Songs of Note: Amy Winehouse
Now, I already told the story of how I listened to “Rehab” while DJing on my college radio station, and that’s what sold me on Amy Winehouse, but here are a few more songs that I think are totally worth checking out.
- “Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow?”: So, okay, I always feel like a total geek when a song makes me tear up, but obviously, it’s the sign of a good song. This is Amy’s cover of a Shirelles song, and it’s a song I’ve known practically all my life, but hearing it in that girl group, slightly more up-tempo 60’s style just doesn’t deliver the kind of conviction that Winehouse does in her rendition. Maybe another reason this song hit me like a ton of bricks as well is because I’ve totally been there. I’ve been on the side of instant gratification, where everything is okay for just that night, but the future is so touch-and-go. It’s not a comforting place to be. “Tonight with words unspoken/You say that I’m the only one/But will my heart be broken/When the night meets the morning sun?” Sometimes it’s okay to live life like that. It can be exciting, unpredictable, spontaneous. However, you can hear the fatigue in her voice, the wear that that kind of relationship can have on a person, and it’s heartbreaking. I can’t say enough about this song. I just love it.
- “Back to Black”: Even though this is a kind of sad song, I’m pretty sure there isn’t an Amy Winehouse song that I dance around to more. There’s something about this song that makes me grab my hairbrush, occasionally an old formal dress, and wish I had the hair to support a beehive. (Oh man, now I’m embarrassing myself via blog…) This song completely channels the 60’s girl group vibe, and it’s what I just love about it. As opposed to “Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow,” which is a cover with a more modern feel, this is an original song with a vintage feel. This is also such an awesome “I’m pissed off with guys right now and I feel like belting something in my car” song, especially if you’ve been cheated on. Any time I’m in a bad mood, this song goes right on so I can just wail my aggression away. “We only said goodbye with words/I died a hundred times/You go back to her/And I go back to black.” This is another “Well, I gotta start from square one again” songs, and there’s something that just really attracts me to these songs. It’s nice to know that everyone has to go through this stuff, kind of a misery loves company thing. A great song for schadenfreude. Moving on…
- “Wake Up Alone”: This song has a lot of the same sentiments as “Back to Black,” but instead of angry, it’s rather blue. It once again has that 60’s vibe, well set up by the piano intro. Throughout the song, Winehouse sings about keeping herself busy so she doesn’t have to think about the guy that she lost, and I know that everyone has been there at one point or another. A hole is created when a relationship falls apart, and so many hard thoughts to take. My favorite lines in the song: “His face in my dreams, seizing my guts/He floods me with dread/Soaked to the soul/He swims in my eyes by the bed/Pour myself over him/Moon spilling in/And I wake up alone.” You can hear her, utterly consumed by it all. It’s just a great song, especially if you need a good sulk.
So, apparently, I’m a fan of Amy’s moody side. Sue me. If there are songs you like better than mine, feel free to comment!
Photo source: http://www.flickr.com/photos/berlinfotos/375924857/in/photostream/
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