Amy Winehouse’s greatest cover reveals more than any song could
It seems unlikely that a cover song, taken from a Bridget Jones soundtrack of all places, would endure as one of the greatest sonic legacies of the late, great Amy Winehouse.
But indeed, the mark of the woman—an inner-city London girl with a voice that defied generations—was that she could turn her hand to anything, from classic soul to indie sleaze, and make it sound as if that song was always meant to be sung in her particular way, with her specific quirks, and forever in her moment.
There is arguably no better example to prove this than Winehouse’s 2004 take on the 1960 classic ‘Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow’, originally performed by The Shirelles but equally popularised in 1971 by its original writer, Carole King. Appearing on the soundtrack for the film Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason, it’s easy to perhaps take Winehouse’s cover of the tune superficially by comparison, but really, she should be considered one of the greats.
From a purely sonic perspective, first of all, the emphatic swing of Winehouse’s rendition makes it feel as if a true star has arrived. It’s like the first glimpse of Marilyn Monroe or Audrey Hepburn in a classic movie – so striking and timelessly beautiful that it completely and utterly sweeps you off your feet. Then it’s the job of her rousing vocal, so tender yet soaring, to captivate you into its orbit. It doesn’t let you back down to Earth gently.
Usually, in the scores of Winehouse’s back catalogue, between her original songs and other covers, there’s a defining resoluteness, as well as romance, of course, and the occasional hint of yearning. But rarely is all of this combined, and then coupled with a disarming degree of desperation, in the way that is seen on ‘Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow?’, with the sheer longing and lust of the vocal only heightened by the singer’s wizened soul.
In this sense, the song hits the mark of being Winehouse’s greatest cover not only for the total mastery of the vocal performance outlined, but because the history of the tune is one that she became a highly significant bona fide part of, rather than just an imitation. ‘Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow?’ is a song that demands to be commanded by women, whether it be King or Linda Ronstadt or, indeed, Winehouse – because these are their stories and their power, and the rest of us should just revel in it.
You could spend days writing entire theses on which songs out of Winehouse’s discography are indisputably the greatest, or reveal the most about the state of her soul, or whatever it may be. But sometimes the biggest gems are found when you take a step back to admire the occasions when an artist has admired their own heroes, just as she did on ‘Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow?’.
The exception is that Winehouse, being the powerhouse that she was, you wouldn’t be surprised by some of those heroes turning to worship her instead.
