Entertainment

Is One Direction’s “Infinity” About Zayn?

by Maggie Malach

It was just in ordinary day until One Direction announced Made In The A.M. , their fifth studio album. Add the excitement of a new song, "Infinity," to the mix, and the day took a turn for the spectacular. "Infinity" is the perfect evolution from the music of Four — it's anthemic, embracing the arena-rock sound that will no doubt keep Directioners in a frenzy. (Or, at the very least, this Directioner.) But who is "Infinity" about?

First things first: Entertainment Weekly reports that "Infinity" was written by John Ryan, Jamie Scott, and Julian Bunetta. That's One Direction's core writing team (think "Story of My Life" and most of Four). Assuming that 1D gave their input into the inspiration behind the song, which totally makes sense, here are some of the things "Infinity" could be about.

The obvious first guess is Zayn Malik and his departure from One Direction. But "Drag Me Down" is proof that any song can be applied to that situation. (And, for the record, Louis Tomlinson clarified that "Drag Me Down" isn't about Malik.) So, yes, you can fit the lyrics into that theory if you desire, but I'm going to pull that option off of the table.

Looking at the lyrics, there's clearly heartbreak happening. Take the chorus, for example: "How many nights does it take to count the stars? / That's the time it would take to fix my heart." Awwww. And later on: "Eyes can't shine / Unless there's something burning bright behind / Since you went away, there's nothing left in mine / I feel myself running out of time." The band have had romantic shakeups since releasing Four, primarily Tomlinson splitting from his longtime girlfriend, Eleanor Calder. I'm definitely not saying the song is about her, but there's a chance that heartbreak experienced by any of the guys could have helped inspire the track.

Of course, it seems like One Direction is developing a love for space (or perhaps a pre-existing fascination is just becoming more apparent). From the space-themed "Drag Me Down" video to songs like "Clouds," it seems like the band loves a good heavenly reference. The nod to the infinite number of stars definitely aligns with that.

More important tha the meaning of the song, however, is how darn good it is. But since you have "Infinity" on repeat anyway, it doesn't hurt to ponder the inspiration behind it.

Image: Giphy