Valerie

Album: Lioness: Hidden Treasures (2011)
Charted: 37
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Songfacts®:

  • The original version of Amy Winehouse and Mark Ronson's hit single was a slowed down R&B version of the tune. Recorded in December 2006, despite initial reservations of it sounding a bit "cheesy," Ronson later realized it was one of the best vocals Winehouse had ever done and handed it over for inclusion on her posthumous album, Lioness: Hidden Treasures. He told NME: "When we started the song it had a kind of '60s Curtis Mayfield arrangement… it's a little more jazz tempo and it's super soulful. I still like the original version more, and when you heard her do it live, it's much closer to that arrangement."
  • The song is a cover of a single by the Liverpool group The Zutons, which peaked at #9 in the UK in 2006. It was penned in 20 minutes by their lead singer Dave McCabe about an American friend of his, Valerie Starr, who was having a hard time after getting caught drink driving.
  • In 2007 a solo live version recorded by Winehouse for BBC Radio 1's Live Lounge peaked at #37 on the UK singles chart. That version can be heard on the Deluxe version of Back to Black.

Comments: 1

  • Kevin from CavilorniaWhom was having a hard time... or who? When in doubt, go with whom - it sounds fancier.
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