This morning I woke up with the same song in my head that I’d had in my head last night. Usually that bugs me, and I try and move the dial, but the song is “Back to Black,” by Amy Winehouse, and that seems the smallest tribute a body can make to the astonishing maddening spirit the world lost two days back. A great song.
My one question/concern about Winehouse’s legacy — especially considering the legacies of the other 27-year-olds we lost before, Kurt Cobain, Jimi Hendrix and Janis Joplin– is her output. Sadly there aren’t that many great tunes on the two albums. The great songs are majestic, but there was a lot of hogwash (as Hemingway said of Mark Twain), and I sure hope there are a lot of recording sessions that come out in years to come. Hendrix, Cobain and Janis all had more significant published work than Amy Amy Amy (as the song on her first album goes). But I’m not counting her out. I’m hoping for some big surprises… And, playing off one of her savage jokes– I’m hoping she’s in a place where she can find joy…
