Midnight Memories (song)

Last updated

"Midnight Memories"
One Direction - Midnight Memories (Official Single Cover).png
Single by One Direction
from the album Midnight Memories
Released9 March 2014 (2014-03-09)
Recorded2013
Genre
Length2:56
Label
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)
  • Jamie Scott
  • Julian Bunetta
  • John Ryan
One Direction singles chronology
"Story of My Life"
(2013)
"Midnight Memories"
(2014)
"You & I"
(2014)
Music video
"Midnight Memories" on YouTube

"Midnight Memories" is a song by the English-Irish boy band One Direction from their third studio album of the same name. It was co-written by Julian Bunetta, Jamie Scott, [1] John Ryan and band members Liam Payne and Louis Tomlinson.

Contents

The song was released on 20 November 2013, five days prior to the release of the album, [2] and debuted at number three on the Irish Singles Chart the following day. It has since peaked in the top 10 of nine other countries around the world, including Australia, [3] New Zealand, [4] Denmark, [5] the Netherlands [6] and Spain. [7]

On 25 January 2014, it was announced that "Midnight Memories" would be the third single from the album. It received an official release on 9 March 2014.

Background and release

"Midnight Memories" was written by John Ryan, Jamie Scott, Liam Payne, Louis Tomlinson and Julian Bunetta and produced by Bunetta. [8] It is the second single to be written by members of the band, following the previous single of the same album, "Story of My Life". Talking to MTV News about the track, Bunetta said, "It's the title of the album and it just happens to fall in line with Up All Night , Take Me Home , it's all references to in the evening. And midnight memories are where most of the memories of this record were made. [It] was between midnight and 5 in the morning. We have so many memories of just being in the studio or being after a show or being in the back of the bus or going to one of the guys' places and hanging and writing. Or, just when you're young and that's when you kind of have all your experiences." [9]

On 24 January 2014, Payne revealed through a video on the band's YouTube channel that "Midnight Memories" would serve as the third single of the album outside the US. [10] [11]

Critical reception

On 25 November, in a track-by-track review on Billboard writer Chris Payne and by Michael Craigg on the Daily Mirror opined that "it opens with groovy guitar licks, leads into a peppy pre-chorus, and rocks out in the chorus behind a riff reminiscent of Def Leppard's "Pour Some Sugar on Me." [12] [13]

Chart performance

The song was released on 20 November 2013, five days prior to the release of the album, [2] and debuted at number three on the Irish Singles Chart the following day. It has since peaked in the top 10 of nine other countries around the world, including Australia, [3] New Zealand, [4] Denmark, [5] the Netherlands [6] and Spain. [7] It was less successful in the UK upon its release, only just managing to peak inside the top 40 at number 39.

Music video

The official music video was filmed in London in December 2013. On 25 January 2014, it was announced that the video would premiere on Vevo at midnight on 31 January. [14] To date, the video has over 200 million views. [15] The video begins with One Direction at a house party, they are all bored until the DJ starts playing "Midnight Memories". They then leave the house and over run a take-away. They flirt with and ride around the streets of London with five elderly women on motorized scooters, steal a police boat and ride down the River Thames and the video ends with the group standing on the edge of Tower Bridge.

Track listing

Digital download – EP [16]

  1. "Midnight Memories" – 2:55
  2. "Story of My Life" (Live X Factor performance) – 4:18
  3. "Rock Me" (Live version from the Motion Picture One Direction: This Is Us ) – 4:15
  4. "C'mon, C'mon" (Live version from the Motion Picture One Direction: This Is Us) – 3:27

Live performances

One Direction performed the song during the Midnight Memories release party in Los Angeles on 22 November 2013. [17] The song was also performed during their concert for Good Morning America on 26 November. [18] They performed the song live on the final of The X Factor on 15 December, [19] La Voz on 18 December [20] and the final of The X Factor USA on 19 December. [21] [22] Also they performance two major concert tours: Where We Are Tour (2014) and On the Road Again Tour (2015).

