Behind the Duo: How Liam Payne and Louis Tomlinson Became the Songwriting Force in One Direction

One Direction couldn’t boast being prolific songwriters in the early days of their career. Their whirlwind success, prompted by The X Factor, swept them away on an unstoppable rise to fame. To keep up with the fans’ demand, the powers that be opted to let tried and true songwriters take the helm on their first few projects.

In the midst of of all of that, two members became clear frontrunners in the songwriting department: Liam Payne and Louis Tomlinson. From the onset of their career, they started contributing songwriting credits here and there, growing more prolific as their career grew. Tomlinson takes the leading spot for writing credits with Payne following closely behind him. Needless to say, these two artists greatly influenced the boyband’s sound. Find some of their best collaborations–and chart a course through their journey as songwriters–below.

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Behind the Duo: How Liam Payne and Louis Tomlinson Became the Songwriting Force in One Direction

1. “Same Mistakes”

“Same Mistakes” saw every member of One Direction contribute to the songwriting, including Payne and Tomlinson. This track–taken from their first record–proved they could be adept balladeers. The lyrical content and production was aided by Steve Robonson and Wayne Hector, but we have to assume the fivesome’s opinions were taken into account. Though they would be far more involved in the songwriting department later in their career, Payne and Tomlinson no doubt caught the songwriting bug during these early sessions.

Or else we’ll play, play, play all the same old games
And we wait, wait, wait for the end to change
And we take, take, take it for granted that we’ll be the same
But we’re making all the same mistakes

2. “Last First Kiss”

“Last First Kiss” was a step up for the band. The lyrical themes got a tad more mature and the group felt more confident going into their second album. As far as band members are concerned, this song saw only Payne, Tomlinson, and Zayn Malik get songwriting credit. Though this song was still certainly catered to a younger audience, it pushed the band–and Payne and Tomlinson by extension–further along in their craft.

Baby, I, I wanna know
What you think when you’re alone
Is it me, yeah?
Are you thinking of me, yeah?
We’ve been friends now for a while
Wanna know that when you smile
Is it me, yeah?
Are you thinking of me, yeah?

3. “Right Now”

As the band moved into their third album, the list of songwriters got much smaller. The band started taking on more of the songwriting weight than ever before–especially Payne and Tomlinson. The magic of their one-two punch lied in Tomlinson’s lyrical sensibilities and Payne’s wide breadth of musical knowledge. This song is evocative of both of those strengths.

Right now
I wish you were here with me
‘Cause right now
Everything is new to me
You know I can’t fight the feeling
And every night I feel it
Right now
I wish you were here with me

4. “What a Feeling”

“What a Feeling” was a true collaborative effort from Payne and Tomlinson. This duo became fully fleshed out while creating their final album, Made in the A.M. Many of the songs were penned by the pair, resulting in a mature and expertly crafted pop album. “What a Feeling” is one of the best tracks on that record, proving that Payne and Tomlinson had a combined force that outweighed their other bandmates–at least in the writer’s room.

With no way out and a long way down
Everybody needs someone around
But I can’t hold you too close now
Through the wire, through the wire

(Photo by Dave Hogan/Getty Images)