Dido’s “Friends” Lyrics Meaning
In Dido’s “Friends”, the narrator (Dido) is addressing haters, not of the usual, anonymous variety but rather formerly-close associates who not only questioned her wherewithal to succeed but also deserted her when she faced challenges in doing so. In fact as the title and lyrics imply, at one point the particular person she is addressing was indeed her friend. But a lot has changed since days past.
In the earlier days of their relationship, you can see that associating with this individual was challenging on the singer’s self-esteem. That is to say that this person thought that Dido would “never be really much of anything” and actually expressed such a sentiment to her. But instead of giving in to this negative line of thinking, Dido still pursued her dreams. And when experiencing challenges as a result of doing so, this selfsame individual “turned (their) back” on her. So eventually Dido “slipped away”, as in becoming disassociated from him or her.
But since then, as we all know, Dido went on to become an international success. Or as she puts it in her own words, she has “done a hundred things” which her aforementioned buddy has “only dreamed” of. But meanwhile, the other person is still waiting for his or her “luck to come along”. Indeed Dido states that he or she ‘assumed that things would go their way’, insinuating that said individual was not only cocky but also perhaps did not put ample effort behind pursuing their goals.
And apparently now this person is once again, in their distress, trying to get close to Dido. And that brings us to the true meaning of this song. The songstress is telling this individual not to even refer to the two of them as “friends” anymore. That is to say she ‘doesn’t remember how they used to be’. Or succinctly put, Dido is totally uninterested with associating with this person any longer. And as a result, she is more or less discouraging him or her from even making an effort to get in contact with her.
Release Date of “Friends”
Dido originally released “Friends” on 21 December 2018. And later BMG Rights Management issued it as the third single from her fifth album on 22 July 2019. That album is titled Still on My Mind.
“Give You Up” was that album’s first single. The second was “Take You Home“.
Song’s Creation
“Friends” was written and produced by Dido in conjunction with Ryan Louder. Dido’s brother, Rollo Armstrong, also contributed to the recording of this song.
