One Direction's Top 10 most popular songs of all time 🎶
According to their YouTube views!
One Direction will go down in history as one of the biggest boybands in the world. Sadly, the heartbreaking news of Liam Payne's death was announced in October 2024, with an outpour of tributes being made to the late singer. As well as his solo music, Liam saw phenomenal success with the band, so here we take a look through One Direction's most popular songs of all time, including 'What Makes You Beautiful', which has now topped one billion streams.
With songs such as 'Kiss You' and 'Little Things', the late Liam Payne, Niall Horan, Harry Styles, Louis Tomlinson and original member Zayn Malik sold millions of records around the world. Although it's hard to narrow down their best, here are the Top 10 One Direction songs that are most popular by YouTube views...
10) One Direction - 'Kiss You', 2013
This upbeat tune was a hit in 2013 and was included on the boys' 2012 album 'Take Me Home'. The music video featured iconic scenes from old music videos reenacted in front of a green screen including the Beach Boys' 'Surfer Girl' and Elvis Presley's 'Jailhouse Rock'. To date the video has had over 562 million views on YouTube.
9) One Direction - 'Perfect', 2015
Co-written by Harry Styles and Louis Tomlinson, 'Perfect' was a slow number for the boys, but that didn't stop it being a successful song, reaching Number 2 in the UK and Number 1 in Ireland on release. The song was included on their album 'Made in the A.M'. To date, it's had over 568 million views on YouTube.
8) One Direction - 'You & I', 2014
'You & I' featured on One Direction's third album 'Midnight Memories' released in 2013. Described as a soft rock ballad the song reached Number 19 in the UK and has had over 620 million views.
7) One Direction - 'Live While We're Young', 2012
'Live While We're Young' was the lead single from One Direction's second album 'Take Me Home'. The song was a Top 3 hit for the boys and certified Platinum in the UK. To date it's had over 744 million views on YouTube.
6) One Direction - 'Best Song Ever', 2013
Arguably one of their most upbeat and fun songs, One Direction's 'Best Song Ever' has been now been certified 2x Platinum in the UK, meaning that it has sold 1.2 million copies. It peaked at Number 2 in the UK, and also won the MTV Video Music Award for Best Song of Summer in 2013.
The video was written by James Corden, with each of the boys taking on an alternative persona. The music video has had over 804 million views on YouTube!
WATCH: One Direction - 'Best Song Ever' (Official Music Video)
5) One Direction - 'One Thing', 2011
'One Thing' appeared on the band's debut album 'Up All Night' in 2011, and broke into the Top 10 in the UK, also being certified Gold. The music video starred the band's five members on the top of a double decker bus, travelling around London and seeing the sights. It's had over 805 million views on YouTube.
6) One Direction - 'Night Changes', 2014
'Night Changes' was another slow ballad for the One Direction boys, released as the final single from their album 'Four', it was a Top 10 release for Niall, Harry, Liam, Louis and Zayn, who also co-wrote the song. The music video has had over 867 million views.
3) One Direction - 'Story Of My Life', 2013
Another one of the boys' slower and more emotional songs, 'Story Of My Life' reached Number 2 in the UK and was also certified 2 x Platinum in the UK, meaning 1.2 million copies sold. The sentimental video has been watched over 1 BILLION times on YouTube.
WATCH: One Direction - 'Story of My Life' (Official Music Video)
2) One Direction - 'Drag Me Down', 2015
'Drag Me Down' appeared on One Direction's fifth album, 'Made in the A.M.', and was the first single to be released by the band after the departure of Zayn Malik. It peaked at Number 1 in the UK, and has also now been certified 2x Platinum.
The music video starred Liam, Louis, Niall and Harry being trained as astronauts, and was filmed at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. It was voted 'Best Video Award' at the 2016 Brit Awards, and has become another video of One Direction's to bag over one billion views on YouTube.
WATCH: One Direction - 'Drag Me Down' (Official Video)
1) One Direction - 'What Makes You Beautiful', 2011
Of course, it will be no surprise that One Direction's all-time best-selling single 'What Makes You Beautiful' is the most watched music video. As their debut single after coming third on The X Factor in 2010, the song shot straight to the top of the UK charts and stayed there for four weeks, and was certified quadruple Platinum in the US in June 2016, five years after its release, with 4.8 million copies sold.
In the UK, it has now been certified 3x Platinum, selling 1.8 million copies. To date, the music video has had over a whopping 1.5 BILLION views on YouTube.
