In an interview with The Scotsman in May 2008, lead singer Dave McCabe described the writing process of the song: "I could tell you I was inspired by gazing out across the Mersey or walking past Macca's old house, but the truth is I got the idea in a cab on the way to my mum's. The whole song was written before I got there, so 20 minutes, max[imum]."[2]
The song's title and theme refer to a then-unnamed American friend of McCabe's who was in trouble for driving under the influence. The band's drummer, Sean Payne, called it a "musical postcard to her, saying he is having a hard time and can she come over and see him".[3] In an interview with Vice magazine in June 2019, the subject of the song was revealed to be celebrity makeup artist Valerie Star.[4] She explained that she met McCabe and how she got arrested for driving on a suspended license.[5]
English musicians Mark Ronson and Amy Winehouse covered "Valerie" for Ronson's second studio album Version (2007). Released as the album's third single on 15 October 2007, the track was first performed by Winehouse on Jo Whiley's Live Lounge show on BBC Radio 1. Singer and director Jordan Galland plays the electric piano on this single. Rolling Stone called the cover Winehouse's only "notable recording" after Back to Black.[14] Winehouse had previously recorded a slower-tempo version of the song, which appeared as a bonus track on the deluxe edition of Back to Black. The song has been featured in 27 Dresses and Amy (2015), a documentary film biography of Winehouse, a U.S. advertisement for Amazon Echo,[15] and the demonstration launch video for the Google Nest Audio.[16]
Background
After "Valerie" became a success in the summer of 2006, it found an unlikely fan in Amy Winehouse, who was invited to contribute to a new project with Mark Ronson. He claimed Winehouse did not listen to anything written after 1967 and that she was struggling to come up with something that would fit the sessions for Ronson's upcoming album Version. After Ronson explained that the album would consist of soul covers of guitar records, Winehouse told him that she might try "Valerie", but Ronson found it very difficult to hear her voice singing that song in his head. "I wasn't sure how it would work, but she went into the studio and tried it. I loved it," he said.[3]
Ronson's production of the cover is based around the beat from the Jam's 1982 song "Town Called Malice". Winehouse also recorded a jazzier, acoustic version for Radio 1's Live Lounge, which was issued at the same time as the Ronson collaboration and a success in its own right, possibly due to download confusion, though it was the Ronson version that got airplay.[3]
Chart performance
The single peaked at number 2 on the UK Singles Chart, where it spent 19 consecutive weeks inside the top 20. With sales of 329,490, it became the UK's ninth biggest-selling single of 2007.[17] The single spent 36 consecutive weeks on the UK Singles Chart between September 2007 and May 2008. It re-entered the chart in late June 2008 to take its total to 39 weeks.
The song was released in early 2008 in the Netherlands, quickly gaining airplay and sales. It is Winehouse's most successful song in that country, peaking at Number 1 for four consecutive weeks.[18][19]
As of January 2015, Ronson and Winehouse's version of "Valerie" had sold 658,353 copies in the United Kingdom, according to the Official Charts Company.[20]
The song has become something of a mixed blessing for McCabe. He said, "I certainly have to try hard sometimes to not think about 'Valerie'. The days it's in my head are when I have to put down the guitar and just forget about writing."[2]
Music video
The single's music video, directed by Robert Hales, was filmed in London on 28 August 2007.[21] It shows Ronson and a group of jazz musicians playing the intro, halting when they notice that Winehouse is not present, then inviting a woman from the audience – an Amy fan sporting her famous beehive hairstyle – onto their stage to "sing" the song, soon joined by other similarly coiffed women, in the style of group karaoke, all lip synching to Winehouse's voice.
Dionne Bromfield (Winehouse's goddaughter), Aura Dione, Ivy Quainoo, Caro Emerald and Ina Müller performed the song as a tribute to Winehouse at the 2012 Echo Awards Presentation in Germany.
Japanese R&B singer iri included a cover of the song on her first compilation album 2016-2020, released in 2021.
Filipino group Lola Amour covered the song with Leanne and Naara during their Looking Back online concert in 2022. The band often performs the song live, using a break in the song to introduce the members during their concerts.
References
^"New Releases: Singles". Music Week. 17 June 2006. p. 33.
^"History" (in Italian). Federazione Industria Musicale Italiana. Retrieved 14 February 2020. Type "Amy Winehouse" in the search box, then select the "Classifiche" tab.
