Wasn’t it sick when Eminem turned Dido‘s “Thank You” into a dark and twisted horror story? “Stan” has gone on to be a cultural phenomenon of its own, but Felix Jaehn and fellow German dance duo Vize think “Thank You” still has more to give, so they turned it into a dark club banger.
“Thank You (Not So Bad)” samples Dido’s familiar chorus and lays it over a relentless future house beat. Instead of fogged-up windows, we get steamy warehouse corners and hazy dance floor strobes. The new rework comes 20 years after the release of Dido’s original, and five years after Jaehn’s rework of “Ain’t Nobody” by Rufus and Chaka Khan. It’s also the first single from Jaehn since taking a mental heath break from the industry.
“I was away for eight weeks, and now I am finally back with new inspiration and joy,” Jaehn says in an emailed statement. “With ‘Thank You (Not So Bad)’ I want to thank my fans for always being there. You believe in me and have given me an incredible amount of love for many years. Five years after ‘Ain’t Nobody (Loves Me Better),’ I was ready for a cover again for the first time. I have a long friendship with Vize and ‘Close Your Eyes’ brought us together in the studio again. This song is our ‘thank you’ to everyone out there who listens and accompanies us.”
We’re happy to hear Jaehn back at work, and the break sounds like it’s done him some good. Listen to Jaehn and Vize’s “Thank You (Not So Bad)” below, out on early exclusive to Billboard Dance.