"One Thing" is a song by English-Irish

boy band A boy band is loosely defined as a vocal group consisting of young male singers, usually in their teenage years or in their twenties at the time of formation. Generally, boy bands perform Love song, love songs marketed towards girls and young ...

One Direction One Direction, often shortened to 1D, are an English-Irish pop boy band formed in London in 2010. The group are composed of Niall Horan, Liam Payne, Harry Styles, Louis Tomlinson, and previously Zayn Malik until his departure from the gr ...

from their debut studio album, '' Up All Night'' (2011). It was released in various countries by

Syco Music Syco Music is a defunct division of Syco Entertainment founded by British entrepreneur and record executive Simon Cowell. Originally founded as S Records, the label launched while Cowell was still employed by BMG, the label oversaw music relea ...

on 6 January 2012, as their second single, and as their third single in the UK on 13 February 2012. Additionally,

Columbia Records Columbia Records is an American record label owned by Sony Music, Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America, the North American division of Japanese Conglomerate (company), conglomerate Sony. It was founded on Janua ...

sent it to

contemporary hit radio Contemporary hit radio (also known as CHR, contemporary hits, hit list, current hits, hit music, top 40, or pop radio) is a radio format that is common in many countries that focuses on playing current and recurrent popular music as determined by ...

playlists on 22 May 2012 as their second single in the United States. Written by

Savan Kotecha Savan Harish Kotecha is an American songwriter and record producer from Austin, Texas. Kotecha is of Indian (Gujarati) descent. He was also the executive music producer of the 2020 film '' Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga'', for ...

and its producers,

Carl Falk Carl Anthony Falk-Gramer (née Falk; born 17 August 1980 in Stockholm), is a Swedish songwriter, record producer and musician and has worked with artists such as Demi Lovato, One Direction, 5 Seconds of Summer, Nicki Minaj, Ellie Goulding, Mado ...

and

Rami Yacoub Rami Yacoub (born 17 January 1975), also known by the mononym Rami, is a Swedish record producer and songwriter and former member of the songwriting/production houses Cheiron Studios and Maratone. Yacoub collaborated extensively with Max Martin ...

, initially, the upbeat

pop rock Pop rock (also typeset as pop/rock) is a fusion genre with an emphasis on professional songwriting and recording craft, and less emphasis on attitude than rock music. Originating in the late 1950s as an alternative to normal rock and roll, earl ...

number was written as two different songs. As both tracks had elusive attributes, the trio decided to merge the two into one song. The lyrical content regards the narrator's

infatuation Infatuation or being smitten is the state of being carried away by an unreasoned passion, usually towards another person for whom one has developed strong romantic feelings. Psychologist Frank D. Cox says that infatuation can be distinguished ...

with a significant other. "One Thing" garnered mostly positive reviews from

music critics Music journalism (or music criticism) is media criticism and reporting about music topics, including popular music, classical music, and traditional music. Journalists began writing about music in the eighteenth century, providing commentary on w ...

, who generally commended the track's

catchiness Catchiness is how easy it is for a song, tune, or phrase to be recalled. It is often taken into account when writing songs, catchphrases, advertising slogans, jingles etc. Alternatively, it can be defined as how difficult it is for one to forget ...

. The single reached the top ten in Australia, Ireland and the United Kingdom, while attaining top-forty positions in Belgium (Flanders), Canada, New Zealand, and the United States. The number has been

certified platinum Music recording certification is a system of certifying that a music recording has shipped, sold, or streamed a certain number of units. The threshold quantity varies by type (such as album, single, music video) and by nation or territory (see ...

by the

Recording Industry Association of America The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) is a trade organization that represents the music recording industry in the United States. Its members consist of record labels and distributors that the RIAA says "create, manufacture, and/o ...

(RIAA) for shipments of one million copies. Directed by Declan Whitebloom, the accompanying music video depicts One Direction performing in and around London. The group performed "One Thing" on televised programmes and four major concert tours: Up All Night Tour (2011–12), Take Me Home Tour (2013), Where We Are Tour (2014) and

On the Road Again Tour The On The Road Again Tour was the fourth headlining concert tour and second all-stadium tour by English-Irish boy band One Direction, in support of their fourth studio album, ''Four'' (2014). The tour began on 7 February 2015 in Sydney, Austra ...

(2015).

Background and release

After being formed and finishing third in the seventh series of ''

The X Factor ''The X Factor'' is a television music competition franchise created by British producer Simon Cowell and his company Syco Entertainment. It originated in the United Kingdom, where it was devised as a replacement for ''Pop Idol'' (2001–2003 ...

'' in 2010, One Direction were signed to

. Recording for their debut studio album, '' Up All Night'', began in January 2011. In February 2011, the boy band and other contestants from the series participated in the ''X Factor'' Live Tour. After the tour concluded in April 2011, the group continued working on their debut album.

and

produced three songs on the album: "

What Makes You Beautiful "What Makes You Beautiful" is the debut single by English-Irish boy band One Direction. It served as their debut single and lead single from their debut studio album, '' Up All Night'' (2011). Written by Savan Kotecha and producer Rami Yacoub, ...

," "One Thing" and "I Wish," all of which were co-written by Falk, Yacoub and

. Initially, "One Thing" was written as two different songs: "One had a really, really good verse" and the other track "had a really, really good chorus", as noted by Falk in a 2012 interview with

Examiner.com Examiner.com was an American news website based in Denver, Colorado, that operated using a network of " pro-am contributors"' for content. It had various local editions with contributors posting city-based items tailored to 238 markets throughou ...

. Falk quipped that when they merged the two songs, "everything fell into place". Additionally, Falk deemed it the perfect accompaniment to "What Makes You Beautiful" and selected it as his favourite "out of the three tracks hat I have on the ''Up All Night'' album. It premiered on

BBC Radio 1 BBC Radio 1 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. It specialises in modern popular music and current chart hits throughout the day. The station provides alternative genres at night, including electronica, dance, ...

on 21 November 2011. One Direction confirmed that "One Thing" would be released as the third single from their debut studio album, ''Up All Night'', on 22 November 2011. Syco Music described the song as an "epic pop smash-in-waiting, featuring soaring vocal harmonies, powerhouse guitar riffs and an anthemic chorus that refuses to leave your head." The track was released digitally in various European countries on 6 January 2012. "I Should Have Kissed You", the

B-side The A-side and B-side are the two sides of phonograph records and cassettes; these terms have often been printed on the labels of two-sided music recordings. The A-side usually features a recording that its artist, producer, or record compan ...

to "One Thing", was confirmed on 25 January 2012.

CD single A CD single (sometimes abbreviated to CDS) is a music single in the form of a compact disc. The standard in the Red Book for the term ''CD single'' is an 8 cm (3-inch) CD (or Mini CD). It now refers to any single recorded onto a CD of any si ...

s, containing "One Thing" and "I Should Have Kissed You", were released on 13 February 2012 in the United Kingdom. In addition, "One Thing" was released as the second US single from ''Up All Night'';

sent it to

(CHR) playlists on 22 May 2012.

Composition

"One Thing" is an upbeat, uptempo

number that runs for three minutes and ten seconds. Its

instrumentation Instrumentation a collective term for measuring instruments that are used for indicating, measuring and recording physical quantities. The term has its origins in the art and science of scientific instrument-making. Instrumentation can refer to ...

includes piano lines, vocals, and guitar strings. The lyrical content regards the protagonist's

with a significant other, while the lead vocals are predominantly sung by members Harry Styles and Liam Payne. According to the digital

sheet music Sheet music is a handwritten or printed form of musical notation that uses List of musical symbols, musical symbols to indicate the pitches, rhythms, or chord (music), chords of a song or instrumental Musical composition, musical piece. Like ...

published at Musicnotes.com by

Sony/ATV Music Publishing Sony Music Publishing (formerly Sony/ATV Music Publishing) is the largest music publisher in the world, with over five million songs owned or administered as of end March 2021. US-based, it is part of the Sony Music Group, which is itself owned ...

, One Direction's

vocal range Vocal range is the range of pitches that a human voice can phonate. A common application is within the context of singing, where it is used as a defining characteristic for classifying singing voices into voice types. It is also a topic of stud ...

in the span from the note of B₃ to D₅. Written in the

key Key or The Key may refer to: Common meanings * Key (cryptography), a piece of information that controls the operation of a cryptography algorithm * Key (lock), device used to control access to places or facilities restricted by a lock * Key (map ...

D major D major (or the key of D) is a major scale based on D, consisting of the pitches D, E, F, G, A, B, and C. Its key signature has two sharps. Its relative minor is B minor and its parallel minor is D minor. The D major scale is: : Ch ...

