What Makes You Beautiful
Encyclopedia
"What Makes You Beautiful" is the debut single by British-Irish boyband One Direction
, who finished third on the seventh series
of The X Factor
. The song written by Rami Yacoub
, Carl Falk
and Savan Kotecha
and serves as the lead single from the band's upcoming debut studio album, Up All Night
. The song was released on 11 September 2011, having received its first airplay on 10 August on BBC Radio 1
, and broke pre-order sales record for Sony Music. The song debuted at number one in United Kingdom, becoming the fastest-selling single of the year with first week sales of 153,965 copies.
of The X Factor.
gave the song four out of five stars, calling it a "toe-tappable melody dangerously similar to Grease
classic 'Summer Nights', before launching into a breezy guitar-pop chorus that would probably occupy the intersecting space of a Venn diagram between McFly
's 'All About You' and Pink
's 'Raise Your Glass
'. Like a Forever Friends bear from your high school crush, it's adorable, completely innocent and bound to cause a stir amongst your mates." Ailbhe Malone of NME
described it as "exuberant with a catchy ‘oh na na na’ middle eight" and praised the chord progression for being "simple enough to be played on an acoustic guitar at a house party." CBBC Newsround called it "fun, upbeat and incredibly catchy."
at number one, while the b-side "Na Na Na" also entered the chart at number twenty-seven. In the United Kingdom, the single entered the UK Singles Chart
at number one on 18 September 2011, becoming the fastest-selling single of the year shifting 153,965 copies.
"What Makes You Beautiful" has charted in the top ten of Belgium
, Australia
, New Zealand
and charted on Mega Single Top 100
at number 76 in the Netherlands
.
on 11 September 2011. They performed the song on the 18th of November on Children in Need 2011. They also performed the song on Alan Carr Chatty Man, 27 November 2011.
One Direction
One Direction are a British-Irish boy band, consisting of members Niall Horan, Zayn Malik, Liam Payne, Harry Styles and Louis Tomlinson. They finished third on the seventh series of The X Factor. Following The X Factor, the group signed a record contract with Syco Music.One Direction's debut single...
, who finished third on the seventh series
The X Factor (UK series 7)
The X Factor is a British television music competition to find new singing talent; the winner of which receives a £1 million recording contract with the Syco Music record label. The seventh series started on ITV on 21 August 2010 and ended on 12 December 2010. The winner was Matt Cardle and...
of The X Factor
The X Factor (UK)
The X Factor is a British television music competition to find new singing talent. Created by Simon Cowell, it began in September 2004 and is contested by aspiring singers drawn from public auditions. It is the originator of the international X Factor franchise. The seven series of the show to date...
. The song written by Rami Yacoub
Rami Yacoub
Rami Yacoub is a Swedish music producer and songwriter of Palestinian descent, and former member of the successful songwriting/production houses Cheiron Studios and Maratone...
, Carl Falk
Carl Falk
Carl Falk is a Swedish composer, producer, song writer and musician.Falk began playing violin at the young age of five, moving on to playing drums and piano before settling on the guitar as his instrument of choice...
and Savan Kotecha
Savan Kotecha
Savan Kotecha is an American songwriter and vocal producer from Austin, Texas of Indian descent. Kotecha has sold over 60 million records with artists such as Usher, Enrique Iglesias, Carrie Underwood, Britney Spears, One Direction and Celine Dion...
and serves as the lead single from the band's upcoming debut studio album, Up All Night
Up All Night (One Direction album)
Early reviews have been positive. Pop music critics Trash Lounge gave the album four out of five stars, comparing the band favourably to other all-male groups...
. The song was released on 11 September 2011, having received its first airplay on 10 August on BBC Radio 1
BBC Radio 1
BBC Radio 1 is a British national radio station operated by the British Broadcasting Corporation which also broadcasts internationally, specialising in current popular music and chart hits throughout the day. Radio 1 provides alternative genres after 7:00pm including electronic dance, hip hop, rock...
, and broke pre-order sales record for Sony Music. The song debuted at number one in United Kingdom, becoming the fastest-selling single of the year with first week sales of 153,965 copies.
Background
Band member Zayn Malik confirmed One Direction's debut single would be released in June 2011. The single was then pushed back to its release date in September to coincide with the launch of the eighth seriesThe X Factor (UK series 7)
The X Factor is a British television music competition to find new singing talent; the winner of which receives a £1 million recording contract with the Syco Music record label. The seventh series started on ITV on 21 August 2010 and ended on 12 December 2010. The winner was Matt Cardle and...
of The X Factor.
Music video
The music video for "What Makes You Beautiful" was directed by John Urbano. It features One Direction on a beach in Malibu, paddling in the water, driving an orange campervan, setting up a beachside camp and flirting with three girls.Composition
One Direction told MTV that they chose "What Makes You Beautiful" as their debut single, as the song reflects what they are about. Harry Styles said, "I think for us we wanted to release something that wasn't cheesy but it was fun. It kind of represented us, I think it took us a while to find it but I think we found the right song." Liam Payne added: "We always wanted it to be something that people didn't expect and then when we heard it, it wasn't what we expected either so it kind of fitted perfectly."Track listing
Critical reception
Robert Copsey of Digital SpyDigital Spy
Digital Spy is a British entertainment and media news website. According to Alexa Internet traffic statistics, as of February 2011, Digital Spy is the 93rd most popular website in the United Kingdom, with an overall Alexa ranking of 2,088....
gave the song four out of five stars, calling it a "toe-tappable melody dangerously similar to Grease
Grease (film)
Grease is a 1978 American musical film directed by Randal Kleiser and based on Warren Casey's and Jim Jacobs's 1971 musical of the same name about two lovers in a 1950s high school. The film stars John Travolta, Olivia Newton-John, Stockard Channing, and Jeff Conaway...
classic 'Summer Nights', before launching into a breezy guitar-pop chorus that would probably occupy the intersecting space of a Venn diagram between McFly
McFly
McFly are an English pop rock band who first found fame in 2004. The band consists of Tom Fletcher , Danny Jones , Dougie Poynter and Harry Judd . They were signed to the Island Records label from their 2004 launch until December 2007, before creating their own label, Super Records...
's 'All About You' and Pink
Pink (singer)
Alecia Beth Moore , better known by her stage name Pink , is an American singer-songwriter, musician and actress....
's 'Raise Your Glass
Raise Your Glass
"Raise Your Glass" is a song by American recording artist and songwriter Pink, released as the lead single of her first compilation album, Greatest Hits... So Far!!!...
'. Like a Forever Friends bear from your high school crush, it's adorable, completely innocent and bound to cause a stir amongst your mates." Ailbhe Malone of NME
NME
The New Musical Express is a popular music publication in the United Kingdom, published weekly since March 1952. It started as a music newspaper, and gradually moved toward a magazine format during the 1980s, changing from newsprint in 1998. It was the first British paper to include a singles...
described it as "exuberant with a catchy ‘oh na na na’ middle eight" and praised the chord progression for being "simple enough to be played on an acoustic guitar at a house party." CBBC Newsround called it "fun, upbeat and incredibly catchy."
Chart performance
On 15 September 2011 "What Makes You Beautiful" entered the Irish Singles ChartIrish Singles Chart
The Irish Singles Chart is Ireland's music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by the Irish Recorded Music Association and compiled on behalf of the IRMA by Chart-Track. Chart rankings are based on sales, which are compiled through over-the-counter retail data captured...
at number one, while the b-side "Na Na Na" also entered the chart at number twenty-seven. In the United Kingdom, the single entered the UK Singles Chart
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
at number one on 18 September 2011, becoming the fastest-selling single of the year shifting 153,965 copies.
"What Makes You Beautiful" has charted in the top ten of Belgium
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
, New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
and charted on Mega Single Top 100
Mega Single Top 100
The Single Top 100 is a Dutch chart, based on official physical single sales and legal downloads and composed by MegaCharts. It is one of the three official charts, the other two being the Dutch Top 40 and the Mega Top 50. The difference is that these charts also include airplay data.The list is...
at number 76 in the Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
.
Live performances
The group performed the single for the first time on Red or Black?Red or Black?
Red or Black? is a British television game show that is broadcast on ITV. In each round the contestants chose red or black, with those that chose the incorrect colour being eliminated. During the first series, four finalists guessed the colour correctly in the final round and became millionaires...
on 11 September 2011. They performed the song on the 18th of November on Children in Need 2011. They also performed the song on Alan Carr Chatty Man, 27 November 2011.
"What Makes You Beautiful"
| Chart (2011) | Peak position |
|---|
"Na Na Na"
| Chart (2011) | Peak position |
|---|
Release history
| Region | Date | Format | Label |
|---|---|---|---|
| United Kingdom | 11 September 2011 | Digital download Music download A music download is the transferral of music from an Internet-facing computer or website to a user's local computer. This term encompasses both legal downloads and downloads of copyright material without permission or payment... |
Syco Music, Sony Music Sony Music Entertainment Sony Music Entertainment ' is the second-largest global recorded music company of the "big four" record companies and is controlled by Sony Corporation of America, the United States subsidiary of Japan's Sony Corporation.... |
| Ireland | |||
| United Kingdom | 12 September 2011 | CD single CD single A CD single is a music single in the form of a standard size Compact Disc, not to be confused with the 3-inch CD single, which uses a smaller form factor. The format was introduced in the mid-1980s, but did not gain its place in the market until the early 1990s... |
|
| Australia | 28 October 2011 | Digital download | |
| Spain | |||
| Denmark | 31 October 2011 | ||
| Germany | 2 December 2011 | CD single |