Dido is an English singer-songwriter who has sold over 28 million albums worldwide. Her song "Don't Leave Home" is about addiction and was inspired by her seeing friends and families destroyed by addiction. The music video tells a story that represents overcoming addiction through various symbols like Dido leaving her footprints behind and washing away in water, representing a fresh start. It features close-ups and shots of Dido that portray her vulnerability and confusion to engage the audience and sell Dido as a relatable artist who struggles like others.

1. Samantha Little
Video Analysis
Dido- Don’t leave home
Dido is an English singer/ songwriter who has sold over 28 million albums worldwide. ‘Don’t
leave home’ was on Dido’s second album and was released in 2004 and reached top of the
Airplay charts. The song appears to be a typical love song but is actually about addiction, it is
sung from the drug to the person addicted telling them to stay with them, ‘When I’ve been here
for just one day, you’ll already miss me if I go away’.
Dido wrote ‘Don’t leave home’ because she has seen friends and families destroyed by
addiction and wanted to share feelings and thoughts on the subject.
Dido is signed with Cheeky records (operated by her brother) and Arista records which are
owned by Sony Records which is one of the big four main recording companies, which gives her
the benefit of a high budget for her videos and a big name under her belt.
The genre of the song is contemporary/ pop, in videos of this genre you would expect to see a
story being told and lots of performance in the video. Dido’s music videos usually consist of a
story being acted out to match the lyrics of the song which is expected in music videos of this
genre.
The target audience for Dido’s songs are people who have grown up listening to her, starting as
teenagers but are now in their 20’s and enjoying her new music. Due to the slow and passionate
nature of Dido’s music I believe that female listeners will enjoy her music. I also feel that all
social classes would enjoy her music as it ranges in style and is easy listening for anyone.
The song appeals to the target audience by being about an issue everyone
has to deal with at some point in their life ‘Addiction’. The video itself
shows Dido searching for an answer by looking through a forest which
represents everybody’s desire to find an answer for their problems. Towards
the beginning of the video Dido is driving along a road which comes to a
sudden halt which represents to the audience that you can reach a dead end
or a problem that will need to be overcome in order for life to carry on as
planned which is also represented by Dido continuing her journey on the road at the end of the
song.
Through the mise-en-scene of Dido in a car it is suggested that she is going on a journey in this
song, there is a shot of the road dido is travelling along and we see the centre road white lines
moving through the frame, this sets a visual pace to the video and
adds a climax for the audience to wonder where she is going.
At the start of the video Dido is driving along a road which soon
stops and we see her leave the car and enter a forest, there is
particular emphasis on her feet leaving the centre white lines which
represents she is off track and going her own way in life.
Dido leaves a footprint in sand when she is
finding her way which can symbolize her journey and the
part of her she has left behind in fighting the addiction, her
new start without addiction is also shown when she jumps
off of the rocks into water, symbolizing a baptism and that

2. Samantha Little
she is washing away the bad. Dido remains still and un life like when in the water, but when she
suddenly opens her eyes it symbolizes she is like a new born with a fresh start, this is made clear
when a white fade links to the next scene with Dido on a sunny beach, this white fade makes it
look heaven-like suggesting she is pure.
When she is falling off the cliff the audience will see a familiarity to ‘Alice in wonderland’
which is a representation of the addiction, possibly to drugs.
Through the costume we see Dido as a vulnerable woman in a little dress/nightwear, it is skin
colour which means she doesn’t stand out which represents she is an ordinary person and is
perhaps so addicted to something she has lost all sense of identity and is just all skin-toned.
The camerawork includes a lot of close ups of the artist, allowing the
viewer to be close and personal with their idol. There are also a number
of fragmented body shots which give a sense of voyeurism towards
Dido including the camera tilting down from her face to her chest.
The overhead, canted shots of her lying in the forest also represents her
vulnerability but could also represent her confusion and ‘low’ in her
life, however combined with the editing making things slightly blurred
we interpret her to be having more of a ‘rush’ then a ‘low’.
When Dido is standing at the top of the cliff there is
an extreme long shot which is symbolizing how small
she is in the big world and that she is lost in her
problems.
Dido often sings directly into the camera which will
give the viewer a sense of being personally addressed
by the artist, therefore keeping them engaged, involved and a sense of pleasure
from the artist.
The video overall has a powerful message and gets the viewer thinking about
the lyrics. It sells Dido as a person who has to struggle like any other normal person; it also
allows the audience to see the different sides of her person from the outgoing girl in the car at the
start to the vulnerable, sexy and confused girl towards the end.