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.

Track listings

UK CD1[2]

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

UK CD2 and Australian CD single[3]

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.[3][4]

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

Year-end charts Chart (2003) Position Ireland (IRMA)[24] 88 UK Singles (OCC)[25] 184 Chart (2004) Position Hungary (Rádiós Top 40)[26] 44 Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)[27] 61

Certifications

Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
United Kingdom (BPI)[28]	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 (UK CD1 liner notes). Dido. Arista Records, Cheeky Records. 2003. 82876578792.
3. Life for Rent (UK CD2 & Australian CD single liner notes). Dido. Arista Records, Cheeky Records. 2003. 82876579472.
4. Life for Rent (European CD album booklet). Dido. Arista Records, BMG, Cheeky Records. 2003. 82876545982.
5. "Dido – Life for Rent". ARIA Top 50 Singles. Retrieved 3 April 2020.
6. "Dido – Life for Rent" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40. Retrieved 3 April 2020.
7. "Dido – Life for Rent" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50. Retrieved 3 April 2020.
8. "Dido – Life for Rent" (in French). Ultratop 50. Retrieved 3 April 2020.
9. "Top Lista Hrvatskog Radija". Croatian Radiotelevision. Archived from the original on 5 February 2004. Retrieved 14 April 2023.
10. "Dido – Life for Rent" (in French). Les classement single. Retrieved 3 April 2020.
11. "Dido – Life for Rent" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts. Retrieved 3 April 2020.
12. "Archívum – Slágerlisták – MAHASZ" (in Hungarian). Rádiós Top 40 játszási lista. Magyar Hanglemezkiadók Szövetsége. Retrieved 3 April 2020.
13. "Archívum – Slágerlisták – MAHASZ" (in Hungarian). Single (track) Top 40 lista. Magyar Hanglemezkiadók Szövetsége. Retrieved 19 January 2024.
14. "Irish-charts.com – Discography Dido". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved 3 April 2020.
15. "Dido – Life for Rent". Top Digital Download. Retrieved 3 April 2020.
16. "Nederlandse Top 40 – week 4, 2004" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40. Retrieved 3 April 2020.
17. "Dido – Life for Rent" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved 3 April 2020.
18. "Dido – Life for Rent". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved 3 April 2020.
19. "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.
20. "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 26 June 2021.
21. "Dido – Life for Rent". Singles Top 100. Retrieved 3 April 2020.
22. "Dido – Life for Rent". Swiss Singles Chart. Retrieved 3 April 2020.
23. "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 3 April 2020.
24. "Top 100 Songs of 2003". Raidió Teilifís Éireann. 2003. Archived from the original on 2 June 2004. Retrieved 16 March 2022.
25. "The Official UK Singles Chart 2003" (PDF). UKChartsPlus. Retrieved 3 April 2020.
26. "Rádiós Top 100 – hallgatottsági adatok alapján – 2004" (in Hungarian). Mahasz. Retrieved 3 April 2020.
27. "Top 100–Jaaroverzicht van 2004". Dutch Top 40. Retrieved 3 April 2020.
28. "British single certifications – Dido – Life for Rent". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 25 November 2022.