Rating: 10/10
Not gonna lie, it kind of hurts me to begin writing this review right now because I know that this will probably be the last 1D album I am to ever review on this blog – unless of course, they come back, which I hope happens but don’t wanna get my hopes up for. In my opinion, One Direction topped themselves with every album they released, which means that this is my favorite of their albums.
I’ve always thought that Four and Made In the A.M. are basically equal but opposite albums. They’re equally good, but they have very different sounds, so the one that you like better will basically come down to your music preference. Four has a smoother sound and is more influenced by 80s pop-rock. Made In the A.M. is reminiscent of old-fashioned rock, and has a very old-school, classic sound – kind of 60s/70s inspired. I think that may have something to do with how the songs were mixed and produced. All the songs on this album have a very warm tone to them, which is right up my alley in terms of sonic preference.
This album to me feels like a goodbye hug. It’s warm and exciting and romantic, and so, so indicative of the growth the band went through over the span of their careers. This is one of my favorite albums ever and it means a lot to me, so even though it will pain me to do so because I genuinely love and appreciate every song on here, I will now begin to rank all the songs from One Direction’s fifth studio album, Made In the A.M., from least favorite to favorite.
17. Long Way Down (Track 7)
This really isn’t a bad song by any means. As I said, every song on this album is very good, but I have to pick a least favorite and unfortunately, Long Way Down is it. It’s just a little slow, and it never really goes anywhere. There are some good lyrics to be found in this song, but I find the lyrical themes in the verses to be slightly repetitive and a bit grating. All the vocals are great though and I like the gentle guitar and drum rhythm. “Point of no return and now it’s just too late to turn around. I try to forgive you, but I’m struggling ’cause I don’t know how. We built it up so high and now I’m falling, such a long way down from here.”
16. Walking in the Wind (Track 15)
I feel so bad putting this so low, because Walking in the Wind is a very personal and sweet song. It’s just not really my sound and I’m not crazy about the melody. I will say though, Harry’s voice on the bridge is PERFECTION.
15. Drag Me Down (Track 2)
This song is so fun and it really gets you kind of hyped up. The boys all sound great. AND THE BASS IN THE VERSES IS GREAT. I love the way the chorus builds up with the handclaps, and I love Louis’ part in the chorus. And the way Harry comes in singing his heart out in the second pre-chorus is just amazing. Drag Me Down is a good song, but it’s not super deep or meaningful. I would have it lower, but the way Harry just goes off vocally at the end saved it. The man really didn’t hold back, and I love him for it.
14. Never Enough (Track 8)
Look, Never Enough is a bop, and that’s final. This song is so catchy and fun, and you can tell the boys had a fun time with it. This song is a blast to listen to, but I don’t think it’s meant to be taken too seriously, and lyrically it’s not the best (again, I don’t think it’s supposed to be, but oh well), so I’m gonna put it down here. I’m honestly so sorry.
13. A.M. (Track 17)
“You and me were raised in the same part of town, got these scars on the same ground. Remember how we used to kick around just wasting time?” This is the titular track, as well as the closer of 1D’s discography, and it’s lovely. This song has a very nostalgic and fond feeling to it. I love the song’s concept, and I would have it higher but it makes me pretty sad whenever I listen to it so I’m gonna put it here. (Also, if I’m not mistaken, this is the only 1D song to have a swear word in it, so that’s interesting.) “Won’t you stay ’til the A.M.? All my favorite conversations always made in the A.M., ’cause we don’t know what we’re saying. We’re just swimming ’round in our glasses and talking out of our asses like we’re all gonna make it.”
12. Temporary Fix (Track 14)
Temporary Fix is a bop and a half (and it kind of reminds me of Everybody Talks by Neon Trees). It’s such a fun song and it’s also great to lip-sync to. And Harry’s voice in the second verse… makes me feel things. The chorus is so infectious and irresistible. This is also one of their more mature songs in terms of lyrics, and the lyrics really tell a story which is great. The bridge of this song is absolutely amazing. Basically, I love this song a lot, but I think it’s just meant to be a lighthearted and fun track, not one to be taken too seriously.
11. Hey Angel (Track 1)
Hey Angel opens up Made In the A.M. on a bombastic and grand note, and it immediately introduces you to the unique sound of this album. With a thumping beat a straight-forward chorus, Hey Angel is a delightful song and a perfect opener. It’s very high-energy and really sets the tone for the rest of the record. The vocals are great as well. I just love the way Harry croons “hey angel”.
