"What Makes You Beautiful" | ||||||||
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Single by One Direction | ||||||||
from the album Up All Night | ||||||||
B-side | "Na Na Na" | |||||||
Released | 11 September 2011 | |||||||
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Genre | Power pop | |||||||
Length | 3:23 | |||||||
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One Direction singles chronology | ||||||||
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"What Makes You Beautiful" is a song by English-Irish boy band One Direction. It served as their debut single and lead single from their debut studio album, Up All Night (2011). Written by Savan Kotecha and producer Rami Yacoub, the song was released by Syco Records on 11 September 2011. The uptempo power pop track features a prominent guitar-based chorus and riff. The middle eight consists of a "na na na" hook while the opening guitar riff is similar to that of the song "Summer Nights" from the Broadway musical and motion picture Grease as well as interpolations of The McCoys's 1965 single "Hang on Sloopy" .
"What Makes You Beautiful" was a commercial success, reaching number one in several countries. It has been certified quadruple platinum in the US with sales of 4.8 million copies as of June 2016. The single peaked at number four on the US Billboard Hot 100 and number one on the UK Singles Chart. The song won the 2012 Brit Award for Best British Single and was generally complimented by contemporary music critics, who highlighted the appeal to the teenage audience and the pop sensibility. It debuted at number one on the UK Singles Chart after setting a Sony Music Entertainment pre-order record and selling 153,965 copies in its first week. The single also topped the Irish and Scottish Singles Charts, and reached the top ten on the Australian and New Zealand Singles Charts, Flemish Ultratop 50, Canadian Hot 100, and the Japan Hot 100. It has been certified quadruple platinum in the US with sales of 4.8 million copies as of June 2016.