A Definitive Ranking of One Direction Albums According To Me

Absolutely no one asked for this, but I made it anyway because it’s a quarantine and I felt like it. 

(source)

#5: MITAM– It came out at the same time as Purpose and it was after Zayn left so it gets last because I got bored listening to it, and I think I was still salty.

Notables: History…that’s it for now. Ok. I need to listen to it again.

#4: Up All Night – I have the UK version of the album where they didn’t edit it to make Harry’s vocals louder than everyone else’s, because they realized he had a bigger following than they thought. Had a ton of cutesy bops. Reminds me of innocent times, right before they got big in the US. A turning point in pop culture history. 

Notables: What Makes You Beautiful, One Thing, More Than This

#3: Take Me Home – Generally the most adorable of their eras. I remember how excited I was when the Kiss You video came out. They were having so much fun here, and they didn’t get that jaded look in their eyes yet. I remember how many girls cried over the Little Things video, before we really listened to the lyrics and realized they were kinda…bad. 

Notables: Over Again, They Don’t Know About Us, Rock Me

#2: Midnight Memories – This is legit when everyone realized that they were HUGE. They went on a stadium tour to match their new big, stadium rock sound. There’s a lot of booming choruses and stomp & clap elements. The first time I listened to it, it threw me off because I was used to their heavy pop sound. It grew on me by the second listen. 

Notables: You & I, Little White Lies, Don’t Forget Where You Belong (OOOOOH)

#1: FOUR – Guys….guys….hear me out. This was their last hurrah before everything went to shit. The Swan Song. Their Magnum Opus. They didn’t know that this would be the beginning of the end, but in hindsight it almost feels like it because they really put their all into this album. THERE ARE NO BAD SONGS. NONE. I have songs that I like less, but do I hate them? No. Zayn shines on this album. I’m sad that I never got to see him perform live. Especially since he and Liam have a lot of great collaborative vocal moments. I’m upset. Don’t talk to me. Sidenote: Change Your Ticket is absolutely a ripoff of The 1975’s Girls, don’t tell me otherwise. 

Notables: 18, Clouds, Stockholm Syndrome

Honorable Mentions: Girl Almighty, Fireproof, Spaces, Where Do Broken Hearts Go (This was hard, okay?)