Celebrating Amy Winehouse on the Tenth Anniversary of her Passing

Charmed Life Picks · #1 04-23-2021, 01:02 AM

I don't know why it took me so long. The last two weeks I've listened to almost no one other than this amazing artist.

July 2021 marks ten years since she left us. Won't you help us celebrate the gift she gave us?

I am stunned and gobsmacked by her talent. Such soul and depth. Here are a couple clips, in case, like me till recently, you are one of the uninitiated. I am silenced by her beauty.

619TF · #2 04-23-2021, 04:05 AM

I was lucky enough to discover a barely tattooed, mostly drink free Amy Winehouse when some friends across the pond recommended her debut release as soon as it came out. I followed her career, cringed about her personal/love life and predicted her death months before it finally and inevitably happened at age 27. A great talent that's already missed in modern music.

fenderball · #3 04-23-2021, 09:52 AM

stupid loss...fantastic talent...sad R.I.P.....

martingitdave · #4 04-23-2021, 09:58 AM

She was an incredible talent. Senseless loss.

mr. beaumont · #5 04-23-2021, 10:04 AM

She was very much the "real deal." She had huge ears, you could tell she listened to all types of music and absorbed as much as she could from it. She had soul, and it wasn't forced.

Charmed Life Picks · #6 04-23-2021, 10:15 AM

Thanks for all of your comments. Good to see I'm not alone -- just late to the Winehouse party. In addition to her singing, she was a BRILLIANT lyricist and songwriter. I mean, brilliant -- and I rarely use that word for anyone.

In a completely incongruous way, her second album reminds me of one of my favorite albums of the past 50 years -- Joni Mitchell's BLUE. A lot of parallels there, both with the artist and the musical statement.

619, yes, it must have been painful to watch her fall from grace. The British tabloid press has got to be one of the cruelest and most vicious institutions on the planet; they actually seem to enjoy inflicting pain on other human beings and then recording the reaction to a situation they themselves created.

I was reminded of a really cool documentary I saw a couple years ago about the famed entertainment manager Shep Gordon (see trailer below). This guy worked with everyone, from Anne Murray, to Alice Cooper, to Sammy Hagar, you name it. Anyway, he says in an interview later in the film something that really stuck with me, something that I think applies to Amy (I'm paraphrasing here): "I've never met a single person whoso life was improved by wealth and fame."

Pura Vida · #7 04-23-2021, 05:30 PM

Scott, I followed Amy Winehouse pretty early on, and I still kick myself for passing up an opportunity to see her in 2007 (with the Dap Kings as her backup band). A few years later, I thought I might have another chance, but alas, it was not to be, and soon after that, she was gone too soon.

If you get the chance, check out her documentary, "Amy." It's really difficult to watch her talent and abuse collide, but it's important to watch. I'm not sure if it's streaming anywhere, but I own a copy of it.

Charmed Life Picks · #8 04-23-2021, 09:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pura Vida

Scott, I followed Amy Winehouse pretty early on, and I still kick myself for passing up an opportunity to see her in 2007 (with the Dap Kings as her backup band). A few years later, I thought I might have another chance, but alas, it was not to be, and soon after that, she was gone too soon.

If you get the chance, check out her documentary, "Amy." It's really difficult to watch her talent and abuse collide, but it's important to watch. I'm not sure if it's streaming anywhere, but I own a copy of it.

Vida, hi, actually the AMY documentary was the first thing I saw about her a few years back, but then, I guess life just intruded. PV, I don't think I can watch the doc again right now -- it's too painful.

How did you find out about her so early? Did you have friends in Britain?

You know, when you have someone as renown as Tony Bennett mentioning Amy in the same sentence with Billie H. and Dinah Washington, you know she's the real deal. I consider her one of the most remarkable singers of the last fifty years. If she had lived long enough her name would be right alongside Ella's. My heart breaks every day.

Annie Lennox said something so important after Amy's passing. She said, "We have to stop treating addiction as a character flaw. It is a medical illness that needs treatment."

I don't know that Amy could have been saved. This poor, precious, sensitive and funny woman.

BTW, her mother announced just this week that she is working with the BBC on a new doc about her daughter.

https://www.rollingstone.com/music/m...rs-on-1149404/

Pura Vida · #9 04-24-2021, 04:55 PM

I just follow music closely, and she was taking off with the indie music scene by that point. But you're right, she was in a line of Brit women singers, who all blew up around the same time: Adele, Lily Allen, Kate Nash, Amy Winehouse.

I've been wanting to watch the Kate Nash documentary, as well, b/c she refused to become a pawn for the music industry, and they abandoned her. I saw her about 5-6 years ago, and she was fantastic.

dougdnh · #10 04-25-2021, 11:54 AM

Yes, she was amazing, and she did actually play the guitar fairly well. 'Me And Mr Jones' may be my favorite soul song of all time (despite the obscenities). The duet of 'Body And Soul' she did with Tony Bennett is another gem.

Charmed Life Picks · #11 04-26-2021, 07:41 PM

Thanks for the new posts.

Yesterday I heard her cover of "Our Day Will Come," from the Lioness album, and it blew me away. Her spirit and warmth seem so innocent and pure on that track; I'm thinking it was recorded very early, before her troubles. Anyone know?

sm

davidbeinct · #12 04-27-2021, 03:19 PM

She is an amazing talent and such a sad story, which unfortunately the music business is full of. I cannot bring myself to watch the movie.

vashondan2018 · #13 04-27-2021, 03:56 PM

I just went through that same experience recently. Was on Spotify and just decided to listen to one of her songs. I listened and listened and listened...What a talent

Charmed Life Picks · #14 04-27-2021, 05:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by vashondan2018

I just went through that same experience recently. Was on Spotify and just decided to listen to one of her songs. I listened and listened and listened...What a talent

Yes, a stone-cold comet of ice.and fire. I so wish she would have stayed with us longer. Thanks for your post.

sm

Charmed Life Picks · #15 04-27-2021, 05:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by davidbeinct

She is an amazing talent and such a sad story, which unfortunately the music business is full of. I cannot bring myself to watch the movie.

David, I know what you mean about the documentary. It makes something very deep inside of me weep with loss, even worse than Janis. Such innocence and joy in the beginning.

I was just watching.her set at the Mandela Concert, and check this out: Of all the monster talent on that bill, they chose HER to close the show. That's how much respect she garnered. When she was on, she was as good as anyone I've ever seen. Her rendition of "Valerie" in that show is note-perfect.

The grief will never leave me, and I rarely say that about anyone.

sm