WATCH: One Direction - 'What Makes You Beautiful' (Official Video)
When the song hit the 1 billion streams landmark, Liam shared a sweet message to his fans in August 2023.
Remembering Liam Payne - a celebration of the late singer's incredible career:
Early life
Liam James Payne was born in the Heath Town district of Wolverhampton on 29th August 1993, to parents Karen and Geoff Payne.
Liam attended St Peter's Collegiate School where he picked up an impressive 11 GCSEs, before later going on to attend Wolverhampton College's Paget Road campus, where he studied music technology.
At the age of just 12, Liam was a member of the Pink Productions Theatre Company, where he took on the role of Tony Manero during a production of Saturday Night Fever.
2008: The X Factor - First audition
A fresh-faced Liam auditioned for talent show The X Factor as a 14-year-old in 2008, singing 'Fly Me to the Moon' by Frank Sinatra.
Despite making it all the way to the Judges' Houses stage of the competition, Simon Cowell advised he should return in two years.
2010: The X Factor - Second audition
And he certainly did just that, returning for another audition in 2010 at the age of 16.
This time, Liam performed a rendition of Michael Bublé's 'Cry Me A River', where he received a standing ovation from judges Simon, Cheryl, Louis and Nicole, as well as the studio audience.
Despite being one of the favourites to win the show, Liam failed to progress to Judges' Houses, but his journey wasn't over just yet...
2010: One Direction are formed on The X Factor
Thanks to the genius idea from guest judge Nicole Scherzinger, Liam was placed into a boyband alongside fellow auditionees Harry Styles, Zayn Malik, Louis Tomlinson and Niall Horan, forming One Direction.
The boys immediately clicked, going all the way to the final and finishing in fourth place behind Cher Lloyd, Rebecca Ferguson and winner Matt Cardle.
2010-2015: One Direction's global domination
Following their birth on The X Factor, One Direction went on to become the biggest boyband on the planet, releasing five studio albums and winning over 200 awards worldwide.
The group also achieved 4 UK Number 1 songs, including tracks 'What Makes You Beautiful', 'Little Things', 'One Way Or Another' and 'Drag Me Down'.
2016: One Direction begin their hiatus
After Zayn Malik left the group in 2015, Liam, along with Harry, Niall and Louis, carried on with the band for another year, releasing their final album 'Made In The A.M.' before starting their hiatus in 2016.
2016: Liam signs solo record deal
After months of rumours about his own music, Liam signed his first ever solo record deal with Republic Records in October 2016.
2017: Liam drops his first solo single 'Strip That Down'
Fans were delighted in May 2017 when Liam released an upbeat track called 'Strip That Down', written by the one and only Ed Sheeran.
The track performed very well in the charts, reaching Number 3 in the Official UK Charts and Number 10 on the US Billboard Hot 100.
2017: Liam drops follow-up singles 'Get Low' and 'Bedroom Floor'
Following on from the success of his debut single 'Strip That Down', Liam teamed up with Zedd to release 'Get Low', before dropping bonus track 'Bedroom Floor'.
2018: Liam teams up with Rita Ora for Fifty Shades track
Liam joined forces with pop star Rita Ora in January 2018, with the pair duetting on hit single 'For You'. The song acted as the lead single from the soundtrack of the film Fifty Shades Freed.
Liam and Rita gave a number of amazing performances of the track, including at Hits Live and The BRIT Awards 2018.
2018: Liam's 'Strip That Down' receives two BRIT nominations
Liam picked up his first ever solo BRIT Award nominations at the 2018 ceremony, with his debut single 'Strip That Down' being nominated in the British Single and British Artist Video of the Year categories.
Unfortunately, Liam missed out on winning the awards on the night in February.
2018: Liam delays album and releases first EP
Following a successful year, Liam released his debut EP (extended play) in August 2018, featuring four tracks, including lead single 'First Time' with French Montana.
2018: Jonas Blue and Lennon Stella collab
Liam lent his vocals to DJ Jonas Blue's 2018 anthem 'Polaroid', alongside Canadian singer Lennon Stella. The track reached Number 12 on the UK Singes Chart and has since sold two million records.
2019: Another BRIT Award nomination
Liam received his third solo BRIT Award nomination at the 2019 awards, with himself and Rita Ora being nominated in the British Artist Video of the Year category for their track 'For You'.
Unfortunately, Liam and Rita missed out on the award to girl band Little Mix.
2019: Liam becomes Global Brand Ambassador for Hugo Boss
In May 2019, it was announced that Liam would become the first ever Global Brand Ambassador for fashion giant Hugo Boss.
