Songfacts®:

• This song was penned by frequent 1D songwriters Jamie Scott, Julian Bunetta and John Ryan. Its title came about from a falling out between the trio. "My studio is at my house where we record the record, so we all come to my house and we hang out, the boys come in," Scott told MTV News.
  
  Scott has a young child so tends to it a day before his songwriting colleagues. "These guys just work through the night, and one night, I came down to the studio, and three songs that I thought were sounding amazing when I left had been changed drastically through the night," he added.
  
  Scott, was unhappy with the changes that were made, but his unhappiness at what had happened inspired the "Night Changes" title. "The song is nothing about that, but the idea and the word came from me coming in the morning, because you get a bit delirious and you never quite know what you're doing," he said. "But it was fine and all was resolved and we had a great song title."
• The song's music video was directed by Ben Winston, who also shot the guys' "Best Song Ever," "Story of My Life," "Midnight Memories" and "You & I" clips. The visual is a point-of-view of a date with all five members of One Direction. The viewer experiences a romantic dinner with Zayn Malik, a drive in the country with Louis Tomlinson in his classic car, a night in with board games by the fireside with Niall Horan, ice skating with Harry Styles and a carnival with Liam Payne. However, the dates don't go to plan...
• "Night Changes" was a moderate hit for One Direction, but it garnered significant critical acclaim. The song was praised for its thoughtful exploration of life's transience, showcasing a level of depth and maturity unexpected from the boy band.
• At the time of Liam Payne's death in October 2024, "Night Changes" was the most-streamed song by the band on Spotify. In the wake of his passing, the song saw a resurgence in popularity, re-entering the UK Singles Chart at #6, surpassing its original peak position of #7.