Grammy Snub of the Century – Amy Winehouse, Back to Black
Back to Black by Amy Winehouse is regarded as the greatest album of the 21st century, so, why doesn’t it have a Grammy?
In 2008 in the 50th Annual Grammy Awards, our very own Amy Winehouse was nominated for six Grammys of which she won five. However she lost out on the most valuable accolade - the Album of the Year Grammy for Back to Black.
Although she wholeheartedly deserved the awards she won that evening, it was shameful that the Grammy panellists didn’t give Back to Black what it deserved as it remains the most powerful modern record. Amy was nominated amongst other prominent artists such as Herbie Hancock, Foo Fighters, Kanye West and Vince Gill.
Back to Black is regarded as one of the most influential records of our generation, in fact, Amy is regarded as one of the most important female artists. The Back to Black era remains iconic. Amy became the ‘it’ girl. Her styling, fashion sense, poetry and divine vocals demonstrated that she was the epitome of a true artist.
It’s true that now Back to Black is a lot more known than Herbie Hancock’s Grammy winning record– in fact many don’t know Herbie’s album. But, I can assure you that most people understandably know of Amy’s last record. Back to Black is tide crushingly powerful and it will be played time and time again because this record has it all – Amy’s voice, her honesty, her understanding of musical history mixed with Salaam Remi’s and Mark Ronson’s production mastery.
They’ve collectively made the art piece of the century.
From 2006 – 2008, the sound of this record was reattempted by many because Back to Black sparked a new sound that was ground-breaking. The 1960s ‘girl group’ feel of the Shangri-La’s and Ronette’s was being recycled to recapture the shockwaves that Back to Black created. This was unsuccessful as it wasn’t from a place of honesty and brutality that Amy possessed – all those recycled records are very pastiche in comparison to the timelessness of Back to Black.
The first wave of commercial popularity of this record came when ‘Rehab’ became that single. This song was played everywhere and everyone would singalong despite the hard-hitting lyrics that were taken for granted. But, as soon as listeners listened to this record in full – they understood what Amy was going through and how beautifully her producers helped to mould it.
Periodically, I go Back to Black and find another layer to uncover and get excited about. As much as it pains me that Amy isn’t here today for her to shine through her talent, she left the most extraordinary art piece with her stamp on it.
This album is honest, funny, heart-wrenching, relatable and revolutionary. The dedication that Amy and her producers put into this record should’ve been awarded that night for its timelessness and sheer beauty.
There are no signs of reeking pastiche on this record, unlike the others who tried to recycle the sound of this one.
This one goes out for Amy, for she deserved a lot more.