Amy Winehouse- Back to Back 15 years later with an influence
Amy Winehouse was a musician who took pop and jazz and fuzed them together.. In my opinion, she was special because she took her real life demons and made stories out of them to where they can entertain her fans. Amy Winehouse, Born in September 14, 1983 was born in England to Jewish parents.
Her biography written by her father, Mitch Winehouse explained that she was highly gifted.. In the memoir, Amy:My daughter, her father explained that she knew calculus at an early age and was highly into the Jazz music scene which explains her roots as a musician..Her first album,Frank which is dedicated to Frank Sinatra has a single where she sings over Nas 2002 single, “Made You Look” but calls her single, “In My Bed”.. Amy was special to me because of the beliefs we have for instance, me and her are huge Fans of Frank Sinatra and she believes he is a God. No man is God to me but behind the music, I can see it..
Beginning her career 2002,Amy was influenced by 60’s girl groups surrounding her along with the doo wop from the 50s. The album Back to Black is a story about her break up with her then fiance at the time and her description is about how sinister her man left her so she ends up going back to black which is slang term for going bad. Amy Winehouse is also a Virgo like I so she does have a secretive side to where things get dark and when us Virgo’s get mad, sometimes things go black for us. Understanding her craft is important to music because music is another way for those to express themselves. It is art with melodies and isntrumentas and with that being said, Amy Winehouse painted a picture with the words and instruments she has used to make this album.
On October 27,2006, Amy Winehouse released her 2nd studio album, Back To Black. In her biography, she written and composed this album during a dark time to whre she needed to reflect on the toxic relationship that has caused her to depression and with her music being influenced by the Jazz and Doo Wop scene, Amy managed to take her background roots and turn sad music into dance music. Listening to her lyrics and this album multiple of occasions had me snapping my fingers, giggling at her clever lyrics, and embracing the sounds she has put together as one. Today, as we dig track by track on why this album was monumental and how influential this album is to up and coming musicians.
- Rehab- People when they hear this song, they assume she is on drugs but she is talking about how her last love which is her fiance is like a drug causing her to do stupid things and she is getting advice to go to Rehab but she declines. This is where she is Hip-Hop because in Hip-Hop, it is common to use metaphors and similes and Amy Winehouse was clever for using Rehab as a way to describe her last relationship.
- You Know I’m No Good- Amy is being confident admitting that she is not perfect. You can tell by listening to this song because of the confessional’s she is giving while she is talking directly to her ex on this song. I love this song because this has this Jazz fuze that makes a twist with her urban pop from the U.K. I am a huge fan of U.K pop and this right here is the perfect Jazz track. Where she sings, “ I cheated myself, Like I know I would. I told ya I was trouble. You know I’m No Good”. One thing we have in common is we are both Virgo’s and most of us are considered pessimistic but she is a perfectionist so she want’s to appear perfect in front of whoever.
- Mr. & Mrs. Jones- This is a song where people got this confused for her crush on Nas in which she never confirmed. This is like Brenda’s Got a Baby by 2Pac where Pac tells a story about a mother trying to ditch her child but karma comes back when she tries to escape. This song is a metaphoric tale of her short marriage where she uses the alias, Mr. & Mrs. Jones. This is a great song because of the Doo Wop 50’s influeced instruments being played in the song.
- Just Friends- I can picture this being played in Coffee Bars because of the scenery that is surround the music. I believe this song is about how Amy Winehouse wanted to start all over again but wanted to be friends with the man she was married too. That is one of them moments where she is wishing she could do it all again but this ambivalent side of myself is telling me that she is asking her ex to remain her friend. I am a Virgo and I am detached towards all the relationships I had in the past so therefore; Amy was a better Virgo than me because she is willing to forgive her ex for the disastrous relationship she is in.
- Back To Black- I adore this song because of the comedy of going bad. Obviously, this is her most angry track because of how she is telling her ex that she is going back to black which is slang term for going bad. Amy Winehouse performing this live was the reason why I purchased the CD, downloaded the bootleg version just in case someone wanted to borrow it because I refused to let anybody borrow a copy. and I had it on Mp3 format long before android’s and I-Phones allowed music to be stored on a digital device. What made this song more sad to me was Naya Rivera who played Santana Lopez on Glee redid the song on the Second Season of Glee. Let alone, this is one of them songs that I appreciate anyone doing a cover too and this song honestly, I compare it to Unchained Melody by The Righteous Brothers because it is a timeless classic where people will do there own covers or rendition’s.
- Love is a Losing Game- Yes, I will agree and to be precise, Love is a game where there is no winner’s because there is two people compromising and sometimes people will not agree. This is where Amy is counting her times with the relationship that she is in. She explains well what she experienced in the game of love and she felt lost after her break-up
- Tear’s Dry On Their Own- This might be the most up-tempo where she celebrates getting over her heartbreak. She takes her confidence and boost it up. This was a direct diss towards her ex where he expects her to remain upset but it is true; Tear’s Dry On Their Own.
- Wake Up Alone- Now we are back to the Doo Wop stage of the album where she is getting to her side of the story about waking up alone. She is talking about catching up with herself because after a break up, you wake up alone again. This is where she is talking about putting back the pieces she had that made her happy and wanting to be happy. Sometimes happiness is hard to find and with this song, sometimes separation can make things worse.
- Some Unholy War- A metaphoric song about the unstable relationship that she had. This Unholy War describes the turmoil and negative energy she has experienced during her long relationship. She talks about the strength he didn’t know he had but she explains that letting go was apart of the Unholy War.
- He Can Only Hold Her- The story is about how her ex is the only person to understand her and the situation that is going on. This is also a subliminal about how he is mentally hurting but wanting her to stay with her. She does sing, “ He does try to pacifier” which is a term for baby her.
- Addicted- Love is a drug and sometimes it get’s you addicted. Some of those do not realize this song is about how she was addicted to love at one point in time. She is blaming her ex for being addicted to love and she is crying for help telling the man thanks a lot.
Overall- Back To Black is a timeless classic that hides the deep tale of love and heartbreak and replaces the hurt with joy. That is what Amy Winehouse experienced. This is an important album because for those millennial's are not prone to the Doo Wop style unless it is their grandparent’s playing the music. This is an experimental album composed by legend Mark Ronson which gave Amy her spotlight. Amy Winehouse has a legacy of two albums compared to an artist 20 +. Amy Winehouse that year of 06 did remix’s with Jay-Z for Rehab where he name drops Anna Nicole Smith. You Know I’m No Good features Ghostface Killah in which 07 was the last time Hip Hop meant freedom and trying new things. It is sad that her tragic death on July 23, 2011 had all fans silenced. That day when Amy went home to Heaven, I learned she had project’s that were being worked on like a collaboration with Black Thought and Questlove of The Roots, Nas also gave optimistic hints about collaborating with her, and I could actually see her working with M.F Doom as well. If Amy was alive today, there would be a follow up to Back To Black.In her memory, I will end this in her favorite quote as quoted by her father, Mitch in his book about her called, “Amy, My Daughter”. The quote goes, “Frank Sinatra Is God”!
Live From The Stove Top,
Andrew Kenekham A.K.A Druski Dru
