"Thank You" is a song written and performed by English singer-songwriter Dido. The song made its first appearance in 1998, on the soundtrack of the movie Sliding Doors. It was later included on Dido's 1999 debut album No Angel, becoming the album's biggest hit. Entering the Billboard Hot 100 at number 80 in January 2001, "Thank You" peaked at number 3 in April 2001. It held that spot for 3 weeks, and became Dido's first and only top three single in the United States. In the United Kingdom, "Thank You" also reached number 3, becoming the singer's third top-five single in the United Kingdom. Additionally, the song reached number one on the BillboardAdult Contemporary, Adult Pop Songs, and Hot Dance Club Songs charts. Since becoming her biggest hit in multiple countries, the song has often been recognised as Dido's signature song.
Song information
Dido wrote the song about the down times of depression and about how she lost her house. It remains Dido's biggest hit single in the United States to date, and her only one to reach the top 10 of the Billboard Hot 100. "Thank You" was one of the biggest sleeper hits of the year, debuting in January and remaining on the chart until the end of September. It spent 40 weeks on the chart, and in November Billboard published that "Thank You" finished as the seventh biggest song of the year. The song's verses are written in the key of G minor whilst the chorus is in B Major, with a tempo of 80 beats per minute in common time. It follows a chord progression of GmEmaj7FBF/A, and Dido's vocals span from F3 to B4 in the song.
Critical reception
"Thank You" received acclaim from music critics, who thought the ballad was very "touching and soft" and an instant standout to the album. Jeff Burger from AllMusic had highlighted "Thank You" as an album standout. Christian Ward from NME had said "'Thank You,' which, far from conjuring up images of lunatic fan-worship, is more reminiscent of The Corrs. Now that really is sick."
Music video
In the music video, Dido has not paid her bills, and the government comes to tear down her house. The police put an eviction notice on her door and movers start moving her belongings out. Dido, who seems oblivious to the fact that her house has been barricaded, is seen simply singing the song. During the first chorus of the song, Dido has a cup of tea whilst moving, movers pile her belongings by an outside wall, and a mover steps on flowers in her front yard. In the end, she is escorted out of her home, her home is torn down, she leaves behind most of her belongings, and walks away with her shoulder bag and umbrella. The end of the video implies that her house is actually being torn down for redevelopment, as her home is sandwiched between two large skyscrapers. The video was directed by Dave Meyers, and was released in January 2001. VEVO released an acoustic version of the song in December 2012, and a live concert version was released in August 2016.
's critically acclaimed number-one single "Stan" samples the first verse of the song for its chorus. Dido herself appears in the music video for "Stan" as the pregnant girlfriend of an obsessed, suicidal and homicidal Eminem fan, and has made appearances on Eminem's tours to perform the song. When Eminem performed "Stan" live at the 2001 Grammy Awards, Elton John sang the Dido sample as he played keyboard during the performance.
In 1999, Mexican group Flans recorded a Spanish version entitled "Gracias". It was released as the third single from the album Hadas.
In 2006, Snoop Dogg also sampled the beat of "Thank You" on his song "Round Here" from his 2006 album, Tha Blue Carpet Treatment. The song was produced by Dr. Dre.
Canadian rapper Madchild sang new lyrics to the melody of "Thank You" for part of the song "Dickhead" from his 2012 album Dope Sick.
In 2016, Rihanna sampled "Thank You" on her song "Never Ending" from her eighth album Anti.
In 2016, Puerto Rican singers Kendo Kaponi and Anuel AA released the single "Me contagié", which covers the chorus of "Thank You" and partially adapted the lyrics in Spanish, sung by Anuel AA.
Legacy
In an interview on BBC Radio 3 in 2005 Katharine Worsley, Duchess of Kent, who, after relinquishing royal duties, worked as a classical music teacher, chose "Thank You" as one of her favourite pieces. In April 2007, it was also voted #57 in the BBC's list of Most Annoying Pop Songs We Hate to Love.
