it’s funny that people on twitter hate tumblr so virulently bc i get it if you are logging on for the first time in 2025 tumblr probably does suck. however i wouldn’t know because i have been carefully curating my dash experience and mutual circle since 2011 and my circle of tumblrinas taken by itself is the greatest social networking site of all time
I wasn't going to make a post today for the 15th anniversary, but i coincidentally just began listening to one direction's discography again in full for the first time since Liam's passing without realizing the anniversary was coming up. and so many memories associated with these albums began bubbling up.
for those who weren't around when the band was active, i think it's difficult to really express how it felt to be part of something so... lightning in a bottle... as this band was. for many of us, one direction has our Youth. when we think back to our teens/early twenties we think about them. when we think of some of the happiest, most absurd, most seretonin filled times of our lives they are part of that, and nothing can ever untangle them from being such an integral piece of our growing up. and its oddly beautiful to have a relationship so significant like that with strangers because they were the soundtrack to our Youth.
staying up late to watch six second vines of an entire two hour concert. racing to download the songs to our computers when the brazillian youth would leak the albums before they were erased from the internet. going into any store and being bombarded with anything that brands could stick their faces onto. the chaos that was 1D Day. the launch of those cursed perfume ads. collectively hating so many of the men who surrounded the boys. showing up to the theater to see This is Us or experience the MITAM listening parties. the signings that would have so many (now iconic) interactions with fans. having so many shit posts day in and day out about things the boys did that day because they were always doing something so there was always something to talk about. screaming at the TV when they won awards and suffering through red carpets to see their collective looks. bullying them relentlessy. anticipating their tweets or vines or random Q+A's. constantly quoting their interviews like they were inside jokes. staying up late to see them perform on SNL. the pandemonium of carpool karaoke and tattoo roulette. having several nicknames for each one depending on the month. the running jokes we had that the boys were in on (i genuinely dont believe, we as a fandom, have been funnier than we were from 2010-2016.) the adrenaline rush as we finally pressed play on new music and dissecting who was singing what and what the lyrics meant.
i look back on it now, and i don't think it could be replicated. one direction genuinely lived in such a specific time where the universe had to align in so many ways for them to exist the way they did. we got 1D as soon as the internet was truly taking off. Social media really boomed around the time that One Direction came onto the scene. they, in some ways, represent so many aspects of early internet culture. there wasn't all this instant access or quick links when they were at their prime. they were one of the biggest bands in the world and although they catered to their fans heavily, there was still a distance had between them and us. drops were still special. any type of social media interaction was felt for days. fan projects were heard around the world because we all came out in droves. getting livestreams from them was rare but exciting. in the modern age of digital media, i don't think the spark would feel the same because we have so much access to stars now and everyone is forced to promote themselves relentlessly on tiktok or instagram- like imagine every boy having their own independent tiktok account and the drama that would occur because of it. things still felt so innocent and exciting in the fan-artist relationship bubble, and i just don't think the relationship they had with us and how we think of that time period would even remotely be the same if they existed in the industry climate of today. it was a short, magical period of the internet that im fortunate i was able to witness alongside their rise.
and their music. honestly, even years later their music fucking ruled. you look at all these carefully-curated modern boybands trying to catch that same momentum and see how hit and miss their music is. how generic it sounds. how cold and surgical it feels. one direction was the epitome of an apologetic boyband who sounded super sugary-pop before they evolved into their own songwriting and influencing their sound with all of their different music tastes and it felt human because it was. it was feverish and silly but also super slick and catchy and full of emotion and texture. it acts as a sonic photobook of their growth as a band as they found their footing in the industry. and they were great. they were talented. their albums ripped. they were on top for a reason, and i think people forget how unapologetic and strong their music was regardless of how you felt about them as a boyband because they did it their way and they didn't care what anyone thought about it. as i dove back into their discography this past week, you can sense all that in how their music makes you feel when you listen to it. and i think anytime i hear their music, i will feel like that for the rest of my life.
