Four (One Direction album)

Four (stylized as all caps) is the fourth studio album by English-Irish boy band One Direction, released on 17 November 2014 by Columbia Records and Syco Music. The album was preceded by two singles, "Steal My Girl" and "Night Changes", both achieving platinum status in the US, and scoring the band their tenth and eleventh UK top-ten hits. The album was also One Direction's last with member Zayn Malik, who announced he was leaving the band on 25 March 2015.

Four
Studio album by One Direction
Released	17 November 2014 (2014-11-17)
Recorded	April–September 2014
Genre	Pop^[1]^[2] pop rock^[1]
Length	43:33
Label	Columbia Syco
Producer	Julian Bunetta Pär Westerlund John Ryan Teddy Geiger Steve Robson Matt Rad Jamie Scott Ian Franzino Afterhrs
One Direction chronology
Midnight Memories (2013) Four (2014) Made in the A.M. (2015)
Singles from Four
"Steal My Girl" Released: 29 September 2014 "Night Changes" Released: 14 November 2014

The album received generally positive reviews from music critics. It debuted at number one in 18 countries, including the United Kingdom, Australia and the United States. With Four, One Direction became the first band to have their first four albums debut at number one in the United States. According to the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI), Four was the sixth best-selling album of 2014, with 3.2 million copies sold worldwide.^[3]

Background and development

On 27 April 2014, it was confirmed that One Direction were working on their fourth studio album. Louis Tomlinson and Liam Payne worked on the majority of the album with songwriters Julian Bunetta, John Ryan, and Jamie Scott; Harry Styles and Zayn Malik also co-wrote tracks with Bunetta, Ryan, Scott and producer Johan Carlsson.

The name and cover of the album were announced on 8 September on One Direction's official website, along with a free download of a song called "Fireproof", which was available for 24 hours.^[4] "Fireproof" was written by Payne and Tomlinson along with John Ryan, Jamie Scott and Julian Bunetta, who also wrote their single "Story of My Life".^[5] In the 24-hour span, 1.1 million downloads were generated.^[6] The song was uploaded onto the band's Vevo account on 22 September.^[7]

In an interview with Simon Cowell, it was revealed that one of the songs for the album will be titled "18". The song was written by Ed Sheeran, who also wrote "Little Things" and "Moments" for the group.^[8][9] Horan came up with the name of the album, commemorating the fact that it is the band's fourth album and that it has been four years since their formation.^[10]

The album was leaked two weeks prior to its release.^[11]

Tour

 

One Direction performing at Soldier Field in Chicago, 2015

Main article: On the Road Again Tour

The On the Road Again Tour was announced on the Australian breakfast television program Today, where the band gave a pre-recorded interview releasing the details of their return to Australia. It was later announced that the band would also be touring Asia and Africa. The group will be making debuts for some countries, particularly in the United Arab Emirates. On 24 October 2014, the official One Direction site announced several more tour dates, with shows across Europe, the US, and Canada.^[12]

The tour began on 7 February 2015 in Sydney, Australia and ended on 31 October 2015 in Sheffield, England. On 19 March 2015, it was announced that group member Zayn Malik would take a break from the tour due to stress. Malik announced his official departure from the group just six days later. The tour grossed $208 million from 80 shows, selling over 2.3 million tickets.

Singles

"Steal My Girl" was released as the album's first single on 29 September 2014 worldwide and on 19 October 2014 in the UK.^[13] "Night Changes" was then released as the album's second single on 14 November 2014.^[14]

Promotional singles

There were five promotional singles released on five different days; when fans pre-ordered the album, they received an instant download of the songs.^[15] "Ready to Run" was released as the first promotional single on 6 November.^[16] "Where Do Broken Hearts Go" was released as the second promotional single on 10 November.^[17] "18" was released as the third promotional single on 11 November.^[18] "Girl Almighty" was released as the fourth promotional single on 12 November.^[19] "Fool's Gold" was released as the fifth promotional single on 13 November.^[20]

Critical reception

Professional ratings

Aggregate scores
Source	Rating
Metacritic	65/100^[21]
Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	^[1]
The A.V. Club	B−^[22]
Billboard	^[23]
The Guardian	^[2]
New York Daily News	^[24]
Irish Independent	^[25]
The Observer	^[26]
Slant Magazine	^[27]
The Daily Telegraph	^[28]
Rolling Stone	^[29]

Four received generally positive reviews from music critics. Some argued that the members' songwriting showed signs of maturity, while others claimed the musical content was too similar to the band's previous work. On Metacritic, which assigns a rating out of 100, the album received a score of 65, which indicates generally favorable reviews.

