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Rita Ora's Official Top 20 biggest songs in the UK revealed
26 January 2023 | By George Griffiths

The MO of Rita Ora's career is that, despite the odds, she survives.

This goes from the very start of her career, where she exploded seemingly out of nowhere to claim a then record-setting four UK Number 1 singles in less than two years, before plans for a sophomore album under Roc Nation were delayed and her future thrown into turmoil.

But Rita endured. More than endured, she thrived. Her string of Top 10 hits in 2017-18, when her second album Phoenix finally emerged from the ashes, is one of modern pop's greatest comeback stories - and helped Rita break a long-held UK chart record, becoming the British female artist with the most Top 10 hits on the Official Singles Chart ever.

And now, after taking stock for the last few years following the release of her frantic Bang EP, Rita is back and ready to defy the odds again. With the release of You Only Love Me, she's ready to embark in an exciting new era, one where she holds complete autonomy, having signed a new deal with BMG where she owns the master recordings of her own work.

To celebrate the release of You Only Love Me, dropping tomorrow (January 27), we've crunched the numbers and counted the slays to reveal Rita's Official Top 20 biggest songs in the UK for the first time.

The list in full is an eclectic collection, and a reminder of just how versatile her bop-making skills can be, from her raucous Charli XCX duet Doing It (18), her much-misunderstood banger Girls (14) and the sugar-sweet, pure pop confection of the Katy Perry-esque How We Do (Party) (11), Rita's first big, undeniable "look out everyone, here comes a superstar!" moment.

Before we reveal the Top 20 in full, here's a closer look at the Top 5. WARNING: contains bops and bangers.

5. I Will Never Let You Down
Released: 2014
Official Singles Chart peak: Number 1
Total UK chart units: 1 million
Pretty much a perfect pop song without flaw, Rita's fourth UK Number 1 single should have been a perfect storm of timing, talent and luck - matching her with Calvin Harris for a buoyant house anthem that sores with each respective chorus.

While Rita's second album under Roc Nation never materialised for a variety of reasons (honestly, let's not get into it here), I Will Never Let You Down remains crystallised in amber, a song that sounds as good and current in 2023 as it did in 2014.c

4. Let You Love Me
Released: 2018
Official Singles Chart peak: Number 4
Total UK chart units: 1.2 million
Let You Love Me, the fourth single from Phoenix, was the single that brought Rita Ora into the Official Charts record books, helping her become the British female artist with the most Top 10 singles in UK chart history.

And it's easy to see why. A demure synth-pop anthem with production from Fred again.. Let You Love Me is actually Rita's most-streamed track in the UK; notching up a mighty 153 million streams in total. It's music video (which sees her tear through various locales around the world) is also her most-streamed, with over 42 million video streams in the UK alone.

3. Lonely Together (with Avicii)
Released: 2017
Official Singles Chart peak: Number 4
Total UK chart units: 1.2 million
You can't overstate how successful Rita's 2017 comeback was - something proved by the fact her Top 3 biggest singles in the UK all come from this period. Dark dance anthem Lonely Together, the last song released by Avicii in his lifetime, is a poignant reminder.

It's Rita's third-biggest track here, reaching Number 4, it has over 1.2 million chart units to its name, as well as over 117 million total streams.

2. Your Song
Released: 2017
Official Singles Chart peak: Number 7
Total UK chart units: 1.4 million
And that's how you end a good few years alone in the pop wilderness. Rita teamed up with her friend Ed Sheeran for this Steve Mac-produced which perfectly fit into the trop-pop explosion that was occurring at the time.

As perfectly constructed as a little pop pocketwatch, each part of Your Song melds in with the other, a confident and astute comeback for Rita. It's her second-biggest track ever released in the UK, maxing out with 1.4 million chart units in total, including a combined 138 million streams.

1. Anywhere
Released: 2017
Official Singles Chart peak: Number 2
Total UK chart units: 1.5 million
Come for the drop, stay for the drop, listen to the drop on repeat, ad infinitum.

Anywhere may not be the most showy song of Rita's career, but something seemed to click with the general public when it was released. This was the Rita Ora single where everyone realised, suddenly, that they finally got Rita Ora. And it was about time!

Despite never reaching Number 1, being kept off the top spot by Camila Cabello's Havana, Anywhere reigns supreme as Rita's biggest UK single, collecting over 1.5 million total chart units.

Rita Ora's Official Top 20 biggest songs revealed
POS TITLE ARTIST YEAR PEAK
1 ANYWHERE RITA ORA 2017 2
2 YOUR SONG RITA ORA 2017 7
3 LONELY TOGETHER AVICII FT RITA ORA 2017 4
4 LET YOU LOVE ME RITA ORA 2018 4
5 I WILL NEVER LET YOU DOWN RITA ORA 2014 1
6 HOT RIGHT NOW DJ FRESH FT RITA ORA 2012 1
7 BLACK WIDOW IGGY AZALEA FT RITA ORA 2014 4
8 FOR YOU (FIFTY SHADES FREED) LIAM PAYNE/RITA ORA 2018 8
9 R.I.P. RITA ORA FT TINIE TEMPAH 2012 1
10 RITUAL TIESTO/JONAS BLUE/RITA ORA 2019 24
11 HOW WE DO (PARTY) RITA ORA 2012 1
12 POISON RITA ORA 2015 3
13 COMING HOME SIGMA FT RITA ORA 2015 15
14 BODY ON ME RITA ORA FT CHRIS BROWN 2015 22
15 GIRLS RITA ORA/CARDI B/REXHA/CHARLI 2018 22
16 CARRY ON KYGO & RITA ORA 2019 26
17 YOU FOR ME SIGALA & RITA ORA 2012 23
18 DOING IT CHARLI XCX FT RITA ORA 2015 8
19 ONLY WANT YOU RITA ORA 2018 60
20 SHINE YA LIGHT RITA ORA 2012 10
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https://www.officialcharts.com/chart-news/r...evealed__22892/