"Perfect" is a song by British-Irish boy band

One Direction One Direction, often shortened to 1D, are an English-Irish pop boy band formed in London in 2010. The group are composed of Niall Horan, Liam Payne, Harry Styles, Louis Tomlinson, and previously Zayn Malik until his departure from the g ...

. Released on 16 October 2015 as the second single from their fifth studio album, ''

Made in the A.M. ''Made In the A.M.'' is the fifth studio album by English-Irish boy band One Direction, released on 13 November 2015, by Columbia Records and Syco Music. This album is also the group's first album following the departure of Zayn Malik, who left th ...

'', it debuted at number one in

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel, the Irish Sea, and St George's Channel. Ireland is the s ...

, and reached the top 10 in several countries, including the

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and

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. The song was written by members

Harry Styles Harry Edward Styles (born 1 February 1994) is an English singer, songwriter, and actor. His musical career began in 2010 as a solo contestant on the British music competition series '' The X Factor''. Following his elimination, he was brough ...

and

Louis Tomlinson Louis William Tomlinson (; born Louis Troy Austin; 24 December 1991) is an English singer and songwriter. He rose to fame as a member of the boy band One Direction. Tomlinson began his career appearing in television dramas before he auditioned ...

, along with the band's regular collaborators, Julian Bunetta and John Ryan among others.

Background and composition

In various interviews, the band members and co-writers describe differing aspects of the composition and overall meaning of the song. The song is in

D major D major (or the key of D) is a major scale based on D, consisting of the pitches D, E, F, G, A, B, and C. Its key signature has two sharps. Its relative minor is B minor and its parallel minor is D minor. The D major scale is: : Ch ...

and has a tempo of 100 beats per minute. Long-time writer and producer for the band, Julian Bunetta described the writing process as 'difficult' due to the writing occurring whilst the members travelled from country to country during their 2015 On the Road Again Tour. Bunetta called the single "a jam" and stated that he plays it in his car frequently.

Critical reception

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''s Lewis Corner praised "Perfect", describing it as a "scintillating slice of '80s pop" and also said that the song was a "delicious retort" to

Taylor Swift Taylor Alison Swift (born December 13, 1989) is an American singer-songwriter. Her discography spans multiple genres, and her vivid songwriting—often inspired by her personal life—has received critical praise and wide media coverage. Bo ...

's (ex-girlfriend of band member Harry Styles) song "

Style Style is a manner of doing or presenting things and may refer to: * Architectural style, the features that make a building or structure historically identifiable * Design, the process of creating something * Fashion, a prevailing mode of clothing ...

". Brittany Spanos of ''

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first known for its ...

'' commented that the song was "a catchy ode to bad boys and the rebellious personas" while noticing that "Styles seems to directly respond to the songs Taylor Swift is rumoured to have written about him on her album ''

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''. Former band member

Zayn Malik Zain Javadd Malik ( ; born 12 January 1993), known mononymously as Zayn, is an English pop and R&B singer. Zayn auditioned as a solo contestant for the British music competition television series ''The X Factor'' in 2010. After being eliminate ...

was less complimentary about the song; in his January 2016 cover story interview in ''Billboard'', he said that the first single was "quite cool" but heard the second single and decided not to buy the album.

Chart performance

In the band's native

, "Perfect" debuted at number two. In the United States, the song became the band's sixth and final top ten hit when "Perfect" debuted at number 10 on the ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large adverti ...

'' issue dated 7 November 2015. This debut also broke

The Beatles The Beatles were an English Rock music, rock band, formed in Liverpool in 1960, that comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are regarded as the Cultural impact of the Beatles, most influential band of al ...

' record for the most top 10 Hot 100 debuts among bands.

Music video

The music video was directed by

Sophie Muller Sophie Luise Elisabeth Muller (born 31 January 1962) is a British music video director who has directed more than 300 music videos. She won a Grammy Award for Annie Lennox's 1992 '' Diva'' video album, and an MTV Video Music Award for Lennox's so ...

with additional help from actor Giovanni Ribisi and premiered on

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on 20 October 2015. The video, filmed in black and white, depicts how the band lives while on tour, and was filmed at the

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in early September 2015. The video features shots of the members as they relax in a hotel room during their 2015 tour.

