Jump to content

Story of My Life (One Direction song)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

"Story of My Life"
Single by One Direction
from the album Midnight Memories
Released28 October 2013
Recorded2013
Genre
Length4:05 (album version)
3:37 (radio edit)
Label
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)
  • Julian Bunetta
  • John Ryan
One Direction singles chronology
"Best Song Ever"
(2013) 		"Story of My Life"
(2013) 		"Midnight Memories"
(2014)
Music video
"Story of My Life" on YouTube

"Story of My Life" is a song recorded by English-Irish boy band One Direction. It was released on 28 October 2013 by Syco Music and Columbia Records as the second single from the group's third studio album, Midnight Memories (2013). The song was written by band members Niall Horan, Zayn Malik, Harry Styles, Liam Payne, and Louis Tomlinson, along with Julian Bunetta, Jamie Scott and John Ryan.[1][2][3][4] The lyrics speak of a tumultuous relationship leading to lament and heartbreak.

Composition

[edit]

"Story of My Life" is an acoustic folktronica song with indie folk elements.[1][5] It runs for four minutes and five seconds. Idolator compared the song to the works of Ed Sheeran, Coldplay, and Mumford & Sons.[1][4] The song is written and recorded in E-flat major. According to musicnotes.com, the song runs at 120 beats per minute.[6] This song was mixed by Joe Zook.

Critical reception

[edit]

Sam Lanksy of Idolator called the song "surprisingly great" and noted it was a "mature midpoint" between the group's signature "rollicking pop-rock confection[s]" and "dreary ballads". Lanksy additionally called the song "merciful" and complimented it for using alternative-folk influences without "smell[ing] like spilled beer".[4] Amy Sciarretto of PopCrush gave the song 4 out of 5 stars, calling it a "contemplative, acoustic guitar-driven song" and complimenting it for being "more memorable" than any of the group's previous works. Sciarretto noted that the song would resonate with listeners of many different ages and showed that One Direction "isn't just a boy band"; although noted the song was not as "crazy catchy" as their previous songs.[1] Lauren Wheeler of TheCelebrityCafe.com gave the song 5 out of 5 stars, noting that the lyrics were "reflective" and "much deeper than some of their bigger hits." Wheeler added that the song showed that One Direction "not only have range, but also have matured through their music."[7]

Chart performance

[edit]

On 31 October 2013, the song debuted at number one on the Irish Singles Chart, becoming One Direction's fourth number-one single in Ireland.[8] The song also debuted at number one in New Zealand, becoming both their second number-one debut and single on the New Zealand Singles Chart.[9] It reached number two in the UK, kept off the top by Lily Allen's cover of "Somewhere Only We Know". In Australia, the song debuted at number three on the ARIA Charts and has since been certified Gold.[10]

In the United States, it charted at number six, giving the band their fourth U.S. top ten single. It has charted in the top 15 for 19 weeks, seven of those in the top 10, and has become the band's second-highest selling single in the U.S. after their debut single "What Makes You Beautiful" (2011). The song also reached number one on the Adult Pop Songs chart, becoming One Direction's first number one on a U.S. airplay chart.[11] It has sold 2.8 million digital copies in the U.S. as of June 2016.[12]

Following Liam Payne's death in October 2024, the song saw a surge in sales and streams. The Official Charts Company showed "Story of My Life" place at number 21 on the UK Midweek Singles Chart.[13] It entered the UK Singles Chart Top 100, on 25 October 2024, at number 9.[14]

Music video

[edit]

Three days before the music video was uploaded, three teasers were posted, once each day. Band members Zayn Malik and Liam Payne also posted a picture from the video, with Malik posting a picture with his sister.[15][16]

The set for the “Story of My Life” music video took five days to build. The director of the music video Ben Winston and his crew hung up a combination of 6000 to 7000 pictures that show an evolution of each of the members of One Direction over the years. This music video allows the Directioners (i.e., fans) to dive a little bit deeper into the lives of the members. The fans are used to seeing them in the public eye. “Story of My Life” allows them to connect with each of the members on a more personal and intimate level by looking back at their childhood memories.[17]

The video was directed by Ben Winston, who also directed the video for their previous single "Best Song Ever". The video was accidentally published and leaked by Vevo two days earlier when they were supposed to upload the second teaser for the music video, but it was immediately removed.[18] It was then officially uploaded on 3 November 2013. The video features some the band's family members: Zayn's sister, Harry's mother, Liam's parents and sisters, Niall Horan's brother and Louis' grandparents (two of whom are now deceased). It starts in a dark room with the band developing photos. Afterwards, certain family photos for each member are shown, and the photos morph into the same family members doing a current recreation of the photos.[19] Photos included in the video consist of: Zayn, aged 7, with his little sister; Louis, aged 8, with his grandparents; Harry, aged 4, with his mother; Niall, aged 4, with his brother being aged 10 when the photo was taken; Liam, aged 10, with his family.

Cover versions

[edit]

Track listing

[edit]
  1. "Story of My Life" – 4:04
  2. "Little Things" (live version from the motion picture One Direction: This Is Us) – 3:48
  1. "Story of My Life" – 4:04
  2. "Story of My Life" (live X Factor performance) – 4:18
  3. "Rock Me" (live version from the motion picture One Direction: This Is Us) – 4:18
  4. "C'mon C'mon" (live version from the motion picture One Direction: This Is Us) – 3:28

Charts

[edit]

Certifications

[edit]
Region Certification Certified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[88] 4× Platinum 280,000‡
Canada (Music Canada)[89] 4× Platinum 320,000‡
Denmark (IFPI Danmark)[90] 2× Platinum 180,000‡
Germany (BVMI)[91] 3× Gold 450,000‡
Italy (FIMI)[92] Platinum 30,000‡
Japan (RIAJ)[93] Platinum 250,000*
Mexico (AMPROFON)[94] Platinum+Gold 90,000*
New Zealand (RMNZ)[95] 3× Platinum 90,000‡
Norway (IFPI Norway)[96] 5× Platinum 50,000*
Spain (PROMUSICAE)[97] 2× Platinum 120,000‡
Sweden (GLF)[98] Gold 20,000‡
Switzerland (IFPI Switzerland)[99] Gold 15,000^
United Kingdom (BPI)[101] 2× Platinum 1,430,000[100]
United States (RIAA)[102] 3× Platinum 3,000,000‡
Streaming
Denmark (IFPI Danmark)[103] Platinum 1,800,000†
Greece (IFPI Greece)[65] Platinum 2,000,000†
Japan (RIAJ)[104] Gold 50,000,000†
Spain (PROMUSICAE)[105] Gold 4,000,000†

* Sales figures based on certification alone.
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.
† Streaming-only figures based on certification alone.

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b c d Sciaretto, Amy (27 October 2013). "One Direction, 'Story of My Life' – Song Review". Popcrush.com. Retrieved 27 October 2013.
  2. ^ "One Direction Unveils 'Midnight Memories' Artwork, Track List". Billboard. 11 October 2013. Retrieved 27 October 2013.
  3. ^ "One Direction 'Midnight Memories' Cover Art, Tracklist Revealed". Mstarz. 11 October 2013. Archived from the original on 14 October 2013. Retrieved 27 October 2013.
  4. ^ a b c Sam Lansky (25 October 2013). "One Direction's "Story Of My Life": Hear Their Surprisingly Great New Single". Idolator.com. Retrieved 27 October 2013.
  5. ^ Anderson, Kyle (1 November 2013). "Singles: November 8,2013". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved 3 October 2016.
  6. ^ One Direction "Story of My Life" Sheet Music musicnotes.com
  7. ^ Lauren Wheeler (28 October 2013). "One Direction's "Story of My Life" Review: One Direction's single shows the maturity and talent within the band". TheCelebrityCafe.com. Archived from the original on 1 November 2013. Retrieved 29 October 2013.
  8. ^ a b "Chart Track: Week 44, 2013". Irish Singles Chart.
  9. ^ a b "One Direction – Story of My Life". Top 40 Singles.
  10. ^ a b "One Direction – Story of My Life". ARIA Top 50 Singles.
  11. ^ "Chart Highlights: One Direction, Katy Perry, U2 Score New No. 1s". Billboard. 10 March 2014. Retrieved 21 March 2014.
  12. ^ Trust, Gary (19 June 2016). "Ask Billboard: One Direction's Career Sales". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved 19 June 2016.
  13. ^ Griffiths, George (20 October 2024). "One Direction songs set to re-enter Official Singles Chart following Liam Payne's death". Official Charts. Retrieved 21 October 2024.
  14. ^ "Official Singles Chart Top 100 on 25/10/2024 25 October 2024 - 31 October 2024". Official Charts. 25 October 2024. Retrieved 25 October 2024.
  15. ^ "Zayn Malik Teases One Direction 'Story Of My Life' Video With Super Cute Snap (PHOTO)". entertainmentwise.com. 2 November 2013.[dead link]
  16. ^ "Liam Payne Teases One Direction's 'Story Of My Life' Video With Hunky Suit & Tie Snap (PHOTO)". entertainmentwise.com. 2 November 2013. Archived from the original on 3 November 2013. Retrieved 3 November 2013.
  17. ^ "One Direction - Story of My Life (Behind the Scenes)". YouTube. 10 November 2013.
  18. ^ Michaels, Wendy (1 November 2013). "One Direction 'Story of My Life' Video Leaked Online by VEVO". Cambio.
  19. ^ Firman, Tehrene (2 November 2013). "One Direction Remakes Old Family Pictures in "Story of My Life"!". J-14 Magazine. Archived from the original on 22 July 2017. Retrieved 3 November 2013.
  20. ^ "Official Singles Downloads Chart on 18/2/2022 18 February 2022 - 24 February 2022". Official Charts. 18 February 2022. Retrieved 8 June 2024.
  21. ^ "Story of My Life - song and lyrics by Hardy Becker". Spotify. 3 June 2022. Retrieved 27 September 2023.
  22. ^ "Story of My Life". 8 November 2013. Retrieved 17 April 2018 – via Amazon.
  23. ^ "Story of My Life". 7 March 2014. Retrieved 17 April 2018 – via Amazon.
  24. ^ "One Direction – Story of My Life" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40.
  25. ^ "One Direction – Story of My Life" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50.
  26. ^ "One Direction – Story of My Life" (in French). Ultratop 50.
  27. ^ "25.11.2013-01.12.2013 - IFPI at bamp-br.org" Airplay Top 5. Bulgarian Association of Music Producers.
  28. ^ a b BPP, ed. (February–March 2014). "Billboard Brasil Hot 100 Airplay". Billboard Brasil (47).
  29. ^ "One Direction Chart History (Canadian Hot 100)". Billboard.
  30. ^ "ČNS IFPI" (in Czech). Hitparáda – Radio Top 100 Oficiální. IFPI Czech Republic. Note: Select 13. týden 2014 in the date selector.
  31. ^ "ČNS IFPI" (in Czech). Hitparáda – Digital Top 100 Oficiální. IFPI Czech Republic. Note: Select 24. týden 2014 in the date selector. Retrieved 3 July 2014.
  32. ^ "One Direction – Story of My Life". Tracklisten.
  33. ^ "One Direction: Story of My life" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat.
  34. ^ "One Direction – Story of My Life" (in French). Les classement single.
  35. ^ "One Direction – Story of My Life" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts.
