How To Be Lonely

Album: single release only (2020)
Charted: 57
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • Lewis Capaldi wrote this empowering anthem where an insecure Rita Ora leans how to be comfortable in her own skin. The Scot struggled to sing the song himself, so he handed it to Ora.
  • Said Ora: "This song is inspired by lots of different periods of my life. Times where I've come to realize that we're all valuable people, something we should cherish, and that while connections are important, we don't ever need the approval of others. When you're alone, remember that you are enough and that you have the strength to make your own choices. Enjoy being you!"
  • Lewis Capaldi also plays guitar and lends his voice to the backing vocals.
  • Rita Ora said the song helped her get through a love split from actor Rafferty Law. She told BBC Radio 2: "It was based off me, after a breakup, and I thought: 'Gosh, I'm all by myself. This sucks, this is awful.' And then this song came about and then I thought, 'Wow, this really makes sense' because it made me feel better."
  • David Meyers - the guy behind Billie Eilish's "Bad Guy" and Harry Styles' "Adore You," helmed the video. He explained the meaning behind the promo. "This video explores, abstractly, the emotions one feels when going through a breakup," he said. "It's anger, longing, comfort, retreat, falling and, of course, loneliness. Ultimately suggesting that this is a necessary healing process that leads to the reawakening of one's true self."
  • The video is chock-full of metaphors. Ora explained to The Face: "The face-ripping is me shedding skin with the new album coming up - it's completely different (from what I've done before)."

    The singer added that the scene of her surrounding by eggs with a yolk in the middle, is "a symbol of walking around somebody you thought you knew, feeling like you're on eggshells because you can feel it coming to an end."

Comments: 1

  • Theannoyinguser from JakartaThe Gold bath scene looks like it resembles Elizabeth Bathory's blood-bathing
see more comments

Editor's Picks

Shawn Mullins

Shawn MullinsSongwriter Interviews

"Lullaby" singer Shawn Mullins on "Beautiful Wreck," beating the Devil, and his writing credit on the Zac Brown Band song "Toes."

The Untold Story Of Fiona Apple's Extraordinary Machine

The Untold Story Of Fiona Apple's Extraordinary MachineSong Writing

Fiona's highly-anticipated third album almost didn't make it. Here's how it finally came together after two years and a leak.

Neal Smith - "I'm Eighteen"

Neal Smith - "I'm Eighteen"They're Playing My Song

With the band in danger of being dropped from their label, Alice Cooper drummer Neal Smith co-wrote the song that started their trek from horror show curiosity to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

"Stairway To Heaven" Lawsuit: A Timeline

"Stairway To Heaven" Lawsuit: A TimelineSong Writing

Untangling the events that led to the "Stairway To Heaven" lawsuit.

Vanessa Carlton

Vanessa CarltonSongwriter Interviews

The "A Thousand Miles" singer on what she thinks of her song being used in White Chicks and how she captured a song from a dream.

Allen Toussaint - "Southern Nights"

Allen Toussaint - "Southern Nights"They're Playing My Song

A song he wrote and recorded from "sheer spiritual inspiration," Allen's didn't think "Southern Nights" had hit potential until Glen Campbell took it to #1 two years later.