Wikipedia

Steal My Girl

"Steal My Girl" is a song written and recorded by English-Irish boy band One Direction. It is the lead single from their fourth studio album Four (2014). It was released worldwide on 29 September 2014.[1] The single was written by band members Louis Tomlinson and Liam Payne and regular collaborators Jonathan Cain, Wayne Hector, John Ryan, Ed Drewett and Julian Bunetta.[1] It was produced by Bunetta, Ryan and Pär Westerlund.

"Steal My Girl"
Single by One Direction
from the album Four
Released29 September 2014
Recorded2014
GenrePop
Length3:48
Label
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)
  • Julian Bunetta
  • John Ryan
  • Pär Westerlund
One Direction singles chronology
"You & I"
(2014) 		"Steal My Girl"
(2014) 		"Night Changes"
(2014)

Background and release

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On 14 September 2014, Payne tweeted the upcoming release of the song.[1] On 28 September, one day before its official release, the song was leaked on the internet.[2] The single became available worldwide on 29 September,[1] except in the United Kingdom,[3] where it was released on 12 October with a b-side of Payne's remix of the recording, called the Big Payno and Afterhrs Pool Party Remix.[3] The song's co-writer Louis Tomlinson said the single was a "feel-good song and it’s not too far away from the last album"—Midnight Memories.[4]

Composition and lyrics

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The song has a piano part similar to that of Journey's "Faithfully".[5] One reviewer found the song reminiscent of 1980s music, like their previous studio album.[6] The lyrics fret over the potential for rivals to take the group's girlfriends away from them, and why they matter to them.[7] Sheet music for the song "Steal My Girl" was in the key of B major (performed in B♭ major) with a tempo of 78 beats per minute.[8]

Critical reception

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The song received acclaim from music critics. Lucas Villa of AXS praised One Direction's classic rock sound of "Steal My Girl", noting similarities to Journey's "Faithfully". He wrote that "the guys have been digging in their parents' record collections" and calling the song "a pretty neat and new direction for the band."[9] Samantha Highfill of Entertainment Weekly suggests that the song is "dad-friendly", emphasizing the classic rock sound.[5] Billboard gave the song four and a half out of five stars, stating it "represents the group's most tremendous Van Halen impression yet."[10] Jim Farber from the Daily News called it a throwback to the 1970s/80s' arena-rock ballad.[11]

Jim Farber wrote in the New York Daily News that the song "boasts a sumptuous production and a chorus guaranteed to make young girls around the world swoon," adding that it "boasts a melody that sounds like it could have come off a '70s or '80s arena-rock ballad by Journey or Foreigner. The warmly synthesized arrangement also echos the style of that particular era of homogenized pop".[12] Christina Lee of Idolator wrote that "the song is clearly a hit" that "morphs into a soaring stadium pop anthem with hard-hitting drum machine beats, glassy piano chords and that playground chant of a hook".[13] Mikael Wood of The Baltimore Sun wrote that "One Direction is going dad rock" and that the song is a "journey to the '80s".[14]

Hayley Williams and Chad Gilbert noted similarities to New Found Glory's "It's Not Your Fault".[15][16]

Chart performance

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"Steal My Girl" reached number three on the UK Singles Chart,[17] the group's eighth song to reach three or higher. "Steal My Girl" reached number 13 on the US Billboard Hot 100.[18]

Music video

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The accompanying music video was directed by Ben and Gabe Turner.[19] The clip featured Danny DeVito, a juvenile chimpanzee,[20][21][22] sumo wrestlers Yamamotoyama Ryūta and Ulambayaryn Byambajav, acrobats and a marching band. Also in the video appears Julie Zetlin, a retired rhythmic gymnast from the United States wearing a leotard previously worn by Belarusian rhythmic gymnast Inna Zhukova.[23]

In the music video, DeVito meets up with the group in the middle of the desert where a video shoot is being set up, serving as their visionary director. He dubs each of the members of the group a different expression: Harry is love, Niall is light, Liam is power, Louis is danger, and Zayn is mystery. The song starts with Liam smashing a row of silver balls that spell "inhibitions" and Zayn is seen with two sumo wrestlers. Niall is seen dancing with a Maasai tribe from Tanzania, and Liam is seen as a leader of a marching band. Harry is seen surrounded by masked female ballet dancers, and Louis is seen with the chimpanzee, as well as a lion, a flock of sheep and flamingos. DeVito appears with the group throughout the video. In the end, a rain effect is used on the lot, where the group, DeVito, and all other acts appear together in one shot resembling a mix of Cirque du Soleil and Coachella.[24]

Track listing

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  • Digital download
  1. "Steal My Girl"
  • UK digital download[25]
  1. "Steal My Girl"
  2. "Steal My Girl" (Big Payno and Afterhrs Pool Party Remix)
  1. "Steal My Girl"
  2. "Steal My Girl" (acoustic version)