  36. ^ "Greece Digital Songs: Nov 16, 2013". Billboard. Retrieved 16 November 2013.
  37. ^ "Archívum – Slágerlisták – MAHASZ" (in Hungarian). Single (track) Top 40 lista. Magyar Hanglemezkiadók Szövetsége.
  38. ^ "Media Forest Week 12, 2013". Israeli Airplay Chart. Media Forest.
  39. ^ "One Direction – Story of My Life". Top Digital Download.
  40. ^ "One Direction Chart History (Japan Hot 100)". Billboard.
  41. ^ "One Direction". The Official Lebanese Top 20. Retrieved 20 January 2014.
  42. ^ "One Direction Chart History (Luxembourg Digital Song Sales)". Billboard. Archived from the original on 21 December 2019. Retrieved 1 February 2024.
  43. ^ "Top 20 Ingles: Del 9 Al 15 de Diciembre del 2013" (in Spanish). Monitor Latino. RadioNotas. 15 December 2013. Archived from the original on 17 December 2013. Retrieved 17 December 2013.
  44. ^ "Nederlandse Top 40 – week 46, 2013" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40.
  45. ^ "One Direction – Story of My Life" (in Dutch). Single Top 100.
  46. ^ "One Direction – Story of My Life". VG-lista.
  47. ^ "Listy bestsellerów, wyróżnienia :: Związek Producentów Audio-Video". Polish Airplay Top 100. Retrieved 13 January 2014.
  48. ^ "One Direction Chart History (Portugal Digital Song Sales)". Billboard. Archived from the original on 22 December 2019. Retrieved 1 February 2024.
  49. ^ "Airplay 100 – 23 martie 2014" (in Romanian). Kiss FM. 23 March 2014. Retrieved 30 March 2020.
  50. ^ "One Direction - Story Of My Life" (in Russian). Tophit. Retrieved 28 December 2020.
  51. ^ "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company.
  52. ^ "SloTop50 – Slovenian official singles chart". slotop50.si. Archived from the original on 28 August 2018. Retrieved 28 August 2018.
  53. ^ "One Direction – Story of My Life" Canciones Top 50.
  54. ^ "EMA Top 10 Airplay: Week Ending 2014-01-07". Entertainment Monitoring Africa. Retrieved 26 April 2014.
  55. ^ "Gaon Chart: 2013-11-02". GAON. Archived from the original on 7 November 2013. Retrieved 1 February 2024.
  56. ^ "One Direction – Story of My Life". Singles Top 100.
  57. ^ "One Direction – Story of My Life". Swiss Singles Chart.
  58. ^ "Number One Top 20" (in Turkish). Number 1 TV. 30 January 2014. Archived from the original on 1 July 2014.
  59. ^ "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company.
  60. ^ "One Direction Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard.
  61. ^ "One Direction Chart History (Adult Contemporary)". Billboard. Retrieved 2014-04-26.
  62. ^ "One Direction Chart History (Adult Pop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved 2014-03-06.
  63. ^ "One Direction Chart History (Pop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved 2014-02-27.
  64. ^ "One Direction Chart History (Global 200)". Billboard. Retrieved 29 October 2024.
  65. ^ a b "Official IFPI Charts − Digital Singles Chart (International) − Εβδομάδα: 43/2024" (in Greek). IFPI Greece. 30 October 2024. Archived from the original on 13 November 2024. Retrieved 30 October 2024.
  66. ^ "TOP 20 Most Streamed International Singles In Malaysia Week 43 (18/10/2024-24/10/2024)". RIM. 2 November 2024. Retrieved 2 November 2024 – via Facebook.
  67. ^ "Philippines Hot 100 (Week of November 2, 2024)". Billboard Philippines. ISSN 2984-9861. Archived from the original on 30 October 2024. Retrieved 30 October 2024.
  68. ^ "OLiS – oficjalna lista sprzedaży – single w streamie" (Select week 18.10.2024–24.10.2024.) (in Polish). OLiS. Retrieved 31 October 2024.
  69. ^ "RIAS Top Charts Week 43 (18 - 24 Oct 2024)". RIAS. Archived from the original on 29 October 2024. Retrieved 29 October 2024.
  70. ^ "ARIA Charts – End Of Year Charts – Top 100 Singles 2013". Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved 7 January 2014.
  71. ^ "Jaarlijsten 2013" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40. Retrieved 11 May 2022.
  72. ^ "Jaaroverzichten - Single 2013". Hung Medien. Retrieved 11 October 2019.
  73. ^ "End of Year 2013" (PDF). UKChartsPlus. Retrieved 7 June 2014.
  74. ^ "Jahreshitparade Singles 2014". austriancharts.at. Retrieved 6 January 2020.
  75. ^ "Brazilian Top 100 Year-End 2014". Crowley Broadcast Analysis. 3 April 2018. Retrieved 30 January 2022.
