The Amy Winehouse Mix CD rolls on today with the first Amy Winehouse song I ever heard, and one of my favorites, “You Know I’m No Good”. “You Know I’m No Good” is the second track and single from Amy’s 2006 sophomore album Back To Black. It was written by Amy Winehouse and produced by Mark Ronson. It peaked at #18 on the UK Singles Chart and #1 on the UK Hip Hop/R&B Chart. Here in the US it only peaked at #77 on the Billboard Hot 100 Chart in March of 2008, nearly a year after its release but immediately after she won a pile of Grammys. It also hit #2 on something called the Billboard Adult Alternative Songs Chart, which apparently keeps track of music that “cool” elderly people like me listen to.
Let’s rewind to 2007 for a minute. I don’t have an exact date, but I’m sure it was spring/early summer. I was sitting in the very spot where I type right now. This room was a “dining room” then, which really meant that we had a small room with a big table where we’d let random crap accumulate. But there was a computer on a desk in the corner where I’d do whatever I did on a computer in 2007. Probably editing photos and videos of my newborn daughter. At the time I got most of my music recommendations from okayplayer.com because if you were into the kind of music I’m into, that’s where you’d go…or at least that’s where I’d go. OKP had been hyping up an R&B singer from London for a while, but I mostly ignored it based on stereotyping. I wasn’t interested in hearing music by some white girl from London. It’s stupid, I know. At the time streaming services weren’t quite a thing yet, so if I was going to listen to a new album it was going to cost me $9.99 on iTunes. You can’t just give that money to anyone, and I wasn’t willing to risk it on some British girl with a beehive.
But – while I don’t remember specifics – in this case Questlove himself was recommending her new album so I figured the least I could do was give it a try. I remember what happened next because it’s only happened a few times in my life and you remember it when it does. Digable Planets. D’Angelo. It’s the kind of experience I hope for every time you hear an artist for the first time. That kind of music that stops you dead in your tracks and makes you say, “What the fuck is this and where can I hear more of it immediately?” I clicked on a link to the song “You Know I’m No Good” by Amy Winehouse and got that rare feeling. This shit is old school but funky, and this girl is incredible but way more badass. The next thought is always the same. More. I need more. Who is she? What other music does she have. Why didn’t I know about this sooner?
Within days Amy Winehouse became a favorite of both my wife and me. We got the Back To Black album, which in America meant that the final track was a version of “You Know I’m No Good” featuring Wu Tang member Ghostface Killah instead of the track “Addicted” that appears on the UK version. Huge bonus…or so we thought. The Ghostface version is little more than the exact same song with Ghostface yelling his verse over a 16 bar instrumental in the middle of the song. It was a disappointment, but no matter. The album was fantastic and a love affair was born.
What’s to love so much about “You Know I’m No Good”? Let’s start with the Dap Kings. While most of Back To Black is old soul played by a funky band showing restraint, “You Know I’m No Good” is their opportunity on the album to let loose. The horns on this track are sick, highlighted by baritone sax player Ian Hendrickson-Smith. The rhythm section carries their weight as well with drummer Homer Steinweiss and bassist Nick Movshon laying down some serious funk.
As always, the highlight of an Amy Winehouse song is Amy herself. Her raw, truthful tale of frequent infidelity told in a way only she can. Saying he can sniff out her affairs like Tanqueray. Talking about soaking in a tub with him by her side when he notices carpet burns on her and knows exactly where they came from, leading to him to simply shrug because he knew that was what she’d do anyway. The fact that he doesn’t even care hurts her worse than anything she could’ve done to him. Every story ending with her coming to the realization that she’s no good. It’s a running theme in her music. See my “What Is It About Men” post from a few weeks ago. She blames her inability to say faithful on some fate that she can’t prevent as opposed to taking responsibility for it. In the end both people end up miserable. But, in the case of “You Know I’m No Good” it’s more fun because her delivery is hilarious and the track makes your head nod.
My favorite live version of this song comes, once again, from the MTV 45th at Night performance in 2007. I know I keep going back to this well but there’s a reason why. Amy sounds amazing and the band is tight as hell. As with many Amy performances, she builds up and waits until the end to start improvising. In this case it’s disappointing because the gig is made for TV and there’s a time limit. By the end of the third verse the Dap Kings are grooving and Amy is just starting to cook when the song has to end so they can roll credits. In a perfect world the song moves into a second act at that point where the Dap Kings are just jamming while Amy improvs. But, as with everything else Amy-related, you’re happy with whatever you got because she sadly left us so early there wasn’t a lot left behind.
It kills me that Amy Winehouse seemed to go through life believing that she was no good and was doomed to a life of infidelity and self-loathing because it was somehow written in the stars…but that premise sure made for some damn good music. “You Know I’m No Good” will always be one of my favorite Amy tracks at least partially because it was my introduction to her music. It’s also the track that taught me that just because someone is a little white girl from the UK doesn’t mean she isn’t funky.
Somewhere along the way I lost track of where are in the mix CD. Just to get us caught up, “You Know I’m No Good” is the 16th track, meaning we have six more to go. This clue probably doesn’t help you at all, but tomorrow’s track wouldn’t have been on this mix CD a few months ago but has really grown on me in these past six months. I’ll leave it at that and save the rest of the content for tomorrow. Until then, enjoy your Tuesday. Back tomorrow with another one.
mookiefantana 