Don't Leave Home

"Don't Leave Home" is the third single released from English singer Dido's second album, Life for Rent (2003). The song was first released as a digital download in various territories on 10 April 2004 before its physical UK release two days later. "Don't Leave Home" peaked at number 25 on the UK Singles Chart and charted for nine weeks. A remix of the song's B-side, "Stoned", by American electronic music duo Deep Dish topped the US Billboard Dance Club Play chart.

"Don't Leave Home"
Single by Dido
from the album Life for Rent
B-side	"Stoned" (Deep Dish remix)
Released	10 April 2004 (2004-04-10)
Studio	The Ark The Church, Wessex (London, England) Cubejam (Miami, Florida)
Length	3:47
Label	Cheeky Arista
Songwriter(s)	Dido Armstrong Rollo Armstrong
Producer(s)	Dido Rollo Mike Hedges
Dido singles chronology
"Life for Rent" (2003) "Don't Leave Home" (2004) "Sand in My Shoes" (2004)
Music video
"Don't Leave Home" on YouTube

Background

"Don't Leave Home" deals with drug addiction. It is written and sung from the point of view of the drug singing to the person who is addicted to it.^[1] It was originally a demo recorded for her 1999 album No Angel, but it was included instead on the 2003 album, Life for Rent. It was written and produced by Dido Armstrong and her brother Rollo Armstrong.^[2] The song is set in common time composed in a moderate tempo of 80 beats per minute,^[3] written in F♯ major with a vocal range from the tone of F♯₄ to the note of C♯₆.^[3]

Music video

The Jake Nava-directed music video for "Don't Leave Home" starts with the singer driving on a desert road as it gets dark. Suddenly, she finds herself in front of a forest. Dido leaves the car, drops her suitcase on the ground, and enters the forest. Some of the themes and scenery imply drug addiction, like the hazy affects, the forest filled with mushrooms and hallucinations of spiders and snakes. She leaves the forest and comes across a huge rock-like cliff by the ocean. She sings calmly by the cliff before jumping into the ocean and finds herself on a wide strand with white sand singing out to the ocean. The video ends with the car driving on with broken white lines. The video was shot in Cape Town, South Africa.

"Stoned"

The B-side of the "Don't Leave Home" single, "Stoned", was released as a promotional single from Life for Rent. The song tells the story of an unwinding relationship, clouded through drugs. "Stoned" was remixed by Deep Dish; this version peaked at number one on the US Billboard Dance Club Play chart on the week dated 24 January 2004.^[4] At the end of 2004, Billboard ranked the remix as the second-most-successful dance club track of year.^[5]

Track listings

UK CD single^[6]

1. "Don't Leave Home"
2. "Stoned" (Deep Dish Stoner remix edit)

European CD single^[7]

1. "Don't Leave Home" – 3:48
2. "Stoned" (Deep Dish remix edit) – 4:00
3. "Don't Leave Home" (video with lyrics)

Credits and personnel

Credits are lifted from the "Don't Leave Home" UK CD single liner notes and the Life for Rent booklet.^[6][8]

Studios Recorded at The Ark, The Church, Wessex Studios (London, England), and Cubejam (Miami, Florida) Mixed at The Church (London, England) "Don't Leave Home" strings recorded at Air Studios (London, England) Mastered at Metropolis Studios (London, England)

Artwork Simon Corkin – artwork design Bev Jones – photography

"Don't Leave Home" personnel Dido – writing (as Dido Armstrong), production Rollo – writing (as Rollo Armstrong), production Richard Parfitt – guitar Sister Bliss – additional keyboards, drum programming Makoto Sakamoto – drums Mike Hedges – production Matthieu Clouard – production assistance Ash Howes – mixing Phill Brown – recording Ger McDonnell – recording James Sanger – programming Mark Bates – programming assistance Pete Davies – programming assistance Nick Ingman – string arrangement Gavyn Wright – concertmaster Miles Showell – mastering

"Stoned" (Deep Dish remix) personnel Dido – writing (as Dido Armstrong), production Rollo – writing (as Rollo Armstrong), production Lester Mendez – writing, original recordings Adam Zimmon – acoustic guitar Carlos Paucer – percussion Sister Bliss – piano Mark Bates – additional keyboards, programming Ash Howes – mixing Phill Brown – recording Steve Sidelnyk – additional drum programming Deep Dish – remix and additional production (as Dubfire and Sharam), remix mixing Matt Nordstrom – remix mixing

