Steal My Girl

Did You Know?

• Sheet music for the song is in the key of B major with a tempo of 78 beats per minute.
• The lyrics fret over the potential for rivals to take the group's girlfriends away.

Background and release

Liam Payne posted on Twitter about the song's upcoming release on September 14, 2014. The track appeared online a day early, on September 28, after being leaked. It hit stores globally on September 29, but fans in the UK had to wait until October 12, when it came out with a bonus remix by Payne, called the Big Payno and Afterhrs Pool Party Remix. Co-writer Louis Tomlinson called it a "feel-good song" that fit the style of the band's last album, Midnight Memories.

Critical reception

Music critics gave the song acclaim. Lucas Villa of AXS praised its classic rock sound, noting similarities to Journey's "Faithfully" and calling it "a pretty neat and new direction for the band." Samantha Highfill of Entertainment Weekly described the song as "dad-friendly," emphasizing its classic rock sound. Billboard awarded it four and a half out of five stars, stating it "represents the group's most tremendous Van Halen impression yet."

Jim Farber of the Daily News called it a throwback to 1970s/80s arena-rock ballads, writing that it "boasts a sumptuous production and a chorus guaranteed to make young girls around the world swoon." Christina Lee of Idolator wrote that the song "morphs into a soaring stadium pop anthem." Mikael Wood of The Baltimore Sun wrote that "One Direction is going dad rock." Hayley Williams and Chad Gilbert noted similarities to New Found Glory's "It's Not Your Fault."

Music video

The music video was directed by Ben and Gabe Turner. It featured Danny DeVito, a juvenile chimpanzee, sumo wrestlers Yamamotoyama Ryūta and Ulambayaryn Byambajav, acrobats, and a marching band. Retired rhythmic gymnast Julie Zetlin appeared wearing a leotard previously worn by Belarusian gymnast Inna Zhukova. In the video, DeVito meets the group in the desert and serves as their visionary director, dubbing each member a different expression: Harry is love, Niall is light, Liam is power, Louis is danger, and Zayn is mystery. The clip includes Liam smashing silver balls spelling "inhibitions," Zayn with sumo wrestlers, Niall dancing with a Maasai tribe, Liam leading a marching band, Harry surrounded by masked ballet dancers, and Louis with a chimpanzee and various animals. A rain effect closes the video with all participants together.