Back to Black (song)
Encyclopedia
"Back to Black" is a song by English recording artist Amy Winehouse
. It was released on April 30, 2007 as the third single from her second studio album, Back to Black
. It was written by Winehouse and Mark Ronson. It was also produced by Ronson.
, London
. The graveyard scenes were filmed at Abney Park Cemetery
nearby London. According the official Winehouse website, "Amy's sultry new video for Back In Black is both beautifully and artistically shot in black and white and compares in imagery a doomed love affair with that of a funeral."
on downloads
alone for five consecutive weeks, peaking at number forty. The single charted at number twenty-five once it had been released in physical format, and has sold around 96,000 copies to date in the UK; it has spent thirty-four non-consecutive weeks on the UK Singles Chart to date. It has re-entered with "Rehab" together on the chart. The song featured on BBC Radio 1
's The B List Playlist during the week commencing 2 May. Channel 4 Music awarded the song ten stars out of ten in its review, while the Manchester Evening News
rated the song as five out of five stars, commending it as "one of the best singles of the year."
With sales of 96,000, "Back to Black" finished as the UK's eighty-fifth biggest-selling single of 2007.
During 2007, the song was also used various times for TV trail campaigns, such as for BBC
's Philip Pullman
adaptation The Shadow in the North in December 2007.
Phil Tufnell
and his dance partner Katya Virshilas
performed a tango
to "Back to Black" in the seventh series of Strictly Come Dancing
.
On 31 July 2011, following her death, the song re-entered the UK Singles Chart
at 8, also giving the song a new peak position and second top ten hit in UK.
of "Back to Black" by the English band The Rumble Strips
appears as a B-side
to their 2007 "Motorcycle" EP. On the fourth season
of the UK TV talent show The X Factor
, the girl group Hope covered the song during one of their live performances.
Lightspeed Champion
included a cover of this song as a B-side to their 2008 single "Tell Me What It's Worth
".
"Back to Black" was covered twice on the Live Lounge
segment of BBC Radio 1
's The Jo Whiley Show
, first by Elbow
on 5 June 2008 and later by Glasvegas
on 1 September 2008.
Ronnie Spector
has occasionally performed a rendition of Back to Black during live performances.
The song appeared on French singer Amanda Lear
's 2009 album, Brief Encounters
.
"Back to Black" was covered by Paije Richardson during the seventh series of the X Factor in one of the live shows.
The song was used as part of Mexican telenovela Llena de Amor
for English-born Mexican actress Azela Robinson
for her stripper character (La Reina).
The song was covered on Glee
in the second season episode "Funeral
" by Naya Rivera
's character Santana Lopez
.
A German version was produced and sung by Ivo Lotion.
UK limited edition white 7" single
UK 12" maxi single
Digital single
Amy Winehouse
Amy Jade Winehouse was an English singer-songwriter known for her powerful deep contralto vocals and her eclectic mix of musical genres including R&B, soul and jazz. Winehouse's 2003 debut album, Frank, was critically successful in the UK and was nominated for the Mercury Prize...
. It was released on April 30, 2007 as the third single from her second studio album, Back to Black
Back to Black
Back to Black is the second studio album by English recording artist Amy Winehouse, released on 27 October 2006 by Island Records. It is the last album released in her lifetime. The album incorporates 1960s soul music styles and modern R&B production, with subjective lyrics that concern...
. It was written by Winehouse and Mark Ronson. It was also produced by Ronson.
Music video
The music video was directed by Phil Griffin and features a funeral procession in which Winehouse mourns over a grave that reads "R.I.P. the Heart of Amy Winehouse". The video was primarily shot nearby Gibson Garden and Chesholm Road in Stoke NewingtonStoke Newington
Stoke Newington is a district in the London Borough of Hackney. It is north-east of Charing Cross.-Boundaries:In modern terms, Stoke Newington can be roughly defined by the N16 postcode area . Its southern boundary with Dalston is quite ill-defined too...
, London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
. The graveyard scenes were filmed at Abney Park Cemetery
Abney Park Cemetery
Abney Park in Stoke Newington, in the London Borough of Hackney, is a historic parkland originally laid out in the early 18th century by Lady Mary Abney and Dr. Isaac Watts, and the neighbouring Hartopp family. In 1840 it became a non-denominational garden cemetery, semi-public park arboretum, and...
nearby London. According the official Winehouse website, "Amy's sultry new video for Back In Black is both beautifully and artistically shot in black and white and compares in imagery a doomed love affair with that of a funeral."
Reception
Pre-release, the song charted in the UK Singles ChartUK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
on downloads
Music download
A music download is the transferral of music from an Internet-facing computer or website to a user's local computer. This term encompasses both legal downloads and downloads of copyright material without permission or payment...
alone for five consecutive weeks, peaking at number forty. The single charted at number twenty-five once it had been released in physical format, and has sold around 96,000 copies to date in the UK; it has spent thirty-four non-consecutive weeks on the UK Singles Chart to date. It has re-entered with "Rehab" together on the chart. The song featured on BBC Radio 1
BBC Radio 1
BBC Radio 1 is a British national radio station operated by the British Broadcasting Corporation which also broadcasts internationally, specialising in current popular music and chart hits throughout the day. Radio 1 provides alternative genres after 7:00pm including electronic dance, hip hop, rock...
's The B List Playlist during the week commencing 2 May. Channel 4 Music awarded the song ten stars out of ten in its review, while the Manchester Evening News
Manchester Evening News
The Manchester Evening News is a regional daily newspaper covering Greater Manchester in the United Kingdom. It is published every day except Sunday and is owned by Trinity Mirror plc following its sale by Guardian Media Group in early 2010. It has an average daily circulation of 90,973 copies...
rated the song as five out of five stars, commending it as "one of the best singles of the year."
With sales of 96,000, "Back to Black" finished as the UK's eighty-fifth biggest-selling single of 2007.
During 2007, the song was also used various times for TV trail campaigns, such as for BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
's Philip Pullman
Philip Pullman
Philip Pullman CBE, FRSL is an English writer from Norwich. He is the best-selling author of several books, most notably his trilogy of fantasy novels, His Dark Materials, and his fictionalised biography of Jesus, The Good Man Jesus and the Scoundrel Christ...
adaptation The Shadow in the North in December 2007.
Phil Tufnell
Phil Tufnell
Philip Clive Roderick Tufnell is a former English cricketer turned television personality. A slow left-arm orthodox spin bowler, "Tuffers" as he was known played 42 Tests and 20 One Day International matches for England, as well as playing for Middlesex from 1986 to 2002...
and his dance partner Katya Virshilas
Katya Virshilas
Katya Virshilas is a Lithuanian-Canadian dancer and actress.-Life and career:Virshilas was born in Lithuania to a Jewish family. She subsequently moved to Israel at age six, and to Vancouver, Canada at thirteen....
performed a tango
Tango (ballroom)
Ballroom Tango is a ballroom dance that branched away from its original Argentine roots by allowing European, American, Hollywood, and competitive influences into the style and execution of the dance....
to "Back to Black" in the seventh series of Strictly Come Dancing
Strictly Come Dancing (series 7)
The seventh series of Strictly Come Dancing commenced on BBC One on 18 September 2009. Bruce Forsyth and Tess Daly returned as presenters together with Craig Revel Horwood, Len Goodman and Bruno Tonioli as judges. Series 5 winner, Alesha Dixon, joined the judging panel, replacing Arlene Phillips...
.
On 31 July 2011, following her death, the song re-entered the UK Singles Chart
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
at 8, also giving the song a new peak position and second top ten hit in UK.
Covers
A cover versionCover version
In popular music, a cover version or cover song, or simply cover, is a new performance or recording of a contemporary or previously recorded, commercially released song or popular song...
of "Back to Black" by the English band The Rumble Strips
The Rumble Strips
The Rumble Strips are an English band from Tavistock, Devon. The band take their name from Rumble Strips, which are small, continuous lines of bumps along the edge of a road. Having known each other since childhood, a precise conception date for the band doesn't really exist. The current line-up...
appears as a B-side
A-side and B-side
A-side and B-side originally referred to the two sides of gramophone records on which singles were released beginning in the 1950s. The terms have come to refer to the types of song conventionally placed on each side of the record, with the A-side being the featured song , while the B-side, or...
to their 2007 "Motorcycle" EP. On the fourth season
The X Factor (UK series 4)
The fourth UK series of The X Factor was broadcast on ITV in autumn 2007. The first show aired on 18 August 2007 and the series was won by Leon Jackson on 15 December 2007, with Rhydian Roberts the runner-up and Dannii Minogue emerging as the winning mentor...
of the UK TV talent show The X Factor
The X Factor (UK)
The X Factor is a British television music competition to find new singing talent. Created by Simon Cowell, it began in September 2004 and is contested by aspiring singers drawn from public auditions. It is the originator of the international X Factor franchise. The seven series of the show to date...
, the girl group Hope covered the song during one of their live performances.
Lightspeed Champion
Lightspeed Champion
Devonté Hynes , better known as Lightspeed Champion or Blood Orange, is a British composer, songwriter, producer and author, who has written for artists such as Florence and the Machine, Diana Vickers and The Chemical Brothers on their 2007 Grammy award winning album We Are The Night...
included a cover of this song as a B-side to their 2008 single "Tell Me What It's Worth
Tell Me What It's Worth
-External links:***...
".
