"Call Me Maybe" is indisputably the Song of the Summer, maybe even the year, but One Direction's "What Makes You Beautiful" rivals Our Girl’s breakout hit in terms of the number of covers and various interpretations it has spawned. From Glee‘s prom to Broadway sailors and an Olympic ode to Team USA’s flexibility, our five X Factor products have seen the reach of their song extend further than the shores of Great Britain and Ireland, suggested that the world has been craving some tame, sweet, self-confidence boosting pop for far too long.
Rita Ora is the latest to cover 1D, performing “What Makes You Beautiful” for BBC’s Radio 1 Live Lounge Friday. Her version is a fairly faithful interpretation, amplified by a collection of additional percussion, including bongos and handclaps—video, please!—as well as a vocal range not disturbed by late changes or lingering effects of puberty. It’s rich and complex and totally worthy of multiple listens—even if you’ve tired from the original. It’s also a strong enough cover that it should cause Niall Horan to take a momentary pause on his live-tweeting of today’s events and lend a big ups to the Brit. But does this mean she’ll be performing at the Olympics’ Closing Ceremony, too? Listen below.
