Perfect (One Direction song)

"Perfect"
Single by One Direction
from the album Made in the A.M. and Perfect EP
Released	16 October 2015
Format	CD digital download
Genre	Pop[1]
Length	3:50
Label	Syco Sony
Writer(s)	Harry Styles Louis Tomlinson Jesse Shatkin Jacob Kasher John Ryan Maureen Anne McDonald Julian Bunetta
Producer(s)	Julian Bunetta Shatkin AFTERHRS
One Direction singles chronology
"Drag Me Down" (2015) "Perfect" (2015) "History" (2015)
Music video "Perfect" on YouTube

"Perfect" is a song written and recorded by English-Irish boy band One Direction. Released 16 October 2015, as the second single from their albums Made in the A.M. and Perfect EP 2015), it debuted at number one in Ireland, and reached the top 10 in several countries, including the UK, US, France, New Zealand and Australia. Written by members Harry Styles and Louis Tomlinson, along with regular collaborators, Julian Bunetta and John Ryan among others, the up-tempo pop hit was released to positive critical acclaim.^[2]

Background and composition

In various interviews, the band members and co-writers describe differing aspects of the composition and overall meaning of the song. The song is in D major. Long-time writer and producer for the band, Julian Bunetta described the writing process as 'difficult' due to the writing occurring whilst the members travelled from country to country during their 2015 On the Road Again Tour.^[3] Bunetta called the single "a jam" and that stated that he plays it in his car frequently.^[3][4]

Meanwhile, controversy broke over the song's meaning, with rumours arising about its relation to band member Harry Styles' brief romance with Taylor Swift in late 2012–13. The lyric "If you're looking for someone to write your break-up songs about" was analysed by media who believed referenced Swift's numerous penned songs about Styles on Swift's album 1989. Styles however, refuted these claims, "I'm never going to tell someone what it means to them, because there's a lot of songs where I feel something completely different from what the writer intended me to feel. It's obviously funny to see, but it's up to everybody's individual interpretation,"^[5] the band member repeated this stance in numerous interviews when questioned. Liam Payne also refuted this claim, stating "That one bit of the song came in very late, so it won’t change the whole realm of the song. Louis [Tomlinson] wrote on it too, so how could he write about Taylor Swift?" Tomlinson synonymously added, "Everybody draws on their own experience so it’s not a crazy thing if that's what it's about."^[6]

Music video

The music video was directed by Sophie Muller and premiered on Vevo on 20 October 2015. The video, filmed in black and white, depicts how the band lives while on tour, and was filmed at the Intercontinental Hotel in Midtown Manhattan, New York City in early September 2015.^[7] The video features shots of the members as they relax in a hotel room during their 2015 tour.

Commercial performance

In the band's native United Kingdom, "Perfect" debuted at number two. In the United States, the song became the band's second consecutive top-10 hit from their Made in the A.M. album and sixth overall when "Perfect" debuted at number 10 on the Billboard issue dated 7 November 2015, after "Drag Me Down" debuted at number three.^[8] This debut also broke The Beatles' record for the most top 10 Hot 100 debuts among bands.^[9] The song has remained in the top 50 of all main markets since its release.^[10]

Live performances

The group performed the song for the first time in 3Arena, Dublin, Ireland on 16 October 2015 during the On the Road Again Tour and continued to perform the song in their concerts until their last before their hiatus on 31 October in Sheffield, England.^[11] The band also performed the single at the 2015 American Music Awards, BBC Live Lounge, Ellen Degeneres Show, Jimmy Kimmel, X Factor UK (Week Three) as well as Jingle Ball festivals across the United States. In November 2015, the band performed the song at the Royal Variety Performance.

Track listing

• Digital download^[12]

1. "Perfect" – 3:50

• Digital EP^[13]

1. "Perfect" (Stripped) – 3:51
2. "Home" – 3:14
3. "Perfect" (Matoma Remix) – 3:43
4. "Drag Me Down" (featuring LunchMoney Lewis) (Big Payno x AFTERHRS Remix) – 3:08

Note: "Home" was written by Jamie Scott, Louis Tomlinson and Liam Payne.

