From 2011-2015, One Direction continually produced amazing albums. And, recently, many of these albums celebrated birthdays, including Up All Night’s ninth birthday. This definitely made me feel old, but these albums became the soundtrack to our teen years, and they really still hold up. While there were so, so many hits, there were still a few misses here and there. So, today, I’m ranking every One Direction album. *List in order from best to worst*
- Midnight Memories
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To me, Midnight Memories is quintessential One Direction. It is the perfect mix of their older and newer sound, and every single song is a banger. It perfectly encapsulates the teen feeling, and this is the vibe I think they will be most remembered for. And for that, it places at the top of my ranking.
Best songs: “Midnight Memories“, “Little Black Dress”, “Happily”
Worst songs: “Story of My Life“, “Half a Heart”
- FOUR
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Okay, I know many people consider FOUR their best album, but for me it secures the number two spot. Yes, this was a beautiful album, but it was definitely a stepping stone between Midnight Memories and Made in the AM without its own defined sound. I completely understand why some people would put it first, but for me, it’s not quite there
Best songs: “Girl Almighty”, “No Control”, “Night Changes“
Worst songs: “Spaces”, “Once in a Lifetime”
- Made in the A.M.
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Made in the A.M. showed a new, more mature sound for One Direction, but it was missing one thing: Zayn. While I completely support his decision to leave the band, the lack of his presence in this album does show. But, especially lyrically, this album is so beautiful. It was the perfect goodbye album, of course with “History“, but also songs like “A.M.”, “Walking in the Wind”, and “I Want to Write You a Song”, and of course the classic upbeat songs like “Temporary Fix”.
Best songs: Temporary Fix, Walking in the Wind, A.M.
Worst songs: Love You Goodbye, End of the Day
- Up All Night
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Next up is their debut album, Up All Night. UAN introduced us to our favorite boys, and it really captures that nostalgic feel. The songs that are great are timeless classics, but the difference between the best songs and the worst songs are pretty great.
Best songs: “Up All Night”, “I Want”, “Tell Me a Lie”
Worst songs: “Gotta Be You“, “Na Na Na”
- Take Me Home
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What does Liam bring to the band? No hair! And what does Take Me Home bring to One Direction’s discography? Well… not much. While yes, “Kiss You” is an absolute banger, the rest of the album falls flat compared to how great every other One Direction song is. The lead single, “Live While We’re Young” tried so hard to be the next “What Makes You Beautiful”, but it just couldn’t quite get there. And, the choice to make “Magic”, “Truly, Madly”, “Deeply” and “Irresistable” bonus tracks was questionable at best. While adding these songs onto Spotify did make it better, it still lands the bottom spot on this ranking.
Best songs: “Kiss You”, “She’s Not Afraid”, “I Would”
Worst songs: “Summer Love”, “They Don’t Know About Us”
At the end of the day, every One Direction album is a good album. But, some can be better than others. These five albums will live in my heart forever, and I can’t think of a better discography to be the soundtrack of our teen years.