, the song set in the time signature of

common time The time signature (also known as meter signature, metre signature, or measure signature) is a notational convention used in Western musical notation to specify how many beats (pulses) are contained in each measure (bar), and which note value ...

at a fast-paced

tempo In musical terminology, tempo (Italian, 'time'; plural ''tempos'', or ''tempi'' from the Italian plural) is the speed or pace of a given piece. In classical music, tempo is typically indicated with an instruction at the start of a piece (often ...

of 128

beats per minute Beat, beats or beating may refer to: Common uses * Patrol, or beat, a group of personnel assigned to monitor a specific area ** Beat (police), the territory that a police officer patrols ** Gay beat, an area frequented by gay men * Battery ( ...

. The track incorporates rock music influences and a simplistic

guitar riff A riff is a repeated chord progression or refrain in music (also known as an ostinato figure in classical music); it is a pattern, or melody, often played by the rhythm section instruments or solo instrument, that forms the basis or accomp ...

. The

chorus Chorus may refer to: Music * Chorus (song) or refrain, line or lines that are repeated in music or in verse * Chorus effect, the perception of similar sounds from multiple sources as a single, richer sound * Chorus form, song in which all verse ...

of the song is predominantly featured alongside the

bridge A bridge is a structure built to span a physical obstacle (such as a body of water, valley, road, or rail) without blocking the way underneath. It is constructed for the purpose of providing passage over the obstacle, which is usually somethi ...

and is backed by wordless chants. The song has been noted as musically similar to the

Backstreet Boys Backstreet Boys (often abbreviated as BSB) are an American vocal group consisting of Nick Carter, Howie Dorough, AJ McLean, and cousins Brian Littrell and Kevin Richardson. Lou Pearlman formed the group in 1993 in Orlando, Florida. The gr ...

song "

I Want It That Way I, or i, is the ninth letter and the third vowel letter of the Latin alphabet, used in the modern English alphabet, the alphabets of other western European languages and others worldwide. Its name in English is ''i'' (pronounced ), plural ...

" and to the group's debut single, "What Makes You Beautiful".

Critical reception

Due to its resemblance to the aforementioned Backstreet Boys number,

PopMatters ''PopMatters'' is an international online magazine of cultural criticism that covers aspects of popular culture. ''PopMatters'' publishes reviews, interviews, and essays on cultural products and expressions in areas such as music, television, fi ...

s Zachary Houle suggested that there could occur "a pretty compelling case to launch a

plagiarism Plagiarism is the fraudulent representation of another person's language, thoughts, ideas, or expressions as one's own original work.From the 1995 '' Random House Compact Unabridged Dictionary'': use or close imitation of the language and thought ...

lawsuit", concluding: "Homage or theft? You decide".

Brian Mansfield Brian Mansfield (born September 24, 1963) is an American writer and journalist. Early life and education Mansfield grew up in Nashville, Tennessee. He graduated from David Lipscomb High School. In 1984, Mansfield received a bachelor's degre ...

from ''

USA Today ''USA Today'' (stylized in all uppercase) is an American daily middle-market newspaper and news broadcasting company. Founded by Al Neuharth on September 15, 1982, the newspaper operates from Gannett's corporate headquarters in Tysons, Virgini ...

'' felt the song's Backstreet Boys-references "may or may not be intentional," but noted that the attribute "is the same." Lewis Corner from ''

Digital Spy Digital Spy (DS) is a British-based entertainment, television and film website and brand and is the largest digital property at Hearst UK. Since its launch in 1999, Digital Spy has focused on entertainment news related to television programmes, ...

'' awarded the song four out five stars, complimented the song's guitar riff, its "forceful" chorus, and the melody as memorable, and summarised it as an "arena-ready hit". A ''

Newsround ''Newsround'' (stylised as ''newsround'', and originally called ''John Craven's Newsround'' before his departure in 1989) is a BBC children's news programme, which has run continuously since 4 April 1972. It was one of the world's first televi ...

'' reviewer gave the song four and half stars out five stars, praising the group's vocal performance and its sonic palette. ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...

'' correspondent Jason Lipshutz hailed "One Thing" as "perfectly executed pop rock" and opined that it "could own radio for months". ''

Cosmopolitan Cosmopolitan may refer to: Food and drink * Cosmopolitan (cocktail), also known as a "Cosmo" History * Rootless cosmopolitan, a Soviet derogatory epithet during Joseph Stalin's anti-Semitic campaign of 1949–1953 Hotels and resorts * Cosmopoli ...

s Sophie Goddard lauded "One Thing" as an "upbeat, catchy, hit-in-waiting," and ''

Entertainment Weekly ''Entertainment Weekly'' (sometimes abbreviated as ''EW'') is an American digital-only entertainment magazine based in New York City, published by Dotdash Meredith, that covers film, television, music, Broadway theatre, books, and popular cul ...

