Story of My Life (One Direction song)

"Story of My Life"
Single by One Direction
from the album Midnight Memories
Released	28 October 2013
Format	CD digital download
Recorded	2013
Genre	Folktronica
Length	4:05
Writer(s)	Julian Bunetta Jamie Scott John Ryan Louis Tomlinson Liam Payne Niall Horan Harry Styles Zayn Malik
Producer(s)	Julian Bunetta John Ryan
One Direction singles chronology
"Best Song Ever" (2013) "Story of My Life" (2013) "Midnight Memories" (2014)

"Story of My Life" is a song recorded by English-Irish boy band One Direction. It was released on 6 November 2013 by Syco Music and Columbia Records as the second single from the group's third studio album, Midnight Memories (2013). 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

"Story of My Life" is an acoustic folktronica song with neofolk elements.^[1][5] It runs for a total of 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]

Critical reception

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

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] The single has been unsuccessful in reaching number one in the UK on three occasions, firstly by debuting at number four, then climbing to three, and finally by stalling at two—although it was at number one on the iTunes for the entirety of that week and it peaked at number one on the UK Singles Downloads Chart. 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]

Music video

Three days before the music video was uploaded, three teasers were posted, once each day. Zayn Malik and Liam Payne also posted a picture from the video with Malik posting a picture with his sister.^[13][14]

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.^[15] It was then officially uploaded on 3 November 2013. The video features some the band's family members: Zayn's sister, Harry Styles's mother, Liam's parents and sisters, Niall Horan's brother and Louis Tomlinson's 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.^[16] 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 dressed formally.

Cover versions

In 2014, Kurt Hummel (Chris Colfer) and Blaine Anderson (Darren Criss) performed the song in the 2014 Glee episode "The Back-up Plan".

In 2014, Filipino singer Timmy Pavino will cover the song on The Voice of the Philippines.

In January 2015, Martin Sexton recorded a solo acoustic version of this from Electric Lady Studios.

On 22 May 2015 The Offspring performed an acoustic version of "Story of My Life" for 94/7 Mobile Nation at Mississippi Studios.

In 2015, Alvin and the Chipmunks and The Chipettes covered the song, with lyric changes to reflect their relationship with David Seville, for their live stage tour Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Musical.

In 2016, Sal Valetinetti covered the song on Americas Got Talent.

Track listing

• CD single^[17]

1. "Story of My Life" – 4:04
2. "Little Things" (live version from the motion picture One Direction: This Is Us) – 3:48

• Maxi single^[18]

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 and certifications

Weekly charts Chart (2013–14) Peak position Australia (ARIA)[10] 3 Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40)[19] 12 Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)[20] 3 Belgium (Ultratop 50 Wallonia)[21] 14 Bulgaria (IFPI)[22] 1 Brazil (Billboard Brasil Hot 100)[23] 32 Brazil Hot Pop Songs[23] 10 Canada (Canadian Hot 100)[24] 3 Czech Republic (Rádio Top 100)[25] 6 Czech Republic (Singles Digitál Top 100)[26] 99 Denmark (Tracklisten)[27] 1 Finland (Suomen virallinen lista)[28] 17 France (SNEP)[29] 22 Germany (Official German Charts)[30] 21 Greece Digital Songs (Billboard)[31] 3 Hungary (Single Top 40)[32] 14 Ireland (IRMA)[8] 1 Israel (Media Forest)[33] 3 Italy (FIMI)[34] 5 Japan (Japan Hot 100)[35] 5 Lebanon (The Official Lebanese Top 20)[36] 1 Mexico Anglo Chart (Monitor Latino)[37] 1 Netherlands (Single Top 100)[38] 3 New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[9] 1 Norway (VG-lista)[39] 11 Poland (Polish Airplay Top 100)[40] 7 Scotland (Official Charts Company)[41] 3 Spain (PROMUSICAE)[42] 1 South Africa (EMA)[43] 10 Sweden (Sverigetopplistan)[44] 8 Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)[45] 13 Turkey (Turkish Singles Chart)[46] 3 UK Singles (Official Charts Company)[47] 2 US Billboard Hot 100[48] 6 US Adult Contemporary (Billboard)[49] 2 US Adult Top 40 (Billboard)[50] 1 US Mainstream Top 40 (Billboard)[51] 4

