Ellie Goulding | Burn (2013)

The song was written by Ryan Tedder, Goulding, Greg Kurstin, Noel Zancanella and Brent Kutzle, while production was handled by Kurstin and vocal production was done by Tedder. It was released on 5 July 2013 as the lead single from the reissue. The song was originally recorded by British singer Leona Lewis for her third studio album, Glassheart (2012), but it was ultimately scrapped.

Upon its release, "Burn" was met with a mixed response from music critics, who praised it as "catchy" and noted it as one of Goulding's most radio-friendly songs to date, while others felt it was not memorable. It earned Goulding her first number-one single on the UK Singles Chart, selling 116,857 copies in its first week and staying atop the chart for three consecutive weeks. The track attained similar success internationally, reaching the top 10 in countries such as Australia, Austria, Belgium, Germany, Ireland, Italy, New Zealand and Sweden, as well as number 13 on the Billboard Hot 100.

The accompanying music video was directed by Mike Sharpe and depicts Goulding in an empty field singing and dancing with friends. Goulding promoted the single on several television shows, including The X Factor, The Ellen DeGeneres Show, The Voice and Late Show with David Letterman. "Burn" was nominated for British Single of the Year and British Video of the Year at the 2014 Brit Awards.

In 2017, an a cappella interpretation was sung by actress Raffey Cassidy in the psychological horror film The Killing of a Sacred Deer.