"More Than This" is a song by English-Irish

boy band A boy band is loosely defined as a vocal group consisting of young male singers, usually in their teenage years or in their twenties at the time of formation. Generally, boy bands perform love songs marketed towards girls and young women. Ma ...

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 gro ...

from their debut studio album, '' Up All Night'' (2011). It was produced by

Brian Rawling Brian Rawling is a British record producer and songwriter. He is the managing director of publisher and production company Metrophonic. Rawling has produced singles and albums for artists such as Cher, with whom he won a Grammy in 1999 for his w ...

and Paul Meehan, and was composed 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, ha ...

. Primarily backed by

synthesizer A synthesizer (also spelled synthesiser) is an electronic musical instrument that generates audio signals. Synthesizers typically create sounds by generating waveforms through methods including subtractive synthesis, additive synthesis ...

s, the track is an acoustic

pop Pop or POP may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Music * Pop music, a musical genre Artists * POP, a Japanese idol group now known as Gang Parade * Pop!, a UK pop group * Pop! featuring Angie Hart, an Australian band Albums * ''Pop'' (G ...

ballad about an

unrequited love Unrequited love or one-sided love is love that is not openly reciprocated or understood as such by the beloved. The beloved may not be aware of the admirer's deep and pure affection, or may consciously reject it. The Merriam Webster Online Dic ...

. "More than This", the album's fourth and final single, was released digitally by

Syco Music Syco Music is a defunct division of Syco Entertainment founded by British entrepreneur and record executive Simon Cowell. Originally founded as S Records, the label launched while Cowell was still employed by BMG, the label oversaw music rele ...

on 25 May 2012. "More than This" obtained generally favourable reviews from critics, who commended the balladry, but only charted on

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and

Irish Irish may refer to: Common meanings * Someone or something of, from, or related to: ** Ireland, an island situated off the north-western coast of continental Europe ***Éire, Irish language name for the isle ** Northern Ireland, a constituent unit ...

charts. An accompanying

music video A music video is a video of variable duration, that integrates a music song or a music album with imagery that is produced for promotional or musical artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a music marketing devi ...

, directed by Andy Saunders, depicts the group performing the track live as part of their Up All Night Tour (2011–12). One Direction performed the

ballad A ballad is a form of verse, often a narrative set to music. Ballads derive from the medieval French ''chanson balladée'' or '' ballade'', which were originally "dance songs". Ballads were particularly characteristic of the popular poetry and ...

during two of their major concert tours: Up All Night Tour (2011–12) and Take Me Home Tour (2013).

Development and composition

After being formed and finishing third in the seventh series of ''

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'' in 2010, One Direction were signed to

. Recording for their debut studio album, '' Up All Night'', began in January 2011. In February 2011, the boy band and other contestants from the series participated in the ''X Factor'' Live Tour. After the tour concluded in April 2011, the group continued working on ''Up All Night''. "More than This", confirmed to be released as ''Up All Night'' fourth single by

Sony Music Australia Sony Music Entertainment Australia is the predominant record label operated by American parent company Sony Music Entertainment in Australia. SMEA also formerly published and distributed video games in Australia & New Zealand on behalf of Sony ...

in early May 2012, was released via digital download on 25 May 2012. The digital download contains the principal recording, and live versions of the number itself, "

What Makes You Beautiful "What Makes You Beautiful" is the debut single by English-Irish boy band One Direction. It served as their debut single and lead single from their debut studio album, '' Up All Night'' (2011). Written by Savan Kotecha and producer Rami Yacoub ...

", " Gotta Be You", and "Up All Night". Produced by Brian Rawling and Paul Meehan, and written by

, "More than This" is an acoustic

that runs for 3:48 (3 minutes, 48 seconds). The

chorus Chorus may refer to: Music * Chorus (song) or refrain, line or lines that are repeated in music or in verse * Chorus effect, the perception of similar sounds from multiple sources as a single, richer sound * Chorus form, song in which all verse ...

of the song is predominantly backed by synthesizers. One Direction's

vocal range Vocal range is the range of pitches that a human voice can phonate. A common application is within the context of singing, where it is used as a defining characteristic for classifying singing voices into voice types. It is also a topic of st ...

in the span from the note of F₃ to A₄. Written in the

key Key or The Key may refer to: Common meanings * Key (cryptography), a piece of information that controls the operation of a cryptography algorithm * Key (lock), device used to control access to places or facilities restricted by a lock * Key (ma ...

C major C major (or the key of C) is a major scale based on C, consisting of the pitches C, D, E, F, G, A, and B. C major is one of the most common keys used in music. Its key signature has no flats or sharps. Its relative minor is A minor a ...

, the track is set in

common time The time signature (also known as meter signature, metre signature, or measure signature) is a notational convention used in Western musical notation to specify how many beats (pulses) are contained in each measure (bar), and which note value ...

at a moderate

tempo In musical terminology, tempo ( Italian, 'time'; plural ''tempos'', or ''tempi'' from the Italian plural) is the speed or pace of a given piece. In classical music, tempo is typically indicated with an instruction at the start of a piece (ofte ...

of 70

beats per minute Beat, beats or beating may refer to: Common uses * Patrol, or beat, a group of personnel assigned to monitor a specific area ** Beat (police), the territory that a police officer patrols ** Gay beat, an area frequented by gay men * Battery ( ...

Instrumentation Instrumentation a collective term for measuring instruments that are used for indicating, measuring and recording physical quantities. The term has its origins in the art and science of scientific instrument-making. Instrumentation can refer to ...

includes guitar, strings, piano lines, vocals and synthesizers. The lyrical content regards an

. It features an acoustic guitar riff similar to that of

Jonas Brothers The Jonas Brothers () are an American pop rock band. Formed in 2005, they gained popularity from their appearances on the Disney Channel television network. They consist of three brothers: Kevin Jonas, Joe Jonas, and Nick Jonas. Raised i ...