Charts and certifications

Weekly charts Chart (2015–16) Peak position Australia (ARIA)[14] 4 Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40)[15] 2 Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)[16] 9 Belgium (Ultratop 50 Wallonia)[17] 21 Canada (Canadian Hot 100)[18] 13 Czech Republic (Singles Digitál Top 100)[19] 3 Czech Republic (Rádio Top 100)[20] 15 Denmark (Tracklisten)[21] 25 Finland (Suomen virallinen lista)[22] 12 France (SNEP)[23] 8 Germany (Official German Charts)[24] 20 Ireland (IRMA)[25] 1 Italy (FIMI)[26] 3 Hungary (Rádiós Top 40)[27] 8 Hungary (Single Top 40)[28] 2 Japan (Japan Hot 100)[29] 24 Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)[30] 31 Netherlands (Single Top 100)[31] 28 New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[32] 7 Norway (VG-lista)[33] 15 Poland (Polish Airplay Top 100)[34] 11 Scotland (Official Charts Company)[35] 1 Slovakia (Singles Digitál Top 100)[36] 1 South Africa (EMA)[37] 5 Spain (PROMUSICAE)[38] 11 Sweden (Sverigetopplistan)[39] 12 Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)[40] 12 UK Singles (Official Charts Company)[41] 2 US Billboard Hot 100[42] 10 US Adult Top 40 (Billboard)[43] 22 US Mainstream Top 40 (Billboard)[44] 10

Year-end charts Chart (2015) Position Australia (ARIA)[45] 91 Certifications Region Certification Sales/shipments Australia (ARIA)[46] 2× Platinum 140,000 Italy (FIMI)[47] Platinum 50,000 New Zealand (RMNZ)[48] Platinum 15,000 United Kingdom (BPI)[49] Gold 400,000 ^*sales figures based on certification alone ^^shipments figures based on certification alone sales/streaming figures based on certification alone

