You Know I'm No Good

Album

Back to Black

Label

Island Records

Genre

Blues

Composer(s)

Amy Winehouse

Entered Chart

Mar 31, 2007

Peak Date

Mar 1, 2008

Released

Unknown

Recorded

Unknown

Catalog #

Universal Republic 008491

B-Side

"Monkey Man"

The music video, directed by Phil Griffin (who also directed the video for her previous hit "Rehab"), was released to music channels in late November 2006. The video features Winehouse in numerous settings including a bar, a bedroom, and a bathtub. The plot is based around Winehouse's fictional character's relationship with the male character in the video. Video was shot by director of photography Adam Frisch and the sets were built at 3 Mills Studios in East London. The video premiered on VH1 during the weekend of 3 March 2007. Following its VH1 premiere, it was placed on MTV's Big 10 rotation as of 5 March 2007 and was premiered on TRL the same day. The song was heard on a sneak preview of AMC's original series Mad Men.

In this brutally honest song, Winehouse confesses to a number of vices. This song borrows the bass line from House of Pain's 1992 Transatlantic Top 10 single "Jump Around." A second version of this song was recorded with added guest vocals from Wu-Tang Clan member Ghostface Killah. This version appears on his album More Fish and the American and Japanese release of Back to Black. The song makes a reference to Roger Moore who portrayed British secret agent James Bond in seven films from 1973 to 1985. The lyric in question goes; "By the time I'm out the door/ You tear men down like Roger Moore." The English actor quipped that he had no idea why Winehouse chose to include him in the lyrics, unless she wanted a word that rhymed with "door", or could not find a word that rhymed with "Connery." Entertainment Weekly ranked this as the second best song of the year in 2007, just below Rihanna's "Umbrella." >> The B-side to this single is an acoustic version of "To Know Him Is To Love Him," a 1958 hit from The Teddy Bears, the first vocal group of seminal producer Phil Spector. Veteran rockabilly singer Wanda Jackson covered this on her 2011 album, The Party Ain't Over, produced by Jack White. Amy Winehouse predominantly based Back to Black on her relationship with her then-ex-boyfriend and future-husband Blake Fielder-Civil. "You Know I'm No Good" finds her admitting with vivid details she'd two-timed Fielder-Civil. When Mojo magazine's Tom Doyle asked Winehouse how much of the lyric was true, she admitted, "Yeah. Blake hates it. He's really proud of me, but it's so personal it must be hard. When I'm like, pen to paper, I'm the most honest I get."

Meet you downstairs, in the bar and hurt
Your rolled up sleeves and your skull t-shirt
You say, "What did you do with him today?"
And sniffed me out like I was Tanqueray
'Cause you're my fella, my guy
Hand me your Stella and fly
By the time I'm out the door
You tear men down like Roger Moore

I cheated myself
Like I knew I would
I told you I was trouble
You know that I'm no good

Upstairs in bed with my ex-boy
He's in the place, but I can't get joy
Thinkin' on you in the final throws
This is when my buzzer goes
Run out to meet your, chips and pita
You say, "When we married"
'Cause you're not bitter
"There'll be none of him no more"
I cried for you on the kitchen floor

I cheated myself
Like I knew I would
I told you I was trouble
You know that I'm no good

Sweet reunion, Jamaica and Spain
We're like how we were again
I'm in the tub, you on the seat
Lick your lips as I soap my feet
Then you notice likkle carpet burn
My stomach drop and my guts churn
You shrug and it's the worst
Who truly stuck the knife in first?

I cheated myself
Like I knew I would
I told you I was trouble
You know that I'm no good

I cheated myself
Like I knew I would
I told you I was trouble
Yeah, you know that I'm no good (I'm no good)