Neil McCormick of The Daily Telegraph found "an unlikely comparison to Bruce Springsteen in the quintet's latest offering", and that Four was "hard to dislike: it's cheery, uplifting, high spirited and good fun", but did still say it was "songwriting by numbers". AllMusic's review said it was the group's "fourth well-crafted, packed-with-great-pop-songs album in a row", although did cynically point out the pattern of each of said albums being released just in time for "optimal holiday-season gift-giving". Tshepo Mokoena of The Guardian gave the album a more mixed review of three-stars, again drawing comparisons with Springsteen but with the caveat of being "hardly groundbreaking pop", and Jim Faber of the New York Daily News also gave three stars and praised the group for "confronting their limitations" but at the same time questioned why whilst doing so they spent "so much time looking back with longing", pointed out an apparent "anxiety" and expressed disappointment that whilst Four represents a step forward in their history, it "represents a step back in both sound and sensibility". Andy Gill, writing for The Independent, commented that the album is "a long way from the standard X Factor fare" while praising the songwriting of Tomlinson and Payne.^[30]

Kitty Empire, writing for The Guardian, stated that the album "ups the chords a smidgen further" and that the group's "new direction owes a substantial debt to the big guitar pop of the 80s" while also adding that the group's music is "no longer kids' stuff".^[31] Jon Dolan of Rolling Stone wrote that "One Direction extend their winning streak, with echoes of the 1970s and 1980s" while also commenting that "the vocal duties are divvied up in ways that highlight the singers’ similarities" and that they "have mastered the ancient boy-band art of whispering directly into listeners’ ears".^[32] Jamieson Cox of Time wrote that "the album as a whole takes another step towards the stadium-sized rock first suggested by Midnight Memories and "their take on the sound is immaculate: arrangements are grand and spacious, with guitar lines glistening and rhythms cavernous and blooming, and the band’s increasingly distinct vocals — allowed to sparkle via the use of harmony more than ever — at the forefront" while commenting that the album sounds similar to "80s arena anthems in the vein of Journey, Bryan Adams, and Bruce Springsteen.^[33] Andrew Unterberger of Spin praised the album's 80's sound while commenting that the songs are "intoxicating, adrenalizing, and undeniably visceral blasts of old-school pop/rock, furthered by the group’s commitment to patently ridiculous lyrics" while ending the review with "the question of whether they can find a permanent safe haven is less certain — if they pretend to be Bon Jovi for long enough, will we forget that they started out as New Kids on the Block? Probably not, but hell, no boy band has ever made it this far and still managed to sell this much and sound this good".^[34]

James Reed of the Boston Globe commented that the album "is the first one that doesn’t immediately summon memories of The X Factor and that although "its mix of driving power pop, muscular harmonies, and acoustic alchemy is as manicured as the group’s previous bestsellers", is also "hints at a broader future for the lads".^[35] Mikael Wood of the Los Angeles Times said that the album "is their best work yet" while comparing the sound to Fleetwood Mac, The Beach Boys, and David Bowie.^[36] Writing with Vice, Laura Reineke wrote that "Four is "a focused, genuinely fun pop-rock album, and a sign of truly promising growth that isn't likely to taper off soon" while adding that "it’s smarter lyrically, warmer emotionally, and considerably more cohesive than any of their three previous studio outings".^[37]

Less positive reviews came from Chuck Arnold of Billboard magazine and James Rainis of Slant Magazine, both awarding just two-and-a-half stars. The former claimed "One Direction aren't ready to let go of their bubble-gum days", whilst Rainis ended his take by saying "the album's irresistibly obvious choruses, hackneyed sentiments, and puppy-eyed earnestness can come off as endearing when the songwriting is clever enough, but every misstep is, despite the band's efforts to assert more control over their music, a painful reminder of One Direction's status as a manufactured, focus-grouped pop entity." Annie Zaleski, writing for The A.V. Club, wrote that the album lacks "creative urgency" and "is dominated by pastel synth washes and inoffensive whiffs of EDM, as well as midtempo syrupy croons and sonic retreads" while ending her review with "that retreat from distinct personality—something the members possess in spades—is perhaps the most disappointing thing about Four."^[38] Ed Power of The Irish Independent commented that the album "falls short of the radical decoupling from the past such ambitions demand" and that "it's a little rugged around the edges yet at the centre is blandly, tiresomely soppy".^[39]

The album was placed at number eleven on Cosmopolitan's list of "The 20 Best Albums of 2014".^[40] Jessica Goodman and Ryan Kistobak of The Huffington Post included the album on their list of 2014's best releases, claiming that "2014 will forever be known as the year that we realized One Direction was actually, dare we say, good." Goodman further complimented the album as a "complex, feel-good trip down young love lane".^[41] Billboard named Four the best boy band album of the last thirty years, calling it "the absolute standard-bearer for the last decade of pop".^[42]

Commercial performance

Released on 12 November 2014, the album quickly rose to the top of the UK Albums Chart, with 142,000 copies sold during its first week. The album scored One Direction their third consecutive number one album.^[43] Based on UK sales, it was certified Gold by the BPI in its first week, and certified Platinum in its fourth week.

