So: One Direction’s PR machine responded to my story from the other day in an interesting way. It seems the reason “Drag Me Down” isn’t a hit is that it doesn’t have a video. Tomorrow a video may arrive and that will change everything.
I like One Direction. I liked their “Four” album. But “Drag Me Down” isn’t happening. It’s number 17 on the Top 40 radio airplay chart. On iTunes, it’s number 12. Forget Amazon. And on Billboard, they dropped it from number 3 to number 26.
My friend Michael Zilkha, who helped put Madonna on the charts and nurtured Kid Creole and the Coconuts, was very wise about hits. He used to say a hit “had the sound of triumph.” He was right. The sound of a hit is assured, confident, upbeat 99% of the time. One Direction’s “Story of My Life” was like that. “Drag Me Down” is a big negative. It’s not ebullient. It’s a drag.
Just something to chew. Maybe that video will turn the tide.
Here’s a Kid Creole video I love:
