Week 8:

Going to save my general comments until the end so just going to get right into it!

Back to Black: Fun intro song off a great album. I’m surprised that this is her most played song on Spotify by more than double of Rehab. Strong intro to a broken person.

Rehab: I’m not sure if it’s the time when this song came out but it really reminds me of a lot of Cee-Lo Green music. Joe’s comment about 12 year old middle schoolers singing about avoiding rehab is hilarious… This song was such a hit and the message is absolutely terrible. Fun fact, this song along with a lot of her other popular material was produced by Marc Ronson (Uptown Funk probably his most famous track), dude has been putting out hits for decades!

You Know I’m No Good: This is one of my favorite songs on the list. The 90s hip-hop drum and bass track is so good. The rest of the arrangement is also a lot of fun. Lyrics are depressing as usual. There’s definitely a trend in her story telling format of songs. Just self-destruction in the verses with a refrain about how she’s a wreck. This song also oddly reminds me of some of George Throrogood. Story telling with tons of self destruction with references to alcohol.

Valerie: This song gets a lot of play time amongst my friend group, especially after a few drinks or during the ensuing hangover. This cover was also produced by Marc Ronson, maybe instead of an artist I’ll choose a producer/ ghost writer for a week. Looking at you Benny Blanco. Great cover, falls into the category of “better than the original”. Her voice suits the arrangement so well.

Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow: This song reminds me of tune I learned about via from Black Mirror “Anyone Who Knows What Love Is” by Irma Thomas (co-written by JeannieSeely and Randy Newman of all people, wow!). Which after doing some research makes a lot of sense. Irma Thomas was part of the 1960s Soul and R&B scene along with The Shirelles who were the original artists of Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow. Lyrically the two songs actually compliment each other really well. Irma’s: “The world may think I'm foolish, They can't see you like I can. Oh but anyone who knows what love is will understand” & The Shirelles “Tonight the light of love is in your eyes. Will you still love me tomorrow?”.... I’m now convinced these songs are about the same guy. I may have gotten sidetracked there but that’s the point of this group! I like this song a lot as well. I sound like a broken record but the arrangement is great. I do have one different thing to say. I like the slightly longer format of this song, it allows it to build.

Wake Up Alone: A stripped down original song with possibly the most depressing lyrics out of the bunch. Fun!

All My Loving: A Beatle’s cover with literally the opposite lyrics of half the songs on this list. Cool cover, but I don’t think it serves her voice as well as some of the other covers. Went and listened to the original…I like Amy’s version better but that’s not saying much. Lyrically its a cute song but I prefer the stripped down version.

The Girl From Ipanema: Most different song by a bit, in a good way. Fun song and I like the ad libbed scat section, it’s fun and fits the song well. This song is best performed in a basement jazz lounge surrounded by people with opinions even more pretentious than my own. Is it in bad taste if I want a dirty martini while listening to this song?

Love Is a Losing Game: Wouldn’t say this song is unique compared to the rest of the selection but it’s a good way to end this week’s selection. Another short song with a sad story.

Amy’s lyrics and voice are an absolute force and I think they generally translate better into her live performances. Not that the album versions are missing emotion but the live versions just have so much more depth and the arrangements really help bring the songs to the next level. SinceI didn’t have much to comment on the music itself I went down the rabbit hole of her life. What an absolutely tragically flawed and self-destructive human. I vaguely remember not being shocked that she had passed when I heard about it as a teenager and reading back some of the accounts leading up to her death it seems like the conclusion was inevitable. Years of substance abuse, mental and physical health issues, countless cancelled shows, tours, and appearances, Hindsight is 20/20, and maybe some people just can’t be saved but Jesus.. Even on the day of her death, here’s a quick excerpt “At 10 a.m. on 23 July 2011, Morris (bodyguard) observed her lying on her bed and tried (unsuccessfully) to rouse her. This did not raise much suspicion because she usually slept late after a night out. According to the bodyguard, shortly after 3 p.m., he checked on her again and observed her lying in the same position as before, leading to a further check, in which he concluded that she was not breathing and had no pulse”. Her toxicology report showed a BAC of .416%. Tragic.

Well that was cheery, sorry I got a little sidetracked there, back to the selection of songs. Although it is not my style of music I do enjoy listening to her work and appreciate how influential her work was. I can’t really think of anyone who sounds like her in the modern era who has reached the level of fame she has, and will have the legacy that she created.

7.5/10