During her performance at the North Sea Jazz Festival in 2004, while addressing the audience, she confirmed that the song was indeed about her father. However, she had admitted to The Guardian a year earlier in October 2003 that the song was one she felt was too personal to perform, adding:
"Writing it made me realise a lot about myself and why Dad cheated. I’ve grown to realise he’s not a big bastard, just a man with a dick."
When asked about his influence on the song by The Guardian in February 2004, Winehouse’s father Mitch said:
"I think it’s only the first part that’s specifically about me. The rest of it is more generally about what rats men are. But the song’s given me pause for thought, because the divorce obviously coloured her view of men."
What Is It About Men
Amy Winehouse Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
So surely I would never, ever go through it first hand
Emulate all the shit my mother hated
I can't help but demostrate my Freudian fate
My alibi for taking your guy
History repeats itself, it fails to die
And animal agression is my downfall
I don't care 'bout what you got I want it all
It's bricked up in my head, it's shoved under my bed
And I question myself again: what is it 'bout men?
My destructive side has grown a mile wide
And I question myself again: what is it 'bout men?
It's bricked up in my head, it's shoved under my bed
And I question myself again: what is it 'bout men?
My destructive side has grown a mile wide
And I question myself again: what is it 'bout men?
The song "What Is It About Men" by Amy Winehouse is a poignant commentary on her personal experiences with men, particularly in the context of their destructive behaviour. In the lyrics, she reflects on her own tendencies to repeat history by emulating "all the shit my mother hated" and falling for men who are "family men" yet inevitably end up causing pain and disappointment. She questions the reasons behind this behaviour and seems to imply that it may be linked to some innate, animalistic aggression that ultimately leads to her downfall.
The line "It's bricked up in my head, it's shoved under my bed" suggests that these feelings and behaviours are deeply ingrained and difficult to overcome or express. Winehouse's lyrics convey a sense of frustration and self-awareness, as if she knows she is repeating patterns but can't help herself. The repeated line "And I question myself again: what is it 'bout men?" highlights her confusion and desire for answers.
Overall, the song is a powerful and vulnerable exploration of the complexities of relationships and human nature.
Line by Line Meaning
Understand once he was a family man
I know that he once had a wife and kids, so I thought I would never be in the same situation
So surely I would never, ever go through it first hand
I was convinced that I would never experience the pain of infidelity or abandonment that his family went through
Emulate all the shit my mother hated
I unconsciously repeat the same mistakes that my mother made in her relationships
I can't help but demostrate my Freudian fate
I am a prisoner of my own psychology, acting out patterns that were laid down by my early experiences
My alibi for taking your guy
I convince myself that it's not my fault that I'm attracted to men who are already in relationships
History repeats itself, it fails to die
The same destructive patterns keep repeating in my relationships, and I can't break free of them
And animal agression is my downfall
My primal desires and impulses are overpowering my better judgement, leading me down a self-destructive path
I don't care 'bout what you got I want it all
I'm so consumed by my own desires and needs that I don't care who gets hurt in the process
It's bricked up in my head, it's shoved under my bed
These issues are hidden away in my subconscious, and I try to ignore them rather than confronting them head on
And I question myself again: what is it 'bout men?
I am trying to understand why I keep making the same mistakes in my relationships, and if there's something inherent in men that keeps drawing me towards them
My destructive side has grown a mile wide
My self-destructive tendencies have become more and more pronounced over time
And I question myself again: what is it 'bout men?
I am continually grappling with this question, trying to figure out how to break free from these patterns and find healthier relationships
Lyrics © CALDERWOOD, INC., Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Missing Link Music
Written by: Chris Delroy, Jackson Donovan, Felix Howard, Earl Smith, Luke Smith, Paul Watson, Cole Wilburn, Gordon Opharel Williams, Amy Jade Winehouse
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind