![]() The Wanted, for example, add a little binge drinking to the mix in Glad You Came: "I'll take you by the hand, hand you another drink, drink it if you can, can you spend a little time, time is slipping away?". It's a tendency not limited to the Simon Cowell proteges. One Direction's encouragements to not "over-think" and to not "let the pictures leave your phone" take on a different hue when evidence of encounters you'd rather regret can be distributed at the touch of a button. Yet we live in an age where peer pressure has been amplified by social media, cameraphones and video-hosting sites. The role of the male teen idol is to be a good boy who respects his parents yet has that mischievous glint in his eye. Pop music has been a source of sexual awakenings and imaginings since Elvis and, in that respect, One Direction are little different. Thus, their songs about first crushes, super-fun parties and, yes, not-so-innocent fumblings guided by a riot of hormones (see Last First Kiss's "Wanna be first to take it all the way like this") are more likely the product of jaded thirtysomethings. Other than co-writing credits on a handful of album tracks, the job of penning One Directon's hits tends to go to renowned writing teams. Consider their recent top three hit, Live While We're Young: "It's now or never, don't over-think, just let it go, and if we get together, get together, don't let the pictures leave your phone." Other songs extol the virtues of rushing a relationship to the next level. That's what makes you beautiful," the baby-faced fivesome sing. "When you smile at the ground it ain't hard to tell you don't know/ You don't know you're beautiful. Cleverly, it offers a multitude of compliments that are entirely non-specific, so fans can pretend it's written about them. ![]() The group's breakthrough hit, What Makes You Beautiful, also plays on its object's lack of self-confidence.
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