The deluxe edition of Four became the top charted album on iTunes in some 67 countries.^[44][45] In the US, the album debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 chart on the week ending 23 November 2014, with sales of 387,000. One Direction thus became the first musical group to have each of their first four studio albums debut at No. 1; the Monkees and the Kingston Trio also reached No. 1 with their first four albums but not in the first week of sales. One Direction follows three solo artists who have attained No. 1 status with their first four albums: Britney Spears and DMX in 2003, and Beyoncé in 2011. (In 2013, Beyoncé's fifth album also debuted at No. 1.)^[46] Four sold 814,000 copies in the US in 2014, the ninth best-selling album of the year.^[47] The album reached its millionth sales mark in the U.S. in August 2015,^[48] and has sold 1,016,000 as of October 2015.^[49]

Accolades

Decade-end lists

Publication	List	Rank	Ref.
Billboard	Billboard's 200 Greatest Albums of the 2010s	200	^[50]

Track listing

Four – standard edition^[51]

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Producer(s)	Length
1.	"Steal My Girl"	Louis Tomlinson Liam Payne Wayne Hector Julian Bunetta Ed Drewett John Ryan	Julian Bunetta Pär Westerlund John Ryan	3:48
2.	"Ready to Run"	Tomlinson Payne Jamie Scott Bunetta Ryan^[52]	Bunetta Ryan	3:16
3.	"Where Do Broken Hearts Go"	Harry Styles Bunetta Ruth-Anne Cunningham Theodore Geiger Ali Tamposi^[53]	Bunetta Pär Westerlund Teddy Geiger	3:49
4.	"18"	Ed Sheeran Oliver Frank^[52]	Steve Robson Matt Rad^[a] Sam Miller^[b]	4:08
5.	"Girl Almighty"	Bunetta Ryan S. Pages Mehner	Bunetta Ryan Alexander Oriet^[a]	3:21
6.	"Fool's Gold"	Scott Maureen McDonald Niall Horan Zayn Malik Styles Tomlinson Payne	Rad Jamie Scott Sam Miller^[a]	3:31
7.	"Night Changes"	Scott Bunetta Ryan Horan Malik Styles Payne Tomlinson	Bunetta Ryan	3:46
8.	"No Control"	Tomlinson Cunningham Scott Payne Bunetta Ryan	Bunetta Ian Franzino Ryan Afterhrs	3:19
9.	"Fireproof"	Payne Tomlinson Ryan Scott Bunetta	Bunetta Ryan Ben "Bengineer" Chang^[b]	2:54
10.	"Spaces"	Tomlinson Payne Scott Bunetta Ryan	Bunetta Afterhrs Ryan	4:16
11.	"Stockholm Syndrome"	Styles Bunetta Ryan Johan Carlsson	Bunetta Ryan	3:34
12.	"Clouds"	Tomlinson Payne Malik Scott Bunetta Ryan	Bunetta Ryan	3:51
Total length:				43:33

Four – The Ultimate Edition^[54]

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Producer(s)	Length
13.	"Change Your Ticket"	Payne Tomlinson Horan Malik Styles Sam Martin Bunetta Ryan^[55]	Bunetta Afterhrs	4:26
14.	"Illusion"	Payne Scott Bunetta Ryan	Bunetta Ryan	3:14
15.	"Once in a Lifetime"	Scott Bunetta Ryan	Bunetta Ryan	2:38
16.	"Act My Age"	Bunetta Drewett Ryan	Bunetta Ryan	3:18

Four – Japanese edition^[56]

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Producer(s)	Length
13.	"Steal My Girl" (Big Payno & Afterhrs Pool Party Remix)	Tomlinson Payne Hector Bunetta Drewett Ryan	Bunetta Westerlund Ryan Payne^[a] Aftrhrs^[a]	5:20
14.	"Steal My Girl" (Acoustic Version)	Tomlinson Payne Hector Julian Bunetta Drewett Ryan	Bunetta Westerlund Ryan	3:47
15.	"Story of My Life" (Live from San Siro)	Scott Ryan Horan Malik Payne Styles Tomlinson	Bunetta Ryan	4:09

Notes

• ^{^[a]} signifies an additional producer
• ^{^[b]} signifies a vocal producer

Personnel

Credits taken from Four's liner notes.^[57]

