One Direction's 'Kiss You' Video Pays Homage To Elvis And The Beach Boys, Says Director

8 January 2013, 16:49 | Updated: 8 January 2013, 17:07

The 'One Thing' stars are not making fun of anyone according to the man behind their latest promo.

The director behind One Direction's new music video for 'Kiss You' has defended some of the scenes in the promo, insisting that the group are not making fun of anyone.

The 'What Makes You Beautiful' singers can be seen dressing up as Elvis Presley and shaking their hips in the same way as the late singer during one scene, and Vaughan Arnell told MTV News the band are simply paying homage to the King.

"No, I don't think its poking fun," he said. "You get the idea you take the first few bars of the track and it's kind of that Beach Boys surf movie, '50s or '60s kind of vibe to it all.

"It's not like a poking fun; it's more like an homage and then it's what can we put them in it that people may know or kind of tip of the hat idea."

He continued: "When it's iconic films or iconic ideas, I think people understand genre and then they could kind of flow with it. It was more kind of not trying to make them Elvis; it's more to the technique and the charm of those films."

The band also dress up as sailors, go topless on surfboards and echo James Bond during various points in the video.

Speaking about their nod to 007, Arnell added: "There was like a sort of James Bond, some 'Thunderball' where he's driving. There was nothing that was too remote that they didn't understand. 

"You could see how the two echoed each other and if the two echoed each other and mirrored each other we knew it worked," he added.

The band released the video last night (7th January) and have since called to their fans to help them break the VEVO most views in 24 hours record, which is currently occupied by Justin Bieber with 'Beauty And A Beat'.

Check out the new music video for One Direction's 'Kiss You' below:

Meanwhile, the band are currently preparing to head out on their 2013 world tour next month, kicking off proceedings at the O2 Arena in London on 23rd February.