Halftime

Album: Lioness: Hidden Treasures (2011)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • This tale of heartache and pride was part of Winehouse's repertoire when she first met Salaam Remi, with whom she worked with on both Frank and Back to Black. Recorded in August 2002 during the sessions for Frank, it missed the cut for the record. However, it did give that album its title, when Winehouse name checks Ol' Blue Eyes in the lyrics (" … and when Frank Sinatra sings, it's too much to take … he pacifies my ache.")
  • Remi said of the song to NME: "The lyric goes back to 'halftime,' like she would be learning in music class, but she took that idea and turned it into a song for her. Now it feels like Erykah Badu or Jill Scott."
  • Winehouse had talked to Ahmir "Questlove" Thompson of the Roots about working together, so when it was decided to include this track on the late singer's posthumous album, Lioness: Hidden Treasures, Remi invited Questlove to add a drum part. This he did using Winehouse's 2002 vocal track.

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Part of Their World: The Stories and Songs of 13 Disney Princesses

Part of Their World: The Stories and Songs of 13 Disney PrincessesSong Writing

From "Some Day My Prince Will Come" to "Let It Go" - how Disney princess songs (and the women who sing them) have evolved.

Black Sabbath

Black SabbathFact or Fiction

Dwarfs on stage with an oversize Stonehenge set? Dabbling in Satanism? Find out which Spinal Tap-moments were true for Black Sabbath.

Graduation Songs

Graduation SongsFact or Fiction

Have you got the smarts to know which of these graduation song stories are real?

Roger McGuinn of The Byrds

Roger McGuinn of The ByrdsSongwriter Interviews

Roger reveals the songwriting formula Clive Davis told him, and if "Eight Miles High" is really about drugs.

Def Leppard Quiz

Def Leppard QuizMusic Quiz

Can you name Def Leppard's only #1 hit in America? Get rocked with this adrenalized quiz.

Mike Love of The Beach Boys

Mike Love of The Beach BoysSongwriter Interviews

The lead singer/lyricist of The Beach Boys talks about coming up with the words for "Good Vibrations," "Fun, Fun, Fun," "Kokomo" and other classic songs.