White Flag

"White Flag" is a song by English singer-songwriter Dido, released as the lead single from her second studio album, Life for Rent (2003). The song was first released to US radio on 7 July 2003 and was issued in the United Kingdom as a physical single on 1 September 2003. The song performed well on record charts around the world, peaking at number one in Australia, Austria, the Czech Republic, Germany, Italy, Norway, and Portugal. In Dido's native UK, it reached number two on the UK Singles Chart, and in the United States, it climbed to number 18 on the Billboard Hot 100. The song's music video, directed by Joseph Kahn, features actor David Boreanaz as Dido's love interest. "White Flag" was nominated for the Best Female Pop Vocal Performance at the 46th Grammy Awards but lost to Christina Aguilera's "Beautiful". It won the Best British Single at the 2004 Brit Awards. "White Flag" ranked at number 317 on Blender's list "The 500 Greatest Songs Since You Were Born". Background and composition "White Flag" was written and produced by Dido, Rick Nowels, and Rollo Armstrong. In the song, the protagonist is unwilling to give up, even if she knows her relationship is over. Dido has stated the song was inspired by a real break-up she had with a former fiancé. "White Flag" features "multi-layered" sound, delicate piano outro, and strings. The majority of the song is in the key of D minor, but constantly alternates between that key and its relative major, F major. The tempo is 90 beats per minute, and Dido's vocals range from the low note of A3 to the high note of C5.