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.
Brother
Amy Winehouse Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
There's so much that I could never say to your face
Bye, bye now
You should know the world and all its ways so find your place
How do I find words that do not condescend
When she bore you before me
'Cause she doesn't need a child, she needs a friend
(Now you must have never heard of what she did for you)
And your priority, it must be heard
(Now you must have never heard of what she did for you)
'Cause we'll never be the way we were
She can't always be there just to hold you down
Our mother
When you are at a age now well life turns around
My brother
Realize that you don't have to answer to no man
Responsibility comes down to you
But how can I expect you to understand
When you live life like its so run through
(Now you must have never heard of what she did for you)
Your priority, it must be heard
(Now you must have never heard of what she did for you)
'Cause we'll never be the way we were
(Now you must have never heard of what she did for you)
And your priority, it must be heard
(Now you must have never heard of what she did for you)
'Cause we'll never be the way we were
The way we were, we'll never be
And your priority, it must be heard
Credits:
Campbell, Astor [Songwriter]
Williams, Gordon [Songwriter]
Winehouse, Amy [Songwriter]
Smith, Earl [Songwriter]
Avery, Teo [Songwriter]
Jackson, Gregory [Songwriter]
EMI MUSIC PUB. LTD. [Publisher]
In Amy Winehouse's song Brother, she addresses her younger brother with emotional complexity. Winehouse feels like there's a lot that she could never communicate to her brother face-to-face but she urges him to "know the world and all its ways so find your place". She then acknowledges that she doesn't know how to communicate effectively with her sibling without being condescending. Winehouse further laments her mother's parenting style maintaining that her mother needs a friend for a son, not a sob story. She insists that her brother must realize that he doesn't have to answer to anyone but himself and he's solely responsible for his decisions.
The song is heartbreaking considering how Winehouse genuinely shows concern for her sibling yet she's afraid to come out and say all that she desires to say to him. She feels as if their relationship will never be the same again due to a change in life and priority. The use of repetition emphasizes the importance of her brother acknowledging the sacrifices their mom has made for him. Ideally, the song tries to communicate to Amy's brother that he needs to be his own person and avoid compromising his decisions to please anyone else but be more assertive.
Line by Line Meaning
Brother
The singer addresses their brother
There's so much that I could never say to your face
The singer has a lot to say to their brother that they would never say directly
Bye, bye now
The singer is saying goodbye to their brother
You should know the world and all its ways so find your place
The artist encourages their brother to find his place in the world and learn its ways
How do I find words that do not condescend
The artist is struggling to find words that do not sound condescending
When she bore you before me
The singer is acknowledging their brother's mother who bore him before the singer was born
'Cause she doesn't need a child, she needs a friend
The singer believes that their brother's mother needs a friend, not just a child
A son not a sob story
The artist wants their brother to be a son, not a source of trouble
(Now you must have never heard of what she did for you)
The artist thinks their brother is unaware of what their mother did for him
And your priority, it must be heard
The artist wants their brother to have their priorities straight
(Now you must have never heard of what she did for you)
The singer repeats that their brother probably doesn't know what their mother did for him
'Cause we'll never be the way we were
The artist acknowledges that things will never be like they were before
She can't always be there just to hold you down
The singer knows that their mother cannot always protect their brother from the world
Our mother
The singer calls their mother ‘our mother’
When you are at an age now well life turns around
The singer believes that life will change for their brother at his age
My brother
The artist calls their brother ‘my brother’
Realize that you don't have to answer to no man
The artist wants their brother to know that he doesn't answer to anyone
Responsibility comes down to you
The singer believes that their brother is responsible for his own life
But how can I expect you to understand
The singer is unsure if their brother can understand what they are trying to say
When you live life like it's so run through
The artist thinks their brother lives life recklessly or carelessly
'Cause we'll never be the way we were
The artist knows that things will never go back to the way they were before
The way we were, we'll never be
The artist reiterates that they can never be the way they were in the past
And your priority, it must be heard
The singer restates that their brother must focus on his priority
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: TEO AVERY, ASTOR CAMPBELL, GREGORY JACKSON, EARL SMITH, GORDON WILLIAMS, AMY WINEHOUSE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind