I’ve heard this question asked a thousand times: What’s the best opening line to a song? I’ve always had the same answer.
I guess I should’ve known by the way you parked your car sideways that it wouldn’t last
For those unfamiliar, stop reading right now and listen to Prince’s 1982 classic “Little Red Corvette“, then continue listening to more Prince because everything he does is better than whatever I’m about to write here. Not far behind Prince’s brilliant opening to “Little Red Corvette” is this line:
All I can ever be to you is the darkness that we knew and this regret I got accustomed to
That is the opening line to “Tears Dry On Their Own”, the seventh track and fourth single from Amy Winehouse’s 2006 sophomore album Back To Black. The song was written by Amy Winehouse, but uses elements from the Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell classic “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough“, which was actually written by Ashford & Simpson (Nickolas Ashford and Valerie Simpson, to be exact) so they share songwriting credits. I’ve heard each of these songs many times, but to be honest, I never realized how similar they are until I listened to them back to back. “Tears Dry On Their Own” was produced by Salaam Remi.
If you’ve been following the Amy Winehouse Mix CD since the start you know that I’ve struggled to decide which version of some songs to use. No decision was more difficult than which version of “Tears Dry On Their Own”. One one hand, you have the version that appears on the album. The “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough” version. Upbeat despite the lyrical content (more on that in a minute). It reached as high as #16 on the UK Singles Chart. It has a phenomenal music video. You absolutely can’t go wrong with it.
Or, you can choose the original version, simply called “Tears Dry”, that appears on the posthumous 2011 compilation Lioness: Hidden Treasures. A hidden treasure indeed. The original version – also produced by the amazing Salaam Remi – turns “Tears Dry” into a Motown-esque ballad. The same song about turning the page has a different feel when delivered as a ballad. It’s a slow burn. More contemplative. Gives the lyrics more time to sink in.
As for those lyrics, in my opinion “Tears Dry” is peak Amy Winehouse songwriting. Like so many of her best songs, a heartbreaking taste of what could’ve been. A brilliant combination of poetry and storytelling. Amy accepting responsibility for her failed relationship and coming to the realization that it’s time to move on.
I don’t understand, why do I stress a man
When there’s so many bigger things than him at hand?
We could’ve never had it all, we had to hit a wall
And this is inevitable withdrawal
Even if I stop wanting you, and perspective pushes through
I’ll be some next man’s other woman soon
I cannot play myself again, I should just be my own best friend
Not fuck myself in the head with stupid men
The lyrics are mostly the same in both versions, but the slower tempo of the original version allows for some slight tweaks that I enjoy. A recurring theme in Amy’s music is her belief that she’s not good enough to be loved by someone. She’s always someone’s side piece or she’s always cheating on someone. It’s refreshing to hear her realize she’s capable of more than that at the end of this verse with the line about being her own best friend and not fucking with stupid men.
The third verse of the song is brief, but powerful, and once again, I feel more effective in the slower original version:
I wish I could say “no regrets” and “no emotional debts”
And as we kiss goodbye the sun behind you sets
So we are history, your shadow covers me
The sky above a blaze that only lovers see
He walks away, the sun goes down
He takes the day, but I’m grown
And in your grey, in this cool shade
My tears dry on their own
The picture this verse paints is gorgeous. I love the line “the sky above a blaze that only lovers see” even if I’m not 100% sure how to interpret it. Here’s how I see this verse: She came out of her relationship scarred, and it’s something she’ll never forget. But, now that she’s felt what real love is she’s seeing the world in a different light. Another way saying the old line, “‘Tis better to have loved and lost than to have never loved at all.” With this song the immature Frank-era Amy that sang songs like “In My Bed” and “I Heard Love Is Blind” is gone. She’s been through some shit now and she’s more conscious of the way she treats men and how she prefers to be treated. The sun has set on that Amy. Time for a new chapter. At least that’s how it must’ve felt in 2006.
One quick personal story here: I have bought Amy Winehouse records for my oldest daughter and I’m pretty sure it collects dust. What I didn’t anticipate was my 15-year-old son becoming a big Amy Winehouse fan. He can often be heard singing her songs around the house (in fact, as I type this I can hear him in the basement singing “Back To Black” while playing video games…and he has friends over, which is kind of weird). As always, when confronted with a difficult decision on the mixtape I consult my kids. My son’s favorite Amy Winehouse song is “Tears Dry On Their Own”, but the version from the album. We often debated about which was better, but it wasn’t much of a debate, because I would always say, “Both versions are great. I just like the slower one better.” Recently he came to me and said, “You were right. The slower one is better.” He tipped the scales. My difficult decision for which version to put on the mix CD was made. Thank you, Andy.
As much as I love “Tears Dry On Their Own” and the many different live versions of Amy’s songs, you’d think that I would have a plethora of beloved performances to choose from. This is one of her songs where the live versions didn’t live up to the studio for me. It’s surprising to me that so many of the live performances sound exactly the same because Amy was always good at changing things up. There must be something about this song that limited her ability to improvise. The only reason I picked the version that I did is because I thought the stage looked cool. That’s not to say that there aren’t good live versions out there, but none of them stood out above the rest.
One more time: You can’t go wrong with either version of this song. My personal preference is the “Tears Dry” original version, but either one is a winner. And now, somehow, we’re down to one final song on the playlist. Tomorrow’s song has special sentimental value to me and is the perfect ending to any Amy mix. We finish strong tomorrow.
mookiefantana 