"I don't think I could handle it - I think I'd go mad" - Amy Winehouse, talking ahead of the release of her debut album 'Frank', in Universal's new documentary movie Amy about the prospect of fame. The young singer was at the time gearing up for one of the biggest careers a UK act has seen, but she was convinced she wouldn't see much success.
Out Nov 2
Introducing viewers to the girl behind the musician, Amy is presented not as a big-headed egotist, but a woman who wasn't afraid to let her attitude shine through, and it's this refreshing personality which won her so many fans around the world. Her mother Janis Winehouse explains how as a child, Amy would tell Janis to be more tough on her because she would 'let her get away with murder'. With her father Mitchell having an affair for nine years from Amy's age of 18 months onwards, he was never in the house - something Amy says was "needed" with her and her siblings. Basically, she was a young woman with a lot of history and heartbreak from the earliest days of her life, and that filtered through both into her music and her later years.
Walking to the beat of her own drum, debut LP 'Frank' was a success and meant she was allowed to buy her own property in Camden, but she still maintained her integrity. Falling in love with Blake Fielder, the pressure was on to produce another album of emotional and relatable material, but Amy was never a sell-out or one to force music. If she was to release an album, she would ensure it was some of her best sounds, and they all came after Amy's messy break-up with Blake. Sleeping with one of his best friends after he decided to go back to his girlfriend, Amy was a woman who wanted to end the relationship and did her damned best to do so, but she couldn't force that memory of their relationship out of her head. So began the spiral into her chaotic relationship with alcohol, and the attempts of friends and family to try and stop her journey ending in tragedy.
"I write songs because I'm f*cked up in the head," Amy explains, stating she puts things down on paper so that she can feel better about it and move on. As a result came some of the biggest songs of her career - 'Tears Dry On Their Own' being the first of many. Though many were still worried about her health and vulnerability, the songstress continued to make leaps and bounds in her career before meeting producer/DJ Mark Ronson in 2006. 'Back To Black' was born in the studio, and the pair were ready to make the next big move, but Amy's nan's death would bring things to a standstill before yet another addictive habit would consume Amy's life - Bulimia. Sadly it was something that she had brought up with her parents in the past, but it was never picked up on as something that would need addressing.
'Rehab' came next and instantly won the hearts of the nation, surprising the songstress with its popularity. Acting as the song that turned Amy into a commercial artist, she would go on to win her first BRIT Award in 2007 and really become a big part of celebrity culture. The paparazzi would flock, Amy would do her best to ignore them and still told herself that she wasn't famous, and that this wasn't her lifestyle. Unfortunately for her things were only ever going to get worse. With many different media platforms dedicated to building up a star before tearing them down, it's a dangerous world to be a part of. Pair that with an addictive personality and it would have been shocking if she'd have been allowed to live a life without chaos.
In the midst of the celebrity lifestyle, Amy's relationship with Blake went to the next level and the pair made things official, tying the knot in America and officially becoming husband and wife for two years before divorcing. Their married life led to Amy's first overdose.
"With the amount of cocaine, heroine, alcohol and crack cocaine in her system, we're amazed she's not in a coma," the doctor told her loved ones before the media circus kicked off once more. Somehow, The Sun got hold of conversations had in private, and Amy was given a lifeline. Forced to cancel a string of international gigs, the singer booked herself into rehab alongside husband Blake, against the wishes of the man who analysed the pair for potential treatment. As predicted, it ended in disaster and things got worse.
But that wasn't the end of Amy's story. Given a proposition - get clean or never make another record again, Amy chose to do the right thing and went on to win the Grammy Award for Record of the Year. It was a beautiful, magical moment, but one that wasn't to last. Clean, successful and now a Grammy Award winner, Amy had all the opportunity in the world to go on and become an even bigger star. But there was still something missing. The drugs. Eventually, the icy grip of addiction reared its ugly head once more, and Amy's health began to deteriorate.
Media jumped down her throat once more and comedians cracked jokes at her expense. She began to lash out more violently at those who would chase her with cameras and eventually escaped to St. Lucia. Though her crack cocaine and heroine consumption became non-existent, she simply swapped them out for alcohol. She may have been having the time of her life, but the effect of everything she continuously pumped into her body was longlasting.
All Amy wanted was her father, but everywhere he went he was followed by cameras, audio guides and more. Though he seemed to be interested in the world of media and making a name not only for his daughter but for himself, she wasn't about that life, but she didn't blame him for his choices. Instead she internally begged for his approval and love, worshipping the ground he walked on.
Amy is a story of absolute tragedy. She was a woman with many, many struggles, and only a few people around her willing to help her through them. Though she was self-destructive she wasn't somebody who wanted to die. A duet with Tony Bennett really pushed her to drive her career ahead, but the pressures and success of 'Back To Black' was forced upon her as gigs loomed in the not-so-distant future. To avoid them, Amy got blackout drunk before returning home, but a team picked her up and got her on a private jet, forcing her to get on a stage and perform. Except, once she did hit the stage in Serbia, she refused to sing, earning only boos and negative responses from the crowd. She just didn't care about her career at this point, but it was also her friendships and musical relationships that would suffer. The tour was cancelled and she returned home.
Three weeks later, Winehouse realised exactly what she had done to those around her, before ringing her best friend and repeatedly apologising. She was ready to fix her life. Her friends found it strange but exciting that she was "normal" again and Amy wanted to start over.
A couple of days later, on Saturday, July 23, 2011, Amy's body was found in London. Her blood-alcohol level was 45 times the legal driving limit, and the combination of everything in her system had simply caused her heart to stop. The world grieved.
What Winehouse possessed is a unique talent and vocal that can never and will never be replicated. The world has a way of taking away things that are almost too good for the masses, before they can be properly appreciated. What's really shocking is the way in which Amy was treated by the media, and the way in which certain media continues to treat celebrities and those in the public eye who need help rather than to be ridiculed. Have the majority of people learned anything from her death? It would seem not. Perhaps after watching this film, they'll consider those biting words before writing them down or typing them online.
Amy is released on DVD, Blu-ray and digital download on November 2, following the release of the film's soundtrack on October 30.
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