PLUS a little bit more
Unsurprisingly, the movie’s soundtrack features some of her biggest hits, lifted from both her album Back to Black and her debut, Frank. But it also highlights some of the artists who inspired her, with The Shangri-Las, Billie Holiday, Minnie Riperton, Dinah Washington and Sarah Vaughan all featuring.
Wondering what songs are included and whether Abela sings them? Read on for everything you need to know.
Composed and recorded by Nick Cave and Warren Ellis, the soundtrack features three original recordings from Amy’s debut album, Frank, three songs from her masterpiece Back to Black and a new track, Song for Amy, sung by Cave.
The Amy Winehouse songs featured in the film are as follows:
Other songs featured on the soundtrack include:
Yes, and in a recent interview with RadioTimes.com, Abela spoke about the challenges of nailing such a unique vocal style.
“I mean, it’s an incredibly distinctive sound, so just nailing that sound was the difficult thing,” she said.
“Because I think that, you know, one of the incredible things about Amy was that she never performed the same song the same way twice.
“So in those moments that are, you know, specific interviews or specific performances, it kind of has to be right, because that’s the only time it ever sounded like that. So that was important to me.”
She continued: “But again, it’s just another challenge. It’s just another, like, way to work.
Director Sam Taylor-Johnson previously revealed that she hadn’t always planned to use an actor’s vocals over Amy’s.
Speaking to Empire, she said: “When we first talked about it, my first question to (Marisa) was, ‘Can you sing?’ And she said, ‘I can’t.'”
She continued: “I was thinking, maybe we’ll use Amy’s voice throughout, and we’ll do it that way.
“She then went off after that audition – irrespective of whether she knew she’d got the part – and started training her voice.
“Now she sings the entire movie, beginning to end. I mean, it’s a huge feat.”
Abela also worked with Winehouse’s original band for the recordings. “Amy’s original band got back together, and we all went into the recording studio,” Taylor-Johnson added.
“Dale [Davis] was there, her bass guitarist, and Ade [Omotayo, singer], and we just all stood there and just went, ‘F**k! She’s incredible.’
“They didn’t know what to expect. They were just brimming with emotion, because it’s such a multi-layer of feelings for the people who were close to her and worked with her.
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“A lot of the times they would just actually show up on filming days when we were filming music scenes, to just sit and experience that.”
Some diehard Amy Winehouse fans have been quick to criticise the vocal ability of Marisa Abela, who is portraying the singer in the film.
A clip was released in March showing Back to Black’s depiction of the process of Amy’s first record deal and writing Stronger Than Me – and giving the first look at Abela’s vocals – and some fans were far from impressed.
However, the RadioTimes.com review is full of praise of Abela’s performance, describing her portrayal of Amy as “at turns funny, headstrong, vulnerable and tragic”.
The film’s music producer, Giles Martin, the son of Beatles producer George Martin, recently weighed in on the criticism around choosing Abela’s voice over Amy’s in the final edit.
“The challenge was acceptance,” he told virginradio.co.uk. “I remember really early on, I think Marisa is fantastic. I’m really proud of the way we did it. I think people always go, ‘It’s not Amy Winehouse singing?’ I go, ‘Well, it isn’t Amy Winehouse singing!’
Giles continued: “I think she gets the emotion across, and that’s the challenge, in getting the emotion across, the frailty. I think it’s a celebration of Amy, and I think Marisa’s done a phenomenal job of that.”
Back to Back landed in cinemas in UK and Ireland on Friday 12th April 2024.
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With Toyah’s behaviour causing her sister Leanne’s (Jane Danson) partner Nick Tilsley (Ben Price) to be concerned, he offered to give her the day off from work at the Bistro. But during another row with Leanne at the restaurant, Toyah again defended her actions from the previous day, and left Nick baffled when she described the park as a “special place”.
At the flat, Nick found Toyah crying as she sat on the floor in the dark, and she left him stunned as she blurted out that she had buried her baby in the very same park she had been defending against trolls.
Toyah confided that she had been 19 at the time, and hadn’t even known she was pregnant until she went into labour. Mum Janice (Vicky Entwistle) and stepdad Les (Bruce Jones) were distracted by an argument, meaning no one noticed what she was going through as she gave birth to a stillborn baby girl at 26 weeks.
Toyah tried and failed to save her baby, before laying in her bed with her daughter for one night, burying her without telling anyone, and travelling away from the local area for medical treatment.
When Nick enquired about the baby’s father, Toyah confirmed that it was her rapist, Phil Simmonds (Jack Deam).
Explaining away viewers’ confusion over the show rewriting history, Toyah reminded Nick that Leanne was abroad at the time, otherwise she would have worked out Toyah’s ordeal straight away; while Janice had her own problems and Les was always busy.
In the years since, Toyah struggled to conceive and a doctor claimed that there was no connection between the loss of baby Rose and the fact that she hadn’t been able to have further children.
Later, Simon Barlow (Alex Bain) arrived, announcing that Bobby Crawford (Jack Carroll) told him a body had been found at the park. Toyah told Nick that she was going straight to the police station to confess, as she believed that Rose’s body had been unearthed.
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But when Simon called Nick to explain that no body had been found after all, he rushed to stop Toyah from telling police about her baby. While Toyah considered speaking up anyway, rather than keeping Rose as a dark secret, she ultimately stayed quiet.
With Toyah unwilling to let Nick tell Leanne anything, he covered for her when Leanne arrived home. But Toyah had a change of heart, finally opening up as Leanne cried for her.
Leanne agreed to accompany Toyah to visit the spot where Rose was buried, and once there, Leanne presented a teddy bear from her late son Oliver to his cousin Rose. Toyah declared how much she loved her daughter, and lovingly placed the bear on her grave.
At home, Leanne confronted Nick over lying to her, and he branded her a hypocrite for her own fibs. After Leanne walked out to take a call with cult leader Rowan Cunliffe (Emrhys Cooper), Toyah emerged to thank Nick for his support.
But when they shared a warm hug, the energy between the pair was not familial and platonic. For a moment, it looked like they might lean in for a kiss, until they said goodnight and ended the exchange. Are Nick and Toyah about to cross a line?
Anyone affected by Toyah’s story can find support by visiting Rape Crisis, or calling their 24/7 Rape & Sexual Abuse Support Line on 0808 500 2222. For support on stillbirth and baby loss, visit Sands.
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