Thank You is the kind of song you can wake up to on a dreary, cloudy day and find yourself in better spirits after hearing it. It’s a hopeful song when it comes down to it, and very relatable. Dido is the everyday girl – she drank too much, has bills to pay, missed the bus, and arrives at work wondering if she’ll be fired by day’s end. But despite whatever comes, “it’s not so bad,” because she is loved, and nothing – including all of the above – is going to worry her or bring her down. This song is Dido’s thank-you letter to her lover, who – just by being there – can give her the best day of her life.
It’s such a cool, breezy song, with a melody that seems unassuming at first but stays with you. Even Eminem was so impressed he incorporated it into his song Stan, which many listeners may be more familiar with than Dido’s original. But it’s funny – Thank You is about being in love with someone, while Stan is about becoming dangerously obsessed with someone. Dido wrote the song about her boyfriend at the time, Bob Page, whom she met in 1995.
Thank You has one of the longest release journeys I can think of. It first appeared in the 1998 film Sliding Doors, was later included on Dido’s 1999 debut album No Angel, and was released as a single on 18 September 2000. That same year, American rapper Eminem sampled the track for his hit single Stan, which helped propel Thank You and No Angel into the mainstream. The song entered the US Billboard chart at number 80 on 13 January 2001 and peaked at No. 3 in April 2001 – becoming Dido’s first and only top-10 single in the United States – while also topping four other Billboard charts.
If you want to know the extreme case about sending feelers out and getting your song heard, then consider the aforementioned: Thank You was first released publicly via Sliding Doors on 26 January 1998 and reached its chart peak in April 2001 – a ridiculous span of 3 years and 2 months.
Then get this – by 2001 Dido was being credited as “the world’s best-selling female music star.”
[Verse 1]
My tea’s gone cold, I’m wondering why I
Got out of bed at all
The morning rain clouds up my window
And I can’t see at all
And even if I could, it’d all be grey
But your picture on my wall
It reminds me that it’s not so bad
It’s not so bad
[Verse 2]
I drank too much last night, got bills to pay
My head just feels in pain
I missed the bus and there’ll be hell today
I’m late for work again
And even if I’m there, they’ll all imply
That I might not last the day
And then you call me and it’s not so bad
It’s not so bad
[Chorus]
And I want to thank you
For giving me the best day of my life
And oh, just to be with you
Is having the best day of my life
[Verse 3]
Push the door, I’m home at last
And I’m soaking through and through
And then you handed me a towel
And all I see is you
And even if my house falls down now
I wouldn’t have a clue
Because you’re near me
References:
1. Thank You (Dido song) – Wikipedia
“The more I live, the more I learn. The more I learn, the more I realize, the less I know.”- Michel Legrand
Observation Blogger 
Ah! This song brings me back to my childhood so much! The chill music with her soft singing is so perfect.
I think I came to it from Eminem’s Stan, but yeh – it’s just such chill music. It’s 3 years in making is something else.
The first time I heard of Dido was when she had her hit single “White Flag,” which I’ve always found stunning. Objectively speaking, to the extent that’s even possible with somebody highly subjective like music, it’s not even that extraordinary of a song. But Dido’s delivery, combined with her ethereal vocals seal the deal. I didn’t remember the title “Thank You” but immediately recognized the song once I started listening to the clip. I like that one as well! Dido’s vocals really draw you in! And unlike “White Flag”, “Thank You” is more of a picker-upper!
Ooh I totally forgot about White Flag! Such a beautiful one as well but definitely not as positive, as you mentioned.
Big fan of ‘Life For Rent’ which I’m still yet to write about. You know that one?
I have not heard that one yet.
It’s pretty good.