The Zutons: 'Amy Winehouse gave Valerie a life of its own'

BBC News

07-02-2025

When The Zutons were asked to take part in the 25th anniversary celebrations of BBC Radio 1's Live Lounge, they knew there was only one artist they could cover.The live sessions have been a much-loved part of the station's output for years, but it was Amy Winehouse's performance of the Liverpool band's song Valerie in 2007 that was voted the best ever by its fans.And so it was Winehouse's iconic track Back To Black, along with a live version of Valerie, that the band played in their own session at the end of 2024.A couple of months on, saxophonist Abi Harding, who took vocal duties on the cover, said it had been a nerve-wracking experience, but one she had ultimately enjoyed.
"We thought 'let's not try and be like Amy Winehouse because you can't, there's only one Amy Winehouse'," she said.She said they considered a number of Winehouse's songs to cover, including her personal favourite, Love Is A Losing Game, but Back To Black was "the most one suited to a band"."We thought we could do it and make it our own like the way she did with Valerie.""It was more fitting for me to sing it than Dave [McCabe, the band's lead singer] and I'd been dying to sing a song... [but] I was so nervous to be compared to her."I'm never going to be her, she's an amazing artist."She said she was glad to have done the song justice and believed that was partially down to its subject matter."Everyone, myself included, has been through heartbreak or times when you feel the worst," she said."I'm older now, so that's happened quite a few times, so you can go to that place."But it's nice to hear that [people think] it's still full of emotion and they get that from it."
Such has been the response to the track, that the band subsequently released it as a single in December, mirroring what Winehouse, who died in 2011, did with Valerie 17 years earlier.That song started off as an idea formed by McCabe's head while he was travelling in a taxi to his mum's house, and was released as a single by The Zutons in 2006.It peaked at number nine in the UK charts and piqued the interest of Winehouse, who recorded a slowed version with producer Mark Ronson for the deluxe edition of her album Back To Black in 2007.Harding said the story was that Ronson wanted the people he was working with for his own album to do a modern cover."She said: 'I don't like any modern music, I only listen to old music'."He went: 'You've come in every day singing that Valerie song by The Zutons, why don't you do that?'"So the fact she liked the song, I was super flattered, but doing it on the Live Lounge and it becoming a big hit is another thing again."I just loved her so much... it was such a joy to hear her sing it and make it her own."
Ronson released the upbeat version featuring Winehouse's vocals in October 2007 and it went on to reach number two on the UK charts. Harding said that had led the song to having "a life of its own"."It's neither ours or hers, or anyone's... it's just everyone's."
The Zutons' own appearance on the Live Lounge coincided with a career resurgence. Having split in 2009, they came back together in 2016 and were on the rise again with a tour celebrating the 15th anniversary of their debut album, Who Killed... The Zutons?, in 2019 when Covid-19 curtailed their activities. Harding said in some ways, the subsequent lockdowns were actually beneficial."It might have been a bit of a blessing in disguise," she said."We were writing [the next album] and were ready to go, but then the lockdowns happened."[That meant] we did hone the songs a little bit more."
Produced by guitar legend Nile Rodgers and Scouse music royalty Ian Broudie, The Big Decider was released last April and reached number seven in the UK charts.Harding said it also had an impact on their appearance at Glastonbury.Opening The Other Stage on the festival's last day, she said they were not sure there would be a crowd."I said to Dave before coming on stage, 'be ready for there to be no-one there."But by the end, it was chocker."To everyone who got up at that time on a Sunday, thanks."She said the band were now working on their fifth album but were concentrating on their upcoming live dates for now. "We've got a bunch of festivals booked."Hopefully, more will come in, because they tend to come in in dribs and drabs over the first few months of the year."But the April tour, that's the next thing coming up if you want to come and see us."The Zutons are on tour in the UK from 27 March to 12 April.
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