Rita Ora’s take on the Kate Bush classic ‘Running Up That Hill’ hasn’t gone down well online.
The vintage single was given a new lease of life after its inclusion on the soundtrack of Stranger Things, with Kate Bush enjoying a – richly deserved – ride to the top of the charts.
Indeed, ‘Running Up That Hill’ became an unavoidable part of the British summer, with its hook utilised in a furry of remixes, from techno to DNB.
Rita Ora is currently in Brazil, and decided to interpolate a slice of Kate Bush into her live set, elongating the melody to show off her vocal chops. A bold move, given how hard it is to step into the shoes of Kate Bush, but perhaps worth attempting.
Here’s the clip.
Rita Ora cantando o cl谩ssico "Running Up That Hill" de Kate Bush #RockInRio #RitaOraNoMultishow pic.twitter.com/pOYMDYPoxK
— BCharts (@bchartsnet) September 11, 2022
The Rock In Rio clip swiftly went viral, but the feedback was – shall we say – not the best.
How to destroy a classic song in under one minute 馃憞 https://t.co/U4zEqeidUG
— Mahyar Tousi (@MahyarTousi) September 14, 2022
I need kate to run up that hill and make a deal with god to get him to end the epidemic of botched covers of this song 馃槶 https://t.co/jOeVuxGvN9
mdash; Shamir (@ShamirBailey) September 14, 2022
Obsessed with this. Absolutely deranged.
— Bradley Stern (@MuuMuse) September 14, 2022
A complete massacre of the original. Each note more wild and unpredictable than the next. Ending with a cocky kiss, like she just fucking killed it.
100% perfect. No notes. https://t.co/9oFbYPbCPV
Fans in Rio certainly seemed to enjoy it, but the memes just won’t stop.
kate bush sending a cease and desist letter to rita ora after that cover pic.twitter.com/YwpWWSQhM1
— . (@notkingdeficit) September 14, 2022
Rita Ora has not commented on the reaction – in fact, it looks as though she’s living her best life.
Photography: Matt Easton
