Amy Winehouse's passing shouldn't really come as a shock to anybody who has been following her career over the past 5 years. Amy had very publicly battled an addiction to alcohol, drugs, ballet pumps and gigantic weaved out beehives with blonde streaks - a fight which unfortunately she'd lost yesterday on July 23.
Listening to her classic Back to black now seems more poignant than ever. Are the songs a case of tragic irony? Or a case of being writing on the wall, with Amy ultimately knowing her fate?
A large part of Back to black's allure aside from being brilliantly produced was that the lyrics to the songs were so raw and almost too close to home. Amy's story right up until her passing were right there in each of the songs. Perhaps many fans refused to see it, because they believed Amy come overcome the forces of her own demons. Or maybe they failed to believe Amy would fade back to black because she had so much more to offer musically, and that the universe would not have her die so soon.
We could mull around this and try to make a thesis out of it. But instead let us enjoy the amazing career defining album she'd left behind. She didn't leave the world a great deal of music. But she left behind classic album, which is more than most manage to deliver over the course of their long lived careers.
Listening to her classic Back to black now seems more poignant than ever. Are the songs a case of tragic irony? Or a case of being writing on the wall, with Amy ultimately knowing her fate?
A large part of Back to black's allure aside from being brilliantly produced was that the lyrics to the songs were so raw and almost too close to home. Amy's story right up until her passing were right there in each of the songs. Perhaps many fans refused to see it, because they believed Amy come overcome the forces of her own demons. Or maybe they failed to believe Amy would fade back to black because she had so much more to offer musically, and that the universe would not have her die so soon.
We could mull around this and try to make a thesis out of it. But instead let us enjoy the amazing career defining album she'd left behind. She didn't leave the world a great deal of music. But she left behind classic album, which is more than most manage to deliver over the course of their long lived careers.
I love 'Back to Black' but its 'Frank' that just wows me. Eight years later and 'Take The Box' still gives me chills, truly one of my favorite songs by any artist. I think her voice is just out of this world on that track.
ReplyDeleteA troubled soul, but damn had she soul! A true true artist.
"Love is a losing game" is my Amy Winehouse song of choice. Perfection.
ReplyDeleteThis is so sad... I know people who are addicts just like Amy and it's sad when people forget that you can still be an addict and a nice person, i wish Amy had the strength to overcome her addictions and put out more music and live happily ever after but i guess that wasn't meant to be and in a weird way i'm not shocked but i still am...
ReplyDeleteAmy was one of the best singers AND songwriters of her generation if not ever and i know that now she's dead she'll go down in musical history as one of those tragic greats and i'm just thankfull that we at least have the two amazing albums she put out before her death.
"Frank" is amazing and "Back to Black" was already a classic before her death, it was so great to finally have somebody with TALLENT doing well when she dropped that and she opened doors for other females in the industry like Adele, Florence, that duck soundin bitch Duffy etc and i don't think she'll ever be forgotten.
RIP Amy <3 :( x