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.
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Amy Winehouse Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Oh, whoa, oh
He can only hold her for so long
The lights are on, but no one's home
She's so vacant
Her soul is taken
He thinks, What's she running from?
Now, how can he have her heart
When it got stole?
So he tries to pacify her
'Cause what's inside her never dies
Even if she's content in his warmth
She is plagued with urgency
Searching kisses
The man she misses
The man that he longs to be
Now, how can he have her heart
When it got stole?
So he tries to pacify her
'Cause what's inside her never dies
So he tries to pacify her
'Cause what's inside her it never dies
So he tries to pacify her
But what's inside her never dies
In "He Can Only Hold Her," Amy Winehouse sings about a relationship that is held together by one person's efforts to pacify the other. The song is about a man who tries to hold on to a woman who is emotionally unavailable - someone who's "soul is taken." The singer wonders what the woman is running from and how he can have her heart when it has been stolen by someone else. Despite his efforts to pacify her, the man cannot shake the feeling that something is missing, and that the woman is always searching for something more.
The lyrics suggest that the woman is haunted by memories of a past relationship and that she is unable to fully commit to a new one. The man in the song is desperate to hold on to her, but he knows that he can only do so for a limited amount of time. He understands that the woman is plagued with urgency and that she is constantly searching for something that she cannot find. Despite his best efforts, he cannot provide her with the love and security that she needs.
Overall, "He Can Only Hold Her" is a poignant and powerful song about the difficulties of maintaining a relationship with someone who is emotionally unavailable. The lyrics are haunting and evocative, and they speak to the complexity of human relationships.
Line by Line Meaning
He can only hold her for so long
His ability to comfort her is temporary
The lights are on, but no one's home
She appears hollow or empty inside
She's so vacant
She lacks emotional depth
Her soul is taken
She has already given herself to someone else
He thinks, What's she running from?
He wonders what pain or trauma she is trying to escape
Now, how can he have her heart When it got stole?
He questions how he can truly be with her when her heart belongs to someone else
So he tries to pacify her 'Cause what's inside her never dies
He attempts to calm her, knowing that her emotional turmoil will never completely disappear
Even if she's content in his warmth
Even when she feels comforted by him
She is plagued with urgency
She feels a desperate need for her former lover
Searching kisses
She seeks a connection with her past love through physical intimacy
The man she misses The man that he longs to be
She misses her former lover and this creates insecurity for the current partner
But what's inside her never dies
Her emotional pain will always linger
Lyrics © EMI Music Publishing, Warner/Chappell Music, Inc., Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: JOHN HARRISON, RICHARD POINDEXTER, ROBERT POINDEXTER, AMY WINEHOUSE, CHARLES HARPER
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Fabian Beltran
you know she is a truly artist when you u realize she can make an awesome song about anything
PinUpMaestra
Love this song, especially for the ppl that come over expecting to help themselves to whatever u got when they come over
MzJanuary
One of my favorites. RIP Amy
Banz Blank
Descansa en paz, se va a extrañar esa hermosa voz
Jayo Chops
Still love this song in 2014
GScott7
this song popped in my head today in Olive Garden... RIP honey
Joshua Webb
this song is funny and i wish she would come out with an album already
Tangerinez77
Gotta Love Amy. May you Rest peacefully~*~*
Aine H Hennessy
You gotsa call the green man!!!!! <3 Been bangin the album all day n night to try make sense of it - aint helpin me understand - but helpin me remember the best times looool
JuJu Beans
"I'll check him at the door make sure he got green I'm tighter than airport security teams"... LMAO