On the 23rd of July in 2010, five boys were put together to form a band that would soon compete on one of the UK's most popular talent shows (or it was one of the most popular at the time, I'm not sure where it stands now). They had originally been voted off, but were given a second chance. A chance to, as clichéd as it sounds, make all of their dreams come true. And while it probably cost them a little more than they wanted it to in the end, that is exactly what they did.
I've written about the band before in a previous article called "It's a Comfort for Me" and I used One Direction gifs to write an article called "The Life Of A College Student as Told By One Direction". I wanted to use my platform here on Odyssey to give light to some of the amazing things that the fans have been able to witness over the course of the past few years. Most of our favorite moments are now based upon what happened after Zayn left--so my apologies for that. Enjoy the blast to the past as a celebration for One Direction's 6th anniversary as a band.
During the early days they played a game titled "Spin the Harry".
God bless Harry's Vine account. Abandoned, but never forgotten.
One of my favorite music videos that was released before Zayn left was for the song Best Song Ever. The music video was like a little movie.
There was also a movie released called "This Is Us". While the truth behind some of the things in the movie remains a subject of debate in some cirlces, it was definitely an amazing part of the history of this band.
The behind the scenes footage of all the photoshoots are great, but one that humors a lot of the fans is the one for the band's fourth studio album FOUR.
One of the best things that happened for us was the release of Drag Me Down. This was released after Zayn left the band, and the way people reacted to it was incredible.
One of my personal favorite things that any member of this band had done would be Harry running around onstage with rainbow flags. It meant so much to the fans that are on the LGBT+ spectrum, and it warms my heart that he is so aware of that. Along with the flags would be the interviews that happened in November of 2014 where Harry said gender was "not that important" in a partner.
James Corden of The Late Late Show has never let the One Direction fandom down. He brought us things like Tattoo Roulette and Carpool Karaoke.
One Direction also participated in Radio 1's Live Lounge. It was so fun to watch them sing songs they either had not sung often, or had not sung at all. It was the first and only time they had participated! So here is the clip of them singing FourFiveSeconds.
At the very last concert of the On The Road Again tour, the boys sang their song Act My Age. Their families danced on the floor and the boys played the ending over and over again. It was actually really emotional to watch as a fan.
One of the final things the boys did before they 'started' their hiatus was perform on The X Factor UK. After weeks of fans' uncertainties, it was a blessing and a reminder of the boys' love for us when we saw them perform History.
The performance on X Factor brought us full circle and left us with a message that we needed. They reassured the fans that they would be back and most of us are holding onto that. So, One Direction, happy 6 years. Thank you for the smiles, laughs, and the friends. And thank you for all of the music. I love you, and I cannot wait for you all to return better than ever.
(This art is by audiesstar on Tumblr.)
