Winehouse, who has stated that the song does not reenact a situation from her own life, flips the stereotype of men being infidel with no guilt, putting a woman in the position of cheating with no moral consequences. The song serves as a conversation in which Amy attempts to justify her infidelity to her boyfriend, as well as herself.
The song was one of the songs Winehouse performed during her audition with Island Records back in 2002 before she was officially signed.
Winehouse expanded on the meaning of “I Heard Love Is Blind” during an interview in November 2003, explaining:
This is actually – even though I did say [the songs on Frank are] all personal – this is one that is not personal. It’s kind of a character study about, um – I like it – it’s very appropriate for now because it’s like a role reversal of what, you know, the typical man that cheats, and he’s such a pig so he says to his girlfriend, “Oh, look honey, I cheated on you, but it’s okay because she looked like you.“ It’s like my take on that – it’s my role reversal of that.
I Heard Love Is Blind
Amy Winehouse Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
His eyes were like yours
His hair was exactly the shade of brown
He's just not as tall, but I couldn't tell
It was dark and I was lying down
You are everything, he means nothing to me
I can't even remember his name
Baby, you weren't there and I was thinking of you when I came
What do you expect?
You left me here alone, I drank so much and needed to touch
Don't overreact, I pretended he was you
You wouldn't want me to be lonely
How can I put it so you understand?
I didn't let him hold my hand
But he looked like you I guess he looked like you
No he wasn't you
But you can still trust me, this ain't infidelity
It's not cheating you were on my mind
Yes he looked like you
But I heard love is blind
In Amy Winehouse’s song “I Heard Love Is Blind,” the lyrics depict the singer explaining to her significant other that she was with someone else, but it didn't mean anything because he reminded her of him. The song emphasizes the message that sometimes love makes people do foolish things, but it doesn't change the way they feel about their partner. In the opening stanza, she describes the physical similarities between the person she was with and her significant other. However, later in the song, she reminds her lover that he is everything to her, and the other guy meant nothing. Throughout the song, Amy tries to explain that the physical appearance of this other person does not matter because her heart belongs to her lover.
The perspective of this song is incredibly relevant to our times. It's easy for people to get caught up in situations that don't mean anything and forget about the ones they love. Amy suggests that love can be blind, where physical appearances and qualities don't matter as much as loved ones' emotional connection. It is this connection that triumphs over everything else in the end.
Line by Line Meaning
I couldn't resist him
I was attracted to this man and couldn't control myself.
His eyes were like yours
He had similar eyes to yours.
His hair was exactly the shade of brown
His hair was the same shade of brown as yours.
He's just not as tall, but I couldn't tell
He was shorter than you, but I couldn't tell because it was dark.
It was dark and I was lying down
It was too dark to see clearly and I was lying down.
You are everything, he means nothing to me
You are the most important person in my life, he doesn't even come close.
I can't even remember his name
He wasn't important enough to remember his name.
Why're you so upset?
Why are you getting so upset with me?
Baby, you weren't there and I was thinking of you when I came
You weren't here with me and I was missing you when I was feeling pleasure.
What do you expect?
What did you expect to happen when you left me alone?
You left me here alone, I drank so much and needed to touch
You left me alone and I was feeling lonely and needed human touch.
Don't overreact, I pretended he was you
Don't get too upset, I was imagining he was you.
You wouldn't want me to be lonely
You wouldn't want me to feel lonely and crave human touch.
How can I put it so you understand?
How can I explain this in a way that you will comprehend?
I didn't let him hold my hand
We didn't have physical contact beyond what was necessary.
But he looked like you I guess he looked like you
He resembled you, I suppose.
No he wasn't you
He was not actually you.
But you can still trust me, this ain't infidelity
You can trust me because this does not qualify as cheating.
It's not cheating you were on my mind
This was not cheating because you were on my mind the entire time.
Yes he looked like you
Yes, I cannot deny that he bore a strong resemblance to you.
But I heard love is blind
But they say that love is blind, and in the moment, it can feel that way.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Amy Winehouse
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind