The 27 club

Date of birth. Pin codes. Post codes. Mobile phones. Historical events. Door numbers. Sort codes.  Account numbers. National insurance. Security codes. Passwords.  The change in your purse. Your car number plate.  The football score.  Minutes on a clock. Prime. Odd. Even. Square root.  Fibonacci.  Lottery numbers.  Number of songs on your iPod.     

The teachers at school weren’t playing when they said that maths was important. 
 We think, recall and remember numbers everyday of our lives.   Dialling the digits of a loved one straight into the handset without thinking twice.  Punching in pin numbers on the keypad and wait for the cash to be dispensed.  Age in itself is an achievement. Reaching 100 years on earth grants you a letter from the Queen- but for some life ends way before that. 


The number 27 is ominous for the musical artists whose lives have been cut short at the tender age of twenty- seven.  Joplin. Hendrix.  Cobain. Morrison and now Winehouse.


Although Amy only released two albums but it’s so evident to see how the battle of addiction was portrayed between the two albums. Lyrically, Back to Black was very dark, the jazz and soul rifts  attempted to cover up the demons that were blatantly attacking her and ultimatley was the root of the topics she sang about in her music. 


I’m no expert – but all addiction is a battle taking place in the mind, regardless of how together a person can appear on the exterior. And when celebrities and icons die, it just confirms how fragile life is.  No-one is invincible.  It was clear that Amy was struggling- the tabloid pictures were enough to suggest that and although she had the help she needed from friends and family- it was the internal struggle that held her captive.  She may be gone- but the music lives on. 


Frank – Amy’s first album is actually in my top 5 five albums of all time.  And I’m not just saying that because she is no longer with us- but because it (the album) was a new kind of jazz that I hadn’t heard before.  She merged her love and respect for the jazz greats (Ella, Billie, Grover) with todays modern culture. Singing about topics many have endured but yet with that nostalgic tone running deep.

Amy’s death- much like the other deaths that have occurred this year have sent one strong message home to me- that is,

We all have 24 hours in a day but we’re promised none.

I came.  I saw.  I blog.


Ruthie x