead single for their fifth studio album, Made in the A.M. (2015). [4] The song was released worldwide on 31 July 2015 and was the band's first single since Zayn Malik's departure earlier that same year. "Drag Me Down" debuted atop the charts in the United Kingdom, Ireland, France, Austria, Australia, and New Zealand. It became the group's first number-one single in France and Australia, as well as their fourth number-one in New Zealand and the United Kingdom. It debuted at number three on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and won the fan-voted 'Best Video Award' at the 2016 Brit Awards. [5]
"Drag Me Down" marked One Direction's first single since Zayn Malik's departure in March 2015. [6] The announcement of the release, with no previous promotion or marketing, was done by the late Liam Payne on his Twitter handle, followed by the rest of the members on 31 July 2015. [1]
"Drag Me Down" is a midtempo pop rock track written by Jamie Scott, Julian Bunetta and John Ryan, who wrote and produced several songs on One Direction's previous two albums Midnight Memories (2013) and Four (2014). [7] According to Los Angeles Times 's editor Mikael Wood, the production contains springy guitars that recall The Police or "Rude" by Magic!. [2] [8] The song is written in C minor with a tempo of 138 beats per minute. It was composed in England. [9]
Review scores | |
---|---|
Source | Rating |
Billboard | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Digital Spy | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Jason Lipshutz of Billboard gave the song three and a half out of five stars and stated that the song offers a more "mature sound". He also commented "for those worried that a four-member incarnation of the group can't get the job done, "Drag Me Down" assuages those fears by keeping the overall quality level high" and "the group compensates for Malik’s absence by giving each member ample time to shine, and the harmonies admirably resonate on the call-and-response portions of the pre-chorus". [3] Writing for Idolater , Robbie Daw commented that the song "comes across perhaps like the first One Direction song that might appeal to an audience outside of the band’s screaming core fan base". [11]
Gaby Hernandez of Rolling Stone described the song as a "pop-rock track shifts the band’s sound from the softer folk of their last album, Four , back to the more upbeat, electronic heavy elements of their first two albums". [12] Jamieson Cox of The Verge called the song "a slight departure from the music the band was making with Malik in tow" while commenting that "there's a bit of The Police in the loping, reggae-lite bass line and guitar riffs, and the song's structure is cribbed from the last few years' finest EDM-pop crossovers" and that "when you fold in the melody, the whole package reminds me of Taylor Swift's "I Knew You Were Trouble," and that qualifies as praise in this space". [13] Noelle Devoe, writing for The Daily Telegraph , described the song as "rocking an even edgier, mature sound" and "a love song to their fans" while commenting on Styles' high notes. [14] The Herald wrote that "in true One Direction style, Drag Me Down is a catchy love song with a poppy beat". [15] Lewis Corner of Digital Spy gave the song three out of five stars, and stated that "Drag Me Down" is "one of their most pop-centric releases to date" and that "they may have taken a hit with the exit of Zayn, but One Direction are far from down and out". [16]
Mikael Wood with the Los Angeles Times gave a more negative review, stating that the song is "all too accurately titled" and that it is "decidedly smaller-scaled" and "carries no such charge" compared to the band's previous songs. He added "we’re basically talking about a midtempo pop-rock jam with springy guitars that recall The Police" and the song is "more or less what you’d expect from a band of four good-looking white guys". [17]
Past member Zayn Malik took to social media and praised the single, describing it as "sick" and stating that "he was proud of his boys." [18]
The video for "Drag Me Down" was directed by Ben and Gabe Turner and filmed at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas and premiered on Vevo alongside the song. The video includes the band being put through their paces as though they are astronauts preparing for a space mission. [19] It won the fan-voted 'Best Video Award' at the 2016 Brit Awards [20] and as of 9 May 2022, it has been viewed over 1 billion times on YouTube.
In Fall 2015, the Big Payno Remix was released which features American rapper Lunchmoney Lewis which appears on their Perfect EP.
One Direction gave their first performance of the song on their On the Road Again Tour in Indianapolis on 31 July 2015 until the end of their concert tour. The song was then performed live as part of a series of free summer concerts in New York City for Good Morning America on 4 August 2015. [21] The band also performed the song on several television programmes including The Ellen DeGeneres Show, [22] The Jonathan Ross Show [23] and Alan Carr: Chatty Man. [24]
An instrumental version of the song is heard in the television series Grey's Anatomy (season 13 episode 8).
The track is present on the soundtrack of the Brazilian soap opera Totalmente Demais (2015). [25]
Song appears in the soundtrack of the video game Madden NFL 19 ("Longshot: Homecoming" only)
A cover of the song by the Finnish-American hard rock band Santa Cruz plays in "Best Friends, For Never", the second episode of the first season of the DC Extended Universe Max series Peacemaker .