10. I Want to Write You a Song (Track 12)
This song is so incredibly sweet, and it feels very earnest and personal which I adore. As the penultimate track (for the standard edition), it serves as a cute little goodbye tune. I don’t really know what to say to describe what makes this song so sweet and cute. Maybe it’s the gentle acoustic guitar, maybe it’s the sound of the pen scratching on paper that persists throughout the entire song. Maybe it’s the fact that this entire song is about wanting to create a song that will bring comfort to people and remind them of good times and happy places. The final lyrics really speak to what One Direction’s music has done for all of their fans, and how even 5 years after their last album, their music still brings joy and serenity to so many people. “I wanna write you a song, one to make your heart remember me. So any time I’m gone, you can listen to my voice and sing along, I wanna write you a song.”
9. If I Could Fly (Track 6)
“For your eyes only, I show you my heart, for when you’re lonely and forget who you are. I’m missing half of me when we’re apart, now you know me, for your eyes only.” Ahhh, this song is so beautiful and lovely. There aren’t many piano ballads in the 1D discography, which makes this song very special. The lyrics are so heartfelt and poignant, and the way that they’re sung just makes them feel even more tender. The boys all sound beautiful, and that part before the last chorus where all four of them sing one line, one after the other… CHILLS. AND TEARS. This song makes me so happy but also makes me want to cry, and I think that’s beautiful. “I’ve got scars, even though they can’t always be seen. And pain gets hard, but now you’re here and I don’t feel a thing.”
8. Perfect (Track 3)
“And if you like midnight driving with the windows down, and if you like going places we can’t even pronounce. If you like to do whatever you’ve been dreaming about, then baby, you’re perfect. Baby you’re perfect, so let’s start right now.” This song is kind of magical. I’ve always thought that songs that sound the way the lyrics feel are really captivating, and they make you feel like you’re experiencing whatever is being described in the lyrics. Perfect is a great example of this. The lyrics describe late-night adventures and fleeting but passionate romance, and with the booming vocals and glossy production, it sounds just like those things. This is probably the most pop-oriented song on the album, but it’s done so well that I don’t mind at all. I love this song, and I love the feelings that it captures. ALSO DON’T EVEN GET ME STARTED ON THE STRIPPED VERSION OF THIS SONG BECAUSE IT IS AMAZING AND IT MAKES ME FEEL A LOT OF THINGS. “And if you like cameras flashing every time we go out, oh yeah. And if you’re looking for someone to write your breakup songs about, baby I’m perfect. Baby, we’re perfect.”
7. Love You Goodbye (Track 11)
This song, man. It’s so raw and emotional and sad but romantic. This song is about a couple that’s already broken up, but they have to see each other one last time to properly settle everything, and the guy is pleading with the girl to spend one last night together before it’s over for good. The longing and desperation in the chorus is sung with lots of emotion and passion, and this is just a really hard-hitting song. The absolute best part of Love You Goodbye is the bridge though. LOUIS KILLS IT. He’s the one who wrote the song , and in the bridge he just sings with so much heartbreak and emotion; it’s devastating but beautiful. You can tell that he really felt it. “One more taste of your lips just to bring me back to the places we’ve been and the nights we’ve had. Because if this is it then at least we could end it right.”
6. Infinity (Track 4)
“How many nights does it take to count the stars? That’s the time it would take to fix my heart. Oh baby, I was there for you, all I ever wanted was the truth. How many nights have you wished someone would stay? Lie awake only hoping they’re okay. I never counted all of mine, if I tried, I know it would feel like infinity.” This song… makes me feel things. You may have noticed that that’s a recurring theme throughout this album’s tracklist, and that’s because nearly all of the songs on Made In the A.M. hit me in some emotional way. I think that’s one of the main reasons it’s my favorite 1D album; I have a personal connection to pretty much all of the songs. This is a beautiful and sad but kind of inspiring love song, and it just reminds me of gazing up at the stars on a cool night and reminiscing on love-filled memories. I read somewhere that Infinity could be interpreted as Where Do Broken Hearts Go, but from the other person’s perspective, and I LOVE that interpretation. In Where Do Broken Hearts Go, someone is trying to reach their ex partner in attempt to fix what went wrong between them, and in Infinity, that ex partner is just basking in their sorrow and hurt and love for the other person. I love the tie between the two songs, and even if that’s not what the songs were intended to mean, I still think it’s a cool way to think about them.
5. Wolves (Track 16)
Ugh, this song is my jam. It has such an old-school sound to it, and it’s so fricking fun to listen to. Like, try to listen to the opening seconds without getting a huge smile on your face. It’s pretty much impossible for me. Harry sounds great on the chorus, and all the boys do great with their verses. Basically, although this song doesn’t overwhelm me with emotions, it brings a huge smile to my face whenever I listen to it, and I love it a whole lot. I just think it defies what people would expect from One Direction, and I imagine anyone who listens to it would have to give 1D the credit and respect they deserve.
