Handclaps were provided by Vaughan Merrick, Mark Ronson and Victor Axelrod. The sound effects were generated by American producer, rapper and actor RZA. Aside from two cover versions, Amy co-wrote or, in the case of ‘I Heard Love is Blind’, wrote every track on the album.
So what did the album actually sound like? With its smoky, jazzy sound, opener ‘Stronger Than Me’ is a lament of the new man. Amy addresses a man who is seven years older than she is but refuses to play a masculine, leading role in a relationship. Instead, he wants to talk things through with her and put her in control. He wants her to meet his mother but she just wants to have sex with him and asks since when did that become a crime? As a result of all this, Amy has forgotten the joy that love can bring. She’s tired of comforting him and wants him to comfort her. At one point, she even asks if he is gay. In the Observer Music Monthly , the excellent Garry Mulholland was outraged and delighted in equal measure. He wrote how ‘liberal, reconstructed, ex-student males’ had for so long been adored by the female singer-songwriter, ‘and thenthis Jewish teenager from Camden comes along and tells us we’re just a bunch of poofs.’
Mulholland identifies how, to Amy, a man ‘showing his sensitive side is about as sexy as setting light to his farts’. However, he adores ‘the subtle, soulful music and a voice so assured, joyful and deeply committed in its anger it’s hard to believe it comes from one so young’. He concludes rousingly, that ‘My worldview is threatened by it. Which means it is doing what pop ought to do – putting its head above the parapet: “This is what I really feel, so fuck you.”’ Some wondered if Amy was homophobic, thanks to lines about a ‘ladyboy’ and her asking whether her lover is gay. Given her enthusiastic interviews with the gay press and appearances at gay venues, it seems unlikely. Moreover, her target with these lines is wimpy straight boys, rather than gay men. Also worth noting is that, when Kelly Osbourne once asked Amy if she considered herself a pin-up, Amy quipped, ‘Only to gays.’
Talking of the song herself, Amy said, ‘Some of the songs, like “Stronger Than Me” [which castigates an oversensitive paramour] were written at a time in my life when I was too [messed] up to do anything apart from write songs – when I felt I would have gone crazy and smashed my room up.’ A fan, Jo-Ann Hodgson, wrote on a fan site:
She stands out as having real songwriting talent and a strong soulful voice in a music scene being overtaken by impostors. This song takes the unusual angle of a woman asking her boyfriend to toughen up.
Amy says:,
The gay thing was me just wanting some affection. It’s not like I need to be the centre of attention all the time. But if my man comes round and turns on the TV, unless it’s football I’m like, ‘Are you even attracted to me?’ They’re very personal and very intense, in a way. But I think there’s a lot of humour in there as well. I’ve always wanted to present a point with a twist. You know, like ‘I’m really angry about this, you’re a bastard and you can’t even get a boner!’ I just want to say things I would find funny if I heard them.
‘You Sent Me Flying’ is a beautiful piano ballad detailing a rejection that sent Amy flying. Full of familiar Amy imagery about stolen cigarettes, battered jeans and Beastie Boys T-shirts , it blends the theme of heartbreak with a rousing defiance. Towards the song’s end, Amy explains that she isn’t actually as into the man as she might appear to be and the music goes uptempo to reflect this comforting and defiant reflection. She also comforts herself that he delivered the news in a kind way and, well, at least he was attracted to her.
Tagged on the end of ‘You Sent…’ is ‘Cherry’, a short and fun guitar song in which Amy talks about how her friend Cherry understands her better than her man
So what did the album actually sound like? With its smoky, jazzy sound, opener ‘Stronger Than Me’ is a lament of the new man. Amy addresses a man who is seven years older than she is but refuses to play a masculine, leading role in a relationship. Instead, he wants to talk things through with her and put her in control. He wants her to meet his mother but she just wants to have sex with him and asks since when did that become a crime? As a result of all this, Amy has forgotten the joy that love can bring. She’s tired of comforting him and wants him to comfort her. At one point, she even asks if he is gay. In the Observer Music Monthly , the excellent Garry Mulholland was outraged and delighted in equal measure. He wrote how ‘liberal, reconstructed, ex-student males’ had for so long been adored by the female singer-songwriter, ‘and thenthis Jewish teenager from Camden comes along and tells us we’re just a bunch of poofs.’
Mulholland identifies how, to Amy, a man ‘showing his sensitive side is about as sexy as setting light to his farts’. However, he adores ‘the subtle, soulful music and a voice so assured, joyful and deeply committed in its anger it’s hard to believe it comes from one so young’. He concludes rousingly, that ‘My worldview is threatened by it. Which means it is doing what pop ought to do – putting its head above the parapet: “This is what I really feel, so fuck you.”’ Some wondered if Amy was homophobic, thanks to lines about a ‘ladyboy’ and her asking whether her lover is gay. Given her enthusiastic interviews with the gay press and appearances at gay venues, it seems unlikely. Moreover, her target with these lines is wimpy straight boys, rather than gay men. Also worth noting is that, when Kelly Osbourne once asked Amy if she considered herself a pin-up, Amy quipped, ‘Only to gays.’
Talking of the song herself, Amy said, ‘Some of the songs, like “Stronger Than Me” [which castigates an oversensitive paramour] were written at a time in my life when I was too [messed] up to do anything apart from write songs – when I felt I would have gone crazy and smashed my room up.’ A fan, Jo-Ann Hodgson, wrote on a fan site:
She stands out as having real songwriting talent and a strong soulful voice in a music scene being overtaken by impostors. This song takes the unusual angle of a woman asking her boyfriend to toughen up.
Amy says:,
The gay thing was me just wanting some affection. It’s not like I need to be the centre of attention all the time. But if my man comes round and turns on the TV, unless it’s football I’m like, ‘Are you even attracted to me?’ They’re very personal and very intense, in a way. But I think there’s a lot of humour in there as well. I’ve always wanted to present a point with a twist. You know, like ‘I’m really angry about this, you’re a bastard and you can’t even get a boner!’ I just want to say things I would find funny if I heard them.
‘You Sent Me Flying’ is a beautiful piano ballad detailing a rejection that sent Amy flying. Full of familiar Amy imagery about stolen cigarettes, battered jeans and Beastie Boys T-shirts , it blends the theme of heartbreak with a rousing defiance. Towards the song’s end, Amy explains that she isn’t actually as into the man as she might appear to be and the music goes uptempo to reflect this comforting and defiant reflection. She also comforts herself that he delivered the news in a kind way and, well, at least he was attracted to her.
Tagged on the end of ‘You Sent…’ is ‘Cherry’, a short and fun guitar song in which Amy talks about how her friend Cherry understands her better than her man
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