"Diana" is a song by the English-Irish boy band One Direction, taken from their third studio album Midnight Memories (2013). It was released on 18 November 2013, one week prior to the album's release, as the album's first promotional single.
Background and writing
The song was written by Julian Bunetta, Jamie Scott, John Ryan, and band members Louis Tomlinson and Liam Payne. It was produced by Julian Bunetta and John Ryan. The track features guitar work from Niall Horan, which draws influences from 1980s rock. The song was leaked onto the internet on 24 September 2013, before its official release.
In an interview with MTV News, producer Julian Bunetta was asked whether the song was named after a specific person named Diana. He declined to confirm, stating, "Can't tell! It's definitely about somebody, maybe one day somebody will tell. But we can't tell." He described the song as depicting "the loneliness someone can feel in such a huge world" and conveying a message of reassurance that the listener is not alone.
Louis Tomlinson explained in an interview with Perez TV that the chorus was originally written with a different name, "Joanna," which was close to his mother's name and felt uncomfortable, so it was changed to "Diana."
Reception
"Diana" received generally positive responses from critics. Christina Garibaldi of MTV described the song as an "upbeat track" with an 1980s-influenced sound, comparing it stylistically to "Don't Stand So Close to Me" by the Police and "The Boys of Summer" by Don Henley. Chris Payne of Billboard noted that the song shifts "from straight-up pop to more of a pop-rock feel."
Chart performance
The song debuted at number two on the Irish Singles Chart on 19 November 2013, the day after its release. It was one of three One Direction songs in the Irish top 10 that week, alongside "Midnight Memories" (number three) and "Story of My Life" (number six). On the UK Singles Chart, "Diana" peaked at number 58. In the United States, it debuted at number 11 on the Billboard Hot 100 on 7 December 2013 before dropping off the chart the following week. The song reached number one on the Denmark Track Top 40 chart and the Greece Digital Songs chart, and topped iTunes charts worldwide.
Certifications
"Diana" received a Gold certification from Recorded Music NZ (RMNZ) in New Zealand and a Silver certification from the British Phonographic Industry (BPI) in the United Kingdom.
Live performances
One Direction performed "Diana" on both of their major concert tours following its release: the Where We Are Tour (2014) and the On the Road Again Tour (2015).