Year-end charts Chart (2013) Position Australia (ARIA)[52] 84 UK Singles (Official Charts Company)[53] 46 Chart (2014) Position Canada (Canadian Hot 100)[24] 32 Germany (Official German Charts)[54] 96 Italy (FIMI)[55] 91 Japan (Japan Hot 100)[56] 10 US Billboard Hot 100[48] 24 Certifications url=http://ifpi.no/component/rstrophybridge// Region Certification Certified units/Sales Australia (ARIA)[57] 2× Platinum 140,000^^ Canada (Music Canada)[58] 2× Platinum 160,000^^ Germany (BVMI)[59] Gold 150,000^^ Italy (FIMI)[60] Platinum 30,000^* Japan (RIAJ)[61] Platinum 250,000^^ Mexico (AMPROFON)[62] Platinum 60,000^^ Switzerland (IFPI Switzerland)[63] Gold 15,000^^ Norway (IFPI Norway)[64] 5× Platinum 50,000^* New Zealand (RMNZ)[65] Platinum 15,000^* United Kingdom (BPI)[66] Gold 519,000[67] United States (RIAA)[68] 3× Platinum 2,860,000[12] Venezuela (APFV)[69] Platinum 10,000^^ ^*sales figures based on certification alone ^^shipments figures based on certification alone

