13 Iconic Moments from One Direction’s Glory Days

It’s hard to believe we have already come upon One Direction’s 13th Anniversary. It’s even harder to believe that 18 months has quickly become more than 7 years. Of course, we all still miss the peak days of One Direction (and probably forever will), but looking back, we’ve made some pretty amazing memories with our five favourite guys. To celebrate, here are 13 of One Direction’s funniest, most incredible memories from the archive.

1D Day

One of my favourite One Direction memories is looking back on what they coined 1D Day, a seven-hour-long interactive live stream to unite fans around the world with exclusive content and entertainment. Highlights included Niall’s purple hair and special guest, Piers Morgan, who in true Piers fashion, grilled the boys on their careers so far. Liam and Harry even took to the runway with supermodel Cindy Crawford and how could we forget Harry listening to the new album with fans in that telephone booth?

San Siro

Quite possibly one of One Direction’s most iconic concerts of all time, the performances at San Siro Stadium in Milan, Italy will be remembered by Directioners forever. These iconic performances were made up of a plethora of Directioner’s favourite things; the bandana adorned Harry, the iconic on-stage selfie between the five boys, and of course, the San Siro fan project. As Louis was singing the opening lines to fan-favourite track “Right Now,” every fan in the stadium held up a piece of paper that collectively read ‘We Are 1D Family’. The boys were incredibly moved and this moment of unity echoes across the fandom to this day.

Torn

Widely known as one of One Direction’s first performances together at the X-Factor Judges’ Houses, it was also one of their final performances in the BBC’s Live Lounge. Thus, making a very full circle ending to 1D’s journey to musical history.

One Direction, This Is Us documentary

Directioners across the world were delighted at the news of a 1D concert documentary giving fans an inside look into the iconic band’s life, as well as a personal look at their day-to-day life. Some of the most memorable scenes are Harry taking us on a tour through his hometown, Holmes Chapel, Niall messing around backstage, and a never-before-seen look behind the scenes of tour rehearsals. “This is Us” marked a huge shift for the fandom, and the movie serves as a comfort watch for many fans even ten years after its premiere. 

Best Song Ever music video

Where are One Direction’s Emmys for this performance? – That’s all I have to say looking back on this MV. All five boys were transformed into their now widely referenced alter egos: Harvey (Niall), Marcel (Harry), Johnny (Louis), Veronica (Zayn), and Leeroy (Liam). Above all, this music video is a fun, nostalgic look back into arguably the peak years of being a Directioner, in 2013. 

The final performance of History

This remains a tough watch for many fans, as it marked the band’s last performance together prior to going on their supposed eighteen-month hiatus. It sees Louis, Niall, Liam, and Harry come together for one last emotional performance of History, back where it all began on the X Factor final stage. It’s safe to say that their final embrace at the end of this performance has stuck with fans even eight years later, translating into several gifs and clips that continue to be shared today.

Where Do Broken Hearts Go featuring Ronnie Wood

One of One Direction’s most overlooked moments is this incredible performance. Rolling Stones guitarist Ronnie Wood joined the guys on stage at the 2014 X Factor final. It was a beautiful picture of two of Britain’s most well-known bands in modern history coming together to deliver a show-stopping performance guaranteed to blow the audience away. Just pretty iconic, tbh.

What Makes You Beautiful

What Makes You Beautiful, the band’s first single, first hit, first number one, and first official music video was a cataclysmic start to their unprecedented success. Despite being a relatively simple, upbeat pop hit, this song represents so much more. It was the beginning of 1D, and the international impact the band would create over their short five years together.

Teenage Dirtbag – the epitome of ‘fangirlism’ in 2013

I don’t think it’s a stretch to say that few things had a bigger impact on me than when I first watched One Direction and 5 Seconds of Summer perform their rendition of Teenage Dirtbag in Melbourne in 2013. Firstly, the fact that 5SOS and One Direction had concerts together is something else to discuss entirely – I mean, talk about a dream lineup! But aside from the vocals and pie fights during this performance, the rendition sealed its position firmly in the 1D history books (no pun intended).

Carpool Karaoke with James Corden

Another one of my favourite One Direction moments, as well as a comforting video, is their Carpool Karaoke video with none other than James Corden. Some highlights from this would easily be their rendition of Drag Me Down, in which Harry hits that ridiculous high note that left fans in disarray, the iconic No Control dance, and it wouldn’t be right to end the video without stopping at McDonald’s. 

2014 AMAs Performance

This evening provided so much content for us Directioners including one of the most profound moments in 1D history… Zayn’s strand of hair. Yes, that iconic strand that fell perfectly onto his face, made a debut at this awards show. The boys also all dressed to impress with all five donning all-black ensembles. Besides that life-changing moment, the boys’ performance of Night Changes was piercingly beautiful, and still gives me chills when watching back to this day.

Where We Are Tour Intro Video

There really isn’t anything more exciting than waiting for your favourite artist to come onstage, and One Direction nailed this anticipatory introduction for the fans. While this isn’t necessarily one moment in 1D’s history, this tour intro video certainly had a lot of impact on Directioners from around the world. The video follows the boy’s around iconic city landmarks and locations, echoing the theme of Where We Are, and nothing gets me more excited than hearing that guitar riff that loops throughout the video.

Dodgeball with James Corden

With his second appearance in this article, we have James Corden to thank for so many of our favourite moments with the boys, but this game of dodgeball stands out. Firstly, you had everything from the matching uniforms (long live Corden’s Angels), the locker room banter, and of course, no one could forget the faux shower scene at the end. Of course, this was just the beginning of Harry’s dodgeball career, when four years later, he would reutnr for more with Corden in a game of Team USA vs Team UK.