How was Back to Black written?
Producer Mark Ronson asked Amy Winehouse what music she liked. She played him the Shangri-Las, a 1960s girl group he didn't know well.
That night, Ronson wrote a piano part. It became the verse chords of “Back to Black”. Winehouse heard it the next day, and she wrote the words.
Ronson produced the album with Salaam Remi. The Dap-Kings, Sharon Jones's Brooklyn soul band, played on it.
Winehouse won five Grammys in one night in 2008, including Best Pop Vocal Album for Back to Black. In 2025, the Library of Congress added Back to Black to the National Recording Registry.
What's in the Back to Black 20th-anniversary editions?
The 20th-anniversary editions of Back to Black came out on 23 October 2026, from the record labels UMe and Island.
- 3LP clear vinyl (three records) and 3CD: four unreleased demos and rare B-sides, new cover art, unseen photos and new liner notes. Both include an image of her handwritten lyrics from Ronson's archive.
- 1LP “Chalkboard Marble” colour vinyl.
- 1LP zoetrope vinyl, a record that shows moving pictures as it spins, with footage of Amy. It is sold only on the official store.
How to tell which pressing you own
Reissues can share a cover, so the sleeve alone may not tell you which pressing you have. Check the barcode, the label and the runout. The runout is the code etched in the smooth ring by the label. Our runout guide shows how to read one.
In Teca, scan the barcode or snap the sleeve, then pick your pressing. If you already own it, Teca says so. You can add the new editions to your wantlist.
