Amy Winehouse remembered
Virgin Media Music editor Fong Chau remembers Amy Winehouse for her humour, not her pain
As I put together Amy Winehouse's obituary, I began to cry unexpectedly. I didn't know her personally, but this is the death of a truly talented woman who I feel has been with me for the past eight years.
Riot police called after almost a week of disorder
I’ve been working as a music journalist for more than 10 years, the last two and a half as Virgin Media Music’s editor. I’ve followed her career since 2003 and I think it’s fair to say I loved Amy Winehouse from the moment I heard her.
I reckon I listen to at least one Amy Winehouse song at least once a day. As I was writing about the history of this extraordinary singer, I thought it fitting to listen to Back To Black. I love how she can sing about smoking weed like it’s her life-long love. Maybe it was, according to Amy it “does more than any dick did.” It’s these funny little one-liners which I am remembering today.
She had a razor-sharp wit which shone throughout her songwriting. Her first album Frank is full of this. The song she won the Ivor Novello for, Stronger Than Me, includes the brilliantly acerbic line: “I’ve forgotten all of young love’s joy, feel like a lady and you my lady boy,” as she laments the apparent sissyness of her current boyfriend before she compares him to “frozen turkey”.
I saw Amy live twice in 2008 at Glastonbury and Bestival. She was past her best by many people’s standards, but there was still a brilliant voice and a strong-willed lady in there. She wore tiny, body-hugging dresses and her massive beehive towered over her. She was majestic even then.
It’s easy to put Amy Winehouse in the troubled-singer, live-fast-die-young, dead-at-27 camp. But these are mere clichés and Amy Winehouse is much more than that. She was more than an addict, a rock star, or tabloid fodder. Her music spoke to thousands as it spoke to me.
So farewell Amy, I’ll still listen every day and I’ll still remember to laugh too.
How will you remember Amy? You can leave your tributes on Twitter @MusicOnVM.
