Life for Rent (song)

"Life for Rent"
Single by Dido
from the album Life for Rent
Released	1 December 2003 (2003-12-01) [1]
Studio	The Ark The Church, Wessex (London, England) Cubejam (Miami, Florida, US)
Length	3:43
Label	Arista, Cheeky
Songwriter(s)	Dido Armstrong, Rollo Armstrong
Producer(s)	Dido, Rollo
Dido singles chronology
"White Flag" (2003) "Life for Rent" (2003) "Don't Leave Home" (2004)
Music video
"Life for Rent on YouTube

"Life for Rent" is the title track from English singer Dido's second studio album, Life for Rent (2003). The song was released as a single on 1 December 2003 and peaked at number eight on the UK Singles Chart. The song also became a top-40 hit in several other countries, including Hungary, Ireland, Italy, and the Netherlands. The music video, directed by Sophie Muller, shows Dido in several rooms in a house.

Background and writing

Dido wrote "Life for Rent" whilst in the United States after what she described as "running away from England", citing various different reasons for her decision to go to the United States. When explaining her reasons for leaving England for the United States, she claimed that she had been getting excessive attention from journalists and British tabloid newspapers, and had just ended a relationship, factors which lead to her decision to settle in the United States for a period of time. With much of the Life for Rent album, the song was written whilst in the United States, and cites Dido's desire to "always wanting to live by the sea", something she later claimed she "still wants to do sometimes, and sometimes I don't want to". ^[2]

She explained that "Life for Rent" was written to reflect a meaning of her life not "really being my own", stating that she "only really rented my life for a while", further stating that "if I don't manage to buy it, to own it, then nothing of what I think is mine is really mine". ^[2]

Release

"Life for Rent" was released as the second single from the Life for Rent album (2003) on 1 December 2003, following the release of the albums lead single "White Flag", which was released on 7 July 2003. The song performed well commercially across Europe and in Australia and New Zealand, however, it failed to match the commercial performance of "White Flag". In the United States, it failed to appear on the US Billboard Hot 100 singles charts, or any other associated Billboard singles charts in the United States. It peaked within the top ten in the United Kingdom, Hungary, Scotland, Croatia, the Republic of Ireland and Italy, whilst in the Netherlands, New Zealand, Sweden and Switzerland it reached the top twenty of their respective singles charts. In the United Kingdom, it was certified Silver by the British Phonographic Industry, indicating sales in excess of 200,000 copies. ^[3]

Dido and her lyrical portrayal in "Life for Rent" was described as "moody and cynical as she examines her life", citing the differences between that and the "innocent and idealistic Dido" that was presented in her earlier releases such as "Thank You". Critics praised Dido's intrepretation of lyrics, claiming that with "Life for Rent", she has "taken the limitations of her voice and made them strengths". Critics also claimed that Dido was "gradually reaching her potential", but highlighted that she "still had work to do". ^[4] Since its release, "Life for Rent" has been credited as "capturing the hearts of listeners around the world with its introspective lyrics and unique blend of pop, trip-hop, and electronic elements". It's "evocative imagery and thought-provoking lyrics have sparked numerous interpretations, inviting listeners to delve deeper into the meanings and emotions" as claimed by one critic. Lyrically, the song features dark and thought provoking lyrics, such as "nothing I have is truly mine", in which critics and reviewers suggest highlights the "impermanent nature of all things in life, including possessions, relationships, and even our own bodies". ^[5]

Track listings

UK CD1 ^[6]

1. "Life For Rent" – 3:41
2. "White Flag" (Idjut Boys remix) – 3:45

UK CD2 and Australian CD single ^[7]

1. "Life for Rent"
2. "Life for Rent" (Skinny 4 Rent mix)
3. "Stoned" (Spiritchaser mix)
4. "Life for Rent" (video)

Credits and personnel

Credits are lifted from the UK CD2 liner notes and the Life for Rent booklet. ^{[7] [8]}

Studios

• Recorded at The Ark, The Church, Wessex Studios (London, England), and Cubejam (Miami, Florida, US)
• Mixed at The Church (London, England)
• Strings recorded at Angel Recording Studios (London, England)
• Mastered at Metropolis Studios (London, England)

Personnel

• Dido – writing (as Dido Armstrong), vocals, guitar, production
• Rollo – writing (as Rollo Armstrong), production
• Paul Herman – guitar
• Dave Randall – additional guitars
• Aubrey Nunn – bass
• Mark Bates – piano, keyboards, programming
• Andy Treacey – live drums
• P*Nut – drum programming
• Ash Howes – mixing, recording
• Phill Brown – recording
• Nick Ingman – string arrangement
• Gavyn Wright – concertmaster
• Miles Showell – mastering
• Simon Corkin – artwork design
• Ellen Von Unwerth – photography

Charts

Weekly charts Chart (2003–2004) Peak position Australia (ARIA) [9] 28 Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40) [10] 31 Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders) [11] 34 Belgium (Ultratop 50 Wallonia) [12] 27 Croatia (HRT) [13] 6 France (SNEP) [14] 24 Germany (GfK) [15] 33 Hungary (Rádiós Top 40) [16] 10 Hungary (Single Top 40) [17] 5 Ireland (IRMA) [18] 8 Italy (FIMI) [19] 8 Netherlands (Dutch Top 40) [20] 11 Netherlands (Single Top 100) [21] 24 New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ) [22] 17 Romania (Romanian Top 100) [23] 57 Scotland (OCC) [24] 7 Sweden (Sverigetopplistan) [25] 20 Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade) [26] 19 UK Singles (OCC) [27] 8

Year-end charts Chart (2003) Position Ireland (IRMA) [28] 88 UK Singles (OCC) [29] 184 Chart (2004) Position Hungary (Rádiós Top 40) [30] 44 Netherlands (Dutch Top 40) [31] 61

Certifications

Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
United Kingdom (BPI) [32]	Silver	200,000‡
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

References

1. "New Releases: Singles". Music Week . 29 November 2003. p. 33.
2. "Life For Rent by Dido - Songfacts". www.songfacts.com. Retrieved 15 February 2025.
3. "Heaven 17, How Men Are, Album - The BPI". BPI. Retrieved 15 February 2025.
4. "Single Review: Dido "Life For Rent"". The Bland Is Out There. 12 July 2013. Retrieved 15 February 2025.
5. Makhubela, Tsundukani (8 April 2023). ""Nothing I Have is Truly Mine": Unraveling the Powerful Message in Dido's "Life for Rent"". Medium. Retrieved 15 February 2025.
6. Life for Rent (UK CD1 liner notes). Dido. Arista Records, Cheeky Records. 2003. 82876578792.
7. Life for Rent (UK CD2 & Australian CD single liner notes). Dido. Arista Records, Cheeky Records. 2003. 82876579472.
8. Life for Rent (European CD album booklet). Dido. Arista Records, BMG, Cheeky Records. 2003. 82876545982.
9. "Dido – Life for Rent". ARIA Top 50 Singles. Retrieved 3 April 2020.
10. "Dido – Life for Rent" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40. Retrieved 3 April 2020.
11. "Dido – Life for Rent" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50. Retrieved 3 April 2020.
12. "Dido – Life for Rent" (in French). Ultratop 50. Retrieved 3 April 2020.
13. "Top Lista Hrvatskog Radija". Croatian Radiotelevision. Archived from the original on 5 February 2004. Retrieved 14 April 2023.
14. "Dido – Life for Rent" (in French). Les classement single. Retrieved 3 April 2020.
15. "Dido – Life for Rent" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts. Retrieved 3 April 2020.
16. "Archívum – Slágerlisták – MAHASZ" (in Hungarian). Rádiós Top 40 játszási lista. Magyar Hanglemezkiadók Szövetsége. Retrieved 3 April 2020.
17. "Archívum – Slágerlisták – MAHASZ" (in Hungarian). Single (track) Top 40 lista. Magyar Hanglemezkiadók Szövetsége. Retrieved 19 January 2024.
18. "Irish-charts.com – Discography Dido". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved 3 April 2020.
19. "Dido – Life for Rent". Top Digital Download. Retrieved 3 April 2020.
20. "Nederlandse Top 40 – week 4, 2004" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40. Retrieved 3 April 2020.
21. "Dido – Life for Rent" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved 3 April 2020.
22. "Dido – Life for Rent". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved 3 April 2020.
23. "Arhiva romanian top 100 – Editia 12, saptamina 22.03 - 28.03, 2004" (in Romanian). Romanian Top 100. Archived from the original on 13 October 2004. Retrieved 1 September 2019.
24. "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 26 June 2021.
25. "Dido – Life for Rent". Singles Top 100. Retrieved 3 April 2020.
26. "Dido – Life for Rent". Swiss Singles Chart. Retrieved 3 April 2020.
27. "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 3 April 2020.
28. "Top 100 Songs of 2003". Raidió Teilifís Éireann. 2003. Archived from the original on 2 June 2004. Retrieved 16 March 2022.
29. "The Official UK Singles Chart 2003" (PDF). UKChartsPlus . Retrieved 3 April 2020.
30. "Rádiós Top 100 – hallgatottsági adatok alapján – 2004" (in Hungarian). Mahasz . Retrieved 3 April 2020.
31. "Top 100–Jaaroverzicht van 2004". Dutch Top 40. Retrieved 3 April 2020.
32. "British single certifications – Dido – Life for Rent". British Phonographic Industry . Retrieved 25 November 2022.