A member of the National Youth Jazz Orchestra during her youth, Winehouse signed to Simon Fuller's 19 Management in 2002 and soon recorded a number of songs before signing a publishing deal with EMI. She also formed a working relationship with producer Salaam Remi through these record publishers. Winehouse's debut album, Frank, was released in 2003. Many of the album's songs were influenced by jazz and, apart from two covers, were co-written by Winehouse. Frank was a critical success in the UK and was nominated for the Mercury Prize. The song "Stronger Than Me" won her the Ivor Novello Award for Best Contemporary Song from the British Academy of Songwriters, Composers and Authors.
Winehouse released her follow-up album, Back to Black, in 2006, which went on to become an international success and one of the best-selling albums in UK history. At the 2007 Brit Awards it was nominated for British Album of the Year, and she received the award for British Female Solo Artist. The song "Rehab" won her a second Ivor Novello Award. At the 50th Grammy Awards in 2008, she won five awards, tying the then record for the most wins by a female artist in a single night and becoming the first British woman to win five Grammys, including three of the General Field "Big Four" Grammy Awards: Best New Artist, Record of the Year and Song of the Year (for "Rehab"), as well as Best Pop Vocal Album.
Winehouse was plagued by drug and alcohol addiction. She died of alcohol poisoning on 23 July 2011, at the age of 27. After her death, Back to Black temporarily became the UK's best-selling album of the 21st century. VH1 ranked Winehouse 26th on their list of the 100 Greatest Women in Music.
'Round Midnight
Amy Winehouse Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
'Round midnight
I do pretty well 'til after sundown
Suppertime I'm feeling sad
But it really gets bad 'round midnight
Memories always start 'round midnight
'Round midnight
When my heart is still with you
And old midnight knows it too
When some quarrel we had needs mending
Does it mean that our love is ending
Darling I need you
Lately I find
You're out of my arms
And I'm out of my mind
Let our love take wing some midnight
'Round midnight
Let the angels sing
For your returning
Let our love be safe and sound
When old midnight comes around
Let our love take wing some midnight
'Round midnight
Let the angels sing
For your returning
Let our love be safe and sound
When old midnight comes around
The song “'Round Midnight” by Amy Winehouse is a melancholic and emotional composition about the pain of loneliness and the enduring memory of a lost love. Set at midnight, the lyrics speak of the time of day when memories come back and the feeling of longing becomes stronger. The first line starts with the expression, “It begins to tell 'round midnight,” making us imagine the atmosphere that surrounds this time of day. The singer admits that she usually manages to hold herself together until the evening when the sadness sets in. By suppertime, the sorrow and the loneliness seem to be strongly felt, but it's when midnight comes that the pain becomes unbearable.
The lyrics continue to speak about the singer's memories that always start around midnight. The memories are painful, and she confesses that she hasn't got the heart to stand them anymore. Her heart is still with the one she loves, and “old midnight knows it too.” The lyrics go on to question whether a quarrel between them means the end of their love, and the singer admits that she needs her lover. She finds herself out of her mind when she's out of his arms. She then implores that they let their love take wing around midnight and be safe and sound when old midnight comes around.
Overall, Amy Winehouse's “'Round Midnight” is a sad and emotional song about the pain of loneliness, memories, and lost love that become stronger around midnight. It speaks about the singer's longing for her lost love and her hope for reconciliation.
Line by Line Meaning
It begins to tell 'round midnight
The events of the night start unfolding
'Round midnight
The time of night when the emotions are most intense
I do pretty well 'til after sundown
I can go through the day without feeling too sad
Suppertime I'm feeling sad
The sadness starts creeping in after dinner time
But it really gets bad 'round midnight
The pain and sadness reach their peak at midnight
Memories always start 'round midnight
The memories of the past come flooding back at midnight
'Round midnight
The time of night when the emotions are most intense
Haven't got the heart to stand those memories
I am not strong enough to bear the memories of the past
When my heart is still with you
My heart is still with you even though you are no longer here
And old midnight knows it too
Midnight is aware of my pain and longing
When some quarrel we had needs mending
When we need to fix a disagreement we had
Does it mean that our love is ending
Does this signify the end of our love?
Darling I need you
I need you, my love
Lately I find
Recently I have realized
You're out of my arms
You are no longer in my embrace
And I'm out of my mind
And I am losing my sanity
Let our love take wing some midnight
Let our love soar again at midnight
'Round midnight
The time of night when the emotions are most intense
Let the angels sing
Let the heavens celebrate
For your returning
For your arrival back into my life
Let our love be safe and sound
May our love be protected and secure
When old midnight comes around
When the painful memories of midnight return
Let our love take wing some midnight
Let our love soar again at midnight
'Round midnight
The time of night when the emotions are most intense
Let the angels sing
Let the heavens celebrate
For your returning
For your arrival back into my life
Let our love be safe and sound
May our love be protected and secure
When old midnight comes around
When the painful memories of midnight return
Lyrics © Downtown Music Publishing, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Cootie Williams, Bernard D Hanighen, Theolonious S Monk
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind