Saturday, June 13, 2026

One Direction Break Up Threat Worked: “Drag Me Down” Bigger than Past Hits

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One Direction, thank your marketing team. “Drag Me Down” has had 533,000 digital sales in its first four weeks according to Nielsen. That’s more than their biggest hits “What Makes You Beautiful” (337,000 in first four weeks) and “Story of My Life” (429,000 in first four weeks).

Even though the single is down to number 17 on iTunes, “Drag Me Down” had its biggest sales just in the last week. This coincides with the rampant rumor and news that they would break up or take a break, and the release of a video that’s now had 38 million views.

Prior to all that publicity “Drag Me Down” was kind of a non starter. Maybe now the group will be more energized about their fifth album.

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Roger Friedman
Roger Friedman
Roger Friedman is the founder and editor-in-chief of Showbiz411. He wrote the FOX411 column on FoxNews.com from 1999 to 2009, where he covered Michael Jackson, and previously wrote the "Intelligencer" column at New York magazine in the mid-1990s, where he covered the O.J. Simpson trial. He also edited Fame magazine. His bylines have appeared in The New York Times, The Washington Post, the New York Daily News, the New York Post, Vogue, Details, and the Miami Herald. He is a voting member of the Critics Choice Awards (Film and Television branches), and his movie reviews are tracked by Rotten Tomatoes. With D.A. Pennebaker and Chris Hegedus, he co-produced the 2002 documentary "Only the Strong Survive," which screened at Directors' Fortnight at the Cannes Film Festival.

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