"Steal My Girl" is a song written and recorded by English-Irish boy bandOne Direction. It is the lead single from their fourth studio album Four (2014). It was released worldwide on 29 September 2014.[1] The single was written by band members Louis Tomlinson and Liam Payne and regular collaborators Jonathan Cain, Wayne Hector, John Ryan, Ed Drewett and Julian Bunetta.[1] It was produced by Bunetta, Ryan and Pär Westerlund.
Background and release
On 14 September 2014, Payne tweeted the upcoming release of the song.[1] On 28 September, one day before its official release, the song was leaked on the internet.[2] The single became available worldwide on 29 September,[1] except in the United Kingdom,[3] where it was released on 12 October with a b-side of Payne's remix of the recording, called the Big Payno and Afterhrs Pool Party Remix.[3] The song's co-writer Louis Tomlinson said the single was a "feel-good song and it’s not too far away from the last album"—Midnight Memories.[4]
Composition and lyrics
The song has a piano part similar to that of Journey's "Faithfully".[5] One reviewer found the song reminiscent of 1980s music, like their previous studio album.[6] The lyrics fret over the potential for rivals to take the group's girlfriends away from them, and why they matter to them.[7] Sheet music for the song "Steal My Girl" was in the key of B major (performed in B♭ major) with a tempo of 78 beats per minute.[8]
Critical reception
The song received acclaim from music critics. Lucas Villa of AXS praised One Direction's classic rock sound of "Steal My Girl", noting similarities to Journey's "Faithfully". He wrote that "the guys have been digging in their parents' record collections" and calling the song "a pretty neat and new direction for the band."[9] Samantha Highfill of Entertainment Weekly suggests that the song is "dad-friendly", emphasizing the classic rock sound.[5]Billboard gave the song four and a half out of five stars, stating it "represents the group's most tremendous Van Halen impression yet."[10] Jim Farber from the Daily News called it a throwback to the 1970s/80s' arena-rock ballad.[11]
Jim Farber wrote in the New York Daily News that the song "boasts a sumptuous production and a chorus guaranteed to make young girls around the world swoon," adding that it "boasts a melody that sounds like it could have come off a '70s or '80s arena-rock ballad by Journey or Foreigner. The warmly synthesized arrangement also echos the style of that particular era of homogenized pop".[12] Christina Lee of Idolator wrote that "the song is clearly a hit" that "morphs into a soaring stadium pop anthem with hard-hitting drum machine beats, glassy piano chords and that playground chant of a hook".[13] Mikael Wood of The Baltimore Sun wrote that "One Direction is going dad rock" and that the song is a "journey to the '80s".[14]
"Steal My Girl" reached number three on the UK Singles Chart,[17] the group's eighth song to reach three or higher. "Steal My Girl" reached number 13 on the US Billboard Hot 100.[18]
In the music video, DeVito meets up with the group in the middle of the desert where a video shoot is being set up, serving as their visionary director. He dubs each of the members of the group a different expression: Harry is love, Niall is light, Liam is power, Louis is danger, and Zayn is mystery. The song starts with Liam smashing a row of silver balls that spell "inhibitions" and Zayn is seen with two sumo wrestlers. Niall is seen dancing with a Maasai tribe from Tanzania, and Liam is seen as a leader of a marching band. Harry is seen surrounded by masked female ballet dancers, and Louis is seen with the chimpanzee, as well as a lion, a flock of sheep and flamingos. DeVito appears with the group throughout the video. In the end, a rain effect is used on the lot, where the group, DeVito, and all other acts appear together in one shot resembling a mix of Cirque du Soleil and Coachella.[24]
^"ČNS IFPI" (in Czech). Hitparáda – Radio Top 100 Oficiální. IFPI Czech Republic. Note: Select 50. týden 2014 in the date selector. Retrieved 16 December 2014.
^"ČNS IFPI" (in Czech). Hitparáda – Digital Top 100 Oficiální. IFPI Czech Republic. Note: Select 45. týden 2014 in the date selector. Retrieved 10 November 2014.
^"ČNS IFPI" (in Slovak). Hitparáda – Radio Top 100 Oficiálna. IFPI Czech Republic. Note: insert 201450 into search. Retrieved 16 December 2014.
^"ČNS IFPI" (in Slovak). Hitparáda – Singles Digital Top 100 Oficiálna. IFPI Czech Republic. Note: Select SINGLES DIGITAL - TOP 100 and insert 201444 into search. Retrieved 3 November 2014.
