“Back to Black” was written by Mark Ronson and Winehouse, inspired by her troubled on-again, off-again relationship with ex-husband Blake Fielder-Civil

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This week, the late Grammy-winning singer’s music video for the 2007 hit single “Back to Black” surpassed a billion views on YouTube, making her part of an elite group of musicians to achieve the impressive feat.

Directed by Phil Griffin, the black-and-white music video portrays Winehouse attending a funeral procession for a failed romance. Among a group of people, she attends the burial, where a gravestone reads, “R.I.P. the Heart of Amy Winehouse,” though that imagery was removed following her 2011 death from alcohol poisoning at age 27.

Amy Winehouse performing on stage

Amy Winehouse.Chris Christoforou/Redferns

“Back to Black” was written by Mark Ronson and Winehouse, inspired by her troubled relationship with ex-husband Blake Fielder-Civil, who’d briefly left her for an ex-girlfriend two years prior to their 2007 reconciliation and wedding. (The pair later divorced in 2009.)

The song’s lyrics find Winehouse missing the relationship, no matter how difficult it may have been. “We only said goodbye with words / I died a hundred times / You go back to her / And I go back to black,” she sings on its chorus.

Released on her 2007 album of the same name, “Back to Black” initially peaked at No. 25 on the UK Singles Chart that year before reaching No. 8 following Winehouse’s death. Since then, it’s become one of her signature hits and received many notable cover versions, including one by Beyoncé and André 3000 for the 2013 film The Great Gatsby.

Photo of Mark RONSON and Amy WINEHOUSE, Mark Ronson performing on stage with Amy Winehouse, twin necked guitar

Mark Ronson and Amy Winehouse.JMEnternational/Redferns

Last year, Ronson spoke about his experience co-writing and producing the song with Winehouse and shared previously-unheard raw vocal takes from the legendary neo soul singer in a TikTok video.

“Hi, I’m Mark Ronson. For those of you who might not know me, I wrote the song ‘Back to Black’ with Amy Winehouse some 15 years ago at this exact piano right here,” the 46-year-old “Uptown Funk” musician said in the clip, showing fans the grand piano where he worked with Winehouse.

“Amy came to my studio right here. We met for the first time, and I instantly loved her,” Ronson continued. “She played me all this great ’60s music, and she left, and I got very inspired, and I came up with this piano right here.”

“Next day she came in and wrote these incredible lyrics, which she scribbled in the back room. And for the first time ever maybe, here are the very first vocals that she did,” he continued, before playing an audio clip of Winehouse singing a slightly different version of the then-work-in-progress track.

Since posted, Ronson’s TikTok has garnered over 4.7 million views and nearly a million likes on the social platform. In a follow-up video, the musician responded to a fan’s comment that read, “This made me tear up to hear her raw takes. Thank you for sharing,” by sharing more audio clips from his “Back to Black” sessions with Winehouse.