• Afterhrs – producer
• Damon Bunetta – background vocals
• Julian Bunetta – drums, engineer, mixing, musician, producer, programming, vocal producer, background vocals
• Peter Bunetta – background vocals
• Ben "Bengineer" Chang – engineer, vocal producer
• Tom Coyne – mastering
• Ian Dowling – engineer
• Ed Drewett – background vocals
• Ian Franzino – assistant engineer, engineer, musician, producer, background vocals
• Teddy Geiger – producer, background vocals
• Serban Ghenea – mixing
• Andrew Haas – bass, engineer, musician
• John Hanes – mixing engineer
• Wayne Hector – background vocals
• Niall Horan – guitar, vocals
• Helene Horlyck – vocal coach
• Ash Howes – mixing
• Noah Livingston – background vocals
• Zayn Malik – vocals
• Randy Merrill – assistant
• Sam Miller – additional production, engineer, vocal producer
• One Direction – primary artist, background vocals
• Alex Oriet – additional production, engineer
• Liam Payne – vocals
• Luke Potashnick – guitar
• Matt Rad – additional production, drums, guitar, keyboards, piano, producer, programming
• Steve Robson – bass, producer
• John Ryan – engineer, guitar, musician, producer, programming, vocal producer, background vocals, wurlitzer
• Jamie Scott – guitar, keyboards, musician, producer, background vocals
• Ryan Joseph Shaughnessy – photography
• Harry Styles – vocals
• Louis Tomlinson – vocals
• Paro Westerlund – producer, programming
• Joe Zook – mixing

Charts

Weekly charts Chart (2014) Peak position Argentine Albums (CAPIF)^[58] 1 Australian Albums (ARIA)^[59] 1 Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria)^[60] 1 Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)^[61] 1 Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia)^[62] 3 Brazilian Albums (Billboard)^[63] 2 Canadian Albums (Billboard)^[64] 1 Chinese Albums (Sino Chart)^[65] 17 Czech Albums (ČNS IFPI)^[66] 4 Danish Albums (Hitlisten)^[67] 1 Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)^[68] 1 Finnish Albums (Suomen virallinen lista)^[69] 3 French Albums (SNEP)^[70] 2 German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)^[71] 5 Greek Albums (IFPI)^[72] 5 Hungarian Albums (MAHASZ)^[73] 6 Irish Albums (IRMA)^[74] 1 Italian Albums (FIMI)^[75] 1 Japanese Albums (Oricon)^[76] 1 Mexican Albums (AMPROFON)^[77] 1 New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)^[78] 1 Norwegian Albums (VG-lista)^[79] 1 Polish Albums (ZPAV)^[80] 3 Portuguese Albums (AFP)^[81] 1 Scottish Albums (OCC)^[82] 1 South African Albums (RISA)^[83] 3 South Korean Albums (Gaon)^[84] 24 South Korean International Albums (Gaon)^[85] 4 Spanish Albums (PROMUSICAE)^[86] 2 Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan)^[87] 1 Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)^[88] 2 Taiwanese Albums (G-Music)^[89] 4 Taiwanese International Albums (G-Music)^[90] 2 Taiwanese Western Albums (G-Music)^[91] 2 UK Albums (OCC)^[92] 1 US Billboard 200^[93] 1

Year-end charts Chart (2014) Position Australian Albums (ARIA)^[94] 14 Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)^[95] 31 Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia)^[96] 67 Brazilian Albums (ABPD)^[97] 7 Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)^[98] 21 Finnish Albums (Suomen virallinen lista)^[99] 3 French Albums (SNEP)^[100] 58 German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)^[101] 77 Italian Albums (FIMI)^[102] 7 Japanese Albums (Oricon)^[103] 47 Mexican Albums (AMPROFON)^[104] 3 Polish Albums (ZPAV)^[105] 27 Spanish Albums (PROMUSICAE)^[106] 12 Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan)^[107] 24 Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)^[108] 54 UK Albums (OCC)^[109] 7 Chart (2015) Position Australian Albums (ARIA)^[110] 71 Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)^[111] 78 Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia)^[112] 127 Canadian Albums (Billboard)^[113] 4 Italian Albums (FIMI)^[114] 60 Mexican Albums (AMPROFON)^[115] 30 Spanish Albums (PROMUSICAE)^[116] 54 Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan)^[117] 27 UK Albums (OCC)^[118] 50 US Billboard 200^[119] 10 Chart (2020) Position Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)^[120] 110 Chart (2021) Position Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)^[121] 95 Chart (2022) Position Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)^[122] 175 Decade-end charts Chart (2010–2019) Position UK Albums (OCC)^[123] 100 US Billboard 200^[124] 200

Certifications

Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)^[125]	2× Platinum	140,000^^
Austria (IFPI Austria)^[126]	Gold	7,500^*
Brazil (Pro-Música Brasil)^[127]	3× Platinum	120,000^*
Canada (Music Canada)^[129]	Platinum	98,000^[128]
Denmark (IFPI Danmark)^[130]	3× Platinum	60,000^‡
France (SNEP)^[131]	Platinum	100,000^*
Germany (BVMI)^[132]	Gold	100,000^‡
Hungary (MAHASZ)^[133]	Gold	1,000^^
Italy (FIMI)^[134]	3× Platinum	150,000^‡
Japan (RIAJ)^[135]	Gold	100,000^^
Mexico (AMPROFON)^[136]	2× Platinum+Gold	150,000^^
New Zealand (RMNZ)^[137]	Platinum	15,000^^
Philippines (PARI)^[138]	Platinum	15,000^*
Poland (ZPAV)^[139]	Platinum	20,000^*
Portugal (AFP)^[140]	Platinum	15,000^^
Singapore (RIAS)^[141]	Platinum	10,000^*
South Africa (RISA)^[142]	Gold	20,000^*
Spain (PROMUSICAE)^[143]	Platinum	40,000^^
Sweden (GLF)^[144]	Platinum	40,000^‡
United Kingdom (BPI)^[145]	2× Platinum	600,000^*
United States (RIAA)^[147]	Platinum	1,142,000^[146]
^* Sales figures based on certification alone. ^^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. ^‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

