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.
sent me flying
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 You Sent Me Flying, Amy Winehouse sings about the end of a relationship, where her ex-boyfriend has essentially kicked her out of his life. The song begins with her reminiscing about when they were still together, and how unaware she was of his true intentions. She lent him her possessions, even introducing him to her musical influences like Erykah Badu, while he was planning to break up with her. The chorus emphasizes the impact his rejection had on her, despite her normally tough exterior. She continues to reflect on their relationship, analyzing the dynamics that existed between them, and questioning what drew her to him in the first place. While she describes the rejection as brutal, she also acknowledges the kindness with which it was delivered. The final verse reveals that she is processing the loss by writing about it and finding comfort in the fact that he was attracted to her, even if their relationship ultimately failed.
The lyrics of You Sent Me Flying are poignant and relatable to anyone who has experienced the end of a relationship. Winehouse’s raw and emotional vocal delivery perfectly captures the pain of heartbreak, and her lyrics paint a vivid picture of the stages of grief that one experiences during the aftermath of a painful breakup. The use of metaphors and description of the daily routines that she can no longer engage in due to her ex’s absence make the lyrics all the more relatable. The song showcases Winehouse’s talent for personal songwriting, and her ability to tap into raw emotions and experiences that resonate with her listeners.
Line by Line Meaning
Lent you outsiders and my new Badu
I trusted you with the things that are important to me
While you were thinking I didn't have a clue
You underestimated my intelligence
Tough to sort files with your voice in my head
Your words are distracting me from my work
So then I bribed you downstairs with a Marlboro Red, uh huh
I tried to get you out of my head with a cigarette
And now I feel so small discovering you knew
I feel betrayed that you knew something I didn't
How much more torture would you have put me through?
I wonder how much pain you could have caused me
You probably saw me laughing at all your jokes
You took advantage of my kindness and humor
Or how I did not mind when you stole all my smokes, yeah
You took advantage of my generosity
And although my pride is not easy to disturb, yeah
I have a strong sense of self respect
You sent me flying when you kicked me to the curb
You hurt me more than I thought possible by rejecting me
With your battered jeans and your Beasties tee
You broke my heart wearing something casual
Now I can't work like this, with you next to me
I am unable to focus with you physically close
And although he's nothing in the scheme of my years
You were not someone I expected to feel this way about
It just serves to bludgeon my futile tears
Your rejection deeply wounded me
And I'm not use to this, no no, I observe yeah, I don't chase
I am used to being in control, not chasing after a man
But now I'm stuck with consequences, thrust in my face, yeah
I now have to deal with the repercussions of my feelings
And the melodramas of my day delivery blows
The events of my day are like a soap opera
And that surpass your rejection, it just goes to show
The drama of my life is overshadowed by your rejection
A simple attraction that reflects right back to me
My attraction to you was simple and transparent
So I'm not as into you as I appear to be
My feelings for you weren't as strong as they seemed
His message was brutal but the delivery was kind
Your rejection was harsh, but you were gentle about it
Maybe if I get this down, I'll get it off my mind, yeah
Writing this song will be therapeutic for me
Oh, it serves to condition me and smoothen my kinks
Creating this song will help me become more emotionally mature
Despite my frustration for the way that he thinks
Even though I was hurt, I respect your decision
And I knew the truth, when it came, would be to that effect
I knew deep down that you would reject me
At least you're attracted to me which I did not expect
I am surprised that you had any feelings for me at all
Didn't think you'd get my number down as such
I didn't think I would catch your eye
But I never hated myself, for my age so much, yeah
Your rejection made me question my worth and age
And although my pride's, yeah, not easy to disturbed, yeah
I have a strong sense of self respect
You sent me flying when you kicked me to the curb, yeah
You hurt me more than I thought possible by rejecting me
So with your battered jeans, yeah, and your Beasties tee
You ended our relationship wearing casual clothes
Now I can't work like this, no, with you next to me, yeah
I cannot focus while being near you after our breakup
And although my pride's, yeah, not easy to disturbed, yeah
I have a strong sense of self respect
You sent me flying when you kicked me to the curb
You rejected me in a way that deeply hurt me
So with your battered jeans yeah and your Beasties tee
You ended our relationship in casual clothing
Now I can't work like this, no, with you next to me, yeah
I cannot work with you physically close
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Amy Winehouse, Felix Howard
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Emma Ablett
[You send me Flying]
Lent you outsiders and my new Badu
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
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
Or how I did not mind when you stole all my smokes yeah
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 Beastie 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, I don't chase
So now I'm stuck with consequences, thrust in my face
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
And although my pride's not easily disturbed
You sent me flying when you kicked me to the curb
With your battered jeans and your Beastie tee yeah yeah
Now I can't work like this 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
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 get my number down as such
But I never hated myself for my age so much yeah
And although my pride's, yeah, not easily disturbed, yeah
You sent me flying when you kicked me to the curb
So with your battered jeans yeah and your Beastie tee
Now I can't work like this, no, with you next to me
And although my pride's, yeah, not easily disturbed, yeah
You sent me flying when you kicked me to the curb
So with your battered jeans yeah and your Beastie tee
Now I can't work like this, no, with you next to me
[Cherry]
Her name is Cherry
We've just met
But already she knows me better than you
She understands me
After eighteen years
And you still don't see me like you ought to do
Maybe we could talk 'bout things
If you was made of wood and strings
While I love her every sound
I dunno how to turn you down
You're so thick and my patience thin
So I got me a new best friend
With a pickup that puts you to shame
And Cherry is her name
And when I'm lonely
Cherry's there
And she plays along while I sing out my blues
I could be crying
And you don't care
You won't call me back, you're stubborn as mule
Maybe we could talk 'bout things
If you was made of wood and strings
You might think I've gone too far
I'm talking 'bout my new guitar
A E
The lyricism on this track is unbelievably good, especially given the fact that she was anywhere between 18/19 at the time of writing and recording, just wow
S
Amy experienced a lot of the world despite her age
Holiday Armadillo
She was a true genius
Jules
16 actually, she jokingly described this album as ‘Amy Winehouse, the best of four years’ and she was 20 when Frank came out, she said she wrote this song about a guy she used to work with and really liked but he didn’t like her back, at sixteen.
Kanahala
I love her so much she had so much talent and she was so beautiful inside and out
In The Beginning Was The Word
Incredible story telling.
Erica Davis
One of the best songs of all time. Incredibly underrated. I feel bad for the people who never heard this masterpiece.
EmんEm
I didn’t hear this song until today 😢 I missed out on this song as a child, I feel her soul in this song a lot
Shay Boogie
@EmんEm/ welcome to the world of Amy Winehouse 😅❤️
SOPitchy
Even though she respected her fans, she wrote her songs for herself. For release. That's what I loved about her, she didn't write them for anyone else like most of the artist do now-a-days in order to get fame and attention. R.I.P Amy, you were and still are my biggest inspiration x