Strong (One Direction song)

"Strong"
Promotional single by One Direction
from the album Midnight Memories
Released	20 November 2013 (2013-11-20)
Studio	Enemy Dojo (Calabasas, California)
Length	3:04
Label	Syco Columbia
Songwriter(s)	Julian Bunetta John Ryan Jamie Scott[1] Louis Tomlinson[2]
Producer(s)	Julian Bunetta John Ryan

"Strong" is a song by English-Irish boy band One Direction, taken from their third studio album Midnight Memories (2013). It was released on 20 November 2013. It reached number one in New Zealand, number 15 in Austria and number 44 in Canada. It was written by Julian Bunetta, John Ryan, Jamie Scott, and Louis Tomlinson.

Background and release

"Strong" was written by Louis Tomlinson,^[2] John Ryan, Jamie Scott and Julian Bunetta. In an interview with MTV News, Bunetta said, "We got into this discussion about how when you tell someone like 'I need you, I love you and I need you 'cause you make me strong,' essentially you can scare someone off. It's pressure, so people just kind of run from it. So, that's what the lyric is," recalled Bunetta, who also helped produce songs on the album. "It's saying 'I'm sorry if I say this, but fuck it. And obviously Louis' been in a relationship [with Eleanor Calder] for a long time. It was just sort of a thing that I think all guys feel, having to uphold a man 'I'm strong' philosophy, and kind of throwing that idea out the window."^[3]

On 18 November, "Strong" was one of three tracks, along with "Diana" and "Midnight Memories", to be released ahead of the album, which was released the following week.^[4]

Reception

Michael Cragg of the Daily Mirror gave "Strong" four out of five stars and wrote: ""My hands, your hands tied up like two ships" sings Zayn to open Strong. I don't think it's about nautical bondage mind you, but more about love and feeling safe with someone that's your soulmate etc. etc. and so on. Again, it's upbeat but quite 'mature', and certainly less teenage than What Makes Your Beautiful. This isn't about a quick fumble, more a recently announced engagement. It's also ridiculously catchy."^[2] Writing for Billboard, Chris Payne called the song "a love song in the earnest, mid-tempo vein of previous track "Don't Forget Where You Belong." It's the sort of song plenty of boy bands and well-meaning soft rockers have pulled off before...."^[5]

Chart performance

The song reached number one on the Official New Zealand Music Chart, making it One Direction's third number one in New Zealand, after "Live While We're Young" (2012) and "Story of My Life".^[6] It also charted at number 48 on the UK Singles Chart,^[7] number 87 in the Billboard Hot 100^[7] and number 44 on the Canadian Hot 100.^[8]

Charts

Chart performance for "Strong"

Chart (2013)	Peak position
Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40)[9]	15
Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)[10]	6
Belgium (Ultratop 50 Wallonia)[11]	9
Canada (Canadian Hot 100)[8]	44
Denmark (Tracklisten)[12]	3
France (SNEP)[13]	15
Germany (GfK)[14]	24
Greece Digital Songs (Billboard)[15]	2
Hungary (Single Top 40)[16]	7
Ireland (IRMA)[17]	22
Italy (FIMI)[18]	8
Luxembourg Digital Song Sales (Billboard)[19]	6
Netherlands (Single Top 100)[20]	6
New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[21]	1
Portugal Digital Song Sales (Billboard)[22]	4
South Korea (Gaon)[23]	166
Spain (PROMUSICAE)[24]	6
Sweden (Sverigetopplistan)[25]	58
UK Singles (OCC)[6]	48
US Billboard Hot 100[7]	87

See also

• List of number-one singles from the 2010s (New Zealand)

References

1. Scott, Jamie (12 October 2013). "Twitter / Jamie ScottG6: So everyone can stop guessing...I co wrote 2,3,4,5,7,11 and 14 That's half i think... This album is gonna be EPIC. #MidnightMemories". Twitter. Retrieved 4 December 2013.
2. Cragg, Michael (25 November 2013). "Midnight Memories review: Track by track verdict of One Direction's new album". Daily Mirror. Trinity Mirror. Retrieved 4 December 2013.
3. Vena, Jocelyn (25 November 2013). "One Direction's Midnight Memories: Go Inside Their Late-Night Recording Sessions". MTV News. MTV. Archived from the original on 28 November 2013. Retrieved 12 February 2014.
4. One Direction (21 October 2013). "Be the first to get 4 tracks from Midnight Memories!". Retrieved 8 September 2016 – via YouTube.
5. Payne, Chris (25 November 2013). "One Direction, 'Midnight Memories': Track-By-Track Review". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved 4 December 2013.
6. "One Direction: Artist Chart History". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 28 January 2013.
7. "One Direction Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved 29 November 2013.
8. "One Direction Chart History (Canadian Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved 29 November 2013.
9. "One Direction – Strong" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40. Retrieved 4 December 2013.
10. "One Direction – Strong" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50. Retrieved 29 November 2013.
11. "One Direction – Strong" (in French). Ultratop 50. Retrieved 29 November 2013.
12. "One Direction – Strong". Tracklisten. Retrieved 29 November 2013.
13. "One Direction – Strong" (in French). Les classement single. Retrieved 29 November 2013.
14. "One Direction – Strong" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts. Retrieved 29 November 2013.
15. "Greece Digital Songs: Dec 7, 2013". Billboard. Archived from the original on 1 November 2015. Retrieved 7 December 2013.
16. "Archívum – Slágerlisták – MAHASZ" (in Hungarian). Single (track) Top 40 lista. Magyar Hanglemezkiadók Szövetsége. Retrieved 5 December 2013.
17. "Chart Track: Week 47, 2013". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved 29 November 2013.
18. "One Direction – Strong". Top Digital Download.
19. "One Direction Chart History (Luxembourg Digital Song Sales)". Billboard. Archived from the original on 21 December 2019. Retrieved 1 February 2024.
20. "One Direction – Strong" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved 29 November 2013.
21. "One Direction – Strong". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved 29 November 2013.
22. "One Direction Chart History (Portugal Digital Song Sales)". Billboard. Archived from the original on 22 December 2019. Retrieved 1 February 2024.
23. "Gaon Digital Chart : 2013년 12월 1주차]". gaonchart.co.kr. Gaon. Archived from the original on 11 December 2013. Retrieved 5 December 2013.
24. "One Direction – Strong" Canciones Top 50. Retrieved 29 November 2013.
25. "One Direction – Strong". Singles Top 100.