Amy Winehouse: The problematic revival of ‘Stronger Than Me’

Posted On April 10, 2024April 10, 2024

The early 2000s stood as an epoch for the emergence of the entertainment industry’s most controversial characters. Among them were those who purposefully provoked, driven by motives of sexuality or race, while others, such as Amy Winehouse, existed as a product of the times. The singer undoubtedly possessed an abundance of talent, but certain aspects of her discography prove difficult to swallow when heard through the lens of modern standards.

At the peak of fame, Winehouse’s prowess was eclipsed mainly by her reputation, which was misconstrued in mainstream British tabloid media as nothing more than another drug-infused tale destined to end badly. After her death, this was spotlighted as a significant press issue, with many calling for a softer approach that doesn’t constantly vilify artists who show signs of clear drug and alcohol dependency.

The build-up to the new Sam Taylor-Johnson biopic documenting Winehouse’s tumultuous story, Back to Black, has generated newfound controversy about the film’s purpose. Much of the backlash centres around whether the singer’s story will be told with sensitivity and dignity or if it will remain yet another project existing for monetisation and exploitation reasons.

When Winehouse released her debut album Frank in 2003, the hype surrounding her potential was bubbling. Although the album didn’t perform as well as the preceding Back to Black, it showcased what she had to offer as a serious British contender. This is touched upon in the biopic as Winehouse captivates anyone lucky enough to have found themselves on her path. However, one of the clips depicts Winehouse, played by Marisa Abela, singing Frank‘s ‘Stronger Than Me’ during a studio session.

In the clip, only part of the song is shown being performed by Abela, who delivers the lyrics: “Sounds as if you’re reading from some other tired script / I’m not gonna meet your mother anytime / I just wanna grip your body over mine.” Aside from the influx of criticism about Abela’s performance, it seems an interesting period to dig up such a song that contains some considerably harmful connotations.

‘Stronger Than Me’ is a significant part of Winehouse’s story as the lead single from her debut album and the one that introduced her into the mainstream, but it seems a necessary time to reflect on the problematic nature of early 2000s music environments and the parts of history that we must learn from. ‘Stronger Than Me’ was written as a tool for Winehouse to lash out at a potential romantic partner for not being masculine enough for her, which urges her to resort to using transphobic and homophobic slurs.

In her insults, she calls her partner “my lady boy” before asking: “That’s what I need you to do, are you gay?” She also taps into conventional gender roles and stereotypes in the line: “Why’d you always put me in control? / All I need is for my man to live up to his role.” During this time, there wasn’t any issue with such a song being put out for everyone to hear as it was more commonplace to make these remarks without any consequence.

Back to Black may have censored part of the song, and Winehouse likely didn’t come into the limelight without any ill intent. Still, it raises some interesting questions about the leniency of prejudiced language during the early 2000s in the music industry. Perhaps that’s why ‘Stronger Than Me’ is best remembered as one of the early iterations of the singer’s blossoming skillset, rather than a staple of problematic songwriting.

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