Controversy

On 19 December 2013, it was announced that Def Leppard had asked their lawyers to look into allegations that "Midnight Memories" and "Pour Some Sugar on Me" bear striking similarities. However, Def Leppard guitarists Phil Collen and Vivian Campbell confirmed to Billboard that they were not, in fact, pursuing legal action. Collen called the songs "very similar in structure", but nothing more. Campbell said: "The chords are one-four-five. Those are the blues. You don’t get more basic than that. I think what’s more reminiscent of the Leppard thing is the production, the sound, the vocals, the reverb and the way it’s assembled. [23]

Charts

Chart performance for "Midnight Memories"
Chart (2013–15)Peak
position
Australia (ARIA) [24] 45
Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40) [25] 22
Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders) [26] 4
Belgium (Ultratop 50 Wallonia) [27] 8
Brazil (Billboard Brasil Hot 100) [28] 95
Canada (Canadian Hot 100) [29] 35
Denmark (Tracklisten) [5] 2
France (SNEP) [30] 14
Germany (GfK) [31] 91
Greece Digital Songs ( Billboard ) [32] 4
Hungary (Single Top 40) [33] 5
Ireland (IRMA) [34] 3
Italy (FIMI) [35] 7
Lebanon (The Official Lebanese Top 20) [36] 8
Luxembourg Digital Song Sales (Billboard) [37] 5
Mexico (Monitor Latino) [38] 20
Netherlands (Single Top 100) [6] 5
New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ) [4] 3
Poland (Polish Airplay Top 100) [39] 16
Portugal Digital Song Sales (Billboard) [40] 5
South Korea (Gaon) [41] 141
Spain (PROMUSICAE) [7] 4
Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade) [42] 54
UK Singles (OCC) [43] 39
US Billboard Hot 100 [44] 12

Certifications

RegionCertification Certified units/sales
Australia (ARIA) [45] Gold35,000
Mexico (AMPROFON) [46] Gold30,000
United Kingdom (BPI) [47] Silver200,000

Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Def Leppard</span> British rock band

Def Leppard are an English rock band formed in Sheffield in 1976. Since 1992, the band has consisted of Rick Savage, Joe Elliott, Rick Allen (drums), Phil Collen, and Vivian Campbell. They established themselves as part of the new wave of British heavy metal of the early 1980s. Their greatest commercial success came between the early 1980s and mid–1990s.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pour Some Sugar on Me</span> 1987 single by Def Leppard

"Pour Some Sugar on Me" is a song by the English rock band Def Leppard from their 1987 album Hysteria. It reached number 2 on the US Billboard Hot 100 on 23 July 1988, behind "Hold On to the Nights" by Richard Marx. "Pour Some Sugar on Me" is considered the band's signature song, and was ranked #2 on VH1's "100 Greatest Songs of the 80s" in 2006.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Photograph (Def Leppard song)</span> 1983 single by Def Leppard

"Photograph" is a song by the English rock band Def Leppard and produced by Robert John "Mutt" Lange. It is the lead single from the band's third studio album, Pyromania (1983). Their lead vocalist Joe Elliott has described the song as generally about "something you can't ever get your hands on". When released as a single it reached No. 1 on the Billboard Top Tracks chart, where it stayed for six weeks, and No. 12 on the Pop Singles chart.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Promises (Def Leppard song)</span> 1999 single by Def Leppard

"Promises" is a 1999 song by English rock band Def Leppard from their album Euphoria. It was released as a single later that year and reached number one on the Billboard Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks chart as well as number forty-one on the U.K. Singles Chart.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Two Steps Behind</span> 1993 single by Def Leppard

"Two Steps Behind" is a song by English hard rock band Def Leppard from their 1993 compilation album Retro Active and the soundtrack to the film Last Action Hero. It reached number five on the US Billboard Album Rock Tracks chart, numbers 12 and 10 on the Billboard Hot 100 and Cash Box Top 100, and number 32 on the UK Singles Chart. The music video was directed by Wayne Isham. In the 1993 Metal Edge Readers' Choice Awards, the song was voted "Song of the Year" and "Best Song from a Movie Soundtrack".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">One Direction discography</span>

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Best Song Ever</span> 2013 single by One Direction

"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.

<i>Midnight Memories</i> 2013 studio album by One Direction

Midnight Memories is the third studio album by English-Irish boy band One Direction, released on 25 November 2013 by Columbia Records, Syco Music and Sony Music. It was described as having a "slightly rockier tone" than their previous efforts. The album became the fastest-selling album in Amazon UK history, breaking the record set by their previous release, Take Me Home (2012). It debuted at number one on the US Billboard 200, making One Direction the first group in history to debut at number one in the US with their first three albums. Despite being released five weeks before the year's end, Midnight Memories nevertheless became the best-selling album of 2013 as listed by the IFPI, with sales of four million copies. The album was supported by four singles: "Best Song Ever", "Story of My Life", the album's title track "Midnight Memories", and "You & I".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Story of My Life (One Direction song)</span> 2013 single by One Direction

"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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Diana (One Direction song)</span> 2013 single by One Direction

"Diana" is a song by English-Irish boy band One Direction from their third studio album Midnight Memories (2013). It was released on 18 November 2013, a week prior to the album's release.

