Sunday, July 31, 2011

Why Amy Winehouse Was So Frigging Brilliant

Bye Bye Winehouse (Photo credit)

It's been just over a week now since the news broke of Amy Winehouse's death in her beloved Camden residence. As of yet, we still don't know the exact hows and whys, but one thing will remain true regardless. It was a tragic end to the troubled life of one of this countries best talents of recent years.

Like undoubtedly many others I've spent a lot of time this week revisiting the pinnacle of her career, the Back To Black album. The album was released in the autumn of 2006. I was entering my third year at uni, and I had just had the worst summer of my life. I'd had my first (and only) bitter taste of heartbreak after a messy breakup with my first serious boyfriend of three years.

I just remember this album being around, and Winehouse had tapped in to the pure unadulterated despair of a broken heart. This girl knew those dark thoughts that swirl around the minds of the jilted, knew the self-destructive pain of rejection. You don't want me, I'm a mess, noone will want me, I become the mess and the vicious circle keeps spinning in a horrible self-fulfilling prophecy. This album was amongst the soundtrack of that time for me, and as often happens with great music, somehow listening to it made me feel that I was not alone. It helped me to start feeling better.

I watched a documentary the other night on Amy's life and I can't remember what channel it was on but it talked about her entrance essay for stage school at 12 or 13 where she wrote that her ambition was for people to hear her voice and just forget their troubles. Well, she certainly did that for so many people myself included, and it is just the saddest saddest thing that she was not able to do that for herself.

She clearly led a troubled existence towards the end of her life, living out some truely awful scenes in the public eye, both on stage and off.

But I'll always remember her for her raw special talent and her ability to sing with her broken heart on her sleeve and make magic. She had her issues, but when she had it together she was so frigging brilliant.

And I hope that's how she'll keep being remembered.

3 comments:

Jamie-Lee Burns said...

It's so sad that she died - she was an incredible musician. Would love to have watched that doco

Unknown said...

Amy Winehouse was a truly talented woman, and her death is just heartbreaking for all concerned. My heart goes out to them.

Once Upon A Time... said...

i loved that song!

jos xx