References

1. 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. 2013-10-11. Retrieved 2013-10-27.
3. "One Direction 'Midnight Memories' Cover Art, Tracklist Revealed". Mstarz. 2013-10-11. Retrieved 2013-10-27.
4. 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 (2013-10-28). "One Direction's "Story of My Life" Review: One Direction's single shows the maturity and talent within the band.". TheCelebrityCafe.com. Retrieved 2013-10-29.
8. "Chart Track: Week 44, 2013". Irish Singles Chart.
9. "Charts.org.nz – One Direction – Story of My Life". Top 40 Singles.
10. "Australian-charts.com – 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 (June 19, 2016). "Ask Billboard: One Direction's Career Sales". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved June 19, 2016.
13. "Zayn Malik Teases One Direction 'Story Of My Life' Video With Super Cute Snap (PHOTO)". entertainmentwise.com. 2 November 2013.
14. "Liam Payne Teases One Direction's 'Story Of My Life' Video With Hunky Suit & Tie Snap (PHOTO)". entertainmentwise.com. 2 November 2013.
15. Michaels, Wendy (1 November 2013). "One Direction 'Story of My Life' Video Leaked Online by VEVO". Cambio.
16. Firman, Tehrene (2 November 2013). "One Direction Remakes Old Family Pictures in "Story of My Life"!". J-14 Magazine.
17. http://www.amazon.de/Story-My-Life-One-Direction/dp/B00FRVKJXU/ref=sr_1_29?s=music&ie=UTF8&qid=1394901157&sr=1-29&keywords=one+direction
18. http://www.amazon.de/Story-My-Life-4-Track-EP/dp/B00IDRV5V0/ref=sr_1_4?s=music&ie=UTF8&qid=1394900896&sr=1-4&keywords=one+direction
19. "Austriancharts.at – One Direction – Story of My Life" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40.
20. "Ultratop.be – One Direction – Story of My Life" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50.
21. "Ultratop.be – One Direction – Story of My Life" (in French). Ultratop 50.
22. "25.11.2013-01.12.2013 - IFPI at bamp-br.org" Airplay Top 5. Bulgarian Association of Music Producers.
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26. "ČNS IFPI" (in Czech). Hitparáda – Digital Top 100 Oficiální. IFPI Czech Republic. Note: insert 201424 into search. Retrieved 3 July 2014.
27. "Danishcharts.com – One Direction – Story of My Life". Tracklisten.
28. "One Direction: Story of My life" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland.
29. "Lescharts.com – One Direction – Story of My Life" (in French). Les classement single.
30. "Musicline.de – One Direction Single-Chartverfolgung" (in German). Media Control Charts. PhonoNet GmbH.
31. "Greece Digital Songs: Nov 16, 2013". Billboard. Retrieved 16 November 2013.
32. "Archívum – Slágerlisták – MAHASZ" (in Hungarian). Single (track) Top 40 lista. Magyar Hanglemezkiadók Szövetsége.
33. "One Direction – Story Of My Life Media Forest". Israeli Airplay Chart. Media Forest.
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36. "One Direction". The Official Lebanese Top 20. Retrieved 20 January 2014.
37. "Top 20 Ingles: Del 9 Al 15 de Diciembre del 2013" (in Spanish). Monitor Latino. RadioNotas. 15 December 2013. Retrieved 17 December 2013.
38. "Dutchcharts.nl – One Direction – Story of My Life" (in Dutch). Single Top 100.
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40. "Listy bestsellerów, wyróżnienia :: Związek Producentów Audio-Video". Polish Airplay Top 100. Retrieved 13 January 2014.
41. "Archive Chart: 2013-11-09". Scottish Singles Top 40.
42. "Spanishcharts.com – One Direction – Story of My Life" Canciones Top 50.
43. "EMA Top 10 Airplay: Week Ending 2014-01-07". Entertainment Monitoring Africa. Retrieved 26 April 2014.
44. "Swedishcharts.com – One Direction – Story of My Life". Singles Top 100.
45. "Swisscharts.com – One Direction – Story of My Life". Swiss Singles Chart.
46. "Number One Top 20" (in Turkish). Number 1 TV. 2014-01-30.
47. "Archive Chart: 2013-12-14" UK Singles Chart.
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49. "One Direction – Chart history" Billboard Adult Contemporary for One Direction. Retrieved 2014-04-26.
50. "One Direction – Chart history" Billboard Adult Pop Songs for One Direction. Retrieved 2014-03-06.
51. "One Direction – Chart history" Billboard Pop Songs for One Direction. Retrieved 2014-02-27.
52. "ARIA Charts – End Of Year Charts – Top 100 Singles 2013". Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved 7 January 2014.
53. "End of Year 2013" (PDF). UKChartsPlus. Retrieved 7 June 2014.
54. "Top 100 Single-Jahrescharts". GfK Entertainment (in German). offiziellecharts.de. Retrieved 10 August 2015.
55. "FIMI - Classifiche Annuali 2014 "TOP OF THE MUSIC" FIMI-GfK: un anno di musica italiana" (in Italian). Federazione Industria Musicale Italiana. Retrieved 14 January 2015.
56. "2014 Year End - Japan Hot 100 Charts". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved 8 November 2015.
57. "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2013 Singles". Australian Recording Industry Association.
58. "Canadian single certifications – One Direction – Story of My Lifel". Music Canada.
59. "Gold-/Platin-Datenbank (One Direction; 'Story of My Life')" (in German). Bundesverband Musikindustrie.
60. "Italian single certifications – One Direction – Story of My Life" (in Italian). Federazione Industria Musicale Italiana. Retrieved 30 December 2014. Select Online in the field Sezione. Enter One Direction in the field Filtra. The certification will load automatically
61. レコード協会調べ　4月度有料音楽配信認定 [Record Association Investigation: April Digital Music Download Certifications]. RIAJ (in Japanese). 20 May 2014. Retrieved 20 May 2014.
62. "Certificaciones – One Direction" (in Spanish). Asociación Mexicana de Productores de Fonogramas y Videogramas. Retrieved 26 March 2014.
63. "The Official Swiss Charts and Music Community: Awards (One Direction; 'Story of My Life')". IFPI Switzerland. Hung Medien.
64. "Norwegian single certifications – One Direction – Story of My Life" (in Norwegian). IFPI Norway.
65. "New Zealand single certifications – One Direction – Story of My Life". Recorded Music NZ.
66. "British single certifications – One Direction – Story of My Life". British Phonographic Industry. Enter Story of My Life in the field Keywords. Select Title in the field Search by. Select single in the field By Format. Select Gold in the field By Award. Click Search
67. Myers, Justin (25 August 2015). "One Direction's Official Top 10 Biggest Selling Singles Revealed". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 26 August 2015.
68. "American single certifications – One Direction – Story of My Life". Recording Industry Association of America. If necessary, click Advanced, then click Format, then select Single, then click SEARCH
69. APFV (16 June 2014). "Certificaciones De Venezuela Del 2013" (PDF) (in Spanish). APFV. Retrieved 5 October 2015.

External links

• Lyrics