I have cried twice in my life. Once when I was seven and was hit by a school bus. And then again when I heard that Liam Payne had passed.
The news of Payne’s death hit me quite personally. I grew up with One Direction, so much so that they were my top artist on Spotify Rewind for seven years in a row. After all those years, I did not take well to waking up from a nap to seeing Liam Payne’s dead body plastered over the internet, thanks to TMZ.
Following no less than five texts from my friends checking in on me, my first reaction was to listen to one of my comfort songs, “Spaces,” off of my favorite One Direction album — “FOUR.” Great song, but terrible timing. I came to the realization that in the second run-through of the chorus, Payne sings the now ill-fated words, “Who’s gonna be the first to say goodbye?”
In a way, it makes sense for me to have picked “FOUR” in the immediate aftermath of Payne’s death. There’s a poignant genius to it, and it is not just because this would be One Direction’s final album with Zayn Malik before he left the band. “FOUR” is the album where One Direction truly began to grow into themselves, after the more mature sound of “Midnight Memories.”
No song exemplifies this more than “Fool’s Gold,” which describes being aware of a romantic partner’s empty love yet still wanting to be with them anyways. Harry Styles’ voice just fits the heartbreaking lyrics “And yeah, I let you use me from the day that we first met/But I’m not done yet/Falling for you, fool’s gold.” And need I even start on possibly One Direction’s magnum opus, “Night Changes?” As a college student, it is hard to grapple with the reality that life’s changes will come at you quicker than you realize and the nostalgic synths and deeply contemplative lyrics truly hone in on that message.
I would be remiss to go any further, however, without mentioning what is possibly the greatest love song of all time, “18.” With lyrics like, “All I can do is say that these arms were made for holding you, oh/I wanna love like you made me feel/When we were eighteen,” this feels like a song meant for a wedding. I’m certainly playing it at mine.
I don’t want to give the impression that every song on the album is sad. Most of the songs are high-tempo classics. “Girl Almighty,” “Stockholm Syndrome” and “Clouds” are all incredibly underrated songs that bring the energy just about anywhere. “Steal My Girl” is an incredibly catchy and upbeat song that adds just a little pep in my step every time I listen to it and “No Control” is the perfect song to scream speeding down the freeway with the windows rolled down. For all the Irish folk out there, “Act My Age” might be more your jig.
There’s also a lively ’80s influence incorporated throughout many of the songs, including “Where Do Broken Hearts Go,” as well as my favorite song on the album, “Change Your Ticket.” For the latter, there is a groovy vibe underpinning the whole soundtrack, almost reminiscent of The 1975, and the lyrical premise of begging a lover to spend a few more days fits in well with the rest of the album.
Whether you’re looking for a somber, slow tempo or something more happy and exciting, “FOUR” has something for everyone. This one’s for you, Payno. May you live out a spoon-free afterlife.
