You already know that we’re boy band trash here at HOF, and One Direction has not escaped our semi-creepy attentions. We’re seeing them live for the first time in August, and could not be more amped. Preparations have included: meticulous concert outfit planning, a This Is Us/Where We Are marathon and recommended fics that have me texting manic, caps-locked reactions to the stupid friends who got me in this deep in the first place. It seemed only natural to extend this obsession into our summer series of Fan Video Fridays.
With a mix of bouncy jams and impassioned ballads, One Direction has the ideal canon to soundtrack a wide range of fandom flails. So, to provide you ample end-of-the-week distraction, here are our 12 favorite 1D fan videos. They (and you) make us strong.
–Sage
Jeff and Annie – “One Thing”
Kim: Is there a more perfect One Direction song for my beloved Jeff and Annie than “One Thing”? I don’t think so. The thing that was amazing (and maddening) about these two is that Annie clearly got under Jeff’s skin in a way that he was unable to fully comprehend. He doesn’t know, doesn’t know what it is…but she’s got that one thing. “Shot me out of the sky, You’re my kryptonite. You keep making me weak. Yeah, frozen and can’t breathe.” = “Disappointing you is like choking the Little Mermaid with a bike chain.” Well, and basically every other interaction these two ever had.
Sage: Oh, STAWP. I’m not even that much of a Jeff and Annie shipper (Blasphemy, I know. I’m going to Communie Hell.) and this still got me. The song absolutely works, because as much as Jeff is so verbose about every other part of his life, he’s never been able to fully articulate why he keeps coming back to Annie. Boom: “One Thing.”
The Doctor and His Companions – “Through the Dark”
Kim: “Oh I would carry you over fire and water for your love. And I will hold you closer, hope your heart is strong enough. When the night is coming down on you, We will find a way through the dark.” Okay, who else thinks that Liam, Louis, and their co-writers are Whovians? Cause this IS the relationship between the Doctor and His Companions. On a related note, I am ready for some Doctor Who montage vids that incorporate Twelve with Nine, Ten, and Eleven. Get on that post-haste, internet.
Sage: Ughhhhh, Kim. You’re so right. Let’s get some Twelve in here. “You will see it’s easy to be loved. I know you wanna be loved.” The implication that the subject of this song doesn’t know whether or not they’re worthy of all this is so Twelve and Clara, and very Doctor Who in general. Also, here’s confirmation that Niall at least is a Whovian.
Mindy and Danny – “Kiss You”
Kim: Another PITCH PERFECT combination of song and OTP. “Kiss You” has the peppy beat of a romantic comedy and Mindy and Danny ARE that will-they-wont-they-we-hate-each-other-but-love-each-other couple. Fantastic use of their banter in this video as well. Also, I will NEVER be over the way Danny goes STRAIGHT for Mindy’s ass when they kiss on the airplane.
Sage: No easy feat to match the actual video for “Kiss You,” one of the most pleasingly homoerotic clips of all time. (They dress up like SAILORS. There’s nipple play.) But I’ll allow it for Danny and Mindy, who made will-they-won’t-they fun again. Hulu has my undying affection for keeping them alive, and I can’t wait to see what shenanigans they get up to this season. Maybe Danny will let Mindy listen to Four in the bedroom. OR CHOREOGRAPH A DANCE TO IT.
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Henry and Eliza – “The Story of My Life”
Kim: RIP Selfie, you were too beautiful to live. Luckily we are left with soul-crushing videos like this one. “Written on these walls are the colors that I can’t change. Leave my heart open but it stays right here in its cage. I know that in the morning now I see us in the light upon a hill. Although I am broken, my heart is untamed, still.” HELLO. This song is about Henry Higgs. Don’t worry. Next time, he’ll be ready.
Sage: I saved this video to watch last, because it’s still too painful. Henry will be ready next time, but we won’t be there to see it. DAMN YOU, NETWORK TV.
Annnnyway, this song is so incredibly sad, and this ship was too. For as fun and light as Selfie was, its core couple was so flawed. They had a long way to go (evidenced most clearly with the karaoke episode), so the melancholy tone of “Story of My Life” just works.
