Best Song Ever

Critical response

Most critics considered the song good, though some felt it did not match its title. Will Hermes of Rolling Stone gave it 4 out of 5 stars, calling it pretty irresistible. Lewis Corner at Digital Spy also awarded 4 out of 5 stars, noting the lyrics were cheesy and the sentiment corny, but that it came close to fulfilling its title as a boyband pop anthem. A Twitter debate pointed out structural similarities to the Who's Baba O'Riley, with fans alleging copying. Who guitarist Pete Townshend denied legal action, stated he was a fan of the single, and expressed happiness that One Direction appeared influenced by the Who.

Music video

The music video was directed by Ben Winston and written by James Corden, filmed over two days at The Temple House in Miami Beach, Florida, and released on the band's Vevo channel on 22 July 2013. Over six minutes long, it shows the band arguing with clueless studio executives over their new image. Niall Horan plays Harvey, Louis Tomlinson plays Jonny, and Zayn Malik plays Veronica. Harry Styles plays Marcel and Liam Payne plays Leeroy.

Scenes from the film One Direction: This Is Us are interspersed, with the band causing chaos and dancing. The video won a British Video at the 2014 Brit Awards on 19 February 2014. It broke the Vevo 24-hour record with 12.3 million views, surpassing Miley Cyrus's We Can't Stop, though Cyrus's Wrecking Ball later broke that record. The video and song were previewed during the premiere of the Disney Channel Original Movie Teen Beach Movie three days before release, and promotional videos aired during the film's commercial breaks.

Live performances

The band debuted "Best Song Ever" live on July 30, 2013, at San Jose's SAP Center during their Take Me Home Tour, and it stayed in the setlist for the rest of the American shows until their final concert in Japan. Their first TV performance of the track was at the Teen Choice Awards on August 11, 2013. They later sang it on The Today Show (August 23), America's Got Talent (August 28), and The X Factor Australia (October 27). The song made its British television debut on November 15, 2013, during Children in Need. From then on, "Best Song Ever" served as the closing number for every show on both the 2014 Where We Are Tour and the 2015 On the Road Again Tour.

In popular culture

Musicians including Gabrielle Aplin and The Vamps have covered Best Song Ever. Weird Al Yankovic included it in his polka medley NOW That's What I Call Polka! on his 2014 album Mandatory Fun. In the 100th episode of Mad, a sketch features One Direction watching the show and singing a parody calling it the worst show ever. Munch's Make Believe Band, the fictional band at Chuck E. Cheese's restaurants, covered the song in fall 2014.