Album Anniversaries: 15 Years Later, the Heartbreak from Amy Winehouse’s ‘Back To Black’ Will Always Remain

It has now been 15 years since the release of Amy Winehouse’s second and final album Back to Black. But no matter how many years since its release, the music, lyrics, and voice that make up this masterpiece will remain just as impactful long past Winehouse’s tragic passing.

In Album Anniversaries, writers honor their favorite aging albums and their subsequent legacies, revealing which projects have stood the test of time.

Written By Miranda Robertson

Photo courtesy of NME Magazine

Fifteen years ago, in October of 2006, the world was graced with the  soul-filled R&B album Back to Black by the one and only Amy Winehouse. The album represented the essence of heartbreak, pain, grief, and mental stress, told by an artist who sang every word with pure emotion. The raw passion of this album continues to resonate to music lovers and artists everywhere, impacting and even impacting later musicians such as Adele. Famously known for its hit single of the same name, Back to Black mixes a blend of jazz, pop, R&B, with a nod to ‘60s girl groups. In doing this the album forever carries a taste of nostalgia. That being said, what makes this album truly special is the story of the musician behind it. 

Coming from a family of jazz musicians, Amy Winehouse was no stranger to the components of the genre. She bought her first guitar at the age of 14, using this acquisition to begin writing her own music and playing with local musicians. While she was signed by her first management company at the young age of 19, they kept her a secret, causing her to later move under the management of Island Records. After the release of her debut album Frank, Winehouse was met with great praise for her soulful voice, writing, and “cool, critical gaze over the music scene”.  The album introduced the world to her jazz-induced pop that would soon become internationally acclaimed. After Frank’s release, Winehouse became a bit more reclusive after her first experiences with fame, only keeping up appearances playing pool at pubs. At this time she also began her relationship with her infamous ex-husband, Blake Fielder-Civil. Winehouse throughout this time developed drug and alcohol addictions, as well as mental health problems. She also faced a lot of ridicule by the British press and found herself in a dangerous relationship with Fielder. During their co-dependent yet on-and-off relationship, he slept with many other women — once even leaving Winehouse for his former girlfriend — inspiring the heated lyrics behind the hit song “Back to Black.”

Winehouse’s pain and experiences were key elements that brought emotion to her work. In an interview featured in the “Amy” documentary, the singer said, “I wouldn’t write anything unless it was directly personal to me just cause I wouldn’t be able to tell the story right or really fill out the song with words because I wouldn’t have done it.” Although given a natural gift for music, Winehouse truly found her passion for the art through her own emotions, using music to wear her heart on her sleeve. Her experiences did not make her; rather, she made herself utilize them. She continued in the interview, “So you know all of it is stuff that I’ve been through and even though some of it is personal in a sad way, you know I would never let it just be that it’s very funny like I’ll put humour, a punch line in a song always.” This was made the most clear to the audience with the release of Back to Black. Winehouse comes across to her listeners with a uniquely crafted brassy voice that transforms any statement enough to pierce the skin.

Throughout the album’s tracks, audiences can hear Winehouse in the studio, singing her heart out about the pain she had endured. She used certain tracks to show her listeners how she felt and the reasoning behind her decisions. The lyrics “His face in my dreams seizes my guts / He floods me with dread / Soaked in soul / He swims in my eyes by the bed / Pour myself over him” from the track “I Wake Up Alone” show the deep emotion Winehouse is capable of. Arguably one of the most heart-breaking tracks on the album, the lyrics talk about how obsessive love can be and the haunting pain when a lover's presence is gone. Noted in an article from Pitchfork, the second to last track “He Can Only Hold Her” is when the album “switches from first person to third…suggesting that she's finally become an objective observer, able to see her personal issues for what they are." Back to Black as a whole is its own type of lyrical mental rehabilitation, touching through painful experience, grief, and acceptance. With a work so condensed with the story, it can never be forgotten.

Photo courtesy of Universal-Island Records Ltd.

The impact of Back to Black — and Winehouse in general — continues in music past its release as well. Singer Adele discussed the influence Amy Winehouse had on her in an interview with Rolling Stone, stating that, “Because of her, I picked up a guitar, and because of her, I write my own songs.” Adele’s music itself is no stranger to the influence of pain on love. Having been worked on by Winehouses’ past producer, Mark Ronson, Adele’s 30 shows striking similarities with Back to Black. Described by AV Club as a work that “distinctly connects to Winehouse with its mix of retro soul and pop,” audiences can hear the similarities. Although Winehouse herself pulled influence from ’60s girl groups and jazz herself, she perfected the concoction of this blend with soul and pop. Adele’s 30 plays from this using smooth piano, steady bass drums, and powerful vocals. Both albums tell the story of pain, love, and acceptance and Adele definitely tried to meet Winehouse where she left off. 

Although 15 years since Back to Black’s release and 10 since Winehouses’ untimely death, her name is forever engraved in emotive music. She knew how to take what she was given in life and turn it into a work of art to share with the world. Faced by backlash and criticism throughout her later years, the real Amy Winehouse in all her glory will forever be remembered in her true story, Back to Black.