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.

Stronger Than Me (Harmonic 33
Amy Winehouse Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

You should be stronger than me
You been here 7 years longer than me
Don't you know you supposed to be the man,
I pale in comparison to who you think I am,

You always wanna talk it through, I don't care!
I always have to comfort you when I'm there
But that's what I need you to do, stroke my hair!

Cos' I've forgotten all of young love's joy,
Feel like a lady, but you my lady boy,

You should be stronger than me,
But instead you're longer than frozen turkey,
Why'd you always put me in control?
All I need is for my man to live up to his role,
Always wanna talk it through- I'm OK,
Always have to comfort you every day,
But that's what I need you to do, are you gay?

I've forgotten all of young love's joy
Feel like a lady, but you my lady boy

He said 'the respect I made you earn,
Thought you had so many lessons to learn'
I said 'You don't know what love is, get a grip!',
Sounds as if you're reading from some other tired script

I'm not gonna meet your mother anytime
I just wanna grip your body over mine
So tell me why you think that's a crime

I've forgotten all of young love's joy
Feel like a lady, but you my lady boy

Stronger than me
Stronger than me

Stronger than me
Stronger than me

Overall Meaning

In Amy Winehouse's song "Stronger Than Me," the singer addresses her dissatisfaction in her relationship and challenges her partner to be stronger than her. In the first verse, she points out that her partner has been in the relationship longer than her but isn't living up to the role of "the man" she expects him to be. Furthermore, she feels like she's the one taking charge in the relationship, which she finds emasculating. However, she also notes that she needs him to be there for her emotionally and provide comfort when she needs it. The chorus repeats the idea that he should be stronger than her, but instead, he's like a frozen turkey, indicating a lack of active involvement in their relationship.

In the second verse, Winehouse addresses an argument they had previously, where her partner told her that she needed to earn his respect. She retorts that he doesn't understand what love is and accuses him of reading from a script that's been used in countless other relationships. It's clear she's frustrated with him and isn't willing to meet his mother or conform to societal expectations of how a relationship should be.

The song's overall message seems to be that Winehouse is tired of being the one to take charge in the relationship and wants her partner to step up and be the "man" she needs him to be. She also challenges traditional gender roles and expectations within relationships, suggesting that a man doesn't always have to be the one in control.

Line by Line Meaning

You should be stronger than me
The person delivering the message expects the addressee to be emotionally and mentally stronger than them.

You been here 7 years longer than me
The addressee has been in a relationship with the message bearer for seven years longer than they have been in the relationship.

Don't you know you supposed to be the man,
As the person in the masculine gender role, the addressee is expected to conduct themselves accordingly.

I pale in comparison to who you think I am,
The expectation that the addressee has of the message bearer is beyond the reality of who they are.

You always wanna talk it through, I don't care!
The addressee seeks constant communication and the message bearer is less interested in talking and more interested in taking action.

I always have to comfort you when I'm there
The addressee expects constant emotional support from the message bearer.

But that's what I need you to do, stroke my hair!
The addressee requires physical affection in order to feel comforted in the relationship.

Cos' I've forgotten all of young love's joy,
The message bearer has grown past the phase in the relationship where everything was exciting and new.

Feel like a lady, but you my lady boy,
Although the message bearer is a woman, she feels that the addressee is more emotionally fragile than her and therefore takes on a more masculine role in the relationship.

You should be stronger than me,
Reiterating the expectation that the addressee should be the stronger individual in the relationship.

But instead you're longer than frozen turkey,
The addressee is not acting within their masculine gender role as they should be and has become complacent in the relationship.

Why'd you always put me in control?
The addressee allows the message bearer to have control in the relationship instead of taking on their own responsibilities.

All I need is for my man to live up to his role,
The message bearer needs the addressee to fulfill their expectations of what it means to be in a relationship together as male and female partners.

Always wanna talk it through- I'm OK,
The message bearer is fine with how things are, as opposed to the addressee who needs constant communication to feel content.

Always have to comfort you every day,
The message bearer is the one who has to constantly provide emotional support to the addressee in the relationship.

But that's what I need you to do, are you gay?
The addressee is not fulfilling their role as the masculine figure in the relationship, making the message bearer question their sexual orientation.

He said 'the respect I made you earn,
The addressee has made the message bearer feel like they had to work to earn their respect in the relationship.

Thought you had so many lessons to learn'
The addressee believes that the message bearer still has more to learn to be in the relationship.

I said 'You don't know what love is, get a grip!'
The message bearer thinks that the addressee is not capable of understanding true love and needs to focus on their own self-improvement.

Sounds as if you're reading from some other tired script
The message bearer thinks that the addressee is not being genuine in what they are saying in the relationship and are just repeating what they have heard from other sources.

I'm not gonna meet your mother anytime
The message bearer is not interested in taking on the traditional gender roles set out for them by the addressee and meeting their mother.

I just wanna grip your body over mine
The message bearer wants to focus on the physical aspect of their relationship, not the social norms associated with it.

So tell me why you think that's a crime
The message bearer doesn't understand why the addressee is so upset about not conforming to traditional relationship norms.

Stronger than me
Reiterating that the addressee should be the stronger individual in the relationship.