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Last week, I was catching up on the Hulu limited series “Little Fires Everywhere,” a show set in the late 90’s about the intertwined lives of a white and black family that touches on the lived experiences of both groups while adding in enough suspense to keep viewers engaged week after week. Like all period pieces, the music in the series is lifted straight from that time but also features songs re-recorded likely due to rights issues. One of those songs was the excellent “Here With Me.” Enter Dido into my collective consciousness from stage left.
DEBUT ALBUM AND SUCCESS
In 1999, “Here With Me” was the first single from Dido’s debut album “No Angel” and was a mild hit in the US but one of those songs that teenagers and young adults gravitate towards because of whatever emotional torment is going on in their angst-ridden romantic lives at that moment. It wasn’t until Eminem, who was recording his album at the same time heard “Thank You,” where he sampled the first verse for his song “Stan,” which became an international hit. Dido’s label subsequently released the original version, which went on to become a #1 hit for the young singer propelling her debut to sell 21 million copies worldwide.
Not unlike her earlier contemporaries, Dido sang about love and happiness but her strength is in songs of emotional despair that tear at the heart. I’d compare much of her work to three other Diva Hall of Fame inductees — Jewel, Robyn, and Sarah McLachlan, especially the latter. Jewel and McLachlan are both singer-songwriters, while Robyn writes pitch-perfect pop songs while embracing darker elements and experimental electronic sounds by working with alternative acts. Much like McLachlan, it’s not a coincidence that her music was ripe for Trance remixes at the time of their release. Her wispy vocals with tales of heartbreak and fortitude were ripe for the genre. Her brother is Rollo Armstrong, one half of the electronic dance group Faithless, who co-wrote and co-produced many of the songs on her first three albums.
FOLLOW UP TO A BLOCKBUSTER ALBUM
After touring for nearly two years supporting “No Angel,” Dido took some time off and her next album “Life For Rent” didn’t come out until 2003. In the music world, that was an eternity between albums but it was equally successful with the massive “White Flag,” which is a personal all-time favorite. “I will go down with this ship, and I won’t put my hands up and surrender. There will be no white flag above my door. I’m in love and always will be” The lyrics to this song alone are worth the price of admission into Dido’s world.
I will go down with this shipAnd I won’t put my hands up and surrenderThere wi…
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