Apresentação Essencial

Inês Correia 10ºE Nº13

by Amy Winehouse

Back to black

go!

Song lyrics

Audio excerpt

Video clip

The reason why I chose this song

The meaning of the song

Lyrics analysis: chorus

Lyrics analysis: 2ª stanza

Lyrics analysis: chorus

Conclusion of the analysis

Index

Background and composition

Lyrics analysis: 1ª stanza

Audio excerpt

Written by Amy Winehouse and produced by Mark Ronson, of the musical genre Soul, UK R&B, Classic Soul, Back to Black is one of the singer's most famous songs, included on her 2006 album "Back to Black". Known for writing autofictional lyrics, Amy composed raw verses inspired by her own experiences, which described her states of mind and the problems she was going through.She composed mostly about depression, drug addiction and destructive romantic relationships.In many of the songs she composed, we can see that they were a way to let off steam and that music was the way she found to express herself while creating beauty from suffering.

Background and composition

Back to Black is an anthem for broken hearts, talking about a difficult and painful separation, which is evident from the opening verse. The first word of the song is ("he"), the lover who left and "didn't leave time to regret". Biographical data indicates that Amy was writing about Blake Fielder Civil, the video assistant with whom she lived an overwhelming passion. The breakup happened suddenly, when Blake got back together with his old girlfriend. The second verse of the song demonstrates her anger and the feeling of having been betrayed, stating that he couldn't control himself and only thought about sex. Out of nowhere, he went back to the "same old bet", a woman he had been involved with in the past.Even though she is hurt, she tries to control herself, keep her ("head high"), stop crying and accept it. She knows she needs to move on, although she still refers to her former lover as ("my guy"), which reveals her attachment.On the contrary, she talks about her own feelings, revealing that she is on a "dangerous path", where she feels fragile, vulnerable to the aggressions of the world ("My odds are stacked").Unstable, given over to depression and despair, she declares that her destiny is to ("go back to black"), a cyclical behavior that has happened before.

Lyrics analysis

1ª stanzaHe left no time to regretKept his d**k wet with his same old safe betMe and my head highAnd my tears dry, get on without my guyYou went back to what you knewSo far removed from all that we went throughAnd I tread a troubled trackMy odds are stacked, I'll go back to black

We can interpret the chorus as a reference to this sudden and cold breakup, without goodbyes or even a last hug. Her suffering is devastating and seems to never end, as if she had ("died a hundred times").The last lines of the verse make it clear that neither of them is moving forward in life. He is going backwards, returning to a woman he abandoned in the past; she is trapped in the relationship that has already ended.

Lyrics analysis

ChorusWe only said goodbye with wordsI died a hundred timesYou go back to her, and I go back to-I go back to us

Despite everything, she continues to declare her love for him, but she is aware that this is not enough to make them happy. The problems that separate them are numerous, including drug use. While she prefers light substances, he uses heavy drugs, which results in contrasting behaviors and disharmony.Then she opens up about her current state of mind, her lack of control and direction. To explain what she feels, she uses the metaphor of a coin falling down a pipe, slipping without any direction ("And I'm a tiny penny rollin' up the walls inside").

Lyrics analysis

2ª stanzaI love you muchIt's not enough, you love blow and I love puffAnd life is like a pipeAnd I'm a tiny penny rollin' up the walls inside

When it appears at the end of the song, the chorus is slightly altered: instead of ("I'll come back to us"), it repeats ("I'll come back to black"). In this way, she seems to know her destiny and not have the strength to fight against it, being aware of her self-destructive behaviors.

Lyrics analysis

ChorusWe only said goodbye with wordsI died a hundred timesYou go back to her, and I go back to black

Black to Black expresses the pain of someone who is going through a difficult breakup, the feelings of abandonment, fragility and hurt. Even though Amy knows she needs to move on, she remains trapped in the memories of a toxic relationship.The song illustrates how a sudden breakup can change the course of our lives, affecting our self-esteem and even changing our perspectives for the future. Here, the trauma of the breakup is the last straw that leads to a plunge into darkness from which there is no return.

The meaning of the song

I chose this song for several reasons, one of them being that it was one of the songs on my family's summer vacation CD, so I remember listening to it for as long as I can remember. I really like it because it's nostalgic, but also because the combination of the melody and the lyrics comforts me. I also thought it would be a good song for this oral presentation because it's a timeless song, almost everyone knows it, but it's not a basic song or one that could be confused with others.

The reason why I chose this song

2ª stanza

Chorus

Chorus

1ª stanza

He left no time to regretKept his dick wet with his same old safe betMe and my head highAnd my tears dry, get on without my guyYou went back to what you knewSo far removed from all that we went throughAnd I tread a troubled trackMy odds are stacked, I'll go back to blackWe only said goodbye with wordsI died a hundred timesYou go back to her, and I go back to-I go back to usI love you muchIt's not enough, you love blow and I love puffAnd life is like a pipeAnd I'm a tiny penny rollin' up the walls insideWe only said goodbye with wordsI died a hundred timesYou go back to her, and I go back to-We only said goodbye with wordsI died a hundred timesYou go back to her, and I go back to-Black, blackBlack, blackBlack, blackBlackI go back to-I go back to-We only said goodbye with wordsI died a hundred timesYou go back to her, and I go back to-We only said goodbye with wordsI died a hundred timesYou go back to her, and I go back to black

Song lyrics