Release history

Country	Date	Format(s)	Edition(s)	Label	Ref.
Canada	17 November 2014	CD Digital download	Standard Deluxe	Syco	^[148]
France					^[149]
Germany					^[150]
Italy					^[151]
United Kingdom					^[152]
United States				Columbia	^[153]
Spain	18 November 2014			Syco	^[154]
Japan	19 November 2014			Sony	^[155]
United Kingdom	15 December 2014	Vinyl	Standard	Syco	^[156]

References

1. "AllMusic review". AllMusic. Retrieved 17 November 2014.
2. "One Direction: Four review – glossy pop with hints of Springsteen". The Guardian. Retrieved 17 November 2014.
3. (PDF). ifpi.org. International Federation of the Phonographic Industry. Archived from the original (PDF) on 10 March 2016. Retrieved 14 April 2015.
4. Locker, Melissa (8 September 2014). "One Direction Announces New Album Four, Out November 17". Time.
5. Lynch, Joe (8 September 2014). "One Direction Reveal New Album 'Four,' Release Free Song (for 24 Hours Only)". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved 8 September 2014.
6. Caulfield, Keith (10 September 2014). "One Direction's Free 'Fireproof' Scores 1.1 Million Downloads". Billboard.
7. "One Direction – Fireproof". YouTube. Retrieved 27 October 2014.
8. "Ed Sheeran And One Direction Are Gonna Make Us Feel '18' On New Track". MTV News. Retrieved 27 October 2014.
9. "EXCLUSIVE: Ed Sheeran Says 1D Sound "Really Good" On His New 'FOUR' Song". Capital. 15 October 2014. Retrieved 27 October 2014.
10. YouTube. youtube.com.
11. Lindner, Emilee. "One Direction React To FOUR Album Leak In The Most Gracious Way Possible". MTV News. Retrieved 25 December 2020.
12. . OneDirection.com. Sony Music Entertainment. Archived from the original on 19 May 2014. Retrieved 23 October 2014.
13. . onedirectionmusic.com. Archived from the original on 15 September 2014.
14. Peters, Mitchell (16 November 2014). "One Direction Performs New Single 'Night Changes'". Billboard. Archived from the original on 16 November 2014. Retrieved 16 November 2014.
15. Scott, Jason (16 October 2014). "One Direction Drops 'Four' Track List, Offers 5 New Songs With Pre-Order!". Popdust. Retrieved 16 October 2014.
16. "iTunes – Music – FOUR (Deluxe Version) by One Direction". iTunes. 17 November 2014.
17. "iTunes – Music – FOUR (Deluxe Version) by One Direction". iTunes. 17 November 2014.
18. "iTunes – Music – FOUR (Deluxe Version) by One Direction". iTunes. 17 November 2014.
19. "iTunes – Music – FOUR (Deluxe Version) by One Direction". iTunes. 17 November 2014.
20. "iTunes – Music – FOUR (Deluxe Version) by One Direction". iTunes. 17 November 2014.
21. "Reviews for Four by One Direction – Metacritic". CBS Interactive Media.
22. "One Direction goes in the wrong one on Four". The A.V. Club. Retrieved 18 November 2014.
23. "Album Review: One Direction Aren't Ready to Let Go of Their Bubble-Gum Days on 'Four'". Billboard. Retrieved 17 November 2014.
24. "One Direction's 'Four' album review: The fab fivesome retreats on their latest album". New York Daily News. Retrieved 17 November 2014.
25. "One Direction bear as much resemblance to Springsteen as Jedward do to Nine Inch Nails". Irish Independent. Retrieved 18 November 2014.
26. "One Direction: Four review – no longer kids' stuff". The Guardian. Retrieved 17 November 2014.
27. "Slant Magazine review". Slant Magazine. Retrieved 17 November 2014.
28. "One Direction, Four, review: 'songwriting by numbers, but the numbers add up'". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 17 November 2014.
29. "Rolling Stone review". Rolling Stone. 18 November 2014.
30. "One Direction, Four: A long way from the standard X Factor fare". Independent.co.uk. 20 November 2014.
31. "One Direction: Four review – no longer kids' stuff". TheGuardian.com. 16 November 2014.
32. "One Direction 'Four' Album Review". Rolling Stone. 18 November 2014.
33. "Review: One Direction's New Album Celebrates the Female Form". Time.com. 17 November 2014. Retrieved 23 December 2021.
34. "Review: One Direction Hide in Plain Sight From Boy-Band History With 'Four'". Spin.com. 20 November 2014. Retrieved 23 December 2021.
35. "One Direction, 'Four' - the Boston Globe". The Boston Globe.
36. "Review: One Direction's 'Four': How quickly they grow up". Los Angeles Times. 18 November 2014.
37. "With 'Four,' Are the Boys of One Direction Growing Up?". 12 November 2014.
