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One Direction’s FOUR turns 12 this November, so Chris and Chantel Nicole are giving it an honest, track by track album review. Released in 2014, FOUR swapped the boy band polish for 70s and 80s arena rock, drawing comparisons to Journey, Bon Jovi, Springsteen and Fleetwood Mac. It debuted at #1 on the Billboard 200, making 1D the first group ever to have their first four albums debut at #1 in the US. It was also the last album with Zayn.
We break down the production, vocals, visuals and performances on all 12 standard tracks. That covers Steal My Girl’s very Journey-sounding piano and its chaotic music video, Ready to Run on SNL, Where Do Broken Hearts Go with Ronnie Wood, the Ed Sheeran-penned 18, Night Changes becoming their most streamed song, the fan campaign that pushed No Control onto the tour setlist, and Clouds as a stadium opener. Then we play Cut or Keep and give our final ratings.
Is FOUR the peak of One Direction’s sound, or does the stadium rock pivot lose steam in the back half? As always, it’s an honest, unfiltered take. No hype, no fluff. Viewer discretion is advised. Your fave will be criticized.
Timestamps:
• 0:00 - Intro
• 0:23 - Album Info
• 2:10 - Album Cover
• 4:23 - "Steal My Girl"
• 11:36 - "Ready to Run"
• 14:54 - "Where Do Broken Hearts Go"
• 18:59 - "18"
• 23:03 - "Girl Almighty"
• 26:18 - "Fool's Gold"
• 29:28 - "Night Changes"
• 36:24 - "No Control"
• 42:31 - "Fireproof"
• 47:30 - "Spaces"
• 49:47 - "Stockholm Syndrome"
• 53:23 - "Clouds"
• 56:48 - Cut or Keep
• 57:57 - Overall Thoughts & Final Rating
References:
• “Steal My Girl” MV https://youtu.be/UpsKGvPjAgw?si=9oBWKVr7VkXCuQrW
• Journey - “Faithfully” MV https://youtu.be/OMD8hBsA-RI?si=q6wl3lKogiwLslCg
• “Ready To Run” Live on SNL https://youtu.be/pyvA18eQlLo?si=axoJimvaIoAjUECr
• “Where Do Broken Hearts Go” with Ronnie Wood Live at X Factor https://vimeo.com/114516723
• “Girl Almighty” Live https://youtu.be/OR4TozGCkA4?si=8lTly2KtN2AnZbZQ
• “No Control” Live at Jimmy Kimmel https://youtu.be/YEY6-wBlfL4?si=pReiIKz_zSE8f_C1
• Carpool Karaoke with James Corden https://youtu.be/329xjDM7YaE?si=7tbt_LgYwiny5Fzc
• “Night Changes” MV https://youtu.be/syFZfO_wfMQ?si=albzP-l9EAc7fPAY
• “Fireproof” Live https://youtu.be/KFamUR3lgao?si=7rthBm6NcxqSeBDo
• Mitski - “Fireproof” Cover https://youtu.be/CAR1nedwyGY?si=fw2D-s9Z5xrVHKge
• “Clouds” Live https://youtu.be/ltUNp3Mchmo?si=k-v5AMfH0RVQD9HI