4. Olivia (Track 9)
“I live for you, I long for you, Olivia. I’ve been idolizing the light in your eyes, Olivia. I live for you, I long for you, Olivia, don’t let me go.” Ahhhhh this song! I love it so much! It’s so pretty and playful and merry! It also really makes me wish I was named Olivia. I’m pretty sure Harry’s said that ‘Olivia’ isn’t necessarily a person, that it could be a place or an emotion, and I just love that. I love when songs use heavy personification in their lyrics. The lyrics of this song are very cute and affectionate, but I honestly think the instrumentation of this song steals the show. THE HORNS ARE SO GOOD. AND THE STRINGS ARE AMAZING. Like, in the pre-chorus, if you pay attention to the music, the strings are making this magical, almost fantasy-like sound, and it’s so cool. Speaking of the pre-chorus, I just love that little rambling thing that goes on before the chorus hits (if you’ve heard the song you know what I’m talking about). It’s such a fun way to play with the words and just have fun with the song. This honestly sounds like a Beatles song. It’s just so summery and vintage and fun. “When you go and I’m alone, you live in my imagination. The summertime and butterflies all belong to your creation. I love you, it’s all I do, I love you.”
3. History (Track 13)
“You and me got a whole lot of history. We could be the greatest team that the world has ever seen. You and me got a whole lot of history, so don’t let it go, we can make some more, we can live forever.” This was the closer of the standard edition of the album, and just thinking about how it was their parting message to their fan base makes me want to cry. This song basically says, ‘Hey, this whole thing has been crazy. We’ve done some truly great stuff, and even though it may be over for now, we’ll come back some day and it’ll be just as great as it’s always been.’ And if you haven’t seen the music video… it’s a lot of emotion, I’ll tell you that. History is not only a fantastic song lyrically, but it also sounds great. It’s got this bluesy, old-school sound, and it’s just wonderful. This song means so much to me as a fan of the band, and I think all fans of One Direction really connect with and adore this song. It’s hard not to, because this song is pretty much the band’s personal message to us.
2. What a Feeling (Track 10)
WHAT. A. FEELING. I REPEAT: WHAT A FEELING. THIS. SONG. It blew my mind the first time I heard it, because I was relatively new to the 1D fandom and I hadn’t listened to any of their albums in full, and I was so incredibly impressed with how amazing this song is. Like, whenever I listen to this song I just can’t believe that anyone would discredit their music. The groove of this song is impeccable, and it’s basically impossible not to dance or at least nod your head along to the smooth, gliding beat. And the group harmonies in the chorus are flawless and give the song such a luminous and mystical quality. The lyrics are so clever and enticing, and they describe the scene in such a special and enchanting way. Harry is great in the bridge, and then the way that the final chorus strips back most of the instrumentation so that the four-part harmonies are front and center is just breathtaking and astonishing. This song is GORGEOUS, and I’m completely in love with it. What a feeling it is to listen to this absolute masterpiece of a song (I’m sorry, I had to). “What a feeling to be right here beside you now, holding you in my arms. When the air ran out and we both started running wild, the sky fell down. But you’ve got stars, they’re in your eyes, and I’ve got something missing tonight. What a feeling to be a king beside you somehow, I wish I could be there now.”
1. End of the Day (Track 5)
“I told her that I loved her, was not sure if she heard. The roof was pretty windy and she didn’t say a word. Party dying downstairs, had nothing left to do. Just me, her, and the moon.” Ugh, this song is so wonderful. The way the lyrics just paint a picture and set the scene in your mind is breathtaking. I don’t mean to quote so many lyrics, but this album is chock-full of lovely lyricism, so I really can’t help myself. End of the Day is practically two songs in one because the verses and the chorus have very different sounds, but it works really well. This song is about how it’s always worth it to tell someone you love them if you do, and how it’s best to just take the chance and be honest. I find this song to be really inspiring. Whenever I listen to this I think about rooftops and sunsets and little adventures. I just get the warmest, happiest, and fuzziest feeling whenever I hear this song, and I think they did an absolutely amazing job. For the longest time I considered What a Feeling to be my favorite on this album, but upon further reflection, I’ve realized that I have way more emotional attachment to this one. Every time I listen to it I’m just overcome with an emotion that’s really rare for songs to bring out in me, and it’s a beautiful thing. I just absolutely adore this song with all my heart. “All I know at the end of the day is you want what you want and you say what you say, and you follow your heart even though it’ll break sometimes. All I know at the end of the day is you love who you love, there ain’t no other way. If there’s something I’ve learned from a million mistakes, you’re the one that I want at the end of the day.”
Anna's Music World 