' song Make It Right from the album

Manish Manish (''also'' Maneesh) (Devanagari: मनिष ''or'' मनीष) is a common Hindu masculine given name that literally means "The God of the Mind" or the one who has controlled and mastered one's mind (representing an intellectual, geniu ...

Reception

Robert Copsey of ''

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'' was surprised by the group's "ability to carry off a sizeable ballad," regarding it as one of the best boy band ballads in recent years. ''

Cosmopolitan Cosmopolitan may refer to: Food and drink * Cosmopolitan (cocktail), also known as a "Cosmo" History * Rootless cosmopolitan, a Soviet derogatory epithet during Joseph Stalin's anti-Semitic campaign of 1949–1953 Hotels and resorts * Cosmopoli ...

s Sophie Goddard deemed the song a laudable addition to the balladry pantheon. ''

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 advertis ...

'' correspondent Jason Lipshutz classified it as "One Direction's own "

All I Have To Give "All I Have to Give" is a song by American boy band Backstreet Boys, produced and written by Full Force, and released as the third and final single from their second album '' Backstreet's Back'' and the sixth and final single from their US debut ...

," and opined that its synthesizers add a dignified demeanour to the refrain. In contrast,

PopMatters ''PopMatters'' is an international online magazine of cultural criticism that covers aspects of popular culture. ''PopMatters'' publishes reviews, interviews, and essays on cultural products and expressions in areas such as music, television, f ...

writer Zachary Houle criticised the song as jarring, and dismissed it as "a bit cloying," which he attributed to band's "'90s ancestors." The track was One Direction's fifth best-selling song in the UK by August 2012. Despite charting at number 49 on the

Australian Singles Chart The ARIA Charts are the main Australian music sales charts, issued weekly by the Australian Recording Industry Association. The charts are a record of the highest selling songs and albums in various genres in Australia. ARIA became the offici ...

dated 20 May 2012, the single received a gold certification from the

Australian Recording Industry Association The Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) is a trade association representing the Australian recording industry which was established in the 1970s by six major record companies, EMI, Festival, CBS, RCA, WEA and Universal replac ...

(ARIA) for shipments of 35,000 copies. The single reached number 39 on

Irish Singles Chart The Irish Singles Chart is the Republic of Ireland's music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by the Irish Recorded Music Association (IRMA) and compiled on their behalf by the Official Charts Company. Chart rankings are b ...

, marking One Direction's fourth top forty appearance in Ireland. The ballad also received a platinum certification from the

IFPI The International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI) is the organisation that represents the interests of the recording industry worldwide. It is a non-profit members' organisation registered in Switzerland and founded in Italy in 1 ...

Norway association, indicating sales of 10,000 units.

Promotion

The accompanying

was directed by Andy Saunders at the

Bournemouth International Centre The Bournemouth International Centre (commonly known as the BIC ) in Bournemouth, Dorset, was opened in September 1984. It is one of the largest venues for conferences, exhibitions, entertainment and events in southern England. Additionally, it ...

in January 2012, as part of One Direction's '' Up All Night Tour'' (2011–12). On 9 May 2012, Sony Music Australia disclosed via social networking website Twitter that a video for the track would premiere on 11 May. A 30-second preview of the clip, which showed the group gather around a couch onstage and sing the piece, premiered on ''

Entertainment Tonight ''Entertainment Tonight'' (or simply ''ET'') is an American first-run syndicated news broadcasting newsmagazine program that is distributed by CBS Media Ventures throughout the United States and owned by Paramount Streaming. ET also airs in Aust ...

'' on 9 May. On 11 May, the clip debuted, a live performance of the song featured on their debut

video album A music video is a video of variable duration, that integrates a music song or a music album with imagery that is produced for promotional or musical artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a music marketing device ...

, '' Up All Night: The Live Tour'', which was released on 28 May. Writing for

MTV News MTV News is the news production division of MTV. The service is available in the US with localized versions on MTV's global network. In February 2016, MTV Networks confirmed it would refresh the MTV News brand in 2016, to compete with the likes ...

, Jocelyn Vena suggested that fans would appreciate the clip's sequences. On 12 March 2012, One Direction performed "More than This", " One Thing" and "

" at the

Rockefeller Center Rockefeller Center is a large complex consisting of 19 commerce, commercial buildings covering between 48th Street (Manhattan), 48th Street and 51st Street (Manhattan), 51st Street in Midtown Manhattan, New York City. The 14 original Art Deco ...

on ''

The Today Show ''Today'' (also called ''The Today Show'' or informally, ''NBC News Today'') is an American news and talk morning television show that airs weekdays from 7:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. on NBC. The program debuted on January 14, 1952. It ...

''. An estimated 15,000 fans descended on the plaza. The group also performed the song during two of their major concert tours: ''Up All Night Tour'' and '' Take Me Home Tour'' (2013). Jane Stevenson of Canoe.ca listed the performance of "More than This" at Toronto's

Molson Canadian Amphitheatre The Budweiser Stage, originally known as the Molson Amphitheatre, is a concert venue in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is located on the grounds of Ontario Place and hosts many diverse acts, including genres like rock, pop, country, and jazz. The ...

among the show's highlights.

Charts

Certifications

References

External links

. {{authority control One Direction songs 2012 singles 2011 songs Pop ballads Songs written by Jamie Scott Syco Music singles Song recordings produced by Brian Rawling 2010s ballads