White Flag (Dido song)

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"White Flag"
Single by Dido
from the album Life for Rent
B-side
Released7 July 2003 (2003-07-07)
StudioThe Church (London, England)
GenrePop
Length
  • 4:01 (album version)
  • 3:40 (radio edit)
Label
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)
  • Dido
  • Rollo
Dido singles chronology
"Feels Like Fire"
(2003) 		"White Flag"
(2003) 		"Life for Rent"
(2003)
Music video
"White Flag" on YouTube

"White Flag" is a song by English singer-songwriter Dido, released as the lead single from her second studio album, Life for Rent (2003). The song was first released to US radio on 7 July 2003 and was issued in the United Kingdom as a physical single on 1 September 2003. The song performed well on record charts around the world, peaking at number one in Australia, Austria, the Czech Republic, Germany, Italy, Norway, and Portugal. In Dido's native UK, it reached number two on the UK Singles Chart, and in the United States, it climbed to number 18 on the Billboard Hot 100.

The song's music video, directed by Joseph Kahn, features actor David Boreanaz as Dido's love interest. "White Flag" was nominated for the Best Female Pop Vocal Performance at the 46th Grammy Awards but lost to Christina Aguilera's "Beautiful". It won the Best British Single at the 2004 Brit Awards. "White Flag" ranked at number 317 on Blender's list "The 500 Greatest Songs Since You Were Born".[1]

Background and composition[edit]

"White Flag" was written and produced by Dido, Rick Nowels, and Rollo Armstrong.[2] In the song, the protagonist is unwilling to give up, even if she knows her relationship is over.[3] Dido has stated the song was inspired by a real break-up she had with a former fiancé.[4]

"White Flag" features "multi-layered" sound, delicate piano outro, and strings.[3] The majority of the song is in the key of D minor, but constantly alternates between that key and its relative major, F major.[5] The tempo is 90 beats per minute, and Dido's vocals range from the low note of A3 to the high note of C5.[6]

Critical reception[edit]

David Jeffries from AllMusic praised "Dido's sweet delivery" and stated that "It’s all very beautiful, the perfect soundtrack for weeping, and the definition of "wistful" in a song."[3] Derryck Strachan wrote for BBC Music that the song is "engaging to the extent that you could easily be humming along without it registering in your brain. There's something unconscious, pleasantly innocuous about it. It's comfort food for the ears and it could be easily on a Tom Hanks–Meg Ryan romantic comedy."[7] Alexis Petridis from The Guardian wrote that the song "is a superb, confidently written pop song, possessed of a chorus that is impossible to dislodge from your memory without the aid of hypnotherapy."[8]

Awards and impact[edit]

The song was nominated for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance at the 2004 Grammy Awards, but lost to Christina Aguilera's "Beautiful".[9] The song won the award for "Best Single" at the 2004 BRIT Awards.[10]

Music video[edit]

The music video, directed by Joseph Kahn, was filmed in Cape Town, South Africa and features actor David Boreanaz as Dido's love interest.[11]

The video tells a story about a relationship that is over, but where Dido is obviously still smitten with her ex, who is oblivious of her. They have numerous occasions where they are near each other without him noticing. Dido is clearly still not over him, and he is clearly not over her. At the end of the video, they return to their apartments and Dido's room is filled with photos of him and, in a twist ending, his apartment is also filled with Dido's photos (showing he's still as much in love with her as well.) The screen rotates throughout the entirety of the video, never standing still. The song's opening is also cut out entirely from the video.[12]

Track listings[edit]

Credits and personnel[edit]

Credits are lifted from the European CD single liner notes.[13]

Studios

Personnel

  • Dido – writing (as Dido Armstrong), vocals, production
  • Rick Nowels – writing, guitar, keyboards
  • Rollo – writing (as Rollo Armstrong), production
  • Paul Herman – additional acoustic guitar
  • Rusty Anderson – electric guitar
  • Mark Bates – additional keyboards, piano, programming
  • P*Nut – drums and bass programming
  • Ash Howes – recording, mixing
  • Grippa – additional recording
  • Gavin Callaghan – recording assistance
  • Nathan Loughran – recording assistance
  • Nick Ingman – string arrangement
  • Gavyn Wright – concertmaster
  • Miles Showell – mastering
  • Simon Corkin – artwork design
  • Ellen Von Unwerth – photography

Charts[edit]

Certifications[edit]

Region Certification Certified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[79] Gold 35,000^
Austria (IFPI Austria)[80] Gold 15,000*
Belgium (BEA)[81] Gold 25,000*
Denmark (IFPI Danmark)[82] Gold 4,000^
Denmark (IFPI Danmark)[83]
Reissue 		Gold 45,000‡
Germany (BVMI)[84] Gold 150,000^
Italy (FIMI)[85]
sales since 2009 		Gold 35,000‡
Norway (IFPI Norway)[86] Platinum 10,000*
Sweden (GLF)[87] Gold 10,000^
Switzerland (IFPI Switzerland)[88] Gold 20,000^
United Kingdom (BPI)[89] Platinum 600,000‡
United States (RIAA)[90] Gold 500,000^

* Sales figures based on certification alone.
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

Release history[edit]

Region Date Format(s) Label(s) Ref(s).
United States 7 July 2003
[91]
11 August 2003 Contemporary hit radio [92]
Denmark 1 September 2003 CD [93]
United Kingdom [94][95]
Japan 3 September 2003
[96]
Sweden
  • Arista
  • Cheeky
 [97]
Australia 15 September 2003 [98]

References[edit]

  1. ^ The 500 Greatest Songs Since You Were Born: 301 – 350
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  4. ^ "Dido: Meaning Behind 'White Flag' Revealed! " HPL". HuffPost Live. 29 March 2013. Retrieved 26 March 2023.
  5. ^ It is actually in the Aeolian mode, because there is no dominant chord, A major.
  6. ^ "Dido – White Flag Digital Sheet Music". Music Notes. 10 October 2003. Retrieved 21 February 2012.
  7. ^ Strachan, Derryck (20 June 2003). "Review of Dido – Life for Rent". BBC. Retrieved 21 February 2012.
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