Released 17 February 2013 Recorded 2012 Length 2:37 | Format CD
digital download Genre Pop rock Label Syco | |
"One Way or Another (Teenage Kicks)" is a cover recorded by English-Irish boy band One Direction, released as the 2013 Comic Relief charity single on 17 February 2013. It is a medley of Blondie's "One Way or Another" (1979) and The Undertones' "Teenage Kicks" (1978). The song was produced by Julian Bunetta and John Ryan.
Contents
"One Way or Another (Teenage Kicks)" debuted at number one on the UK Singles Chart, making it One Direction's third UK number one. The song was nominated for Best British Single at the 2014 Brit Awards.
Background and response
Ahead of its release, an early version of the song leaked online to the dismay of One Direction and Syco Music. A spokesperson told The Daily Mirror, "It is very disappointing that the song has been leaked and we are currently investigating the matter."
The single received mixed reviews from music critics. Robert Copsey of Digital Spy said "the cheeky lyrics, bouncy pop-rock melody and singalong chorus feel like an obvious but reassuringly safe option for this year's official Comic Relief single", concluding that it was "predictable but [...] undeniably fun". About.com critic Bill Lamb called the single a "strong performance", assessing, "The layering of the 'Na Na Na Na' bridge from 'One Way Or Another' with the chorus, "I wanna hold you wanna hold you tight, get teenage kicks right through the night" is truly inspiring." However, Lamb also noted that "lyrically, 'One Way Or Another' is nearly a song about the finer points of stalking, and that can be just a bit creepy coming from young males."
Jessica Sager of PopCrush summarised it as "catchy, fun and ... sounds exactly what you’d expect when One Direction cover Blondie." Sager additionally praised Louis Tomlinson's vocals as sounding "phenomenal" in his solo. Writing for MTV, Jenna Rubenstein assessed: "1D's version sticks mainly to the original's vibe, mixing in sugary-sweet pop production with Blondie's punk rock sensibilities."
Writing for The Observer, Kitty Empire was scathing, describing the medley as "execrable". When the single reached number 1 in the Irish Singles Chart, RTÉ described the news as "shocking", noting the single as "just a bit ho hum". The Belfast Telegraph was equally critical, blasting the cover as a "travesty" that had been "re-worked into a sanitised Comic Relief single", which were "scrappy shadows of the originals".
PopMatters gave it the No.1 spot on its "Best Mainstream Pop Singles Of 2013" list, calling it "the most inspired, fun track of the year".
The song was later included in the Japanese Edition of the band's third studio album, Midnight Memories as 19th track.
Commercial performance
It entered at number one on the UK Singles Chart on 24 February 2013, shifting 113,000 copies in its first week—the second highest first-week UK sales for any song in 2013 at the time. It marks their third chart-topper and seventh top ten hit in the United Kingdom. As of March 2013, the song has sold 292,000 copies in the UK.
Music video
The music video for "One Way or Another (Teenage Kicks)" was shot in Ghana, Tokyo, London, New York City and at 10 Downing Street, and features a cameo from British Prime Minister David Cameron. The clip was released on 20 February 2013.
Live performances
One Direction debuted the song live during the 2013 BRIT Awards on 20 February 2013. The group also performed the song live during the Comic Relief telethon on 15 March 2013.
Track listing
- "One Way or Another (Teenage Kicks)" – 2:37
- "One Way or Another (Teenage Kicks)" (Sharoque Remix) – 3:07
- "One Way or Another (Teenage Kicks)" (Instrumental) – 2:37
- "One Way or Another (Teenage Kicks)" (Live from the BRITs) – 3:20