You didn’t have to be an avid fan of The X-Factor (UK) to understand the impact that boyband One Direction left on the world of music, and on their devoted fan base, filled with supporters of all ages from every part of the globe. The love for music is universal, and so was One Direction.
Five years and four albums after Louis Tomlinson, Zayn Malik, Harry Styles, Liam Payne, and Niall Horan auditioned for The X-Factor separately, not knowing they would soon become of the most popular bands in the world, Zayn Malik decided his time had arrived to leave One Direction, and millions of hearts were shattered worldwide. One more album was recorded before the remaining boys of One Direction went there separate ways, all focusing on their personal lives and solo careers.
Though the end of One Direction marked the end of an era, their five albums are unforgettable. From radio hits like “What Makes You Beautiful” and “Drag Me Down” to less popular, but just as memorable, songs like “Little Black Dress” and “I Would”, the question of “Which album is the best album?” will forever remain a matter of opinion. However, we are all entitled to our opinions. Here are two different ratings, from worst to best, from two major One Direction fans:
Darienne (fun fact: I share a birthday with Niall Horan!)
#5 – FOUR, 2014
I love One Direction, no way around it. However, FOUR was a complete flop for me, and I am not ashamed to say that this is the only album where I haven’t memorized every lyric to every song. 14-year-old me was so upset because I had such high expectations considering how much I loved the three preceding albums. I really wish the last album featuring Zayn meant more to me than this one.
Favorite Song- 18
#4 – Made In The A.M., 2015
There just isn’t much for me to say. One Direction could never be One Direction without all five members. The end of Zayn’s journey in One Direction marked the eventual end of One Direction as a whole.
Favorite Song – If I Could Fly
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#3 – Midnight Memories, 2013
August of 2014 will go down in my teenage history as one of the best months of my life, and I owe that to the Midnight Memories concert at Metlife Stadium in East Rutherford, NJ. I had awaited this day for four years, and there is no denying this being a great album considering One Direction’s music was slowly becoming more mature.
Favorite Song – Half a Heart
#2 – Up All Night, 2011
A band’s first album will more often than not be a favorite of their fans because, for me, this launched my teenage-obsession with One Direction. And every song is unarguably so catchy.
Favorite Songs (definitely cannot pick just one!) – I Want, Tell Me a Lie, Taken, More Than This
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#1 – Take Me Home, 2012
And my absolute favorite album is their second and yes, best, album! This album was the first to play with my 13-year-old emotions and there isn’t a single song on this album that I don’t love.
Favorite Songs – Rock Me, I Would, Summer Love
Hailey (fun fact: I went to both Midnight Memories tour dates in New Jersey because I bought tickets and won tickets from the radio!)
#5- Take Me Home, 2012
Completely opposite of Darienne, this is my least favorite album. This was the first One Direction Album I was waiting for, considering I became a fan of them after their first album came out. Unfortunately I was a little disappointed. I do have a couple favorites from this album, yet songs like “Rock Me,” make me step away from listening to the album as a whole.
Favorite Songs- “They Don’t Know About Us,” “Little Things”
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#4- Up All Night, 2011
This album is the reason why I started obsessing over One Direction, but as the years went on, it’s dropped down to the bottom of the list. At the age of 12, I even attempted making a stop- motion video (when those were a big thing on YouTube) to the song, “Up All Night.” This may be a classic, but it’s just not one of my favorites.
Favorite Songs- “More Than This,” “Same Mistakes”
#3- Midnight Memories, 2013
This may be the only thing I will agree with Darienne about in this article. This album may have some great songs to have a jam sesh too, but nothing really excites me about this album. It was the album where I saw them on tour, and that will always be a wonderful memory, but this is just one of those albums that’s not one of my absolute favorites.
Favorite Songs- “Strong,” “Happily,” “Through the Dark,” “Diana”
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#2- Made in the A.M., 2015
The first and only album after Zayn left is bittersweet, yet I happen to think it’s one of the best. The rest of the boys’ voices are almost magical in this album, and even though there’s a good amount of slow pop songs, they are all jams.
Favorite Songs- “If I Could Fly,” “Walking in the Wind,” “What a Feeling,” “Olivia”
#1- FOUR, 2014
My absolute favorite video from One Direction has to be this one. It is the last album with Zayn and I think they made it a pretty memorable one. A lot of the songs have verses where the boys’ voices harmonize and they sound like angels. This is one album where I could press shuffle and I could like any song that comes on. One of my favorite songs from this album is one Niall Horan sang at his solo concert in August, and I have to say, my childhood life has been complete.
Favorite Songs- “If I Could Fly,” “Fool’s Gold,” “Where Do Broken Hearts Go,” “Stockholm Syndrome,” “18,” “Night Changes”
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