Song of the Day-"Grafton Street" by Dido

It's the last post before Christmas!!

Today, I thought I'd do the third installment of "Song of the Day"! And I've been meaning to do this one for awhile, I've just been contemplating why I love this song so much. Well, why don't we dissect it, analyze it, and see exactly what makes it a cut above the rest!

First off, it's Dido! How can you not love her or her music? This song comes from her third album "Safe Trip Home", released in 2008. Musically, it's pretty much standard issue Dido: soft electronics, strings, a drum machine beat that gently pushes this song to a recorder-style flute coda. At the beginning of the song, we hear trinkets and chimes jingling in the breeze, most likely the outside decorations from the shops on Grafton Street, located in Dublin, Ireland. Since this song was released with "Safe Trip Home", as any Dido fan would know, this is just one of many songs to pay tribute to her deceased father, who was Irish and would take Dido to Grafton Street when she was young. So lyrically, this one will be pretty straightforward, but as I said before, the music under it is so fascinating, I can't help but share this with you. Let's dig in!

Verse 1:
No more trips to Grafton Street
No more going there
To see you lying still
While we all come and go

No more watching sunsets
It seems like summer's holding on
And no more standing quietly at your window

No more driving down your road
Wondering when you'll be home
And no more peace when they all leave
And leave us two alone

Pretty straightforward, right? Dido is obviously missing her father, the nights they spent together, the days they would have fun at Grafton Street. They watched sunsets and just enjoy the summertime. And as you might've guessed, the music under this verse is sparse, yet retains a certain warmth to comfort the soul. As it progresses, more strings are added, and the drum machines get louder with angst. Right before the chorus, we hear two loud drum crashes, which is of course disjunct from the smooth atmosphere of this song, but is actually all the more appealing because of it.

Chorus:
And time we always lose
Is finally found here with you
My love I know we're losing
But I will stand here by you

Before you think anything, I'll point out that "my love" doesn't refer to Dido's lover, but simply, her love, her feelings and affections for her father that became subdued as she got older. I mean, there will always come a time when women grow up and are not daddy's little girl anymore, but Dido calmly expresses that regardless of this natural transition, she will always stand by her father. She also reminds him that any time that was lost, was always found again and replenished when she and her father regained contact. As if they were never separated, you know?

Verse 2:
No more calling friends from the car
Saying "I don't know when I'll be there, but I'll try my best to come"
No more letting you warm my hands
No more trying to take it in
And no more saying "goodbye for the last time" again
And no more saying "goodbye for the last time" again

So, as Dido got older, it seems that she started to find fun times with her friends, no longer her father. Once again, this is what ordinary teenagers do, they like to hang out with their friends instead of their parents, and they always start to rebel and say things in the heat of the moment. But Dido's situation seems to be different, presumably because she was so bonded to her father, that anything close to being unsweet seemed to be enough to drive a wedge between them. And apparently, Dido always threatened that every time she said goodbye to her dad, it would be the last, like the old "I'm packing my bags and never coming back" scenario? The music here, is just the same as in verse 1, only with a broader string arrangement and Dido's vocals are now becoming increasingly lovelorn. She regrets every bad thing she ever did or said to her father.

We now repeat the chorus, and then for about 34 seconds we hear a hearty orchestral interlude, where the drum machine crashes are prevalent, the strings are in high register while flutes make what seem to be quasi-bird calls. The theme stated at the very beginning of the song comes back in full force with the chaos going on behind it, and all this leads to a sudden stop. This seems to be the 'anger' part of Dido's cycle of grief, which now means we have acceptance.

Bridge:
No more trips to Grafton Street
No more going there
No more sitting up all night
Waiting for any word

Nothing's left that's safe here now
Nothing will bring you home
Nothing can bring us the peace
We had in Grafton Street

The bridge begins with a pizzicato string arrangement, courtesy of Jon Brion, and Dido quickly re-enters her voice, now calm but you can clearly her the melancholy. She admits her regret for ignoring her father when he needed her, and she also comes to terms with his death, realizing that nothing will bring him back, nothing can bring him back with her to Grafton Street. Dido's vocal quickly leaves after the last words, and I can see why, if I were singing this song I'd be in tears right now. 

To end the song, we have a tragic flute (or recorder? I can't exactly say) coda that lasts about 103 seconds, or the rest of the song. The orchestra, drum machine, and various electronic sounds accompany it, and all leave one by one, the pathetic strings being the last to go before the flute finishes its sad song with a sustained "E". 

I said this about "On The Wing", but I'll say it again: man, this piece is so beautifully orchestrated I can't even handle it!! The lyrics are easy to understand, but the music pulls you way below surface level, and while Dido certainly isn't asking for pity or sympathy, you can't help but shed a tear for her loss, because she really is hurt by the fact that she can no longer tell her father if she was sorry for anything or how she would've done things differently. This is a sad fact of life, though, because sometimes your loved ones will leave you with no warning. It's as if this is Dido telling us to not make the mistakes she did. Well, she taught me that valuable lesson, in a very excellent song too! I know "Grafton Street" has a running time of six minutes, but I implore you to listen to it for yourself, and get sucked into its emotions. It's not easy listening, but it's worth it!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RRwc8ZmOhyU&noredirect=1