Amy Winehouse_ The Biography - Chas Newkey-Burden [36]
On the webzine PopMatters, the reviewer said, ‘Back to Black finds a fearless artist saying whatever she damn well pleases. And we best listen up.’ Even the posh old Financial Times chimed in, asking in a quiz, ‘Which colour does Amy Winehouse return to, according to her current bestselling CD?’
Amy has discussed the inspiration behind the album’s songs. ‘So, “Rehab” is the first single from the album. It’s all about my revolving door rehab experience. I said no! “You Know I’m No Good” is about how I couldn’t be faithful, and the title comes from my defensiveness when I got found out. Which leads us to “Back to Black”, the title track. I split up with my boyfriend and had a few black months. Say no more!
“Me & Mr Jones”? Well… I didn’t mind when my ex didn’t get me into the Slick Rick show, but Nas? Nobody stands in between me and my man! “Tears Dry on Their Own” comes from when I was in a relationship that I knew was doomed, but that I wouldn’t be too devastated when it ended… Sometimes you just need to find time in the day to have fun, not sex. That’s what “Just Friends” is about.
‘But you know when you’re in a failing relationship and you’re trying to make it work? Well that’s “Love is a Losing Game” – how hopeless and desolate you can feel. Finally, there’s “Addicted”. Now, my best friend can smoke however much of mine she likes, but her boyfriend? That shit don’t fly!’
Paolo Hewitt is a renowned music writer and is the author of respected works on everyone from Steve Marriott of the Small Faces to Oasis and Paul Weller. In an interview with the author, he expanded on why Amy had such a success with Back to Black. ‘She does what all the greats do,’ he said. ‘She takes from various sources and then makes it her own. People are very lazy when it comes to black music. They would never ever call the Smiths a prog-rock band but they feel like they can write about “the Amy Winehouse-influenced Motown album”. There’s so much more than just Motown going on there. For me, when I heard “Rehab”, I just heard fifties and sixties New Orleans music. There’s so much there: jazz, R&B and more.
‘When I hear one of her tunes that I’ve not heard before on the radio, I always think, “Wow, what is this?” It’s always her that makes me sit up and take notice. She always brings something new to the table, twists it round and makes it her own. Part of that is to do with her voice but she’s also a very creative artist. She really knows what makes music work and makes her own music work the same way.
‘The only problem with her is she’s far too much into the Billie Holiday, broken woman in the bar at two in the morning with a bottle of whisky, singing about her man leaving her. I think she’s too in love with that. It gets a bit samey, but that’s a minor quibble.’
Some have wondered whether the great form that Amy found herself in whenever she worked with producer Mark Ronson might have been motivated by some romantic sparks between the pair. ‘It’s the most ridiculous thing I’ve ever heard,’ he laughed. ‘She calls me the big sister she never had! Amy makes a really nice meatball dinner. She’s good at making Jewish-mother food.’ Amy always says, “Don’t ask me about anything new” because she just likes what she likes,’ he says, ‘so I just let her find a song. As soon as she started singing “Valerie” I knew she’d sung it in the shower a few times.’
Nonetheless, Ronson was clearly an influential man in her success. As was Raye Cosbert. According to EMI’s Guy Moot, ‘There are two pivotal moments in Amy’s career: the introduction of Mark Ronson and of Raye.’ Raye Cosbert had promoted her concerts since 2003, and, when she left Brilliant 19, it was to him she turned. ‘We had a chance meeting one day in Camden,’ Cosbert recalls. ‘She told me about her situation, said she’d heard that I was doing the odd thing management-wise and we just hit it off from there really.’
Cosbert had previously