"Back to Black" was covered twice on the Live Lounge
Live Lounge
The Live Lounge is a segment on the British radio station BBC Radio 1. Originally hosted by Jo Whiley on her mid-morning radio show and now hosted by Fearne Cotton, it exhibits well-known artists usually performing one song of their own and one by another artist, in an acoustic format...
segment of BBC Radio 1
BBC Radio 1
BBC Radio 1 is a British national radio station operated by the British Broadcasting Corporation which also broadcasts internationally, specialising in current popular music and chart hits throughout the day. Radio 1 provides alternative genres after 7:00pm including electronic dance, hip hop, rock...
's The Jo Whiley Show
The Jo Whiley Show
The Jo Whiley Show was a British weekday radio show on BBC Radio 1 hosted by Jo Whiley. The programme was on air from February 2001 to September 2009 and was broadcast each morning between 10:00am and 12:45pm. And Bank Holidays And Good Fridays At 10.00-13.00-Show Format:The show began at 10:00am...
, first by Elbow
Elbow (band)
Elbow are an English rock band. They have played together since 1990 and recorded five studio albums, the most recent of which is Build a Rocket Boys!, released in March 2011...
on 5 June 2008 and later by Glasvegas
Glasvegas
Glasvegas are a Scottish indie rock band from Glasgow. The band consists of James Allan , Rab Allan , Paul Donoghue and Jonna Löfgren . The band received critical acclaim for their debut album Glasvegas which was released in September 2008, reaching No...
on 1 September 2008.
Ronnie Spector
Ronnie Spector
Veronica Yvette "Ronnie" Spector is an American rock and roll and popular music vocalist, and was the lead singer of the 1960s hit-making girl group, The Ronettes, who were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2007. She is known as the "original bad girl of rock and roll."-Personal...
has occasionally performed a rendition of Back to Black during live performances.
The song appeared on French singer Amanda Lear
Amanda Lear
Amanda Lear is a French singer, lyricist, composer, painter, TV presenter, actress and novelist....
's 2009 album, Brief Encounters
Brief Encounters
For the 1945 film, see Brief Encounter.For the 1967 film, see Brief Encounters .Brief Encounters is the fourteenth studio album by French singer Amanda Lear. The album was released in Italy on October 16, 2009 as a double CD set containing twenty five new recordings sung in both English and French,...
.
"Back to Black" was covered by Paije Richardson during the seventh series of the X Factor in one of the live shows.
The song was used as part of Mexican telenovela Llena de Amor
Llena de amor
__FORCETOC__Llena de amor is a Mexican Spanish-language soap opera, produced by Televisa, that began airing in 2010. It is a remake of the 2002–2003 Venezuelan telenovela Mi Gorda Bella, which itself was inspired by the 1999–2001 Colombian telenovela Yo soy Betty, la fea.Llena de amor...
for English-born Mexican actress Azela Robinson
Azela Robinson
Azela Jacqueline Robinson Cañedo is an English-born Mexican actress.-Biography:Born in the United Kingdom to an English father and a Mexican mother, Azela Robinson studied in the Old Vin Drama Workshop and soon after, she enrolled in the National Theatre Workshop...
for her stripper character (La Reina).
The song was covered on Glee
Glee (TV series)
Glee is an American musical comedy-drama television series that airs on Fox in the United States, and on GlobalTV in Canada. It focuses on the high school glee club New Directions competing on the show choir competition circuit, while its members deal with relationships, sexuality and social issues...
in the second season episode "Funeral
Funeral (Glee)
"Funeral" is the twenty-first episode of the second season of the American musical television series Glee, and the 43rd overall. It first aired May 17, 2011 on Fox in the United States, and was written by series creator Ryan Murphy and directed by Bradley Buecker. The episode featured Jonathan...
" by Naya Rivera
Naya Rivera
Naya Marie Rivera is an American actress and singer known for her role in the musical comedy television series Glee, as cheerleader Santana Lopez.-Early life:...
's character Santana Lopez
Santana Lopez
Santana Lopez is a fictional character from the Fox musical comedy-drama series Glee. The character is portrayed by actress Naya Rivera, and has appeared in Glee from its pilot episode, first broadcast on May 19, 2009. Santana was developed by Glee creators Ryan Murphy, Brad Falchuk and Ian Brennan...
.
A German version was produced and sung by Ivo Lotion.
Track listings and formats
UK CD single- "Back to Black" – 4:01
- "Valerie" (Jo WhileyThe Jo Whiley ShowThe Jo Whiley Show was a British weekday radio show on BBC Radio 1 hosted by Jo Whiley. The programme was on air from February 2001 to September 2009 and was broadcast each morning between 10:00am and 12:45pm. And Bank Holidays And Good Fridays At 10.00-13.00-Show Format:The show began at 10:00am...
