The pen behind the hits: Liam Payne's hidden talent in 'One Direction'

Liam James Payne, who died tragically on October 16, was more than just a vocalist to boy band, One Direction. 

It all started, when a 14-year-old boy stepped on to the stage of British reality show, X-Factor in 2008, with a dream of pursuing a career in music. 

All those dreams were torn down after one of the judges named Simon Cowell rejected the little kid telling him to try your luck again after two years.

Little Liam, still with an aim to chase his music passion, did not stop and tried his luck again in 2010 by reappearing on the biggest singing shows and amusing the judges with popular song Cry Me A River by Michael Bublé at the auditions.

The 16-year-old boy’s angelic vocals left Simon with no choice other than getting him on-board with other emerging talents.

The same year Cowell decided to put the Teardrops singer in a boy band which was officially introduced to the world as One Direction also known as 1D. 

The group consisted of members namely Harry Styles, Zayn Malik, Louis Tomlinson and Niall Horan. 

Payne once quoted that "part of the reason One Direction was made due to the promise Simon made to me in 2008 that in two years I will make this work you."

“So he kind of started with my face and then worked around the rest”, said the 31-year-old artist.

The Strip That Down singer called himself the inception and the ‘honorary member of One Direction’ in Impaulsive Podcast in 2022.

Besides being the origin of the popular boy band, Liam also had a primary contribution in writing the lyrics of some of their most famous soundtracks.

Most of the songs of 1D were penned by their usual writers, but two of the band members, Payne and Louis Tomlinson were also co-writers of multiple melodies.

Here is a list of some renowned and fan favourite songs of One Direction in which Liam Payne not just lent his vocal but also showcased his talent of authoring.

Midnight Memories:

The pop rock track belongs to the English Irish band’s third studio album of the same name that released in 2013. 

It came out on November 20, 2013, and debuted at number ‘three’ on the Irish Singles Chart the next day. The track was co-written by Liam along with the rest of the lyricists.

Through The Dark:

A folk song, having elements of pop and rock, is from One Direction’s studio album titled ‘Midnight Memories’. 

It is the 11th track of the album. However, the group has not elaborated the meaning of the chorus but poetically, it talks about a person, who is trying to help someone important going through their depression.

Steal My Girl:

The opening single from 1D’s fourth studio album named ‘Four’. It released on September 29, 2014, and is written by Payne with the band's regular collaborators.

Billboard gave the song four and half stars out of five calling it ‘the bands' most phenomenal representation of Van Helen imprint so far.'

Night Changes:

With Payne’s major contribution, the boy group wrote Night Changes and publicized it on November 14, 2014, in ‘Four’. The globally acclaimed track stood at No. 31 on 'Billboard Hot 100' the same year.

No Control:

Yet another intriguing melody by One Direction, which is a part of their fourth studio album.

It is one of those songs of the band for which fans launched a campaign ‘#ProjectNoControl’ to get the song released as an official single from 'Four'. The campaign made No Control top the 'Billboard Twitter Real-Time' chart.

History:

One Direction released their final single History in fifth and last album in 2015 before announcing their split. It is pertinent to mention here that 'Made in the A.M.' was their first album without Zayn Malik.

The song made its way to number six on the 'UK Singles Chart'. History also marks as the last single of Payne in collaboration with the bandmates before his death on October 16, 2024.

After the split of One Direction, all five boys went their separate ways to pursue their solo careers. 

Liam Payne, as a solo artist, gave many hits including For You from Fifty Shades of Grey. Meanwhile, Get Low, Midnight, Stack It Up, Remember, and Bedroom Floor are some of his famous singles. 

Prior to his death, Payne's final song Teardrops debuted on No. 44 at U.K. singles chart. After his sudden demise, the track went on No. 3 on the same chart.