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.
Outro
Amy Winehouse Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Distract me, stop me doin' work I hate
Just to show him how it feels
I walk past his desk in heels
One leg resting on a chair
From the side he pulls my hair
Amy Amy Amy
Amy Amy Amy
He's just too hard to ignore
Masculine you spin a spell
I think you'd wear me well
Amy Amy Amy
Where's my moral parallel?
It takes me, half an hour to write a verse
He makes me imagine it from bad to worse
My weakness for the other sex
Every time his shoulders flex
The way the shirt hangs off his back
My train of thought spins right off track
Amy Amy Amy
Although I've been here before
Amy Amy Amy
He's just too hard to ignore
Masculine he spins a spell
I think he'd wear me well
Amy Amy Amy
So where's my moral parallel?
His own style, right down to his Diesel jeans
Immobile, I can't think by any means
Underwear peeps out the top
I'll let you know where you should stop
From the picture my mind drew
I know I'd look good on you
Amy Amy Amy
Although I've been here before
Amy Amy Amy
You're too hard to ignore
Masculine you spin a spell
I think you'd wear me well
Amy Amy Amy
So where's my moral parallel?
Creative energy of you
All my lyrics go unused
And when I clock black hair, blue eyes
I drift off, I fantasize, yeah
Amy Amy Amy
Although I've been here before
Amy Amy Amy
He's just to hard to ignore
Masculine he spins a spell
I think he'd wear me well
Amy Amy Amy
So where's my moral parallel?
Amy Amy Amy
Although I've been here before
Amy Amy Amy
He's just to hard to ignore
Masculine he spins a spell
I think he'd wear me well
Amy Amy Amy
Where's my moral parallel?
The lyrics of "Amy Amy Amy/Outro" by Amy Winehouse mainly talk about the singer's attraction to someone she works with. She wants this person to notice her, so she tries to distract herself from work just to prove to him how it feels. The lyrics also reveal how she's unable to concentrate when he's around, and even a simple glance at his back or the top of his underwear can make her lose her train of thought. She's honest about her feelings and how she is not able to resist him even if she's been here before, and she knows he's too hard to ignore. The song ends with her fantasizing about him; she drifts off into her imagination whenever she sees someone with "black hair" and "blue eyes."
The lyrics can be interpreted as an ode to Amy Winehouse's bisexuality, as they reveal her attraction not only to men but also to women. The song talks about how she is distracted and unable to work when she's attracted to someone. This is a universal experience that everyone feels, regardless of their sexual orientation. The lyrics are relatable and capture the feeling of being infatuated with someone who is unattainable.
Line by Line Meaning
Attract me, till it hurts to concentrate,
I want you to be so captivating that I can't focus on anything else.
Distract me, stop me doin' work I hate
I want you to take away my boredom and make me forget about the things I don't like doing.
Just to show him how it feels
I want him to know exactly what it's like to be tempted and teased.
I walk past his desk in heels
I intentionally dress up to get his attention, and I need him to see me as an irresistible woman.
From the side he pulls my hair
He knows exactly how to turn me on, and I can't resist him.
Although I've been here before
I've fallen in love with someone who I shouldn't have fallen in love with.
He's just too hard to ignore
No matter how hard I try, I can't stop thinking about him and wanting him even though it's not good for me.
Masculine you spin a spell
He has this energy that makes me feel dizzy and enchanted, that no other man possesses.
I think you'd wear me well
I believe we would fit together perfectly, like two puzzle pieces.
Where's my moral parallel?
I feel guilty for wanting him as I know that I should not, but I can't help feeling this way.
It takes me, half an hour to write a verse
I have a hard time focusing on my work, and half an hour seems like an eternity when he is occupying my mind.
He makes me imagine it from bad to worse
When I am with him or thinking about him, my thoughts are constantly consumed with pleasurably dark and erotic ideas.
My weakness for the other sex
I have a weakness or an addiction to men, especially to him.
Every time his shoulders flex
Whenever he moves, I can barely contain my desires, which are driven only by visual, animalistic sensations.
The way the shirt hangs off his back
His shirt accentuates every aspect of his body, making me unable to look away from him.
My train of thought spins right off track
I cannot focus on my work, and my mind is lost in the sensual and irresistible thoughts of him.
His own style, right down to his Diesel jeans
He has a unique, irresistible style that makes him different from other men, even all the way down to his jeans.
Immobile, I can't think by any means
I become powerless in his presence, unable even to think as I become overwhelmed by my attraction and desire for him.
Underwear peeps out the top
Even the smallest detail of his clothing is seductive and irresistible to me.
I'll let you know where you should stop
I am fully aware of the consequences of my attraction for him, but I can't help myself.
From the picture my mind drew
The image in my mind of us together is incredibly arousing and tantalizing.
I know I'd look good on you
We would be a perfect couple, and I'd look fantastic on your arm.
Creative energy of you
He has inspired me to write my lyrics about him, driven in large part by my desire and sensuality.
All my lyrics go unused
I cannot share my lyrics with anyone, as they are entirely about him, inaccessible to all other people.
And when I clock black hair, blue eyes
When I look at him, and I see his incredible, intense eyes that evoke a sense of mystery and power in me, all my other thoughts disappear.
I drift off, I fantasize, yeah
I am lost in my fantasies of him, my desires and my longing taking me to new heights of pleasure.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: MATT ROWE, STEFAN SKARBEK, AMY JADE WINEHOUSE, FELIX STARBUCK HOWARD
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind