UK Song Meanings

Some pop songs arrive with a trumpet blast of self-confidence, and few announce themselves as brazenly as “Best Song Ever”. One Direction released it in the summer of 2013, aContinue readingThe Meaning of “Best Song Ever” by One Direction

A kiss is a small thing, which is why pop music cannot leave it alone. Prince made a whole sideways funk manifesto out of the word, the Shirelles asked aContinue readingThe Meaning of “Kiss You” by One Direction

Every great pop song has a mystery at its centre, and the best ones are clever enough not to solve it. George Harrison never really told us what it wasContinue readingThe Meaning of “One Thing” by One Direction

Some song titles are not titles at all but orders. “Live While We’re Young” is a command wearing a smile, an instruction with a deadline built into it, and OneContinue readingThe Meaning of “Live While We’re Young” by One Direction

Not every pop song needs to be a shout. “They Don’t Know About Us” sits near the end of Take Me Home, a record full of guitars, drum machines andContinue readingThe Meaning of “They Don’t Know About Us” by One Direction

Pop has two great subjects, and one of them is losing your head. “No Control” takes that idea and strips away the politeness. Taken from the 2014 album Four, itContinue readingThe Meaning of “No Control” by One Direction

There is a tense that pop loves above all others, and it is the present. “Right Now” announces it in the title, a plain two-word demand for attention that soundsContinue readingThe Meaning of “Right Now” by One Direction

What does it mean to be strong? Pop has been quietly arguing about that question for decades, and “Strong”, a track from Midnight Memories, offers one of its gentlest answers.Continue readingThe Meaning of “Strong” by One Direction

Some feelings are too big for a title, and some titles are brave enough to try anyway. “What a Feeling” appeared on Made in the A.M., the fifth and finalContinue readingThe Meaning of “What a Feeling” by One Direction

Great pop songs sometimes ask a question and then have the good sense not to answer it. “Where Do Broken Hearts Go”, a highlight of One Direction’s 2014 album Four,Continue readingThe Meaning of “Where Do Broken Hearts Go” by One Direction