Live LoungeLive LoungeThe Live Lounge is a segment on the British radio station BBC Radio 1. Originally hosted by Jo Whiley on her mid-morning radio show and now hosted by Fearne Cotton, it exhibits well-known artists usually performing one song of their own and one by another artist, in an acoustic format...
) – 3:53 - "Hey Little Rich Girl" – 3:33
- "Back to Black" (Video)
UK limited edition white 7" single
- Side A:
- "Back to Black" – 4:00
- Side B:
- "Back to Black" (The Rumble StripsThe Rumble StripsThe Rumble Strips are an English band from Tavistock, Devon. The band take their name from Rumble Strips, which are small, continuous lines of bumps along the edge of a road. Having known each other since childhood, a precise conception date for the band doesn't really exist. The current line-up...
Remix) – 3:48
UK 12" maxi single
- Side A:
- "Back to Black" (Steve MacSteve MacSteve Mac , is a songwriter, record producer and owner of Rokstone Studios in London.He has produced more than 22 number one singles in the UK and had several multi-million selling albums worldwide...
Vocal) – 6:12 - "Back to Black" (Steve Mac Smack Dub) – 6:15
- Side B:
- "Back to Black" – 4:00
- "Back to Black" (Mushtaq Vocal Remix) – 4:03
Digital single
- "Back to Black" (Original Demo)
Charts
| Chart (2007-2011) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australian Singles Chart | 56 |
| Austrian Singles Chart Ö3 Austria Top 40 Ö3 Austria Top 40 is the name of the official Austrian singles chart, as well as the radio show which presents it, aired Fridays on Hitradio Ö3. The show presents the Austrian singles, ringtones and downloads chart. It premiered on 26 November 1968 as Disc Parade and was presented by Ernst Grissemann... |
3 |
| Belgian Singles Chart Ultratop 50 Ultratop 50 singles, often just Ultratop 50, is the weekly chart of fifty best-selling singles in Flanders, Belgium, and is produced and published by the Ultratop organization. The chart has existed since March 31, 1995... (Flanders) |
32 |
| Czech Airplay Chart Rádio Top 100 Oficiální Rádio Top 100 Oficiální is the name of the Czech national airplay chart published by the IFPI Czech Republic on a weekly basis.Besides the main Top 100 record chart, also two component charts are effective. While the Rádio CZ 50 Oficiální features songs released exclusively by Czech and/or Slovak... |
79 |
| Danish Singles Chart Tracklisten Tracklisten is a Danish top 40 record chart that is presented every Thursday midnight at .The weekly Danish Singles Chart also known as Track Top-40 combines the 40 best selling tracks from legal music downloads and the sales of music singles on either CD or vinyl... |
38 |
| Dutch Singles Chart | 18 |
| European Hot 100 Singles Eurochart Hot 100 Singles The European Hot 100 Singles has been compiled by Billboard and Music & Media magazine since March, 1984. The chart is based on national singles sales charts in 15 European countries: Austria, Belgium , Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Netherlands, Norway, Spain, Sweden,... |
69 |
| French Singles Chart | 15 |
| German Singles Chart Media Control Charts The official music charts in Germany are gathered and published by the company Media Control GfK International on behalf of Bundesverband Musikindustrie... |
8 |
| Irish Singles Chart Irish Singles Chart The Irish Singles Chart is Ireland's music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by the Irish Recorded Music Association and compiled on behalf of the IRMA by Chart-Track. Chart rankings are based on sales, which are compiled through over-the-counter retail data captured... |
11 |
| Italian Singles Chart Federation of the Italian Music Industry The Federation of the Italian Music Industry is an umbrella organization that keeps track of virtually all aspects of the music recording industry in Italy.... |
3 |
| Spanish Singles Chart | 10 |
| Swiss Singles Chart Swiss Music Charts The Swiss Music Charts are Switzerland's main music sales charts. The charts are a record of the highest-selling singles and albums in various genres in Switzerland.The Swiss Charts include:* Singles Top 75... |
8 |
| UK Singles Chart UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ... |
8 |
| UK R&B Singles Chart UK R&B Chart The Official UK R&B Chart is a forty-position R&B/Hip-Hop chart compiled by The Official UK Charts Company. Although the chart does not receive any airplay, its compilation is viewed on BBC Radio 1's website and publications such as ChartsPlus and Music Week... |
4 |
Certifications
| Country | Certification |
|---|---|
| Italy | Platinum |
| Spain | Gold |
| Switzerland IFPI The International Federation of the Phonographic Industry is the organisation that represents the interests of the recording industry worldwide. It is a not-for-profit members' organisation registered in Switzerland... |
Platinum |
Year-end charts
| Chart (2008) | Rank |
|---|---|
| German Singles Chart Media Control Charts The official music charts in Germany are gathered and published by the company Media Control GfK International on behalf of Bundesverband Musikindustrie... |
48 |