References

1. "10 Signs One Direction's "Perfect" Is About Taylor Swift And Harry Styles - J-14". j-14.com. 21 October 2015.
2. "One Direction Announce Brand New Single ‘Perfect’ | HJPR". www.hjpr.co.uk. Retrieved 8 December 2015.
3. "One Direction Collaborator Breaks Down Group's New Songs". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 8 December 2015.
4. ")u1!@n on Twitter: ha i dont know if i could say that. But its a jam. I play it in my car all the time". Twitter. Retrieved 8 December 2015.
5. "Did Harry Styles Confirm 'Perfect' Is About Taylor Swift?". Cambio. Retrieved 8 December 2015.
6. "Hello interview with Liam and Louis". harrylouisw.tumblr.com. Retrieved 8 December 2015.
7. Steiner, Amanda Michelle. "One Direction cause trouble in hotel rooms in 'Perfect' music video". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved 26 October 2015.
8. "The Weeknd No. 1 for Sixth Week, Adele No. 1 next week?". Billboard.com.
9. Gary Trust (27 October 2015). "One Direction Breaks The Beatles' Record With Fifth Top 10 Debut on Hot 100". Billboard. Retrieved 29 October 2015.
10. "Perfect by One Direction | Song rank based on sales, radio, streaming, and social | Ultimate Chart". ww2w.ultimatechart.com. Retrieved 8 December 2015.
11. "On the Road Again Tour".
12. "iTunes - Music - Perfect - Single by One Direction". iTunes Store (GB).
13. "iTunes - Music - Perfect - EP by One Direction". iTunes Store (GB).
14. "Australian-charts.com – One Direction – Perfect". ARIA Top 50 Singles. Retrieved 24 October 2015.
15. "Austriancharts.at – One Direction – Perfect" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40. Retrieved 29 October 2015.
16. "Ultratop.be – One Direction – Perfect" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50. Retrieved 31 October 2015.
17. "Ultratop.be – One Direction – Perfect" (in French). Ultratop 50. Retrieved 25 October 2015.
18. "One Direction – Chart history" Canadian Hot 100 for One Direction. Retrieved 27 October 2015.
19. "ČNS IFPI" (in Czech). Hitparáda – Digital Top 100 Oficiální. IFPI Czech Republic. Note: insert 201543 into search.
20. "ČNS IFPI" (in Czech). Hitparáda – Radio Top 100 Oficiální. IFPI Czech Republic. Note: insert 20165 into search.
21. "Danishcharts.com – One Direction – Perfect". Tracklisten. Retrieved 24 October 2015.
22. "One Direction: Perfect" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland. Retrieved 24 October 2015.
23. "Lescharts.com – One Direction – Perfect" (in French). Les classement single. Retrieved 25 October 2015.
24. "Musicline.de – One Direction Single-Chartverfolgung" (in German). Media Control Charts. PhonoNet GmbH. Retrieved 25 October 2015.
25. "Chart Track: Week 43, 2015". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved 25 October 2015.
26. "Italiancharts.com – One Direction – Perfect". Top Digital Download. Retrieved 24 October 2015.
27. "Archívum – Slágerlisták – MAHASZ" (in Hungarian). Rádiós Top 40 játszási lista. Magyar Hanglemezkiadók Szövetsége. Retrieved 29 January 2016.
28. "Archívum – Slágerlisták – MAHASZ" (in Hungarian). Single (track) Top 40 lista. Magyar Hanglemezkiadók Szövetsége. Retrieved 30 October 2015.
29. "One Direction – Chart history" Japan Hot 100 for One Direction. Retrieved November 28, 2015.
30. "Nederlandse Top 40 – One Direction search results" (in Dutch) Dutch Top 40. Retrieved 25 October 2015.
31. "Dutchcharts.nl – One Direction – Perfect" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved 25 October 2015.
32. "Charts.org.nz – One Direction – Perfect". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved 24 October 2015.
33. "Norwegiancharts.com – One Direction – Perfect". VG-lista. Retrieved 31 October 2015.
34. "Listy bestsellerów, wyróżnienia :: Związek Producentów Audio-Video". Polish Airplay Top 100. Retrieved February 29, 2016.
35. "Archive Chart: 2015=10-24". Scottish Singles Top 40.
36. "SNS IFPI" (in Slovak). Hitparáda – Singles Digital Top 100 Oficiálna. IFPI Czech Republic. Note: insert 201543 into search.
37. "EMA Top 10 Airplay: Week Ending 2015-12-22". Entertainment Monitoring Africa. Retrieved 5 January 2016.
38. "Spanishcharts.com – One Direction – Perfect" Canciones Top 50. Retrieved 24 November 2015.
39. "Swedishcharts.com – One Direction – Perfect". Singles Top 100. Retrieved 25 October 2015.
40. "Swisscharts.com – One Direction – Perfect". Swiss Singles Chart. Retrieved 25 October 2015.
41. "Archive Chart: 2015=10-24" UK Singles Chart.
42. "One Direction – Chart history" Billboard Hot 100 for One Direction. Retrieved October 26, 2015.
43. "One Direction – Chart history" Billboard Adult Pop Songs for One Direction. Retrieved January 19, 2016.
44. "One Direction – Chart history" Billboard Pop Songs for One Direction. Retrieved December 29, 2015.
45. "ARIA Charts - End of Year Charts - Top 100 Singles 2015". Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved 6 January 2016.
46. Ryan, Gavin (19 March 2016). "ARIA Singles: Lukas Graham '7 Years' No 1 For 5th Week". Noise11. Retrieved 19 March 2016.
47. "Italian single certifications – One Direction – Perfect" (in Italian). Federazione Industria Musicale Italiana. Retrieved 27 March 2016. Select Online in the field Sezione. Enter One Direction in the field Filtra. Select 2016 in the field Anno. The certification will load automatically
48. "New Zealand single certifications". Recorded Music NZ. Retrieved 15 January 2016.
49. "British single certifications". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 27 November 2015.