The late Amy Winehouse had a short-lived music career, but she put out hit after hit. With the new biopic coming out later this month, we have ranked the British songstress’ best songs of all time.
Amy’s Beginnings And Rise To Fame
Amy Jade Winehouse was born on September 14, 1983, in London, England. Many of her uncles on her mother’s side were jazz musicians. Her grandmother Cynthia was a singer who dated jazz saxophonist Ronnie Scott. Cynthia and Amy’s parents influenced her interest in jazz from a young age.
At 14 years old, Winehouse began playing guitar and began writing music shortly afterward. She began her career as an entertainment journalist for the World Entertainment News Network and sang with a local group called the Bolsha Band. By 2000, she became the featured female vocalist with the National Youth Jazz Orchestra.
Winehouse released her debut album, Frank, in 2003. Most of the songs on the album are influenced by jazz, and Winehouse co-wrote every one. After the release of her first album, Winehouse changed her sound to the girl groups of the ’50s and ’60s, like the Ronettes. She emulated her signature beehive hairdo and Cleopatra-esque makeup after the group.
Back to Black was released in 2006, releasing “Rehab” as its first single. Time magazine named “Rehab” the Best Song of 2007. In 2008, Winehouse received five Grammy Awards. As successful as Winehouse became during this period, she was also struggling with alcoholism, drug use, depression, self-harm, and eating disorders.
The singer was hospitalized, canceled shows, and entered rehab from 2007 to her death at 27 years old in 2011. She was found dead in her London home by her bodyguard. A coroner said her death was accidental, with a report saying her blood alcohol content was five times the legal driving limit. According to the coroner, the “unintended consequence” of so much alcohol was her “sudden and unexpected death.”
Since her death, one documentary has been released, titled Amy. In the upcoming biopic set for release on May 17, Marisa Abela portrays the late Winehouse. According to a press release, Back to Black was made with the full support of the Amy Winehouse Estate, Universal Music Group, and Sony Music Publishing.
The movie is billed as a “never-before-seen glimpse” into the Grammy winner’s early, intense journey to fame and the release of her groundbreaking studio album. Director Taylor-Johnson says of Abela starring as Winehouse: “The moment she looked into the lens at her first audition, I knew she was the perfect actor to play Amy Winehouse. She put in an enormous amount of work, attention to every detail, and she trained daily for hours to be able to sing throughout the entire movie. She doesn’t impersonate Amy, she inhabits her.”
Keep scrolling to see Amy Winehouse’s 7 best songs ranked:
