Sunday, July 24, 2011

Amy Winehouse, 1983-2011


I'll be the first one to admit, that despite how talented Amy Winehouse was, I was turned off of her by her erratic behavior.  The first time I heard her sing "Back to Black", I was blown away by the voice.  It had that soulful roughness that I love so much.  She took me back to an era long gone and a style that I wish more singers would embody.  Unfortunately she embodied all the bad aspects of that style as well.

Addiction to drugs and alcohol, along with eating disorders kept threatening to derail a once promising career.  The more chaotic her life got, the more it got in the way of the music.  While I still loved listening to her, I stopped paying attention to the rest of her.  Now that she has passed away, I wish someone would have payed more attention to her.  Had stopped her from going down a road that has claimed more than it's fair share of promising talent.

As I sit here listening to her sing, I'm hoping that she will finally find the peace she never seemed to know in life.



9 comments:

bermudaonion said...

She definitely seemed to be a tortured soul. It's so sad that the demons won.

Anonymous said...

Such a waste of talent. She was so gifted; I wish she had gotten the help she needed.

KarenSi said...

She was so talented. One of my favourite voices.

Blodeuedd said...

I had missed that she was my age :/ Such waste

Michelle Stockard Miller said...

So sad! I had hopes that after she won her Grammy awards, she would turn her life around. It seemed for a while that she would, but I guess she just couldn't do it. I too hope that she finally finds peace.

Michelle (Red Headed Book Child) said...

I never know what to feel about someone like this. There are tons of rock stars and musicians who have rocked hard and get help later in life. Does that make them better? no, not really, just luckier I guess that they survived it.
Amy obviously had other issues that made her unhealthy, so her body couldn't take the hard drugs that she was taking. It is a shame. Where were her friends? (probably also doing drugs) Where was her family? Around? Or did she push them away? Some of her songs reflect her desire to NOT get help. ?? Unfortunate is what it is.

LoriStrongin said...

I don't think it's that no one paid close attention to her, but her own decision not to listen to any of the advice given to her about her alcoholism and drug addictions. For years, I've seen/read interviews from/about her, and lots of people were named as trying to get her into rehab programs. At the end of the day, personal responsibility comes into play and, the crux is, it was her own choice not to get help.

It's sad, and she was definitely talented, but she'd been amply warned. So I'm sorry to say I wasn't surprised in the least by the news. Wherever she is now, may she find the peace she wasn't able to find in life.


Lori

Sheila (Bookjourney) said...

It is a sad happening that is for sure. She was a troubled soul.

Ceri said...

It was so sad to hear about Amy. I just hope that now she's gone, she can be appreciated more for how wonderful her music was. And I hope that people can move past the fact that it's the tabloids and press who taint our image of a talented, soulful person by focusing on the wrong things.