How to Be Lonely

"How to Be Lonely"
Single by Rita Ora
Released13 March 2020 (2020-03-13)
GenrePop
Length2:55
LabelAtlantic
Songwriters
Producer
  • aboutagirl
Rita Ora singles chronology
"Ritual"
(2019)		 "How to Be Lonely"
(2020)		 "Big"
(2021)

"How to Be Lonely" is a song by British singer Rita Ora released as a single through Atlantic Records UK on 13 March 2020.

Composition

"How to Be Lonely" is a mid-tempo ballad that deals with themes about "battling insecurity".

Critical reception

Mike Wass of Idolator wrote that the song is a "nice way to kick off an era" that "does showcase the 'Anywhere' singer's powerful pipes and growth as an artist". Rob Copsey of the Official Charts Company wrote that the song features "opening guitar strums[,] Coldplay-sized chantalong chorus [and] catchy finger snaps, punchy electronic beats and some killer adlibs", concluding that Ora's "take on ugly crying powerhouse pop is masterfully done".

Music video

In the music video, directed by Dave Meyers, Ora is in an empty room alone and then alone with a lot of people. An arrow hits her. In the next scene, she is walking in a room filled with eggshells. Then, she is dancing with a skeleton and a bear hugs her. After that, she falls into the sky. Then she smashes a wall with a baseball bat. A UFO lands.

Live performances

Ora performed the song live at BBC's Sport Relief 2020 telethon on 13 March.

Track listings

Personnel

Credits adapted from Tidal.

Charts

Chart (2020) Peak
position
Australia Airplay (Radiomonitor) 32
Belgium (Ultratip Bubbling Under Flanders)4
Croatia (HRT) 17
France (SNEP Sales Chart) 142
Ireland (IRMA)96
Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)40
New Zealand Hot Singles (RMNZ) 19
Poland Airplay (ZPAV)33
Scottish Singles Sales (Official Charts)8
UK Singles (Official Charts)57

Release history

Country Date Format Version Label Ref.
Various 13 March 2020 Original single [a]
10 April 2020 Live from London
17 April 2020 MÖWE Remix
24 April 2020 aboutagirl Remix
LARI LUKE Remix
Sam Feldt Remix
1 May 2020 Bomba Estéreo Remix Remix

References

  1. 1 2 Copsey, Rob (11 March 2020). "Rita Ora is learning to love herself on new Lewis Capaldi-penned single How To Be Lonely: First listen review". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 13 March 2020.
  2. ↑ "aboutagirl release their new track 'SnOoZe'". May 2020.
  3. 1 2 Wass, Mike (13 March 2020). "Rita Ora Returns With New Single "How To Be Lonely"". Idolator. Retrieved 13 March 2020.[dead link]
  4. ↑ Daly, Rhian (9 March 2020). "Lewis Capaldi gave Rita Ora new single 'How To Be Lonely' because he was "shite" at singing it". NME. Retrieved 13 March 2020.
  5. ↑ Zemler, Emily (2020-03-13). "Rita Ora Learns to Love Herself on 'How to Be Lonely'". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 2021-12-18.
  6. ↑ Alston, Trey. "Galactic Shootouts, Skeletal Seduction: What's Going On In Rita Ora's 'How To Be Lonely' Video?". MTV News. Archived from the original on March 27, 2020. Retrieved 2021-12-18.
  7. ↑ "Rita Ora- How To Be Lonely (Trailer) Video". YouListener. 2020-03-26. Retrieved 2021-12-18.
  8. ↑ "There's something about Rita". The Face. Retrieved 2021-12-18.
  9. ↑ "So Much Just … Happens in Rita Ora's 'How to Be Lonely' Video". Vulture. Retrieved 2021-12-18.
  10. ↑ Fenwick, George (11 March 2020). "Rita Ora and Pussycat Dolls lead Sport Relief 2020 musical line-up". Evening Standard. Retrieved 13 March 2020.
  11. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 "Dutchcharts.nl – Rita Ora – How To Be Lonely". MegaCharts (in Dutch). Retrieved 18 April 2020.
  12. ↑ "Try the TIDAL Web Player".
  13. ↑ "HOT 100 Issue 1286". The Music Network. Retrieved 20 August 2020.
  14. ↑ "Rita Ora – How to Be Lonely" (in Dutch). Ultratip. Retrieved 12 June 2020.
  15. ↑ "Croatia ARC TOP 100" (in Croatian). HRT. Retrieved 24 April 2020.[permanent dead link]
  16. ↑ "Rita Ora – How To Be Lonely". PureMédias.
  17. ↑ "Irish-charts.com – Discography Rita Ora". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved 6 April 2020.
  18. ↑ "Nederlandse Top 40 – week 18, 2020" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40. Retrieved 1 May 2020.
  19. ↑ "NZ Hot Singles Chart". Recorded Music NZ. 23 March 2020. Retrieved 21 March 2020.
  20. ↑ "Bestsellery i wyróżnienia - AirPlays - Top - Archiwum" (in Polish). ZPAV. Archived from the original. Retrieved 22 June 2020. [dead link]
  21. ↑ "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart on 20/3/2020 – Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 21 March 2020.
  22. ↑ "Official Singles Chart on 20/3/2020 – Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 21 March 2020.
  23. ↑ Streaming — "Rita Ora - Let You Love Me". Apple Music. 21 September 2018. Retrieved 1 October 2018.