"Strong" is a song by English-Irish boy band One Direction, taken from their third studio album Midnight Memories (2013). It was released on 20 November 2013. It reached number one in New Zealand, number 15 in Austria and number 44 in Canada. It was written by Julian Bunetta, John Ryan, Jamie Scott, and Louis Tomlinson.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">You & I (One Direction song)</span> 2014 song by One Direction

"You & I" is a song recorded by English-Irish boy band One Direction, taken from their third studio album Midnight Memories (2013). It was written by Julian Bunetta, John Ryan and Jamie Scott, with production being handled by Julian Bunetta and John Ryan. "You & I" was released as the album's fourth and final single, first impacting US contemporary hit radio on 18 April 2014 by Columbia Records and later being released in Europe on 23 May 2014. An EP containing a remix created by band member Liam Payne was also released.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Steal My Girl</span> 2014 single by One Direction

"Steal My Girl" is a song written and recorded by English-Irish boy band One Direction. It is the lead single from their fourth studio album Four (2014). It was released worldwide on 29 September 2014. The single was written by band members Louis Tomlinson and Liam Payne and regular collaborators Jonathan Cain, Wayne Hector, John Ryan, Ed Drewett and Julian Bunetta. It was produced by Bunetta, Ryan and Pär Westerlund.

John Henry Ryan II, also known as John the Blind and JRY, is an American songwriter, singer and record producer from Rochester, New York. He is best known for co-writing and co-producing One Direction's last four albums and many of their singles. He has written songs for many acclaimed artists. His compositions and productions have sold over 30 million units worldwide.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Night Changes</span> 2014 single by One Direction

"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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Infinity (One Direction song)</span> 2015 promotional single by One Direction

"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".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Perfect (One Direction song)</span> 2015 single by One Direction

"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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">History (One Direction song)</span> 2015 single by One Direction

"History" is a song by British-Irish boy band One Direction. It was written by band members Liam Payne and Louis Tomlinson, along with Wayne Hector, Ed Drewett, Julian Bunetta and John Ryan. The song was released on 6 November 2015 as the third and final single from their fifth and final studio album Made in the A.M. (2015), making it their final single released by the group before their hiatus began in January 2016, with members of the band focusing on their solo projects. It also marked their last single with Payne, before his death in October 2024. "History" peaked at number six on the UK Singles Chart.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Liam Payne discography</span>

As a solo artist, English singer Liam Payne (1993–2024) released one studio album, two extended plays (EPs), 14 singles, nine music videos, and one guest appearance. He was musically active from 2010 until his death in 2024.

