What Makes You Beautiful

Did You Know?

• The song was written by Savan Kotecha and Carl Falk and produced by Yacoub and Falk.
• The opening guitar riff has been noted as similar to that of "Summer Nights" from the musical Grease.
• The music video was filmed over two days in July 2011 in Malibu, California, and features the band driving an orange campervan.

Release and promotion

The song premiered on BBC Radio 1 on 10 August 2011 and was released digitally by Syco Music in Europe, Australia and New Zealand on 11 September 2011. A CD single followed in the United Kingdom on 12 September 2011, and later in Australia and Germany. In North America, it was released digitally in Canada on 31 January 2012, in the United States on 14 February 2012, and sent to US contemporary hit radio on 28 February 2012. For the North American release of Up All Night, Columbia Records executives used a social media marketing campaign that reversed the usual pattern of releasing a single on radio.

The campaign asked fans to sign petitions and enter video competitions to win a concert in their town. One Direction's Facebook followers in the United States rose from 40,000 to 400,000, and the song sold more than 131,000 copies in its first week before any radio play. Radio programmers received many calls from fans, with manager Johnny Wright comparing the phenomenon to the return of the Beatles.

Critical reception

Critics generally liked the track. Digital Spy's Robert Copsey gave it four stars, praising its memorable tune and describing it as sweet, innocent, and likely to get people talking. PopMatters' Zachary Houle called it a lively dance track. NME's Ailbhe Malone noted its simple chord structure made it easy to play at a party, and that it appealed to teens.

Newsround found it fun, energetic, and very catchy. AllMusic's Matthew Chisling labeled it a fresh, bubbly love song for young audiences. Cosmopolitan's Sophie Goddard said it was incredibly catchy. Student Jack Murray gave it a perfect score, calling it the best pop single of the year and possibly the best ever from an X Factor contestant, praising the songwriting and light production.

Entertainment Weekly's Tanner Stransky gave it a B+, calling it shallow but charming, and said it proved boy bands were still relevant. Billboard's Jason Lipshutz called it the real deal and endlessly replayable, noting its cheeky electro-pop style. The song won the Brit Award for Best British Single at the 2012 Brit Awards and the Teen Choice Award for Choice Music: Love Song at the 2012 Teen Choice Awards.

Chart performance

The song performed well worldwide, debuting at number one on the Irish Singles Chart on 15 September 2011 and topping the chart for four consecutive weeks. In the UK, it received the highest ever number of pre-orders for a Sony Music Entertainment single and entered the UK Singles Chart at number one on 18 September 2011, shifting 153,965 copies in its first week. It also debuted at number one on the Scottish Singles Chart. The song was the 20th best-selling single of 2011 in the UK, moving 540,000 copies, and has sold over 1,000,000 copies there.

In Belgium, it peaked at number 8 on the Flemish Ultratop 50 and number 19 on the Wallonian Ultratip. On the French Singles Chart, it peaked at number 38. In Sweden, it peaked at number 29 and was certified quadruple platinum. In Australia, it peaked at number 7 and was certified six times platinum. On the New Zealand Singles Chart, it peaked at number 2 and was certified double platinum.

Live performances

One Direction first performed "What Makes You Beautiful" on Red or Black? on 10 September 2011, with a performance that involved the band boarding a London Tube carriage full of fans and then making their way to the television studio. The band performed the song at the BBC Radio 1 Teen Awards on 9 October 2011 and to open telethon Children in Need 2011 on 19 November 2011. They performed it at Capital FM's Jingle Bell Ball on 4 December 2011 at The O2 Arena, and performed a medley of "She Makes Me Wanna" and "What Makes You Beautiful" with JLS on The X Factor eighth series final on 10 December 2011. The group also performed the song on Dancing on Ice on 5 February 2012.