Charts

"Don't Leave Home" Weekly charts Chart (2004) Peak position Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40)^[9] 54 Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)^[10] 50 Belgium (Ultratip Bubbling Under Wallonia)^[11] 2 Canada AC Top 30 (Radio & Records)^[12] 15 Canada Hot AC Top 30 (Radio & Records)^[13] 12 CIS (TopHit)^[14] 105 Germany (Official German Charts)^[15] 67 Greece (IFPI)^[16] 24 Ireland (IRMA)^[17] 35 Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)^[18] 36 Netherlands (Single Top 100)^[19] 38 Romania (Romanian Top 100)^[20] 29 Scotland (OCC)^[21] 26 Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)^[22] 45 UK Singles (OCC)^[23] 25 US Adult Top 40 (Billboard)^[24] 22 Year-end charts Chart (2004) Position US Adult Top 40 (Billboard)^[25] 64

"Stoned" (Deep Dish remix) Weekly charts Chart (2004) Peak position CIS (TopHit)^[26] 52 US Dance Club Songs (Billboard)^[4] 1 Year-end charts Chart (2004) Position US Dance Club Play (Billboard)^[5] 2

Release history

Region	Date	Format(s)	Label(s)	Ref(s).
Various	10 April 2004	Digital download	Cheeky Arista	^[27]^[28]^[29]
United Kingdom	12 April 2004	CD		^[30]
United States	19 April 2004	Hot adult contemporary radio		^[31]
Sweden	3 May 2004	CD		^[32]

See also

• List of number-one dance singles of 2004 (U.S.)

References

1. "Dido – "It's actually a song about drug addiction". Dido chats about Don't Leave Home in our latest audio commentary of a track from her new Greatest Hits album. didohq". Dido's Official Facebook Account. 10 December 2013. Archived from the original on 26 February 2022. Retrieved 20 September 2020.
2. Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Life for Rent – Dido". AllMusic. Retrieved 20 September 2020.
3. "Don't Leave Home – Dido Digital Sheet Music (Digital Download)". MusicNotes.com. Alfred Publishing Co. Inc.
4. "Dido Chart History (Dance Club Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved 11 February 2020.
5. "Year in Music & Touring: Hot Dance Club Play Singles". Billboard. Vol. 116, no. 52. 25 December 2004. p. YE-60.
6. Don't Leave Home (UK CD single liner notes). Dido. Cheeky Records, Arista Records. 2004. 82876611722.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
7. Don't Leave Home (European CD single liner notes). Dido. Cheeky Records, Arista Records. 2004. 82876609532.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
8. Life for Rent (European CD album booklet). Dido. Arista Records, BMG, Cheeky Records. 2003. 82876545982.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
9. "Dido – Don't Leave Home" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40. Retrieved 9 May 2018.
10. "Dido – Don't Leave Home" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50. Retrieved 9 May 2018.
11. "Dido – Don't Leave Home" (in French). Ultratip. Retrieved 9 May 2018.
12. "R&R Canada AC Top 30" (PDF). Radio & Records. No. 1561. 25 June 2004. p. 49.
13. "RR Canada Hot AC Top 30" (PDF). Radio & Records. No. 1560. 18 June 2004. p. 55. Retrieved 14 November 2023.
14. Dido — Don't Leave Home. TopHit. Retrieved 12 August 2020.
15. "Dido – Don't Leave Home" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts. Retrieved 9 May 2018.
16. (in Greek). IFPI. Archived from the original on 19 June 2004. Retrieved 30 June 2020. See Best Position column.
17. "Irish-charts.com – Discography Dido". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved 16 January 2020.
18. "Nederlandse Top 40 – week 21, 2004" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40. Retrieved 10 July 2018.
19. "Dido – Don't Leave Home" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved 9 May 2018.
20. (in Romanian). Romanian Top 100. Archived from the original on 13 October 2004. Retrieved 1 September 2019.
21. "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 9 May 2018.
22. "Dido – Don't Leave Home". Swiss Singles Chart. Retrieved 9 May 2018.
23. "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 9 May 2018.
24. "Dido Chart History (Adult Pop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved 11 February 2020.
25. "2004 The Year in Charts: Most-Played Adult Top 40 Songs". Billboard Radio Monitor. Vol. 12, no. 51. 17 December 2004. p. 26.
26. Dido — Stoned (Deep Dish remix). TopHit. Retrieved 12 August 2020.
27. "Don't Leave Home – Single". Apple Music. Retrieved 5 October 2021.
28. "Don't Leave Home – Single". Apple Music. Retrieved 5 October 2021.
29. "Don't Leave Home – Single". Apple Music. Retrieved 5 October 2021.
30. "Reviews: Singles". Music Week. 3 April 2004. p. 25.
31. "Going for Adds" (PDF). Radio & Records. No. 1551. 16 April 2004. p. 26. Retrieved 24 May 2021.
32. . click2music.se (in Swedish). Archived from the original on 13 February 2005. Retrieved 29 November 2023.