"Run" is a cover of the Snow Patrol song by Leona
Lewis on BBC Radio 1's Live Lounge on 31 October
2007. She later released the song as a single from
Spirit: The Deluxe Edition in November 2008. "Run"
became the UK's fastest-selling digital release
ever, selling 69,244 copies in just two days.
Lewis first performed "Run" on the Live Lounge section of The Jo Whiley Show, where artists perform two songs: one song of their own and one by another artist, in an acoustic format. The performance was recorded at the BBC Maida Vale Studios, where Lewis was backed by a 14-piece band. The show's host Jo Whiley said that "people did cry". She referred to it as "the most famous cover" (from her show), stating that it's "always in demand and developed a life of its own." The day after Lewis' version appeared on the Live Lounge, it was requested over 8,000 times in the first 2 minutes of The Chris Moyles Show. As a result, her version was added to Radio 1's A List.
Due to its popularity, Lewis recorded a studio version of the song in September 2008 for the re-release of her album Spirit. It was made available digitally in Ireland on 17 November 2008 and on 30 November 2008 in the United Kingdom.
"Run" was expected to be released as a single following Lewis' performance on The X Factor, but the single didn't appear on any online music stores. It was believed that Lewis' record label, Sony, wanted to shift the sales towards the reissue of Spirit, which did return the album to number one. A spokesman for Lewis reported that the song "has never been scheduled for release as a single", but due to "overwhelming public demand", Lewis' management and record label decided to release it in the UK on the 30 November.
Lewis performed "Run" on the fifth series of The X Factor on 15 November, after which Simon Cowell commented that her performance was "absolutely incredible". She also performed the song live on Divas II which aired on ITV1 in the UK on 23 November 2008. Lewis performed the song on the Royal Variety Performance, which aired on 17 December and the Top of the Pops Christmas Special which aired on Christmas Day.
In the U.S, a radio edit of "Run" was released as a digital download on December 16, 2008.
Lewis first performed "Run" on the Live Lounge section of The Jo Whiley Show, where artists perform two songs: one song of their own and one by another artist, in an acoustic format. The performance was recorded at the BBC Maida Vale Studios, where Lewis was backed by a 14-piece band. The show's host Jo Whiley said that "people did cry". She referred to it as "the most famous cover" (from her show), stating that it's "always in demand and developed a life of its own." The day after Lewis' version appeared on the Live Lounge, it was requested over 8,000 times in the first 2 minutes of The Chris Moyles Show. As a result, her version was added to Radio 1's A List.
Due to its popularity, Lewis recorded a studio version of the song in September 2008 for the re-release of her album Spirit. It was made available digitally in Ireland on 17 November 2008 and on 30 November 2008 in the United Kingdom.
"Run" was expected to be released as a single following Lewis' performance on The X Factor, but the single didn't appear on any online music stores. It was believed that Lewis' record label, Sony, wanted to shift the sales towards the reissue of Spirit, which did return the album to number one. A spokesman for Lewis reported that the song "has never been scheduled for release as a single", but due to "overwhelming public demand", Lewis' management and record label decided to release it in the UK on the 30 November.
Lewis performed "Run" on the fifth series of The X Factor on 15 November, after which Simon Cowell commented that her performance was "absolutely incredible". She also performed the song live on Divas II which aired on ITV1 in the UK on 23 November 2008. Lewis performed the song on the Royal Variety Performance, which aired on 17 December and the Top of the Pops Christmas Special which aired on Christmas Day.
In the U.S, a radio edit of "Run" was released as a digital download on December 16, 2008.