Story of My Life

"Story of My Life" is a song recorded by English-Irish boy band One Direction. It was released on 28 October 2013 by Syco Music and Columbia Records as the second single from the group's third studio album, Midnight Memories (2013). The song was written by band members Niall Horan, Zayn Malik, Harry Styles, Liam Payne, and Louis Tomlinson, along with Julian Bunetta, Jamie Scott, John Ryan, and Hanoch Dagan. The lyrics speak of a tumultuous relationship leading to lament and heartbreak. Composition "Story of My Life" is an acoustic folktronica song with indie folk elements. It runs for a total of four minutes and five seconds. Idolator compared the song to the works of Ed Sheeran, Coldplay, and Mumford & Sons. The song is written and recorded in E-flat major. According to musicnotes.com, the song runs at 120 beats per minute. This song was mixed by Joe Zook. Critical reception Sam Lanksy of Idolator called the song "surprisingly great" and noted it was a "mature midpoint" between the group's signature "rollicking pop-rock confection[s]" and "dreary ballads". Lanksy additionally called the song "merciful" and complimented it for using alternative-folk influences without "smell[ing] like spilled beer". Amy Sciarretto of PopCrush gave the song 4 out of 5 stars, calling it a "contemplative, acoustic guitar-driven song" and complimenting it for being "more memorable" than any of the group's previous works. Sciarretto noted that the song would resonate with listeners of many different ages and showed that One Direction "isn't just a boy band"; although noted the song was not as "crazy catchy" as their previous songs. Lauren Wheeler of TheCelebrityCafe.com gave the song 5 out of 5 stars noting that the lyrics were "reflective" and "much deeper than some of their bigger hits." Wheeler added that the song showed that One Direction "not only have range, but also have matured through their music." Chart performance On 31 October 2013, the song debuted at number one on the Irish Singles Chart, becoming One Direction's fourth number-one single in Ireland. The song also debuted at number one in New Zealand, becoming both their second number-one debut and single on the New Zealand Singles Chart. It reached number two in the UK, kept off the top by Lily Allen's cover of "Somewhere Only We Know". In Australia, the song debuted at number three on the ARIA Charts and has since been certified Gold.