In 2015, British boy band One Direction released their final studio album, “Made in the A.M.” It was released shortly after they announced their forthcoming hiatus, assuring fans it would be only temporary as the band members pursued solo projects. 10 years later, the band’s split has proven to be definite and fans are left wondering: Is the music of the long-disbanded One Direction still relevant today?
“Made in the A.M.” was released eight months after band member Zayn Malik left the group, citing stress and a desire to pursue solo projects. Devastated long-term fans thought his departure would mean the conclusion of the band, but One Direction had one more album in them before ending for good.
When the album was released, it instantly topped charts in both the United Kingdom and the United States, treating new and old fans alike to a mix of catchy pop anthems and vulnerable ballads. With instant hits like “Drag Me Down” and “Perfect,” “Made in the A.M.” sold 2.4 million copies worldwide, placing it sixth on the list of best-selling albums that year.
Even though One Direction’s hiatus had not been announced at the time of the album’s release, its lyrics contained a hidden message bidding farewell to fans beneath obvious themes of love, loss, and longing. In “Drag Me Down,” Liam and Niall sing, “All my life, you stood by me / When no one else was ever behind me / All these lights, they can’t blind me / With your love, nobody can drag me down.” At surface level, these lyrics seem to be about a romantic relationship; however, they’re easily applied to the band’s fans who stuck with them from their days on The X Factor to Zayn’s departure from the group.
In “Infinity,” the band sings, “Eyes can’t shine / Unless there’s something burning bright behind / Since you went away, there’s nothing left in mine / I feel myself runnin’ out of time.” While the prose itself is retrospective, the message is also prospective, with the members reflecting on how they will feel to no longer have the international fanbase that had followed One Direction for the previous five years.
The question of whether or not “Made in the A.M.” is relevant today still remains, and the answer is undoubtedly yes. While the members of One Direction are often dismissed as unserious musicians because their fanbases are so heavily dominated by teenage girls, they are expertly able to tap into the timeless niche of being young and completely infatuated with someone in a way that is both beautiful and heartbreaking.
Revisiting the powerful fourth track on the album, “Infinity” is a perfect example of how the band managed to capture raw human emotions in an upbeat pop song. With lines like “How many nights have you wished someone would stay? / Lie awake only hoping they’re okay,” One Direction speaks directly to those who yearn to be noticed, to be wanted, to be loved. Likewise, “If I Could Fly” details what it’s like to be vulnerable with someone you love, showing them the part of yourself that you swore no one would ever see. While the album itself may be 10 years old, the feelings conveyed within the songs are timeless.
Perhaps the most relatable song on the album is “Love You Goodbye,” which contains a heartbreaking melody about begging someone for one last chance to love them even when you know they are leaving forever. The band manages to perfectly capture what it is like to want one last memory despite knowing it will only cause more pain, singing “My heart’s already breaking, baby / Go on, twist the knife.”
On “Made in the A.M.,” the melodies are irresistibly catchy and the tempos are endlessly upbeat, but most importantly, the lyrics relate to the deepest, most painful parts of being human.
—Staff writer Audrey A. Chalfie can be reached at audrey.chalfie@thecrimson.com.