How I Met Your Mother – “Forever Young”
Kim: It’s videos like this that make me forget for a hot second that How I Met Your Mother is dead to me. Bonus points for using a lesser known 1D song.
Sage: Love a good ensemble video, me. They capture the best of shows like HIMYM, which were defined more by one giant, messy friendship than any individual relationships combined. That finale can still DIAF though.
Castle and Beckett – “One Way or Another”
Kim: I don’t even watch Castle, but I want to after this because they are just SO HOT for each other.
Sage: I DO. And I adore this song choice for Caskett, because it’s so sassy and flirty, just like them. Bonus points for this editor’s incredible use of dialogue.
Grey’s Anatomy – “Live While We’re Young”
Kim: GUYS. Remember when Grey’s Anatomy was SUPER fun and sexy? Remember when it was all about who was doing who and how much tequila Meredith and Cristina drank in their downtime? Remember when they didn’t gratuitously torture the leading lady and kill off the leading man FOR NO GOOD REASON? (Bitter, party of one, your table is waiting.)
Sage: I stopped watching Grey’s once it became clear that those days were over. But I’ll never forget the image of Cristina Yang shoving hot dogs into mouth in the hospital cafeteria.
Doctor Who – “The Story of My Life”
Kim: Okay, I know I just said this song was about Henry Higgs, but it’s also about the Doctor. “The story of my life: I take her home. I drive all night to keep her warm and time is frozen. The story of my life: I give her hope. I spend her love until she’s broke inside. The story of my life.” OH THE EXQUISITE PAIN.
Also this is my favorite 1D song, so we can have two videos to it if we want to.
Sage: If I didn’t get sick of this song when it soundtracked the choreography round in that one So You Think You Can Dance season, I NEVER WILL. And in this instance, it perfectly captures the Doctor’s inner conflict over the monumental changes (both transcendent and tragic) that he brings into his companions’ lives.
Barry and Iris – “Ready to Run”
Kim: “Ready to Run” and The Flash = a match made in FanVid heaven. I will admit that I haven’t been the biggest WestAllen shipper (mainly because I see Grant Gustin as a non-sexual puppy dog, therefore I ship him with no one) but this video has me coming around. These two crazy kids are MFEO.
Sage: Four is a wonderful and grown-up album, and these mid-tempo ballads remind me so much of the latter year Backstreet Boys. As soon as the album hit Spotify, I demanded that Kim add this song to our Rose/Doctor playlist. Because if there’s one thing that Doctor Who teaches us about love, it’s that running is super romantic.
Like Kim, I’m still on the fence about what to ship on The Flash. (I’m more interested at this moment in Joe/Barry father-son bonding and Grant Gustin/crying like the precious china doll he is.) But I will gladly allow my feelings to be manipulated by 1D and by WestAllen’s pretty smiles.
Oliver and Felicity – “What Makes You Beautiful”
Kim: And THIS makes me remember why Olicity would reduce me to a quivering mess moaning dying seal noises into a pillow. MORE OF THIS AND LESS ANGST IN SEASON FOUR PLEASE.
Sage: RIP FUN OLICITY.
Jack Dawson and Rose DeWitt-Bukater, “Live While We’re Young”
Kim: I DIED when Sage sent me this one in our research for this post. It’s Jack and Rose perfection and now I need to watch Titanic.
Sage: I literally jumped around my room like a maniac when I found this because it’s so OBVIOUS: “Hey girl I’m waitin’ on ya, I’m waitin’ on ya. Come on and let me sneak you out.” I die. Please make special note of the genius in pairing the lyric “And if we get together, yeah get together, don’t let the pictures leave your phone” with clips of the nude-y sketch.
Larry Stylinson – “Strong”
Kim: You didn’t think we would leave Larry out of this post, did you? All I have to say about this is that Harry Styles is a precious cherub. And that Harry and Louis’ love is real and cannot be denied.
Sage: “I do not gaaaaaaaaaaze at Louis Tomlinson.” – Harry Styles.
Do you ever just…punch yourself in the face because two boy band members are in love with each other and forced to keep it a secret? This song is everything; I’m Larry af right now; and no, Kim, I’m not entirely sure that Harry Styles isn’t at least half angel.
What’s YOUR favorite One Direction fan video? Let us know in the comments!
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