In Defense of Amy Winehouse November 13
Several months ago when Amy Winehouse was on the cover of every music mag on the shelves, I think I made a statement that went something like “Fuck Amy Winehouse. She’s just the next Joss Stone.” Now I think that was a ridiculous statement.
In my view, in order to qualify as an artist you have to have more than a great voice. It’s fine to do a few covers, but when your most identifiable song was created and made popular by someone else (Joss Stone: Fell in Love With A Girl) you’re not worth a whole lot. This, of course, is in the modern era. It’s fine that Aretha Franklin’s greatest works were written by other people. She still qualifies as an artist. But I’m hesitant of labeling singers as “great” these days when I know how much can be done in production to make an average singer sound great. So for me, Joss Stone is just a very good singer, but she needs more than that.
But Amy Winehouse is not Joss Stone; her work is filled with vitriol, anger, and edge. I don’t like her slower, more melancholy work, but I love “Rehab”. I will defend this position against Charles, Spencer, or whoever else chooses to challenge me on this point. We bitch and moan about how the modern pop artist has distanced herself from the purity and strength of blues-influenced pop, or how the Rhythm and Blues of ‘60’s Motown doesn’t have enough of a place in modern music. Then an artist comes along with clear and proper influence, and we deride her for any other reason imaginable. I’ve even heard the argument that she’s not hot enough to be a pop artist. Fucking ridiculous.
Maybe the reason Amy Winehouse is a polarizing figure has more to do with our modern confusion over the public persona of our rockstars than with her music. Certainly, sex, drugs, and rock and roll is boring, and it seems that we now want our artists to be hardworking and brilliant in a different way. Or maybe I’m just getting too old. But I don’t think Amy Winehouse is manufacturing the excesses of rock and roll with her work; I think she is genuinely fucked up. And I like my fucked up artists, be it Jeff Buckley, Tom Waits, or even Thom Yorke and the Arcade Fire. None of those artists are fucked up in the same way, but they all have an element of discontent that seems to drive them forward. I like anger and discontent in my music. I can’t stand “love songs” and would be a clam if no-one ever wrote another one. It doesn’t have to be anger, per se, but the role of artists is to magnify our inadequacies and faults in order to point them back at us. Maybe discontent and absurdity are better words to describe it. Since we’re now too self-absorbed as a culture to enjoy a good protest song, it has to be about the inadequacy and absurdity of the individual. To this end, I feel that Amy Winehouse and these other artists genuinely understand both their own faults and the specific faults of others. And that, my friends, makes her better than Joss Stone.
Bayes Nov 13
I don’t like her because she’s annoying. Rehab is one of the more annoying songs I’ve ever heard. The melody, of course I’m talking about. Obnoxious and irritating. I would need to get past that in order to even hear her as an artist. It probably goes back to my hatred of hip hop though since she has that R & B whitey feel going on. I like how she gets in fights though, that’s pretty rockin.
Aaron Nov 13
I like the melody. I can’t exactly pin-point the particular melody you are attracted to, but it seems that anything that has a vocal “run” in it is disregarded. I think the melody is powerful and quite good. I also think Stevie Wonder is one of the top five writers of melody of all time, and you disgree with this point. I think that’s why we diverge on Amy Winehouse, the elements that they have in common.
Bayes Nov 13
I don’t like the beat, or the don’t wanna go to rehab, i said no..no…no….probably the the no no no part is obnoxious to me.
Spencer Nov 13
It’s not that I don’t like her music. It’s just that it’s a retread of music made 40 years ago. It doesn’t particularly build on it either, like Lauryn Hill did. If I want to listen to Aretha, I’ll listen to Aretha. I don’t need to hear Amy Winehouse try to imitate her. It’s the same reason I hate most modern rock, it just rips off stuff from 10-15 years ago.
All that said, I don’t hate her necessarily. I hate the hype around her. She hasn’t done nearly enough to deserve it.
Aaron Nov 13
plus, she stinks.
Jon Nov 14
but Joss Stone is way hotter
Anon Nov 14
I was attracted by your comments on one of the most respected female soloists in the UK and disheartened to hear that your fellow band members consider her both unoriginal and annoying. Please let me assure her critics that she is neither. Her live performances are mind-blowing and have been for years (long before the hype that comes with a single release in the USA kicked in). Additionally, you may not be particularly enamored with her style of music, or the influences that clearly wriggle their way through her songs, but take a moment to listen to the lyrics, which speak volumes in a world full of meaningless pop drivel. Her second album here in the UK, ‘Back to Black’ is entitled as such because she has no qualms with being up front with where her music is rooted. It’s an album that pays tribute to her love of the old, and that is the point.
My favourite thing about Ms. Winehouse? She makes me laugh. (Hear: “I heard love is blind” for example).
Bayes Nov 15
Her lyrics may be meaningful when compared to the world of meaningless pop drivel, yes. But when compared to other decent music and lyricists, not so much. I haven’t really listened to much of her other music and I’m sure she has some good stuff….to me if I am initially irritated by a musician then I can’t really get over it and respect them. Her antics off stage are distracting and I know that it’s mostly the media’s coverage of this that annoys me, but in this world of media whores, it’s hard to separate the two. I think it comes across as a pathetic act on her part. So in the end, does her music really matter? That’s a question no a statement. Basically, I’m asking, who really gives a shit about Amy Winehouse? I am pretty sure she’ll be out of the spotlight in a year or two. I could be wrong. I’m usually not though. I still stand by my argument that rap is awful and will fade away shortly just like disco did.
Aaron Nov 15
While my bandmates think she is annoying, I think they are annoying so, tit for tit (Office reference?).
I also must clarify that the comments posted by “Adam” are from an individual that is no longer with the band, so Spencer is really the only one that doesn’t like her. I disagree with the statement that she’s unoriginal because I don’t think she’s completely ripping off motwon, especially when it comes to lyrical content. Elvis Costello did not rip-off Buddy Holly, he justed reframed Buddy Holly. Not that Amy Winehouse should be elevated to that comparison, but you get the picture.
And Spencer, the only band member that has posted a comment, has more of an issue with the media than with her. That criticism is probably appropriate.
I also find it fascinating that Bayes believes that everything he doesn’t like will drop out of the spotlight in a year or two. In two years I will call him and ask him how hip-hop is doing. His ignorance is really astounding.
Aaron Nov 15
And Anon…
I lived in the UK for a year and a half while Amy Winehouse was rising to the top, and I saw her perform in Liverpool. She was good then, but she’s better now. The US media attention didn’t strike me as insane since I had lived through her UK elevation, so I guess I’m not really in a position to comment about whether or not the media attention is annoying. But at the very least, one should be able to separate their discontent with the media from their feelings about Amy Winehouse’s music.
Ana Oct 5
what? joss stone is a way better than Amy whinehouse…
Look at her! Her shows are so much better than whinehouse, she just gives us peace there. what about amy? “hey take some drugs asshole”
amy’s future? If she keeps like that, she’ll die soon, I think she just needs to take care of herself…
about the lyrics and songs… Joss Stone’s last album has great lyrics and songs…
Whinehouse has it too on her’s…
they’re just different styles… just the opposites… so, I think they don’t have nothing in common except being from the UK.