I think the songs are what make us "Forever Young" and "Stay Up All Night" making "Midnight Memories." "More Than This," it reminds us to "Live While We're Young," to appreciate the "Little Things." That is what makes up the "Story of My Life," that is "What Makes You Beautiful."
I had been longing for a while to write upon music and our feelings associated with it, particularly the memories made through this music. But I never thought that the passing of Liam from One Direction would urge me enough to finally channel my thoughts as a symbol of letting my emotions out.
I have never been one of those crazy fans of any band. It always started from being a seasonal fan of football to supporting Brazil for life.
But the case had been a whole lot different for One Direction (1D). I remember vividly, it was a peaceful afternoon when I was a fifth grader and my sister a 10th grader going through her last year of school. She was a wild fan of 1D to the point that she even set her phone's password to "oned" -- which I had soon figured out through the movement of her fingers on the keypad. She used to play songs of all sorts, from old ones to contemporary music, Taylor Swift and definitely One Direction.
The first song that captivated me was "Story of My Life." I didn't know much English back then, nor did I have a phone to look up the lyrics. The American accent was hard for me to grasp. Yet, every time the song was played, my mood shifted. I could feel more and more of the song as time passed by and soon got hold of the lyrics.
To me, that song was a beautiful one about a person's life and whenever I was sad, this song used to make me happy. It might seem a bit childish to many, but given that I was only 11 years old at that time, a song could have a major impact in my life.
If anyone asked me what my favourite song was, "Story of My Life" was straight at the top. Surprisingly, this song was the first ever song I had heard of any foreign band. Back in those days, songs were a part and parcel of my sister's life as well as of mine. We used to vibe together, sing out loud until our father got mad at us for creating such noise. My sister had a karaoke app and we used to sing and record the song together. Even though we've grown up, that habit of being a song-lover never changed.
Soon afterwards, I got more into knowing the band. For me, the band or the person was never the first thing that attracted me, it was always the quality of the songs and the tunes.
I can still imagine all the band members meeting together, and singing their hearts out together one last time
The first time I heard “Night Changes” was probably also when my sister was listening to it on speaker. But it was not until I had heard “Night Changes” on loop over a hundred times, that I finally realized on YouTube that it was a 1D song. Since then, none of our tours or holiday trips went without playing this out loud.
The news of the band’s breakup was also conveyed to me by my music partner, my sister. It was just a mere dream of ours to get them back together. The breaking of the band was more like a family falling apart. Even if they were still friends, their golden era never came back after Zayn left.
But now all 1D fans have lost their hope of a reunion. I can still imagine all the band members meeting together, and singing their hearts out together one last time.
Maybe, it is a lesson to all of us that what we expect is not what always happens. It is just the way life is, only once we lose people do we realize their importance in our life. Now, the reunion will happen at Liam's funeral with all the other four members, Harry, Zayn, Niall, and Louis. Nobody thought the dream of seeing their reunion would be incomplete or left unfulfilled like this.
It’s amazing how the reunion of a band mattered so much in our lives or even how the band and its songs influenced our lives so deeply. They do not know us, and probably do not realize the contribution they made with the band on other people. It has made us value life even more, to enjoy it when there is time and to not regret when things go out of hand.
I have been seeing my friends’ stories on Instagram of their many memories with 1D. “Night Changes” had always been a must in any farewell. There are people with whom you listened to “Night Changes” for the last time, with whom you haven't met since singing that song aloud together.
Staring at the starlit sky on a long drive, with earbuds and playing one direction on loop, especially “Night Changes” if it is a moonlit night, is inevitably the best experience ever.
Even if One Direction has stopped producing songs together, the ones that has been released in the past will always be gems that we can cling on to, that we can reminisce on a melancholic afternoon.
Labiba Tasnim is a student of SFX Greenherald International School.