ive had a very difficult time processing liam's death this past year (as most of us have) and the finality of that when it comes to the band- as it should be. it will never be the same. and i've fought myself for years after the band went on hiatus about how some of my favorite memories of my Youth are tied to a band who have talked at length about the abuse and darkness they dealt with at such a young age by being in that band. but, ive learned to live in the grey of it all because they've also talked about all the fun they had. all the laughs they had. all the experiences they had that no one will understand but each other. all the love they gave and we gave back to them. because in some ways, even through the tougher times, there was light and i genuinely believe them when they said that they couldn't have done it without the fans. and i hate everything to do with the parasocial aspect of fame, but we were a unit. it didn't feel cheap when they said it. it didn't feel scripted. we both grew up together on this wild journey they had as they rose to fame, and we had fun together. we laughed together. we cried together. we made fun of each other. last year... we mourned together. we were part of this moment in time together, and i think that's why they are so fiercely loyal to their fans. when everything else sucked, that relationship never did.
so as we raise a glass to 15 years of this band and these guys and these memories and all the music, i want to celebrate everything they represented for so many of us throughout the years and confidently remind everyone that you shouldn't feel shame about the love you had for them when they were struggling. the serotonin you felt during times that maybe they weren't. because at the end of the day, we were a family. a huge, crazy, dumb, beautiful, intelligent, exciting family, and i know they appreciated us just like we did them. and i am so grateful for them and what they brought to my life.
because from the bottom of the stairs, to the top of the charts.... for ever and always. One band. One Dream. One Direction.
heart is in complete shambles after looking at geoff payne looking at the memorial and thanking fans and paul higgins being there like no parent should ever have to bury their child this is truly heartbreaking. and paul being there is just so. god they really were all so close and formed genuine relationships with everyone during 1d and that clip in this is us where paul says he's like the boys' dad on tour and now he's about to go bring liam back to the uk. i just. this is truly the most heartbreaking thing ever
According to sources a new boyband has been formed at Bootcamp with 5 solo contestants thought to be more promising as a group.
The boyband made up of auditionees: Louis Tomlinson, Harry Styles, Liam Payne, Niall Horan and Zayn Malik
(Liam being one of this years re-auditonee’s)
The boyband are yet unamed.
Previous groups formed at Bootcamp have usually been doomed from the start and although usually making it through to the live shows don’t go much further. Futureproof, Hope and Miss Frank to name the most well known,
i just keep thinking about louis and all of his writing about grief in his music. how he lost the mother who was his best friend and then just over a year later one of his little sisters, and now he's losing someone else who meant so so much to him - who was at one point or several points of his life his best friend. he's lost so much and now he's losing liam too. it just feels so surreal. none of this feels like it's real.
i do have to say that TMZ is a fucking plague and needs to be stomped out. the way they shared the news of michael jackson’s death before his family was notified, shared images of the kobe bryant helicopter crash before his wife had even found out it happened, and have now shared images of liam payne’s dead body for the world to see… just fucking slimy and utterly devoid of integrity
louist91 I am beyond devastated to be writing this but yesterday I lost a brother. Liam was somebody I looked up to everyday, such a positive, funny, and kind soul.
I first met Liam when he was 16 and I was 18, I was instantly amazed by his voice but more importantly as time went on I got a chance to see the kind brother I’d longed all my life for.
Liam was an incredible song writer with a great sense of melody, we often spoke of getting back in the studio together to try and recreate the writing chemistry we had built up in the band.
And for the record, Liam was in my opinion the most vital part of One Direction. His experience from a young age, his perfect pitch, his stage presence, his gift for writing. The list goes on. Thank you for shaping us Liam.
A message to you Liam if you’re listening,
I feel beyond lucky to have had you in my life but I’m really struggling with the idea of saying goodbye. I’m so grateful that we got even closer since the band, speaking on the phone for hours , reminiscing about all the thousands of amazing memories we had together is a luxury I thought I’d have with you for life. I would have loved to share the stage with you again but it wasn’t to be.
I want you to know that if Bear ever needs me I will be the Uncle he needs in his life and tell him stories of how amazing his dad was.
I wish I got chance to say goodbye and tell you one more time how much I loved you.
Payno, my boy, one of my best friends, my brother, I love you mate. Sleep well X
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