The doo-wop vibe of this track that initiates from the get-go makes for one heck of a fun song, and the rest of the song matches up to that caliber, resulting in one of the most fun tracks on ?MITAM. songs that are a little more suited to the sound for which One Direction is known. While they should be commended for the success in channeling a sound from before their time, the ambition isn’t enough to overpower the poppy goodness of some of the ?Made in the A.M?.
Perhaps one of the least boy band-ish songs One Direction has ever done, the guys manage to flawlessly explore a vibe more similar to that of the disco era than the times they’re actually in. There’s nothing wrong with this song, per se, but in centering a track around a specific girl, they made it a bit hard for us to love it as much as some of its surrounding tracks. Who knows if there’s an actual Olivia out there that the guys are referring to with this song, but lyrics like “I live for you, I long for you” make any Directioner wish they were the ones 1D were singing about.
But both aspects of the song are enjoyable in their own way, which makes it more exciting than some of the others on the album. Upon first listen, this song sounds a bit confused: it goes from fairly upbeat, quick verses to a rather slow, pounding chorus. But let’s not completely shame the song, because after all, the overlapping singing at the end of “A.M.” (perhaps the best part of the whole track) makes up for the faulty lyrics. There’s absolutely nothing wrong with the vocals in this slower track, but when you pay close attention to the words those beautiful voices are singing, it sort of makes you go, “Huh?” - and those kind of lyrics are never really a good thing.
All the 1D guys get a chance to show off their romance singer chops, which is always a plus for their fans. If there’s any sense of boredom while listening to this slower track, the beautifully cooed “ooh”s definitely make up for it - but still don’t quite take “I Want to Write You a Song” to the level that the more successful One Direction ballads (past and present) are at.
One Direction seemed to have something to prove on ?Made In The A.M.?, as their balladic tracks on this LP felt less sugary than those from past albums, like “Gotta Be You” and “You & I.” But there is something missing with “Long Way Down” - perhaps the drag of the drawn out words are a bit much - so this one doesn’t quite measure up to others on the record.Ī sweet, almost singer-songwriter tune gets the full band treatment with this one, and it actually isn’t half bad. While “Love You Goodbye” is as eloquent as it is heart-wrenching, at the same time there’s nothing all that special about it that makes it stand out among the rest. There should definitely be variety on an album (especially one that has 17 songs on its track list), but there’s only so many slow songs that a band who is known for tracks like “What Makes You Beautiful” and “Best Song Ever” should do. 10 Songs Only Real Directioners Will Know