38. "One Direction goes in the wrong one on Four". 18 November 2014.
39. "One Direction Four album review: 'they bear as much resemblance to Springsteen as Jedward do to Nine Inch Nails'". 18 November 2014.
40. Cosmopolitan (3 December 2014). "Cosmo's 20 Best Albums of 2014". Cosmopolitan. Retrieved 12 December 2014.
41. Goodman, Jessica; Kristobak, Ryan (15 December 2014). "The 23 Best Albums of 2014". The Huffington Post. Retrieved 15 December 2014.
42. copy, Copied to clipboardClick to (14 July 2020). "The 30 Best Boy Band Albums of the Past 30 Years: Staff Picks". Billboard.com. Retrieved 20 January 2022.
43. "Four scores One Direction a third consecutive Number 1 album". officialcharts.com.
44. Hernandez, Brian Anthony (8 September 2014). "One Direction's New Album and Free Song Made These Fans Totally Freak Out". Mashable.
45. "Apple – iTunes – Browse the top album downloads". iTunes.
46. Caulfield, Keith (26 November 2014). "One Direction's 'Four' Makes Historic No. 1 Debut on Billboard 200 Chart". Billboard. Archived from the original on 30 November 2014. Retrieved 28 November 2014.
47. Claufield, Keith (31 December 2014). "Taylor Swift's '1989' Beats 'Frozen' As Top Selling Album of 2014". Billboard. Archived from the original on 31 December 2014. Retrieved 1 January 2015.
48. Caulfield, Keith (13 August 2015). "Billboard 200 Chart Moves: One Direction's 'Four' Reaches 1 Million Sold in U.S." Billboard. Retrieved 14 August 2015.
49. . Hits Daily Double. HITS Digital Ventures. Archived from the original on 29 October 2015.
50. "Billboard 200 - Decade-End". Billboard.
51. "iTunes – Music – FOUR". iTunes. Retrieved 8 September 2014.
52. Go to Works Search 10 March 2013 at the Wayback Machine by AMCOS. Type "Ready to Run" on "Enter a Title" field then type "One Direction" on "Performer" field. Finally click "Search".
53. "Where Do Broken Hearts Go (Legal Title)". repertoire.bmi.com. BMI. Archived from the original on 16 October 2014. Retrieved 27 July 2015.
54. "iTunes – Music – FOUR (Deluxe Version)". iTunes. Retrieved 8 September 2014.
55. "Change Your Ticket". bmi.com. BMI. Retrieved 24 July 2015.^{[permanent dead link]}
56. "Amazon.co.jp: ワン・ダイレクション : フォー". Amazon (Japan). Retrieved 27 July 2015.
57. Four (CD liner). One Direction. Columbia Records. 2014. 8-88750-23232-8.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
58. (in Spanish). Argentine Chamber of Phonograms and Videograms Producers. Archived from the original on 11 May 2013.
59. "Australiancharts.com – One Direction – Four". Hung Medien. Retrieved 22 November 2014.
60. "Austriancharts.at – One Direction – Four" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved 22 November 2014.
61. "Ultratop.be – One Direction – Four" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 2 December 2014.
62. "Ultratop.be – One Direction – Four" (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved 2 December 2014.
63. . Billboard.biz. Archived from the original on 15 February 2016. Retrieved 22 May 2020.
64. "One Direction Chart History (Canadian Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved 20 November 2014.
65. . Archived from the original on 30 November 2014. Retrieved 22 April 2015.
66. "Czech Albums – Top 100". ČNS IFPI. Note: On the chart page, select 33.Týden 2016 on the field besides the words "CZ – ALBUMS – TOP 100" to retrieve the correct chart. Retrieved 30 August 2018.
67. "Danishcharts.dk – One Direction – Four". Hung Medien. Retrieved 28 November 2014.
68. "Dutchcharts.nl – One Direction – Four" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 22 November 2014.
69. "One Direction: Four" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland. Retrieved 22 November 2014.
70. "Lescharts.com – One Direction – Four". Hung Medien. Retrieved 30 November 2014.
71. "Longplay-Chartverfolgung at Musicline" (in German). Musicline.de. Phononet GmbH. Retrieved 22 November 2014.
72. (in Greek). IFPI Greece. Archived from the original on 1 December 2014. Retrieved 14 December 2014.
73. "Album Top 40 slágerlista – 2014. 47. hét" (in Hungarian). MAHASZ. Retrieved 28 November 2014.
74. . Chart-Track. IRMA. Retrieved 22 November 2014.
75. "Italiancharts.com – One Direction – Four". Hung Medien. Retrieved 28 November 2014.
76. "Oricon Top 50 Albums: 2014-12-01" (in Japanese). Oricon. Retrieved 30 November 2014.
