Although many people seem to, I’ve never had a problem with Amy Winehouse. I’m very picky when I come to my music, and I’ve never really liked or disliked her.
Of course, I’ve sung along to “Rehab,” and admired that she could keep her giant beehive intact during her drunken benders, but I’ve never really listened to her music.
Even right after she died and her album sales skyrocketed, I never thought, “Hey, I’m going to listen to some Amy Winehouse.” That was until I saw her CD on sale at Borders — R.I.P., to both Borders and Amy — and I decided to pick it up.
My mind was blown.
Winehouse doesn’t write Taylor Swift-esque “boys are mean and I’m going to write a sad song about it” kind of fluff.
Her songs show real pain, real emotion. While there is not one happy or optimistic song on this album, there are no songs I skip. She deserved every Grammy Award she won.
It’s hard to write something solely about Winehouse’s music without mentioning all of her problems.
This is especially true when those problems were such a huge part of her music.
Obviously, “Rehab” touches on her addictions, and “Wake Up Alone” shows her struggles with love and alcoholism with lines like, “I stay up and clean the house… at least I’m not drinking.”
Although Winehouse seemed to have it all, it’s true — it’s lonely at the top.
It’s sad to think about how far she could have gone had she stayed clean. It’s sad to think I didn’t embrace her music when she was alive and that I lost out on the chance
to see her perform. It’s sad such a talent only released two albums in her life. It really is too bad such a talent was overshadowed by her addictions.
Winehouse, as talented as she was, truly was a tortured soul. She had the money, the fame and the talent many covet, but it didn’t fill the void she was looking to fill. And sadly, this isn’t uncommon for creative, artistic types.
Rest in Peace, Amy.