"Drag Me Down" sold 349,000 digital copies in the United States and had 17.7 million streams worldwide in its first week of release. [26] It broke the record on Spotify for most streamed track in one day, earning 4.75 million global streams (it has since been surpassed by Ed Sheeran's "Shape of You" and "Castle on the Hill" both receiving over 6.18 million global streams). [27] [28] The song also debuted at number three on the Billboard Hot 100, the second-highest debut of the year, with 349,000 downloads sold in its first week (making it the group's third number-one hit on the Digital Songs chart and the boy band's best sales week for a song). [29] [30]
Furthermore, the song topped the charts in twelve countries, including Austria, Australia, Czech Republic, France, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, New Zealand, Portugal, Scotland, Slovakia, and the United Kingdom.
Weekly charts | Year-end charts
|
Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
---|---|---|
Australia (ARIA) [88] | 5× Platinum | 350,000‡ |
Belgium (BEA) [89] | Gold | 10,000‡ |
Canada (Music Canada) [90] | 3× Platinum | 240,000‡ |
Denmark (IFPI Danmark) [91] | Platinum | 60,000^ |
Germany (BVMI) [92] | Gold | 200,000‡ |
Italy (FIMI) [93] | 2× Platinum | 100,000‡ |
Mexico (AMPROFON) [94] | 3× Platinum+Gold | 210,000‡ |
New Zealand (RMNZ) [95] | 3× Platinum | 90,000‡ |
Norway (IFPI Norway) [96] | Platinum | 40,000‡ |
Poland (ZPAV) [97] | 4× Platinum | 80,000‡ |
Spain (PROMUSICAE) [98] | Platinum | 60,000‡ |
Sweden (GLF) [99] | Platinum | 40,000‡ |
United Kingdom (BPI) [100] | 2× Platinum | 1,200,000 [101] |
United States | — | 1,208,000 [102] |
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. |
One Direction, often shortened to 1D, were an English-Irish pop boy band formed in London in 2010. The group consisted of Niall Horan, Zayn Malik, Liam Payne, Harry Styles and Louis Tomlinson. They became one of the best-selling boy groups of all time before going on an indefinite hiatus in 2016.
"What Makes You Beautiful" is the debut single by the British-Irish boy band One Direction. It was the lead single from their debut album, Up All Night (2011). Written by Savan Kotecha and producer Rami Yacoub, the song was released by Syco Records on 11 September 2011. The uptempo power pop track features a prominent guitar-based chorus and riff. The middle eight consists of a "na na na" hook.
English-Irish boy band One Direction have released five studio albums, ten extended plays, seventeen singles, two video albums, and seventeen music videos. They signed with Simon Cowell's record label Syco Records after being formed and finishing third in the seventh series of British television singing competition The X Factor in 2010. They subsequently signed in North America with Columbia Records. One Direction: This Is Us, a 3D documentary concert film was released on 29 August 2013 in the United Kingdom and 30 August 2013 in the United States. The film captures the band on the road during the Take Me Home Tour and documents their origins and rise to fame.
"Best Song Ever" is a song recorded by English-Irish boy band One Direction. It was released on 22 July 2013 by Syco as the lead single from the group's third studio album, Midnight Memories. The song was written and composed by Wayne Hector, Ed Drewett, Matt Rad, along with the band's regular collaborators Julian Bunetta and John Ryan.
"Story of My Life" is a song recorded by English-Irish boy band One Direction. It was released on 28 October 2013 by Syco Music and Columbia Records as the second single from the group's third studio album, Midnight Memories (2013). The song was written by band members Niall Horan, Zayn Malik, Harry Styles, Liam Payne, and Louis Tomlinson, along with Julian Bunetta, Jamie Scott and John Ryan. The lyrics speak of a tumultuous relationship leading to lament and heartbreak.
"Night Changes" is a song recorded by British-Irish boy band One Direction. It was written by the band alongside Jamie Scott, Julian Bunetta and John Ryan, while the production was handled by Bunetta and Ryan. The song was released on 14 November 2014 as the second and final single from their fourth studio album Four. It also marked their last single with member Zayn Malik.
Zain Javadd Malik, known professionally as Zayn Malik or simply Zayn, is an English singer. He auditioned as a solo contestant for the British music competition television series The X Factor in 2010. After being eliminated, he was brought back to the competition to form the five-piece boy band One Direction, which went on to become one of the best-selling boy bands of all time. He left the group in March 2015 and signed a solo recording contract with RCA Records.
Made in the A.M. is the fifth and final studio album by English-Irish boy band One Direction, released on 13 November 2015 by Columbia Records and Syco Music. It was the band's first album without Zayn Malik, who left the group eight months earlier, and the last released before the group entered an indefinite hiatus the following year. It is One Direction's last album to be released before the death of member Liam Payne, on 16 October 2024. It was the year's sixth best-selling album worldwide, with 2.4 million copies sold, and received generally favourable critical reviews.
"Infinity" is a song by Irish-British boy band One Direction from their fifth studio album, Made in the A.M. (2015). It was released as a single on iTunes and Apple Music on 22 September 2015. The song was at first announced as the third official single from the album, but was eventually scrapped in favour of "History".
"Perfect" is a song by British-Irish boy band One Direction. Released on 16 October 2015 as the second single from their fifth studio album, Made in the A.M., it debuted at number one in Ireland, and reached the top 10 in several countries, including the United Kingdom, United States, France, New Zealand and Australia. The song was written by members Harry Styles and Louis Tomlinson, along with the band's regular collaborators, Julian Bunetta and John Ryan among others.
"Back to Sleep" is a song by American singer Chris Brown from his seventh studio album Royalty. The song was released as the album's third single and its first urban single on November 5, 2015. Three official remixes of the song were released during the first months of 2016: The first featuring Usher and Zayn, the second featuring Miguel, August Alsina, and Trey Songz, and the final featuring Tank, R. Kelly and Anthony Hamilton.
"Pillowtalk" is the debut solo single by English singer-songwriter Zayn Malik, from his debut solo studio album Mind of Mine. He co-wrote the track with Anthony Hannides, Michael Hannides, Joe Garrett, and its producer Levi Lennox. The song was released as the lead single from the album on 29 January 2016 along with its own music video, which featured his girlfriend at the time, American model Gigi Hadid. It is Zayn's first single released after his departure from One Direction in March 2015. It debuted at number one on the UK Singles Chart and the US Billboard Hot 100, making Malik the first British artist to debut at number one in the US with a debut single. It reached 1 billion views in YouTube on 23 September 2020.
Mind of Mine is the debut solo studio album by English singer-songwriter Zayn. It was released on March 25, 2016 through RCA Records, and was released one year after his departure from One Direction. Primarily an R&B and alternative R&B record, the album blends elements from various genres, including pop, folk, dub, soul, funk, electronic, Qawwali, hip hop, reggae, classical and soft rock. Upon release, it was met with generally positive reviews, with praise for Malik's new musical direction and his vocal performance.
As a solo artist, English singer Zayn has released four studio albums, one mixtape, twenty-six singles, seven promotional singles, and twenty music videos.
"Befour" is a song recorded by English singer-songwriter Zayn for his debut solo studio album, Mind of Mine (2016). It was written by Zayn Malik, James Ho, Harold Lilly and Terrence "Scar" Smith, and produced by Malay. It was released as the third promotional single from the album on 17 March 2016 by RCA Records. "Befour" is a smooth R&B and synth-pop song, which incorporates musical elements of disco and soul music. It features four-on-the-floor beats, mellow synths, and a grinding guitar loop in its instrumentation. The song is also noted for Malik's high-reaching falsetto during the song's middle eight section.
"Like I Would" is a song recorded by English singer-songwriter Zayn for the deluxe edition of his solo debut studio album, Mind of Mine (2016). It was written by Zayn, Chase Wells, James Griffin, Kevin Rains, James Emerson and Salvador Waviest and produced by XYZ. The song was released on 10 March 2016 and later impacted US contemporary hit radio on 24 May 2016, as the album's official second single. "Like I Would" is an electro-R&B and dance song, with an upbeat backdrop, steady bass, a disco groove and a funky hook.
"I Don't Wanna Live Forever" is a song by the English singer Zayn and the American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift from the soundtrack to the 2017 film Fifty Shades Darker. It was written by Swift, Sam Dew, and Jack Antonoff, who also produced the song. The single was released on December 9, 2016, by Republic Records to international commercial success. "I Don't Wanna Live Forever" is a sultry electro-R&B and electropop ballad that sees Zayn and Swift exchange romantic overtures. Its accompanying music video was released on January 27, 2017.
"Strip That Down" is the debut solo single by English singer-songwriter Liam Payne featuring American rapper Quavo. It was released on 19 May 2017, via Capitol Records in the UK and Republic Records in the US. Ed Sheeran, who contributes additional vocals to the song, and producer Steve Mac contributed to the writing. It was serviced to US contemporary hit radio on 23 May 2017. The song's accompanying music video was released on 2 June 2017. The lyrical content is supposed to reflect Payne's freedom to venture into raunchy musical elements after departing from the British-Irish boy band One Direction. The song appears as a bonus track on Payne's debut studio album LP1. As of October 2024, it has sold 11.5 million units worldwide.
"Let Me" is a song recorded by English singer-songwriter Zayn. Written by Michael Hannides, Anthony Hannides, Zayn, Alan Sampson, Khaled Rohaim and produced by Rohaim and MakeYouKnowLove, it was released by RCA Records on 12 April 2018, as the lead single from Zayn's second studio album Icarus Falls (2018).