77. "Puesto #1 del #Top100MX del ..." (in Spanish). Asociación Mexicana de Productores de Fonogramas y Videogramas. Twitter. 26 December 2014. Retrieved 26 December 2014.
78. "Charts.nz – One Direction – Four". Hung Medien. Retrieved 22 November 2014.
79. "Norwegiancharts.com – One Direction – Four". Hung Medien. Retrieved 28 November 2014.
80. "Oficjalna lista sprzedaży :: OLiS - Official Retail Sales Chart". OLiS. Polish Society of the Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 1 December 2014.
81. "Portuguesecharts.com – One Direction – Four". Hung Medien. Retrieved 2 December 2014.
82. "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 1 December 2014.
83. . RSG (Recording Industry of South Africa). Archived from the original on 15 January 2015.
84. (in Korean). GAON. Archived from the original on 4 December 2014. Retrieved 1 December 2014.
85. (in Korean). GAON. Archived from the original on 27 November 2014. Retrieved 1 December 2014.
86. "Spanishcharts.com – One Direction – Four". Hung Medien. Retrieved 2 December 2014.
87. "Swedishcharts.com – One Direction – Four". Hung Medien. Retrieved 22 November 2014.
88. "Swisscharts.com – One Direction – Four". Hung Medien. Retrieved 22 November 2014.
89. . Week 48, 2014 (in Chinese). G-Music. 1 December 2014. Archived from the original on 13 October 2007. Retrieved 1 December 2014.
90. . Week 48, 2014 (in Chinese). G-Music. 1 December 2014. Archived from the original on 22 July 2011. Retrieved 1 December 2014.
91. . Week 48, 2014 (in Chinese). G-Music. 1 December 2014. Archived from the original on 12 August 2012. Retrieved 1 December 2014.
92. "One Direction | Artist | Official Charts". UK Albums Chart. Retrieved 23 November 2014.
93. "One Direction Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved 2 November 2014.
94. . ARIA Charts. Australian Recording Industry Association. Archived from the original on 11 January 2015. Retrieved 7 January 2015.
95. "Jaaroverzichten 2014". Ultratop. Retrieved 25 May 2020.
96. "Rapports Annuels 2014". Ultratop. Retrieved 25 May 2020.
97. "20 CDs MAIS VENDIDOS NO BRASIL – Ano 2014". ABPD (in Portuguese). Retrieved 3 August 2015.
98. "Jaaroverzichten – Album 2014". dutchcharts.nl. Retrieved 25 May 2020.
99. "Myydyimmät ulkomaiset albumit vuonna 2014" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland. Retrieved 17 August 2018.
100. "Top de l'année Top Albums 2014" (in French). SNEP. Retrieved 24 January 2021.
101. "Top 100 Album-Jahrescharts". GfK Entertainment (in German). offiziellecharts.de. Retrieved 6 January 2016.
102. Antonucci, Gabriele (12 January 2015). "Vasco Rossi: "Sono innocente" è l'album più venduto del 2014". Panorama (in Italian). Retrieved 12 January 2015.
103. "2014 Japan Year end". Oricon. Retrieved 20 December 2014.
104. (in Spanish). Asociación Mexicana de Productores de Fonogramas y Videogramas (AMPROFON). Archived from the original (PDF) on 15 February 2015. Retrieved 23 May 2015.
105. "Jakie płyty Polacy kupowali najchętniej w 2014 roku – roczne podsumowanie listy OLiS" (in Polish). Polish Society of the Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 19 January 2015.
106. "Top 100 Albums Annual 2014". El portal de Música. Retrieved 28 January 2022.
107. "Årslista Album – År 2014" (in Swedish). Sverigetopplistan. Retrieved 25 May 2020.
108. "Schweizer Jahreshitparade 2014". hitparade.ch. Retrieved 25 May 2020.
109. Moss, Liv (1 January 2015). . Official Charts Company. Archived from the original on 1 January 2015. Retrieved 25 March 2015.
110. . Australian Recording Industry Association. Archived from the original on 12 January 2016. Retrieved 6 January 2016.
111. "Jaaroverzichten 2015". Ultratop. Retrieved 25 May 2020.
112. "Rapports Annuels 2015". Ultratop. Retrieved 25 May 2020.
113. "Billboard Top Canadian Albums – Year-end Chart". Billboard. Retrieved 25 December 2015.
114. (in Italian). Federazione Industria Musicale Italiana. Archived from the original on 11 January 2016. Retrieved 14 January 2016.
115. (in Spanish). AMPROFON. Archived from the original on 24 January 2016. Retrieved 24 January 2016.
116. "Top 100 Albums Annual 2015". El portal de Música. Retrieved 28 January 2022.
117. "Årslista Album – År 2015" (in Swedish). Sverigetopplistan. Retrieved 25 May 2020.
118. "End of Year Album Chart Top 100 – 2015". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 19 December 2020.