'' writer Adam Markovitz commended it as "irresistibly bouncy".

Commercial performance

"One Thing" peaked at number six on the

Irish Singles Chart The Irish Singles Chart is the Republic of Ireland's music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by the Irish Recorded Music Association (IRMA) and compiled on their behalf by the Official Charts Company. Chart rankings are bas ...

in the week ending 16 February 2012, becoming the band's third top ten appearance in Ireland. The single bowed at number 28 on the

UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...

dated 22 January 2012. Buoyed by weekly sales of 31,602 copies in the week of 19 February 2012, it peaked at number nine in the United Kingdom and marked the group's third consecutive top ten hit. "One Thing" was One Direction's second best-selling song in the UK by August 2012, denoting sales of 154,000 copies. Due to strong digital downloads from its parent album, "One Thing" debuted on the US ''Billboard'' Hot 100 at number 90 on 21 March 2012, and had sold 300,000 copies in the US by 21 May 2012. After being serviced to radio formats on 22 May 2012, "One Thing" peaked at number 39 for the week ending 20 June 2012. On 21 September 2012, "One Thing" was certified platinum by the

(RIAA), and as of November 2013, the song had sold 1,486,000 copies in the US. It peaked at number 17 on the

Canadian Hot 100 The Canadian Hot 100 is a music industry record chart in Canada for songs, published weekly by '' Billboard'' magazine. The Canadian Hot 100 was launched on the issue dated March 31, 2007, and is currently the standard record chart in Canada; a n ...

and was certified platinum by

Music Canada Music Canada (formerly Canadian Recording Industry Association (CRIA)) is a non-profit trade organization that was founded 9 April 1963 to represent the interests of companies that record, manufacture, produce, and distribute music in Canada. It a ...

on 10 July 2012, denoting sales of 80,000 copies. The song debuted at number 34 on the

New Zealand Singles Chart The Official New Zealand Music Chart ( mi, Te Papa Tātai Waiata Matua o Aotearoa) is the weekly New Zealand top 40 singles and albums charts, issued weekly by Recorded Music NZ (formerly Recording Industry Association of New Zealand). The Music ...

on 23 January 2012. After fifteen weeks of fluctuation around the top forty, "One Thing" rose from number 28 to 16, signifying its peak position. "One Thing" was certified gold by the

Recording Industry Association of New Zealand Recorded Music NZ (formerly the Recording Industry Association of New Zealand (RIANZ)) is a non-profit trade association of record producers, distributors and recording artists who sell recorded music in New Zealand. Membership of Recorded Mus ...

(RIANZ) for sales of 7,500 units. The single bowed at number 32 on the

Australian Singles Chart The ARIA Charts are the main Australian music sales charts, issued weekly by the Australian Recording Industry Association. The charts are a record of the highest selling songs and albums in various genres in Australia. ARIA became the offici ...

of 12 February 2012. "One Thing" peaked at number three in its tenth charting week, becoming One Direction's highest-peaking single in the country at the time and their second top ten hit. One Direction became the second act of 2012 to have two singles simultaneously occupying the chart's top ten when "One Thing" was at number six and "What Makes You Beautiful" at number ten for the chart week ending 22 April 2012. The single has been certified quadruple platinum by the

Australian Recording Industry Association The Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) is a trade association representing the Australian recording industry which was established in the 1970s by six major record companies, EMI, Festival, CBS, RCA, WEA and Universal replacing th ...

(ARIA), indicating shipments of 280,000 copies.

Music video

The accompanying music video was directed by Declan Whitebloom in London on 28 November 2011. Whitebloom approached shooting the clip with a "what you get, is what you get" sentiment, which, as he noted, "can create some real magic." In regard to its concept, Whiteboom characterised the clip as "kind of

Monkees The Monkees were an American rock and pop band, formed in Los Angeles in 1966, whose lineup consisted of the American actor/musicians Micky Dolenz, Michael Nesmith and Peter Tork alongside English actor/singer Davy Jones. The group was conce ...

Beatles The Beatles were an English rock band, formed in Liverpool in 1960, that comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are regarded as the most influential band of all time and were integral to the developme ...

