Amy Winehouse Dies at 27

Just recently Monsieur Redacteur and I were talking about Amy Winehouse - a French newspaper last week had a headline about Amy and how she only had a few months to join "The 27 Club". I didn't take it seriously because I had hope, as a fan of Amy's incredible voice, that she was going to clean up and come back with some amazing album. Sadly Amy Winehouse passed away in her Camden home, most likely from an overdose.

I don't want to write much more on the topic because what is there to say? I want to blame the tabloid culture, but they're only partially to blame. The tabloids exist for a reason. I want to blame those around her who failed to protect her and steer her course better, but I have known people who had that same knack Amy had for meeting the wrong man and a few like Amy seemed to meet too many of the wrong sort of men so that by the time something better came along the hope of being able to stay better was long gone. They all had a sort of fragility and no matter how much you want to help or how hard you try to help - sometimes people just stay lost.

Of all the Amy Winehouse songs I love, I suppose "Back to Black" will always be my favourite. It's a sad song, but it was obvious from the first listen that here was someone singing their heart out.

Here's a picture of Amy that does her justice. Not the famous Amy of the signature beehive and the tattoos. I look at this picture and think there's the girl who once thought everyone could sing so she didn't quite comprehend the talent she had. But for me, what I'll remember is that the first time I heard "Help Yourself" off Amy's first album "Frank", it was the first time I heard somebody sing like her.

Amy recorded a third album that wasn't released because of some of her troubles. I am going to hold on to hope that it's the amazing album I hoped she'd record because even though she's gone maybe this third album will be her last gift to her fans.

And I just want to say in closing; in the spirit of the song clip I'm going to post that no matter why she died or what problems she had there isn't another person in the world that could sing like Amy Winehouse could and not just because she had great pipes. Would it still be a great song if it were sung like a grocery list? "I die a hundred times", Amy sang, and you feel those hundred deaths.

Tonight Amy, Amy, Amy, I feel one hundred and one.