The Meaning Behind “Back to Black” by Amy Winehouse and the Painful Breakup that Inspired It

Amy Winehouse’s legacy is often overshadowed by her addiction and public turmoil. Following her death at 27, people focused on the tragedy of her life.

Her breakthrough album, Back to Black, made Winehouse a superstar in 2006. Additionally, her blend of jazz, soul, and classic girl group pop paved the way for female singers like Adele, Lorde, and Duffy.

Because she struggled with addiction, many focus on her song “Rehab” as a defining narrative, but the title track to her second album is the “A” plotline.

The story of “Back to Black” threads the entire album, and musically, it brought Winehouse’s artist vision into clear view.

Still, fame eclipsed her music, and her erratic live performances, fights, and trips to rehab created a frenzy for tabloids. But “Back in Black” endures, and on May 17, a new biopic of the late singer arrives to tell her story through her lyrics.

Back to What’s Familiar

“Back to Black” is about returning to an old flame and old habits. Winehouse sings through the pain of her ex going back to his previous girlfriend while she descended into addiction.

He left no time to regret
Kept his d— wet
With his same old safe bet
Me and my head high
And my tears dry
Get on without my guy

Her breakup with Blake Fielder-Civil, whom she’d later marry, inspired the song, but their complicated relationship also spread across the entire album.

In 2007, she explained to Rolling Stone, “All the songs are about the state of my relationship at the time with Blake. I had never felt the way I feel about him about anyone in my life. It was very cathartic because I felt terrible about the way we treated each other. I thought we’d never see each other again.”

We only said goodbye with words
I died a hundred times
You go back to her
And I go back to
We only said goodbye with words
I died a hundred times
You go back to her
And I go back to black

Their highly public and tumultuous marriage ended in divorce in 2009.

Old Soul

Winehouse co-wrote “Back to Black” with producer Mark Ronson. He had gained a reputation for spinning records in New York clubs, but his production on Back to Black revolved around a live band, like old Motown sessions.

“Amy came to my studio and played me stuff like The Shirelles and The Shangri-Las and The Angels,” Ronson told Rolling Stone. “I got inspired by what she was talking about, and that night, I did the drum beat and piano part for ‘Back to Black’ and put tons of reverb on the tambourine.”

Also, the Dap-Kings transformed Ronson’s DJ samples into a live band to achieve the sound Winehouse envisioned.

Prophetic Video

Phil Griffin directed the noir music video, which follows Winehouse in a funeral procession leading to a tombstone that reads: “R.I.P. The Heart of Amy Winehouse.”

Hearing Winehouse speak about her relationship with Fielder-Civil, you understand that part of her felt dead inside when things ended badly.

Back to Black

Winehouse’s second and final studio album topped the UK album charts and reached No. 2 on the U.S. Billboard 200. “Back to Black” travels the well-worn path of documenting and (hopefully) recovering from infidelity, heartbreak, and grief.

Meanwhile, both Winehouse and Fielder-Civil struggled with addiction and occasionally violence toward each other.

Many artists create pastiches of earlier periods, but Winehouse’s unadorned lyrics and brassy voice, with Ronson’s modern production, save “Back to Black” from parody.

In hindsight, her 2003 debut Frank sounds like Winehouse is wearing the clothes of a jazz and soul singer. However, she became a powerful voice while writing confessionals about her messy life. Ronson’s production echoes the grit of Phil Spector, and though they are aiming for the past, it sounds current.

Much of its modern relevance indeed has to do with Winehouse’s writing. You wouldn’t find a lyric like You love blow and I love puff on a Shirelles’ record.

The First Song

When Ronson met Winehouse in New York, they casually hung out, and she played old girl-group records she was listening to at the time. That night, Ronson created the piano riff to “Back to Black,” which became their first collaboration.

Ronson and Winehouse used The Shangri-Las’ classic “Remember (Walkin’ in the Sand)” as inspiration for “Back to Black.” Similarities are noticeable as both songs are in the key of D minor and resolve on an A major chord.

Finally, the two songs create a neat arc: The Shangri-Las’ hit sparked the Winehouse song that kickstarted her transformative album with Ronson.

Mark Ronson dedicated his 2015 album Uptown Special to Amy Winehouse.

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Photo by Roger Kisby/Getty Images