-esque", elaborating that it revolves around "five lads go ngcrazy in London, it's like a big day out in London." In a December interview with Capital FM, member Harry Styles reflected that the shoot was a fun, careless romp. Premiering on

YouTube YouTube is a global online video platform, online video sharing and social media, social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by ...

on 13 January 2012, the music video depicts the band performing in and around London. As of December 2019, the music video has garnered more than 630 million

views. One Direction surged 35-10 from the previous week on ''Billboard''s

Social 50 The ''Billboard'' Social 50 is a popularity chart which ranks the most active musical artists on the world's leading social networking services. Its data, published by '' Billboard'' magazine and compiled by Next Big Sound, is based collectivel ...

chart. Alex Hughes of ''

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'' commented that the music video has an effortless element of happiness, proclaiming: "if you fail to crack a smile, there is a 100 percent chance that you are the devil."

Live performances

One Direction performed "One Thing" live for the first time at Capital FM's ''

Jingle Bell Ball The Jingle Bell Ball is a concert held annually in December since 2008 (except for 2020 because of the COVID-19 pandemic), by the radio station Capital FM at The O2. Artists that have headlined the concert include Katy Perry, Taylor Swift, Li ...

'' on 4 December 2011, at The O₂ Arena. The group performed "One Thing" and "What Makes You Beautiful" on ''

Dancing on Ice ''Dancing on Ice'' is a British television series presented by Phillip Schofield alongside Holly Willoughby from 2006 to 2011, who then returned in 2018, and Christine Bleakley from 2012 to 2014. The series features celebrities and their profe ...

'' on 5 February 2012. In the United States, One Direction performed the song along with " More than This" and "What Makes You Beautiful" for the first time on ''

The Today Show ''Today'' (also called ''The Today Show'' or informally, ''NBC News Today'') is an American news and talk morning television show that airs weekdays from 7:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. on NBC. The program debuted on January 14, 1952. It was ...

'' at the

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on 12 March 2012. An estimated 15,000 fans descended on the plaza. On 7 April 2012, One Direction performed "What Makes You Beautiful" and "One Thing" and appeared in a

comedy sketch Sketch comedy comprises a series of short, amusing scenes or vignettes, called "sketches", commonly between one and ten minutes long, performed by a group of comic actors or comedians. The form developed and became popular in vaudeville, and is ...

with

Sofia Vergara Sofia ( ; bg, София, Sofiya, ) is the capital and largest city of Bulgaria. It is situated in the Sofia Valley at the foot of the Vitosha mountain in the western parts of the country. The city is built west of the Iskar river, and ha ...

on comedy television show ''

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''. The group played "What Makes You Beautiful" and "One Thing" and presented an award for "Most Popular New Female Talent" at the 54th Logie Awards on 15 April 2012. On 6 September 2012, One Direction performed "One Thing" at the

2012 MTV Video Music Awards The 2012 MTV Video Music Awards, hosted by Kevin Hart, took place on Thursday, September 6, 2012, honoring the best music videos from the previous year. The awards were broadcast from the Staples Center arena at L.A. Live in Downtown Los Angeles. ...

. It was included on the

set list A set list, or setlist, is typically a handwritten or printed document created as an ordered list of songs, jokes, stories and other elements an artist intends to present during a specific performance. A setlist can be made of nearly any materi ...

of the group's headlining sold-out show at

Madison Square Garden Madison Square Garden, colloquially known as The Garden or by its initials MSG, is a multi-purpose indoor arena in New York City. It is located in Midtown Manhattan between Seventh and Eighth avenues from 31st to 33rd Street, above Pennsylva ...

on 3 December 2012. Additionally, One Direction performed the song on four of their major concert tours: Up All Night Tour (2011–12) and Take Me Home Tour (2013). After Malik's departure in 2015, Payne took the first pre-chorus and did the high harmony along with Tomlinson doing the lead on the second pre-chorus.

Track listing

*;UK CD single # "One Thing" – 3:19 # "I Should Have Kissed You" – 3:34 *;Digital download # "One Thing" – 3:19 # "I Should Have Kissed You" – 3:34 # "One Thing" (acoustic) – 3:04 # "One Thing" (acoustic; music video) – 3:08

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

Release history

References

External links

Official music video
on YouTube {{Authority control 2012 singles Songs written by Savan Kotecha Songs written by Rami Yacoub Songs written by Carl Falk One Direction songs Song recordings produced by Rami Yacoub 2011 songs Song recordings produced by Carl Falk