Live performances

The group performed "Perfect" for the first time at the

3Arena The 3Arena (originally The O2) is an indoor amphitheatre located at North Wall Quay in the Dublin Docklands in Dublin, Ireland. The venue opened as The O2 on 16 December 2008. It was built on the site of the former Point Theatre, a smaller musi ...

Dublin, Ireland Dublin (; , or ) is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. On a bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, a part of th ...

on 16 October 2015 during the last leg of their On the Road Again Tour and continued to perform the song in their concerts until their last before their hiatus on 31 October in

Sheffield Sheffield is a city in South Yorkshire, England, whose name derives from the River Sheaf which runs through it. The city serves as the administrative centre of the City of Sheffield. It is historically part of the West Riding of Yorkshire ...

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. The band also performed "Perfect" at the

2015 American Music Awards The 43rd Annual American Music Awards was held at the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles, California on November 22, 2015. It was broadcast on ABC and hosted by Jennifer Lopez. With three awards, Taylor Swift was the big winner of the night. Jared L ...

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's Live Lounge, ''

The Ellen DeGeneres Show ''The Ellen DeGeneres Show'' (often shortened to ''Ellen'' or ''The Ellen Show'') is an American daytime television variety comedy talk show that was created and hosted by its namesake Ellen DeGeneres. Debuting on September 8, 2003, it was pro ...

'', ''

Jimmy Kimmel Live! ''Jimmy Kimmel Live!'' is an American late-night talk show, created and hosted by Jimmy Kimmel, broadcast on ABC. The nightly hour-long show debuted on January 26, 2003, at Hollywood Masonic Temple in Hollywood, California, as part of ABC's ...

'', British ''The X Factor'' as well as Jingle Ball festivals across the United States. In November 2015, the band performed the song in front of

Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, (Henry Charles Albert David; born 15 September 1984) is a member of the British royal family. He is the younger son of Charles III and his first wife Diana, Princess of Wales. He is fifth in the line of succ ...

at the

Royal Variety Performance The ''Royal Variety Performance'' is a televised variety show held annually in the United Kingdom to raise money for the Royal Variety Charity (of which King Charles III is life-patron). It is attended by senior members of the British royal ...

and Ed Power from ''

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'' listed the performance as "the fifth standout moment of the night."

Track listing

*Digital download #"Perfect" – 3:50 *Digital EP #"Perfect" – 3:51 #"

Home A home, or domicile, is a space used as a permanent or semi-permanent residence for one or many humans, and sometimes various companion animals. It is a fully or semi sheltered space and can have both interior and exterior aspects to it. ...

" – 3:14 #"Perfect" – 3:43 #"

Drag Me Down "Drag Me Down" is a song recorded by English-Irish boy band One Direction as the lead single for their fifth studio album, ''Made in the A.M.'' (2015). The song was released worldwide on 31 July 2015 and was the band's first single since Zayn M ...

" – 3:08 Note: "Home" was written by

Jamie Scott Jamie Scott (born James Christopher Needle; 12 February 1984) is an Ivor Novello Award winning English singer, songwriter and producer. Career Songwriting As a writer and producer Scott has sold over 100 million albums, 50 million singles, has ...

and

Liam Payne Liam James Payne (born 29 August 1993) is an English singer. He rose to fame as a member of the boy band One Direction. Payne made his debut as a singer in 2008 when he auditioned for the British television series ''The X Factor''. After being ...

Charts and certifications

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

References

{{Authority control 2015 singles 2015 songs One Direction songs Black-and-white music videos Irish Singles Chart number-one singles Number-one singles in Scotland Songs written by Jacob Kasher Songs written by John Ryan (musician) Songs written by Julian Bunetta Songs written by Harry Styles Songs written by Louis Tomlinson Songs written by Mozella Syco Music singles Songs written by Jesse Shatkin Song recordings produced by Jesse Shatkin Music videos directed by Sophie Muller