The Meaning Behind “Story of My Life,” a Turning Point for One Direction

One Direction were in Nottingham, England, on a tour stop, when longtime collaborator, Jamie Scott brought them a new song. “We just came into a room one day and he was like, ‘I’ve got this song that I’ve written and I want to play [it for] you,” recalled One Direction’s Niall Horan. “And we just fell in love with it the second we heard it.”

Scott, who was there for One Direction’s first songwriting session and had worked with the group since the beginning, previously co-wrote “Stole My Heart and “More Than This” from their 2011 debut Up All Night, along with “She’s Not Afraid” and “C’mon C’mon off 2012 follow-up Take Me Home.

At the time, One Direction was already on top of the world with their first two albums and starting on a third, Midnight Memories. On the album, Scott co-wrote a majority of the tracks, including the more nostalgic pop-ballad he brought to them in Nottingham, “Story of My Life.”

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‘Although I Am Broken, My Heart is Untamed Still’

Released on One Direction’s third album Midnight Memories, “Story of My Life” is the story of a doomed love, a breakup in disrepair with two members paired up on most of the verses. Along with Scott, and credited co-writers Julian Bunetta and John Ryan, each member of One Direction contributed lyrics to the song,

Verse 1: Harry Styles and Liam Payne
Written in these walls are the stories that I can’t explain
I leave my heart open
But it stays right here empty for days
She told me in the morning
She don’t feel the same about us in her bones
It seems to me that when I die
These words will be written on my stone


Pre-Chorus: Zayn Malik and All
And I’ll be gone, gone tonight (Oh-oh-oh)
The ground beneath my feet is open wide (Oh-oh-oh)
The way that I’ve been holding on too tight (Oh-oh-oh)
With nothing in between

Chorus
The story of my life, I take her home
I drive all night to keep her warm
And time is frozen (The story of, the story of)
The story of my life, I give her hope
I spend her love until she’s broke inside
The story of my life
 (The story of, the story of)

Verse 2: Horan and Payne
Written on these walls are the colors that I can’t change
Leave my heart open
But it stays right here in its cage
I know that in the morning
I’ll see us in the light up on the hill
Although I am broken, my heart is untamed still

Taking a more personal tone, Midnight Memories took listeners beneath the surface of the group with songs like “Don’t Forget Where You Belong” and “Story of My Life,” and showcased all five more as songwriters since they all had a hand in co-writing one or more tracks.

The Video

The music video, directed by Ben Winston (“Best Song Ever”), took five days to prepare. Winston and his team hung nearly 7,000 photos of the band, chronicling the evolution of One Direction, along with more personal images of their family and friends. The lyrics centered around love, and the video took fans deeper into each member’s familial life.

Opening with the band developing family photos together in a dark room, Winston brought each member’s picture to life, from past to present: Malik, aged 7, with his younger sister Waliyha; Horan, then 4, with his brother Greg; Tomlinson when he was age 8 posed with his grandparents and great-grandparents; Styles’ at 4 with his mother Anne Twist; and Payne, 10, with his family.

“Story of My Life” peaked at No. 6 in the U.S. and No. 2 in the UK, and marked the group’s fourth Top 10 hit.

Photo: One Direction (l to r) Zayn Malik, Harry Styles, Liam Payne, Louis Tomlinson, Niall Horan at Abbey Road, London, Britain, November 2010 (Shutterstock)