Amy Winehouse was, first and foremost, a jazz singer. This is a point that can often get lost within the scope of her enormous pop stardom, frequent clashes with the paparazzi, and ramshackle public performances. However, Winehouse was happiest in the smokey club atmosphere that birthed legends like Billie Holliday and Ella Fitzgerald.
– Tyler Golsen (Farout Magazine)
When I was foraging through my DVD collection yesterday looking for something to watch, I came across a title Amy. I wondered if this was the compelling documentary of Amy Winehouse I saw soon after its release in 2015. Sure enough it was. And as the credits rolled I found my eyes welling up with tears. I cannot recommend this documentary more highly for music aficionados since it is the definitive portrait of the life and career of the British singer/songwriter. Avoid the recent biopic Back to Black and spin-off documentaries.
The only off putting aspect of today’s featured track is that it was inspired by the ‘then’ creep Blake Fielder-Civil who left Amy for an ex-girlfriend. His influence on Winehouse’s downward spiral was nothing short of ‘immense’. Allegedly he has been clean for years and has taken responsibility for his influence on Winehouse’s trajectory, but the extent of damage he unleashed on Amy is wicked and borders on infernal as evident in the doco. Although it’s a topic of conjecture his eventual arrest and incarceration by the authorities came too late it seems to save Amy.
Back to Black is the title track from Amy’s second and final studio album which is recognised as her magnum opus. The song was the third single released from the record and received widespread acclaim from music critics. It was included on several compiled year and decade-end lists of the best in music and was further considered to be one of Winehouse’s signature songs. The single peaked at number eight on the UK Singles Chart in the United Kingdom and is Winehouse’s third best-selling single in that country. The aforementioned documentary features a videoed tape of Winehouse recording the song with Mark Ronson.
Ronson expanded on the creation of the song:
The song – it took me about one night to lay the foundation of that track and then Amy wrote the lyrics and the melody especially fast, so it was like half a day, and then we probably recorded the rhythm track in three hours.
He left no time to regret
Kept his dick wet with his same old safe bet
Me and my head high
And my tears dry, get on without my guy
You went back to what you knew
So far removed from all that we went through
And I tread a troubled track
My odds are stacked, I’ll go back to black
[Chorus]
We only said goodbye with words
I died a hundred times
You go back to her and I go back to
I go back to us
[Verse 2]
I love you much
It’s not enough, you love blow and I love puff
And life is like a pipe
And I’m a tiny penny rollin’ up the walls inside
[Chorus]
[Bridge]
Black, black
Black, black
Black, black
Black
I go back to
I go back to
[Chorus]
References:
1. Back to Black (song) – Wikipedia
“The more I live, the more I learn. The more I learn, the more I realize, the less I know.”- Michel Legrand
Observation Blogger 
Love Amy so much. Horrendous what happened to her.
Hi there. What’s your favourite song by her?
Fabulous voice
Her voice was wonderful and also the sound she got on her recordings. She got a Motown sound and pulled from others…. and it was great. Hers is such a tragic story.
I read in the Wiki link how someone compared her sound to the girl groups of the 60s. I didn’t understand what that meant, but I think you may have resolved it.
Also Jazz is typically not my go to music, but I find what she does with this music so compelling. He lyrics also intrigue me.
It’s that sound Matt…the echo…the first time I heard her I thought it was an old Motown song just because of that.
She blends the two….jazz and soul well.
I wish I had your vivid and fascinating description in my article. ‘the echo’ I love that. Brilliant Max.
Amy Winehouse was such an incredibly talented artist. Her background story can lead you to tears.
Yes, this Jewish lass’s talent was off the charts.
It did indeed lead my eyes to water quite sufficiently. See this doco if you haven’t already Christian. Cheers mate.
Oh PS I believe your blog was the original source of today’s article on Ringo. So thanks.
Thanks, glad to serve as an inspiration, especially for Ringo – I’ve really come to love the man and his radiating positivity.
I’m also going to look for the Winehouse doco. Every time I listen to “Rehab,” I get chills, especially knowing the story didn’t have a happy ending!
I’ve been listening to a lot of Amy Winehouse lately. So talented and so rare! Cheers Matt!
Hi there Sharon. What a coincidence you have been listening to her of late. I didn’t get time to post an article today so I feel a bit as though my day is incomplete without a song going out there. There are a few of Amy’s earlier songs I saw in the doco I would like to add to the collection. You are right! So rare.
Very good artist!
It is striking the sheer quantity of game changing music artists who have died from overdose or suicide at the age of 27 years. Amy Winehouse, Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, and Kurt Cobain. What a waste!
I agree! Such a waste! Kurt Cobain?! I am not familiar with this late artist Matt! All so sad.
Hi Sharon. I hope you have a good Wednesday where you are. I’m kind of not surprised you are unaware f Kurt Cobain’s name since he was the lead singer of alt grunge band Nirvana in the 90’s. I’ve never been a fan of their music, but many music aficionados hold them in high regard.
Matt, do you remember the actor Heath Ledger? He passed early also!! Incredible actor! Sad!
Do I remember fellow Australian Heath Ledger? My golly I do. He is one of my favourite actors from the last few decades. His passing gutted me and I wrote about his legacy in one post. His performance as the ‘Joker’ and as the cowboy in ‘Brokeback Mountain’, and the drug addict in the underrated Australian movie ‘Candy’ is nothing short of outstanding. Daniel Day Lewis in his Best Actor acceptance speech praised Ledger as a peer that he even looked up to. See below.
Interestingly Matt, ‘gutted’ is how I feel when I think about Heath Ledger’s death! Such a fine actor, so, so much promise. And for Daniel Day-Lewis to dedicate his award (Oscar)? to him proves it! Thanks for the clip. Happy Thursday!
Yes, so much promise. DDL is such a class act. His final role in ‘The Phantom Thread’ was beyond extraordinary. He also will be sorely missed from the big screen.
I’ll see if I can find ‘The Phantom Thread.’
I would almost bet my house on it (if I owned one) that you of all people would adore this movie. Please me know your thoughts on it if you get to see it. I’ll send a link of an article I wrote about it which includes the New Years Eve Party Scene at the end of this message. I hope you like it:
Oh yes, I remember this review Matt. I will certainly let you know if I can find it somewhere! Great, thanks!
I should have checked beforehand, but we had a conversation exchange on both the articles I wrote about this movie way back then lol
Though dark and now rather depressing, this is my favorite Amy Winehouse song.
I think it’s my favourite as well.