119. "Billboard 200 – Year-end Chart". Billboard. Retrieved 25 December 2015.
120. "Jaaroverzichten 2020". Ultratop. Retrieved 18 December 2020.
121. "Jaaroverzichten 2021". Ultratop. Retrieved 5 January 2022.
122. "Jaaroverzichten 2022" (in Dutch). Ultratop. Retrieved 14 January 2023.
123. Copsey, Rob (11 December 2019). "The UK's Official Top 100 biggest albums of the decade". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 12 December 2019.
124. "Decade-End Charts: Billboard 200". Billboard. Retrieved 23 November 2019.
125. "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2015 Albums" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved 11 February 2015.
126. "Austrian album certifications – One Direction – Four" (in German). IFPI Austria. Retrieved 2 December 2014.
127. "Brazilian album certifications – One Direction – Four" (in Portuguese). Pro-Música Brasil. Retrieved 18 December 2015.
128. Bliss, Karen (27 January 2015). "Nielsen: Canada Loved Taylor Swift, Streaming Music and, Yep, Vinyl in 2014". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved 30 January 2015.
129. "Canadian album certifications – One Direction – Four". Music Canada. Retrieved 30 January 2015.
130. "Danish album certifications – One Direction – Four". IFPI Danmark. Retrieved 29 January 2023.
131. "French album certifications – One Direction – Four" (in French). InfoDisc. Retrieved 11 November 2021. Select ONE DIRECTION and click OK. 
132. "Gold-/Platin-Datenbank (One Direction; 'Four')" (in German). Bundesverband Musikindustrie. Retrieved 3 February 2023.
133. "Adatbázis – Arany- és platinalemezek – 2014" (in Hungarian). MAHASZ. Retrieved 31 December 2014.
134. "Italian album certifications – One Direction – Four" (in Italian). Federazione Industria Musicale Italiana. Retrieved 19 September 2022. Select "2022" in the "Anno" drop-down menu. Select "Four" in the "Filtra" field. Select "Album e Compilation" under "Sezione".
135. "Japanese album certifications – One Direction – Four" (in Japanese). Recording Industry Association of Japan. Retrieved 12 December 2014. Select 2014年11月 on the drop-down menu
136. "Four es dos veces platino más oro en México!". AMPROFON (in Spanish). 9 February 2015. Retrieved 10 February 2015.
137. "New Zealand album certifications – One Direction – Four". Recorded Music NZ. Retrieved 6 February 2015.
138. "List of PARI Gold, Platinum & Diamond Awardees". Philippine Association of the Record Industry.
139. "Wyróżnienia – Platynowe płyty CD - Archiwum - Przyznane w 2014 roku" (in Polish). Polish Society of the Phonographic Industry.
140. "Portuguese album certifications – One Direction – Four" (PDF) (in Portuguese). Associação Fonográfica Portuguesa. Retrieved 28 June 2021.
141. "Singapore album certifications – One Direction – One". Recording Industry Association Singapore. Retrieved 4 January 2022.
142. Ngcobo, Siya (20 November 2014). "One Direction strike gold in SA". Primedia. Retrieved 16 December 2015.
143. "Spanish album certifications – One Direction – Four". El portal de Música. Productores de Música de España. Retrieved 11 November 2021.
144. "Veckolista Album, vecka 35, 2015 | Sverigetopplistan" (in Swedish). Sverigetopplistan. Retrieved 25 August 2022. Scroll to position 38 to view certification.
145. "British album certifications – One Direction – Four". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 22 November 2014.
146. Peoples, Glenn (26 March 2015). "Why Zayn Malik's Departure From One Direction Won't Hurt Band's Music Sales". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved 26 March 2015.
147. "American album certifications – One Direction – Four". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved 24 January 2015.
148. "Four (Ultimate Yearbook Edition): One Direction: Amazon.ca: Music". Amazon.ca. 2014.
149. "Four: One Direction: Amazon.fr: Musique". Amazon.fr.
150. "Four (Deluxe Edition): Amazon.de: Musik". Amazon.de.
151. "Four: One Direction: Amazon.it: Musica". Amazon.it.
152. "FOUR by One Direction: Amazon.co.uk: Music". Amazon.co.uk.
153. "Amazon.com: One Direction: Four (Deluxe Yearbook Edition): Music". Amazon.
154. "Four: One Direction: Amazon.es: Música". Amazon.es.
155. "Amazon.co.jp: フォー: 形式". Amazon.co.jp.
156. "FOUR [VINYL] by One Direction: Amazon.co.uk: Music". Amazon.co.uk.