  76. ^ "Canadian Hot 100 – Year-End 2014". Billboard. Retrieved 30 January 2020.
  77. ^ "Top 100 Single-Jahrescharts". GfK Entertainment (in German). offiziellecharts.de. Retrieved 10 August 2015.
  78. ^ "FIMI - Classifiche Annuali 2014 "TOP OF THE MUSIC" FIMI-GfK: un anno di musica italiana" (in Italian). Federazione Industria Musicale Italiana. Archived from the original on 13 January 2015. Retrieved 14 January 2015.
  79. ^ "2014 Year End - Japan Hot 100 Charts". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved 8 November 2015.
  80. ^ "SloTop50 | Slovenian official year-end singles charts" (in Slovenian). Archived from the original on 7 April 2017. Retrieved 31 January 2018.
  81. ^ "Top 100 Songs Annual 2014" (in Spanish). Productores de Música de España. Retrieved 9 May 2022.
  82. ^ "Årslista Singlar – År 2014" (in Swedish). Sverigetopplistan. Retrieved 2 October 2019.
  83. ^ "Hot 100 Songs – Year-End 2014". Billboard. Retrieved 27 September 2019.
  84. ^ "Adult Contemporary Songs – Year-End 2014". Billboard. Retrieved 27 September 2019.
  85. ^ "Adult Pop Songs – Year-End 2014". Billboard. Retrieved 27 September 2019.
  86. ^ "Pop Songs – Year-End 2014". Billboard. Retrieved 13 August 2019.
  87. ^ "SloTop50: Slovenian official year end singles chart". slotop50.si. Archived from the original on 31 December 2016. Retrieved 31 December 2016.
  88. ^ "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2020 Singles" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association.
  89. ^ "Canadian single certifications – One Direction – Story of My Life". Music Canada. Retrieved 21 February 2017.
  90. ^ "Danish single certifications – One Direction – Story of My Life". IFPI Danmark. Retrieved 16 April 2023.
  91. ^ "Gold-/Platin-Datenbank (One Direction; 'Story of My Life')" (in German). Bundesverband Musikindustrie. Retrieved 8 December 2022.
  92. ^ "Italian single certifications – One Direction – Story of My Life" (in Italian). Federazione Industria Musicale Italiana. Retrieved 30 December 2014.
  93. ^ "Japanese digital single certifications – ワン･ダイレクション – ストーリー･オブ･マイ・ライフ" (in Japanese). Recording Industry Association of Japan. Select 2014年4月 on the drop-down menu
  94. ^ "Certificaciones" (in Spanish). Asociación Mexicana de Productores de Fonogramas y Videogramas. Retrieved 11 July 2016. Type One Direction in the box under the ARTISTA column heading and Story of My Life in the box under the TÍTULO column heading.
  95. ^ "New Zealand single certifications – One Direction – Story of My Life". Recorded Music NZ. Retrieved 25 October 2024.
  96. ^ "Norwegian single certifications – One Direction – Story of My Life" (in Norwegian). IFPI Norway.
  97. ^ "Spanish single certifications – One Direction – Story of My Life". El portal de Música. Productores de Música de España. Retrieved 18 April 2024.
  98. ^ "Veckolista Singlar, vecka 49, 2013 | Sverigetopplistan" (in Swedish). Sverigetopplistan. Retrieved 15 December 2020. Scroll to position 8 to view certification.
  99. ^ "The Official Swiss Charts and Music Community: Awards ('Story of My Life')". IFPI Switzerland. Hung Medien.
  100. ^ Levine, Nick (14 June 2023). "One Direction: Official Top 20 biggest songs ever in UK revealed". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 10 July 2023.
  101. ^ "British single certifications – One Direction – Story of My Life". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 10 July 2023.
  102. ^ "American single certifications – One Direction – Story of My Life". Recording Industry Association of America.
  103. ^ "Danish single certifications – One Direction – Story of My Life". IFPI Danmark. Retrieved 9 September 2022.
  104. ^ "Japanese single streaming certifications – One Direction – Story of My Life" (in Japanese). Recording Industry Association of Japan. Retrieved 28 February 2024. Select 2024年1月 on the drop-down menu
  105. ^ "Spanish single streaming certifications" (in Spanish). Productores de Música de España. Retrieved 9 September 2022. Select Streaming under "Categoría", select 2014 under "Año". Select 8 under "Semana". Click on "BUSCAR LISTA".
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Story_of_My_Life_(One_Direction_song)&oldid=1257629665"