2019: Liam releases his debut solo album 'LP1'
After confirming the release of his debut album had been postponed so he could make some adjustments (it was originally due for release in September 2018), Liam finally delighted fans in December 2019 when he released the album titled 'LP1'.
Liam took inspiration from Usher and Justin Timberlake for the album, featuring hits such as 'Familiar', 'Get Low', 'Strip That Down' and 'Stack It Up' featuring A Boogie wit da Hoodie.
'LP1' peaked at Number 17 on the Official UK Charts.
2019-2020: Christmas songs
Liam released his first ever Christmas song in 2019, a track called 'All I Want (For Christmas)', which was the first single off his debut solo album.
A year later in 2020, Liam teamed up with TikTok star Dixie D'Amelio to drop another Christmas hit, this time a track called 'Naughty List'.
2020: Hugo Boss x Liam Payne
After becoming the Global Brand Ambassador for Hugo Boss in 2019, Liam appeared in the fragrance campaign for their perfume Hugo Now in January 2020, before his capsule collection with the designer was launched in May 2020.
2020: Liam collabs with Alesso during lockdown
In an attempt to lift the spirits of his fans during the UK's 2020 lockdown, Liam teamed up with International DJ Alesso to drop the single 'Midnight'.
2021: 'Sunshine' and Ron's Gone Wrong
Liam released his first track of 2021 in October, a song called 'Sunshine' which features on 20th Century Studios animation Ron's Gone Wrong.
Liam also voiced an animated character on the movie. He said at the time: "I am such a big fan of Disney, so to be working on this is a dream come true. I can't wait for you all to hear Sunshine and to see "Ron's Gone Wrong." It has been a lot of fun!"
2022: Soccer Aid
Liam captained the England team, starring in a line-up alongside fellow musicians Tom Grennan and Aitch plus footballing legends Gary Neville and Teddy Sheringham. They went up against the World XI team made up of the likes of Usain Bolt, Munya Chawawa and Kem Cetinay, with footballer Patrice Evra adding to the more experienced side. Although the game ended 2-2, it went to penalties with the World team winning the game 4-1.
2023: Liam teases new music
Liam took to Instagram in January 2023, after a break, to drop a hint that new music was on the way. Sharing a black-and-white photo of himself holding a phone to his ear, he shared the snap with the tongue-in-cheek caption: 'Please hold good times and music will be with you shortly 🎵.' Of course, fans went wild in the comments section, debating over when the new music would drop!
2023: Liam makes a return following time away from spotlight
In July 2023, Liam posted a YouTube video titled 'I'm back', where he candidly opened up about spending 100 days at a treatment centre in Louisiana, after becoming somebody who he didn't really recognise anymore.
Liam opened up about his relationship with his son Bear in the video, as well as apologising to his One Direction band mates for his comments during his time on Logan Paul's podcast.
In the candid vid, Liam revealed he's now in a better place and has more of a grip on life.
2023: South American tour dates
Liam announced he'd be heading over to South America to perform at dates in Peru, Colombia, Chile, Brazil, Argentina and Mexico throughout September. Sadly, in August, he revealed he would have to postpone his tour as he had a serious kidney infection.
2024: Liam releases new single 'Teardrops'
Liam later delighted fans in February 2024 by releasing a new single called 'Teardrops'. This came after Liam previously teased new music on his Instagram page.
Shortly after its release, Liam also shared an acoustic version on his Insta page.
2024: Liam announced as Building the Band judge
In August 2024, Netflix announced that Liam was lined up to be one of three successful singers to sit on the judging panel of new show, Building the Band.
Filming began in the summer of 2024, with Liam guiding budding singers as they form their own band, based on chemistry, alongside fellow judges Nicole Scherzinger and Kelly Rowland.
The show is yet to be given a release date.
Tributes pour in for the late Liam Payne
There was heartbreaking news on Wednesday 16th October, announcing that Liam Payne had sadly died at the age of 31. It was reported that the singer died after falling from a hotel in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Our thoughts are with all those affected by the saddening news.
Following the tragic news breaking, tributes began to pour in for the late singer, including messages from Dermot O'Leary, Olly Murs, and Rylan Clark. From fellow celebs who worked with Liam, including the likes of Zedd, Charlie Puth and Cher Lloyd, who was on the same series of The X Factor as Liam.
NOW WATCH: Louis Tomlinson Reveals What He Misses The Most About One Direction
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