Snow Patrol’s knack for producing songs that can be played in the background of shows like ER and Grey’s Anatomy has never been in doubt, with Chasing Cars and Run being prime examples. Back in 2004, Run reached No.5 in the UK charts, but RealMusic Blog always thought it was a bit of a dirge - albeit one with a great song lurking underneath. Step forward Leona to uncover that gem: her cover of said song was performed for Radio 1’s Live Lounge series, but has since proved so popular that she’s now releasing it as a single, thanks in no small part to her sparkling appearance on the all-conquering X Factor…
Leona’s taken the bones of Snow Patrol’s song, injected her own unique vocal gymnastics and added a gospel choir to inject the necessary oomph into the second part. The result is a triumph for her and a timely cash boost for Snow Patrol’s bank account - this is their Valerie. In the video, Leona shows off her impeccable styling, gets down and dirty among some trees and when she sings ‘light up’ at the end with the gospel choir, light breaks through the trees. It’s like the lord himself is annointing Leona’s version as better than the original. Either that, or it could just be some clever art direction. We prefer the divine intervention route mind…
Listen to Leona Lewis Radio on RealMusic
Leona’s version of Run is out on November 30th.
(Clare Lydon)
