“Rehab” by Amy Winehouse

“Rehab” is a song performed by the late English singer and songwriter Amy Winehouse. The song, which is autobiographical, talks about Winehouse’s refusal to attend a rehabilitation center to treat her problems with severe alcohol addiction. And this was even after her management team insisted on several occasions that she go. According to Winehouse, after her management team persuaded her to go into rehab, she asked her father Mitch Winehouse if he thought it was necessary. His response to her was that he felt it wasn’t necessary but she could give a try all the same.

She later revealed that she actually gave it a try for “just 15 minutes” and walked out. She subsequently changed her management after that.

Conclusion

So all in all, Rehab is about Winehouse’s refusal to attend rehab for alcohol addiction. Ironically she died few years later at the young age of 27 from alcohol poisoning brought on by her alcohol addiction. This addiction was the same problem which she refused going into rehab for. And it is this same addiction based on which she wrote this famous song.

Facts about the song “Rehab”

“Rehab” was written by Amy Winehouse and produced by renowned English music producer Mark Ronson.

The song was released on October 23, 2006. It came out as the first single from Winehouse’s second and last studio album Back to Black. Back to Black was so successful it won the Grammy Award for the Best Pop Vocal Album in 2008.

“Rehab” reached number 7 on the UK Singles Chart. It also hit number 9 on none other than the Hot 100. This achievement gave Winehouse her first entry into into the top 10 in the United States.

“Rehab” also scored a number 1 in Hungary and Norway.

Speaking with the British tabloid newspaper The Daily Mail, Winehouse said the writing process of the song took her about 5 minutes.

In 2007, “Rehab” was honored with the prestigious Ivor Novello Award. This was in the Best Contemporary Song category.

The names “Mr. Hathaway” and “Ray” that Winehouse mentions in the lyrics of the song refer to famous American musicians Donny Hathaway and Ray Charles.

Rolling Stone magazine included “Rehab” in the list of The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time. And in 2007, Time magazine placed the song at the number one position on their list of the 10 best songs of that year.

In the United States, this Amy Winehouse signature tune has sold more than 2 million units. In the UK, it has also sold over half a million units.

“Rehab” wins Big at the Grammys

At the 50th Annual Grammy Awards in 2008, “Rehab” was honored with three Grammy Awards, including that for Song of the Year. It also grabbed the the highly enviable one for Record of the Year. It is worth noting that in winning the Grammy Award for Song of the Year, “Rehab” beat a number of very famous songs such as Rihanna’s “Umbrella“. “Rehab” also beat “Hey There Delilah” by Plain White T’s in the process.

Amy Winehouse claimed she eventually went into Rehab. Did she really go to Rehab?

Yes, she did. Winehouse and her then partner Blake Fielder-Civil both struggled with serious drug addiction. And the problem only seemed to grow worse after their marriage in 2007. The pair, particularly Winehouse after being introduced to hard drugs by her husband finally said yes to receiving help with her addiction that very year.

Both decided to check into the infamous Causeway Retreat on Osea Island for treatment. Sources close to the couple reported that the songstress and partner spent at least a $20,000 fee per week for the treatment. The hefty price also gave them access to a recording studio on the island.

That being said, it should be noted that the addiction treatment center which began operations in 2005 was ordered to be shut down in 2010. This was after investigations revealed that the facility had been operating as an unlicensed hospital.

Brendan Quinn, a psychiatric nurse and the manager of The Causeway Retreat was struck off from practicing and suspended in September 2010. His Twenty 7 Management which co-run the place were slapped with a fine of £8,000 and an additional £30,000.

The addiction treatment center was famed for housing the likes of Winehouse and Take That’s Mark Owen. Actor Jonathan Rhys Meyers as well as some members of the wealthiest families in Britain also received treatment there.