References

  1. 1 2 Scott, Jamie (12 October 2013). "Twitter / Jamie ScottG6: So everyone can stop guessing...I co wrote 2,3,4,5,7,11 and 14 That's half i think... This album is gonna be EPIC. #MidnightMemories". Twitter . Retrieved 27 October 2013.
  2. 1 2 "One Direction Release Title Track From 'Midnight Memories' As New Song - Audio". Capital FM. 21 November 2013. Retrieved 22 November 2013.
  3. 1 2 "Australia Digital Songs". Billboard . 7 December 2013. Retrieved 1 December 2013.
  4. 1 2 3 "One Direction – Midnight Memories". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved 28 November 2013.
  5. 1 2 3 "One Direction – Midnight Memories". Tracklisten. Retrieved 28 November 2013.
  6. 1 2 3 "One Direction – Midnight Memories" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved 28 November 2013.
  7. 1 2 3 "One Direction – Midnight Memories" Canciones Top 50. Retrieved 29 November 2013.
  8. Midnight Memories (liner notes). One Direction. Syco Music. 2013.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  9. Vena, Jocelyn (25 November 2013). "One Direction's Midnight Memories: Go Inside Their Late-Night Recording Sessions". MTV News . MTV. Archived from the original on 12 February 2014. Retrieved 12 February 2014.
  10. "Liam Payne Gets Ready To Make Some Midnight Memories! Announces One Direction's Next Single!". PerezHilton. Retrieved 25 January 2014.
  11. Oredein, Tobi (25 January 2014). "One Direction's Liam Payne Confirms 'Midnight Memories' As Band's Next Single". EntertainmentWise. Archived from the original on 23 February 2014. Retrieved 25 January 2014.
  12. Payne, Chris (25 November 2013). "One Direction, 'Midnight Memories': Track-By-Track Review". Billboard . Prometheus Global Media . Retrieved 21 December 2013.
  13. Cragg, Michael (25 November 2013). "1D: Midnight Memories review, track by track verdict of One Direction's new album". Daily Mirror . Retrieved 21 December 2013.
  14. Smith, Carl (25 January 2013). "One Direction unveil official 'Midnight Memories' single artwork and announce music video premiere date". sugarscape.com . Retrieved 12 February 2014.
  15. "One Direction - Midnight Memories". YouTube. 29 September 2014. Retrieved 29 September 2014.
  16. "Midnight Memories - EP". iTunes Store (Apple Inc.). Retrieved 10 February 2014.
  17. "One Direction Celebrates Upcoming 'Midnight Memories' Release in L.A. With Performance, Q&A". Billboard. 23 November 2013.
  18. "One Direction Plays 'Midnight Memories' Live | Video - ABC News". ABC News .
  19. Rigby, Sam (2 December 2013). "Elton John, The Killers, One Direction for 'The X Factor' final". Digital Spy . Hearst Magazines UK . Retrieved 4 December 2013.
  20. "One Direction Heats Up The Voice Spain Stage & Melts Our Hearts Singing Story Of My Life!".
  21. "Top Three Finalists Announced on 'The X Factor'". TV By The Numbers by zap2it.com. Archived from the original on 16 December 2013.
  22. "Demi Lovato One Direction X-Factor USA".
  23. "Def Leppard Denies It'll Take Legal Action Against One Direction for Similar-Sounding Song". Billboard. 20 December 2013.
  24. "One Direction – Midnight Memories". ARIA Top 50 Singles. Retrieved 28 November 2013.
  25. "One Direction – Midnight Memories" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40. Retrieved 28 November 2013.
  26. "One Direction – Midnight Memories" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50. Retrieved 29 November 2013.
  27. "One Direction – Midnight Memories" (in French). Ultratop 50. Retrieved 29 November 2013.
  28. "Hot 100 Billboard Brasil - weekly". Billboard Brasil . May 2014. Archived from the original on 14 May 2014. Retrieved 13 May 2014.
  29. "One Direction Chart History (Canadian Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved 28 November 2013.
  30. "One Direction – Midnight Memories" (in French). Les classement single. Retrieved 28 November 2013.
  31. "One Direction – Midnight Memories" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts. Retrieved 15 March 2019.
  32. "One Direction Chart History (Greece Digital Songs)". Billboard. Archived from the original on 21 December 2019. Retrieved 1 February 2024.
  33. "Archívum – Slágerlisták – MAHASZ" (in Hungarian). Single (track) Top 40 lista. Magyar Hanglemezkiadók Szövetsége. Retrieved 5 December 2013.
  34. "Chart Track: Week 47, 2013". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved 28 November 2013.
  35. "One Direction – Midnight Memories". Top Digital Download.
  36. "One Direction". The Official Lebanese Top 20 . Retrieved 14 April 2014.
  37. "One Direction Chart History (Luxembourg Digital Song Sales)". Billboard . Archived from the original on 21 December 2019. Retrieved 1 February 2024.
  38. "Top 20 General: Del 24 Al 30 De Marzo de 2014". Monitor Latino (in Spanish). RadioNotas. 31 March 2014. Archived from the original on 7 April 2014. Retrieved 1 April 2014.
  39. "Listy bestsellerów, wyróżnienia :: Związek Producentów Audio-Video". Polish Airplay Top 100. Retrieved 10 March 2014.
  40. "One Direction Chart History (Portugal Digital Song Sales)". Billboard . Archived from the original on 22 December 2019. Retrieved 1 February 2024.
  41. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 11 December 2013. Retrieved 5 February 2014.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  42. "One Direction – Midnight Memories". Swiss Singles Chart.
  43. "One Direction: Artist Chart History". Official Charts Company.
  44. "One Direction Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved 28 November 2013.
  45. "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2020 Singles" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association . Retrieved 1 August 2020.
  46. "Certificaciones" (in Spanish). Asociación Mexicana de Productores de Fonogramas y Videogramas . Retrieved 7 October 2020.Type One Direction in the box under the ARTISTA column heading and Midnight Memories in the box under the TÍTULO column heading.
  47. "British single certifications – One Direction – Midnight Memories". British Phonographic Industry . Retrieved 23 January 2020.