Understanding the problem Amy Winehouse had with ‘Frank’
Despite its greatness, Amy Winehouse‘s debut album wasn’t met with immediate success. Almost 20 years on from the release of Frank, the project is now unanimously viewed as a masterpiece, yet, it hasn’t always been that way, and even Winehouse herself spoke out against the album.
Winehouse was only 20 when she released the record in 2003 and, in truth, didn’t enjoy the experience at all. She felt that too many people were involved in the creative process, and ultimately, her vision was diluted due to the involvement of non-music people. The Londoner had previously been scouted for an audition as a teenager by Simon Fuller’s 19 Management, who created Pop Idol and managed the Spice Girls.
Frank charted at 60 in the UK Album Chart upon its release, which was considerably lower than expected for a prodigal talent signed to Island Records. However, over the next few months, it gradually began to climb up the chart before reaching a peak position of 13 in late January.
Following the album’s success, Winehouse spoke to The Guardian about her discontent about it and why she doesn’t own a copy of Frank in her house. Furthermore, she also made the astonishing revelation that she is yet to listen to the record from start to finish. “Some things on this album make me go to a little place that’s fucking bitter,” Winehouse explained. “I’ve never heard the album from start to finish. I don’t have it in my house.’Well, the marketing was fucked, the promotion was terrible. Everything was a shambles.”
She added: “It’s frustrating, because you work with so many idiots – but they’re nice idiots. So you can’t be like, ‘You’re an idiot.’ They know that they’re idiots.”
Winehouse contained: “I hate them fuckers, man. I’ve not seen anyone from the record company since the album came out and I know why … ‘cos they’re scared of me. They know I have no respect for them whatsoever. Look … I know its a terrible thing for someone to come out and say they hate their own music. It’s the worst thing you can do. My album isn’t shit. If I heard someone else singing like me I would buy it in a heartbeat.”
All the joy that Winehouse had about releasing her debut album when she penned an album deal had evaporated by the time the process was over. While the late singer’s comments come across as extreme, she was just being honest about her feelings toward the record, and many artists feel similarly about their firstborn.
