Night Changes wasn’t One Direction’s biggest hit during their heyday – reaching number seven in the UK and 31 in the US – but it has grown in reputation ever since.
In 2022, it became the first One Direction song to surpass one billion streams on Spotify; and has remained their most-popular track on streaming services ever since.
Released on 12 November, 2014, as the second single from the album Four, it is one of the band’s most mature and critically-acclaimed tracks.
The lyrics contemplate the fleeting nature of time and the loss of innocence, set against the backdrop of a love affair that’s hit the rocks.
Harry Styles takes the lead vocal in the chorus, singing: “We’re only gettin’ older, baby / And I’ve been thinkin’ about it lately / Does it ever drive you crazy / Just how fast the night changes?“
Its reflective, minor key melancholy was embraced by fans after the band went on hiatus in 2016.
It’s easy to see how the song’s messages of impermanence and regret have been adapted to express the loss they’ve experienced over the last week.