Charts

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Certifications

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Region Certification Certified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[69] 3× Platinum 210,000‡
Canada (Music Canada)[70] Platinum 80,000*
Denmark (IFPI Danmark)[71] Platinum 90,000‡
Germany (BVMI)[72] Gold 200,000‡
Italy (FIMI)[73] Gold 15,000‡
Mexico (AMPROFON)[74] 2× Platinum 120,000‡
New Zealand (RMNZ)[75] Gold 7,500*
Spain (PROMUSICAE)[76] Gold 30,000‡
United Kingdom (BPI)[77] 2× Platinum 1,200,000‡
United States (RIAA)[78] Gold 500,000‡

* Sales figures based on certification alone.
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

Release history

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Region Date Format Label Ref.
Worldwide 29 September 2014 Digital download
United Kingdom 12 October 2014 [25]
United Kingdom 13 October 2014 CD [79]
Germany 17 October 2014 [26]

Other versions

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Canadian country music artist Jade Eagleson recorded a cover of "Steal My Girl" for his 2023 album Do It Anyway.[80]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d Mitchell Peters (14 September 2014). "One Direction Announces 'Four' Album Lead Single 'Steal My Girl,' Due Late September". Billboard. Retrieved 15 September 2014.
  2. ^ "One Direction 'Steal My Girl' Leaks: Listen to '80s Channeling New Single from 'FOUR'". Music Times. 29 September 2014. Retrieved 27 October 2014.
  3. ^ a b Joanne Dorken (15 September 2014). "One Direction Announce New Single 'Steal My Girl'". MTV. Retrieved 15 September 2014.
  4. ^ "One Direction's 'Steal My Girl' Will Make You 'Feel Good'". MTV News. Archived from the original on 24 September 2014.
  5. ^ a b "One Direction channels Journey, gets dad-friendly with 'Steal My Girl'". Ew.com.
  6. ^ "1D's 'Steal My Girl' Is Here, And It Is Massive". MTV News. Archived from the original on 20 October 2014.
  7. ^ "Hear It: One Direction's 'Steal My Girl'". Nydailynews.com. 29 September 2014. Retrieved 6 January 2018.
  8. ^ "Steal My Girl". Musicnotes. 30 September 2014.
  9. ^ Villa, Lucas (28 September 2014). "Listen: One Direction continues to channel more classic rock on 'Steal My Girl'". AXS.
  10. ^ "New Singles From Lorde, One Direction, and Others". Billboard. 3 October 2014.
  11. ^ "One Direction's 'Steal My Girl': Single Review". NY Daily News. 29 September 2014. Retrieved 19 October 2014.
  12. ^ "One Direction's 'Steal My Girl': Single Review". New York Daily News. 29 September 2014.
  13. ^ "One Direction's "Steal My Girl" Surfaces Online: Listen". 28 September 2014.
  14. ^ "Listen: One Direction journeys to the '80s in new song 'Steal My Girl'".
  15. ^ Jess Denham (1 October 2014). "Paramore singer Hayley Williams accuses One Direction of 'ripping off' New Found Glory with new song 'Steal Your Girl'". The Independent. Archived from the original on 24 May 2022. Retrieved 2 October 2014.
  16. ^ Joe Lynch (30 September 2014). "Does One Direction's 'Steal My Girl' Rip Off New Found Glory, Journey, or Both?". Billboard.com. Retrieved 2 October 2014.
  17. ^ "Not a number One Direction: Meghan Trainor keeps the band from getting the top spot — Metro News". Metro. 19 October 2014. Retrieved 27 October 2014.
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  71. ^ "Danish single certifications – One Direction – Steal My Girl". IFPI Danmark. Retrieved 16 April 2023.
  72. ^ "Gold-/Platin-Datenbank (One Direction; 'Steal My Girl')" (in German). Bundesverband Musikindustrie. Retrieved 25 November 2022.
  73. ^ "Italian single certifications – One Direction – Steal My Girl" (in Italian). Federazione Industria Musicale Italiana. Retrieved 19 December 2014.
  74. ^ "Certificaciones" (in Spanish). Asociación Mexicana de Productores de Fonogramas y Videogramas. Retrieved 3 June 2022. Type One Direction in the box under the ARTISTA column heading and Steal My Girl in the box under the TÍTULO column heading.
  75. ^ "New Zealand single certifications – One Direction – Steal My Girl". Recorded Music NZ. Retrieved 20 November 2024.
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  78. ^ "American single certifications – One Direction – Steal My Girl". Recording Industry Association of America.
  79. ^ "Steal My Girl:Amazon.co.uk: Music". Amazon.
  80. ^ Daykin, James (31 August 2023). "Jade Eagleson announces his unapologetically Country album 'Do It Anyway". Entertainment Focus. Retrieved 27 September 2023.
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