"Sand in My Shoes" is the fourth and final single release from English singer-songwriter

Dido Dido ( ; , ), also known as Elissa ( , ), was the legendary founder and first queen of the Phoenician city-state of Carthage (located in modern Tunisia), in 814 BC. In most accounts, she was the queen of the Phoenician city-state of Tyre (t ...

's second album, ''

Life for Rent ''Life for Rent'' is the second studio album by English singer Dido, released by Arista Records on 29 September 2003. The album was produced by her brother Rollo Armstrong and American songwriter Rick Nowels. Work on the album began in mid-20 ...

'' (2003). The lyrics describe a single woman returning from a holiday, reminiscing about a romantic encounter she had while away. Released on 23 August 2004, the single under-performed in the United Kingdom, reaching number 29 on the

UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...

, but peaked at number one on the US ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...

'' Dance Club Play chart. A music video directed by Alex De Rakoff was made for the song.

Background

In a 2019 interview with

PrideSource ''Between the Lines'' is a lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) newspaper in the Michigan area. It is headquartered in Livonia, Metro Detroit.

, when asked what the most unusual place that has given her inspiration for a song was, Dido mentioned "Sand in My Shoes". Dido ran onto a plane for a flight to

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

after having been on the beach and literally had sand in her shoes. Dido said it gave her the idea to begin writing the song. Her father had fallen ill prior to the flight and Dido began writing on the plane as she said it is all she knows how to get through. Dido wrote the whole song on the plane.

Music video

The music video for "Sand in My Shoes" represents the song's plot, with surreal and symbolic images of a beach city and the partners in a house, playing dominos sitting in the street and at a party, mixed with images of Dido alone and a truck unloading sand in the street. It was directed by Alex De Rakoff and Dido's love interest was portrayed by Erik Fellows.

Track listings

UK CD single # "Sand in My Shoes" (album version) # "Sand in My Shoes" (Dab Hands Baleria Injection mix) # "Sand in My Shoes" (Beginerz vocal mix) # "Sand in My Shoes" ( Steve Lawler We Love Ibiza mix) # "Sand in My Shoes" (Rollo & Mark Bates mix) UK 12-inch single # "Sand in My Shoes" ( Above & Beyond's UV mix) – 9:48 # "Sand in My Shoes" (

Filterheadz Filterheadz are a techno DJ and production duo from Leuven, Belgium. Formed by brothers Bert and Maarten Wilmaers. History In the mid-1980s, the Filterheadz made their first musical steps by playing in a pop band. Bert played guitar, Maarten ...

mix) – 8:15 European CD single # "Sand in My Shoes" (album version) – 4:59 # "Sand in My Shoes" (Beginerz vocal mix) – 8:07 European maxi-CD and Australian CD single # "Sand in My Shoes" (album version) – 4:59 # "Sand in My Shoes" (Dab Hands Baleria Injection mix) – 6:18 # "Sand in My Shoes" (Beginerz vocal mix) – 8:07 # "Sand in My Shoes" (Rollo & Mark Bates mix) – 8:07

Credits and personnel

Credits are lifted from the UK CD single liner notes and the ''

'' booklet. Studios * Recorded at The Ark (

Lincolnshire Lincolnshire (abbreviated Lincs.) is a county in the East Midlands of England, with a long coastline on the North Sea to the east. It borders Norfolk to the south-east, Cambridgeshire to the south, Rutland to the south-west, Leicestershire ...

, England), The Church,

Wessex Studios Wessex Sound Studios was a recording studio located at 106a Highbury New Park, London, England. Many renowned popular music artists recorded there, including Sex Pistols, King Crimson, the Clash, Theatre of Hate, XTC, the Sinceros, Queen, Talk Tal ...

(London, England), and Cubejam (Miami, Florida, US) * Mixed at The Church (London, England) * Mastered at

Metropolis Studios Metropolis Studios is a music production and entertainment industry company established in 1989 by Gary Langan, Carey Taylor and Karin Clayton.Donald Brackett It is located in the Powerhouse, a Grade II listed building, at 70 Chiswick High Ro ...

(London, England) Personnel * Dido – writing (as Dido Armstrong), production, bass programming *

Rick Nowels Richard Wright Nowels Jr. is an American songwriter, record producer, multi-instrumentalist and arranger. He has co-written and co-produced over 90 hit singles with multiple artists Rhodes piano The Rhodes piano (also known as the Fender Rhodes piano) is an electric piano invented by Harold Rhodes, which became popular in the 1970s. Like a conventional piano, the Rhodes generates sound with keys and hammers, but instead of strings, t ...

, keyboards, acoustic guitar *

Rusty Anderson Rusty Anderson is an American guitarist and singer-songwriter who is best known for his work as the lead guitarist for Paul McCartney's touring band though he has worked with an extensive list of artists in addition to his own solo career. Car ...

– electric guitar * Mark Bates – additional keyboards, programming *

Sister Bliss Ayalah Deborah Bentovim (born 30 December 1970), better known by her stage name Sister Bliss, is a British keyboardist, record producer, DJ and songwriter. In the studio, she is best known for her work with Rollo Armstrong as one half of the pr ...

– additional keyboards, programming, bass programming * Andy Treacy – live drums * Sudha – percussion *

Rollo Rollo ( nrf, Rou, ''Rolloun''; non, Hrólfr; french: Rollon; died between 928 and 933) was a Viking who became the first ruler of Normandy, today a region in northern France. He emerged as the outstanding warrior among the Norsemen who had se ...

– production *

Phill Brown Phill Brown (born 1950) is an audio engineer who has worked with a number of well-known musicians, including: Traffic, Led Zeppelin, David Bowie, Cat Stevens, Bob Marley and Talk Talk. He is also the younger brother of Terry Brown. Career Brow ...

– recording *

Ash Howes Biffco is a music production and songwriting team from Brighton, England, formed by Richard "Biff" Stannard, Julian Gallagher, Ash Howes. The group have worked with a number of high-profile artists, including Kylie Minogue, One Direction, Atomi ...

– mixing, recording * Miles Showell – mastering

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Release history

References

{{Authority control 2003 songs 2004 singles Arista Records singles Cheeky Records singles Dido (singer) songs Song recordings produced by Dido (singer) Song recordings produced by Rollo Armstrong Songs written by Dido (singer) Songs written by Rick Nowels