Amy Jade Winehouse was an English singer and songwriter. She was known for … Read Full Bio ↴Amy Jade Winehouse was an English singer and songwriter. She was known for her deep, expressive contralto vocals and her eclectic mix of musical genres, including soul, rhythm and blues, reggae and jazz.

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.

Love Is A Losing Game (Truth
Amy Winehouse Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

For you I was the flame
Love is a losing game
Five story fire as you came
Love is losing game

One I wished, I never played
Oh, what a mess we made
And now the final frame

Love is a losing game

Played out by the band
Love is a losing hand
More than I could stand
Love is a losing hand

Self-professed profound
Till the chips were down
Know you're a gambling man
Love is a losing hand

Though I battled blind
Love is a fate resigned
Memories mar my mind
Love is a fate resigned

Over futile odds
And laughed at by the gods

And now the final frame
Love is a losing game

Overall Meaning

In Amy Winehouse's song Love Is A Losing Game, the theme of love being a game that is bound to end up in defeat is explored. The lyrics depict the feelings of regret and sadness that come with playing this losing game. The chorus of the song, "For you I was the flame, love is a losing game," suggests that the singer's intense passion for their lover led to their downfall. The phrase "five story fire as you came" adds to this imagery, suggesting that their love was so powerful that it was capable of both creating and destroying.

As the song progresses, the singer reflects on how they wished they never played this losing game. They realize that the consequences of their actions have led to a "final frame" of heartbreak and despair. The lyrics "played out by the band, love is a losing hand, more than I could stand" express the singer's feelings of being overwhelmed and defeated by the game of love.

The lines "self-professed profound, till the chips were down, know you're a gambling man, love is a losing hand" suggest that the singer and their lover were both aware of the risks involved in love, but they still chose to play the game. The singer tried to fight for their love, but in the end, they were resigned to their fate. The last lines of the song, "over futile odds, and laughed at by the gods, and now the final frame, love is a losing game," paints a picture of the singer as a victim of love's cruel whims, at the mercy of fate and destiny.

Line by Line Meaning

For you I was the flame
I was completely devoted to you

Love is a losing game
Love often ends in heartbreak

Five story fire as you came
My feelings for you were intense and all-consuming

One I wished, I never played
I regret getting involved with you

Oh, what a mess we made
Our relationship was chaotic and destructive

And now the final frame
Our relationship has come to an end

Played out by the band
Our relationship was marred by public attention

Love is a losing hand
Being in love often leads to pain and disappointment

More than I could stand
The pain of love was unbearable

Self-professed profound
I thought I was wise in matters of love

Till the chips were down
But when it came to my own relationship, I was lost