Over 20 years since its initial release, never-before-seen footage of Amy Winehouse has now been unveiled to the public in a brand new lyric video for her 2003 single ‘In My Bed’. Posted on Winehouse’s official YouTube account earlier this week, the video features unused rushes and outtakes from the original 2004 video shoot that until now had never seen the light of day.
Shot by director Paul Gore, the fresh-faced 20-year-old Winehouse can be seen wandering the halls of a swanky, dimly lit hotel carrying a guitar case, which leads her to eventually join a band of musicians in a grand ballroom. The singer-songwriter is followed in a voyeuristic fashion throughout the hotel, with the lens peering at her through bannisters and capturing her laughing, posing and causing mischief in one of the bedrooms.
However, her famous beehive hairdo is nowhere to be seen as the clips predate her ‘Back to Black’ era. Instead, it captures her in the early days of her 2003 debut album ‘Frank’ for which she received an Ivor Novello award for achievements in songwriting. The album was re-released as a deluxe edition in 2008, and was reissued on vinyl in 2015 following the release of the documentary film about her life the same year, simply titled ‘Amy’.
A new biopic about Winehouse is also set to hit cinemas this April. Directed by Sam Taylor-Johnson, the film ‘Back to Black’ will focus on her rambunctious relationship with ex-husband Blake Fielder-Civil, and how it inspired her to write such a groundbreaking album. The first trailer hit the internet earlier this month to a heavy amount of criticism, with many fans left concerned that the portrayal on screen will not honour her in the way that she deserves.
There is a sense that Winehouse is being presented as a larger-than-life caricature, rather than the vulnerable, complex human being that she was. Others believe that her story should be laid to rest, and that any hardship and pain she suffered should no longer be profited from. Despite the controversy surrounding its release, the Winehouse camp are openly supporting it in its promotion, sharing the trailer across multiple social media channels.
More than a decade on since Winehouse’s tragic death, her presence and significance within music and pop culture is still as prevalent as ever. Last year marked the singer’s 40th birthday, with legendary producer and close friend of Amy, Mark Ronson, paying tribute to her in an Instagram post which featured clips of them working alongside each other in the studio. Her North London stomping ground, Camden, was also the centre of a series of one-off shows celebrating her life, including her original band performing a tribute gig at iconic music venue KOKO last month.
