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.
You Sent Me Flying Cher
Amy Winehouse Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
While you were thinking I didn't have a clue
Tough to sort files with your voice in my head
So then I bribed you downstairs with a Marlboro Red, uh huh
And now I feel so small discovering you knew
How much more torture would you have put me through?
You probably saw me laughing at all your jokes
And although my pride is not easy to disturb, yeah
You sent me flying when you kicked me to the curb
With your battered jeans and your Beasties tee
Now I can't work like this, with you next to me
And although he's nothing in the scheme of my years
It just serves to bludgeon my futile tears
And I'm not use to this, no no, I observe yeah, I don't chase
But now I'm stuck with consequences, thrust in my face, yeah
And the melodramas of my day delivery blows
And that surpass your rejection, it just goes to show
A simple attraction that reflects right back to me
So I'm not as into you as I appear to be
Although my pride, yeah, is not easily disturbed
You sent me flying when you kicked me to the curb
With your battered jeans, yeah and your Beasties tee, yeah yeah
Now I can't work like this, no with you next to me yeah yeah
His message was brutal but the delivery was kind
Maybe if I get this down, I'll get it off my mind, yeah
Oh it serves to condition me and smoothen my kinks
Despite my frustration for the way that he thinks
And I knew the truth, when it came, would be to that effect
At least you're attracted to me which I did not expect
Didn't think you'd get my number down as such
But I never hated myself, for my age so much, yeah
And although my pride's, yeah, not easy to disturbed, yeah
You sent me flying when you kicked me to the curb, yeah
So with your battered jeans, yeah, and your Beasties tee
Now I can't work like this, no, with you next to me, yeah
And although my pride's, yeah, not easy to disturbed, yeah
You sent me flying when you kicked me to the curb
So with your battered jeans yeah and your Beasties tee
Now I can't work like this, no, with you next to me
In Amy Winehouse's song "You," she sings about a past relationship where she was blindsided by her lover's rejection. The song opens with her lending her lover her music, including her beloved Erykah Badu albums. She then confesses that her lover's voice echoed in her head, making it difficult for her to work. And so, she bribed him with a Marlboro Red, perhaps hoping for a momentary pause to her frustration. As she continues to sing, she realizes that her lover had been aware of her feelings all along and that he had the power to hurt her deeply - something that he did by breaking up with her.
Amy's pride is not easy to disturb, but her lover's rejection has sent her flying, and she is left feeling small and humiliated. He kicked her to the curb, leaving her to pick up the pieces. She reflects on the attraction she felt towards him, which now seems like a simple infatuation. To make matters worse, the melodramas of her day continue to remind her of her rejection, which only serves to bludgeon her futile tears.
The last verse of the song seemingly turns the tables, as she writes: "His message was brutal but the delivery was kind/ Maybe if I get this down I'll get it off my mind." In this verse, she seems to have come to terms with the rejection and the realization that she may have read too much into their relationship. The song ends with a haunting repetition of the chorus, as Amy tries to come to terms with her feelings towards her former lover while acknowledging that she can't work with him nearby.
Line by Line Meaning
Lent you outsiders and my new Badu
I introduced you to my friends from the outside and my new Erykah Badu album
While you were thinking I didn't have a clue
You thought I was clueless while I was fully aware of what was happening
Tough to sort files with your voice in my head
With your voice still in my head, focusing on work has been difficult
So then I bribed you downstairs with a Marlboro Red, uh huh
To temporarily alleviate my distraction, I offered you a cigarette to go downstairs
And now I feel so small discovering you knew
Finding out that you knew all along, makes me feel insignificant
How much more torture would you have put me through?
I wonder how much more pain you would have caused if I didn't figure it out myself
You probably saw me laughing at all your jokes
You most likely noticed me laughing at your jokes
Or how I did not mind when you stole all my smokes, yeah
You might have also seen that I didn't mind when you took my cigarettes
And although my pride is not easy to disturb, yeah
While I'm not easily shaken, my ego was greatly affected
You sent me flying when you kicked me to the curb
You completely took me by surprise when you ended things abruptly
With your battered jeans and your Beasties tee
While wearing your beat-up jeans and Beastie Boys t-shirt
Now I can't work like this, with you next to me
Working while you're nearby has become impossible
And although he's nothing in the scheme of my years
While he's not significant in the grand scheme of my life
It just serves to bludgeon my futile tears
He still managed to hurt me enough to make me cry
And I'm not use to this, no no, I observe yeah, I don't chase
This is all new to me, I usually observe and not pursue
But now I'm stuck with consequences, thrust in my face, yeah
But now I'm facing the consequences of my actions head-on
And the melodramas of my day delivery blows
The over-the-top events of my day bring me unwanted pain
And that surpass your rejection, it just goes to show
The events of the day hurt more than the rejection from you, proving how difficult things have been
A simple attraction that reflects right back to me
A basic chemistry that is evident between the two of us
So I'm not as into you as I appear to be
Despite what it may seem, I'm not as interested in you as you may think
His message was brutal but the delivery was kind
While his message was harsh, the way he communicated it was gentle
Maybe if I get this down, I'll get it off my mind, yeah
Perhaps if I write this all down, I'll finally be able to move on
Oh it serves to condition me and smoothen my kinks
This experience has helped me grow and work on my flaws
Despite my frustration for the way that he thinks
Despite being annoyed by his mentality
And I knew the truth, when it came, would be to that effect
I knew the truth would have a significant impact on me
At least you're attracted to me which I did not expect
At least you are interested in me, which was a surprise
Didn't think you'd get my number down as such
I didn't expect you to figure me out so easily
But I never hated myself, for my age so much, yeah
This situation has made me dislike my age and the immaturity that comes with it
And although my pride's, yeah, not easy to disturbed, yeah
Despite being resilient, my ego was still affected by this experience
You sent me flying when you kicked me to the curb, yeah
You left me heartbroken and shocked when you suddenly ended things
So with your battered jeans, yeah, and your Beasties tee
While wearing your old jeans and Beastie Boys t-shirt
Now I can't work like this, no, with you next to me, yeah
Working while you're nearby is now impossible for me
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: AMY WINEHOUSE, FELIX HOWARD
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind