Mark Ronson says he wouldn’t have made Rehab with Amy Winehouse if he thought she was “in a bad way” on drugs at the time.

 

The studio wizard was speaking to mark the 15th anniversary of the late music legend’s seminal 2006 LP Back to Black, which reached the milestone this week.

And he has insisted he wouldn’t have suggested putting out “a funny song about not going to rehab” if the Valerie hitmaker herself was going through a bad phase with substance addiction.

Opening up: Mark Ronson says he wouldn't have made Rehab with Amy Winehouse if he thought she was "in a bad way" on drugs at the time
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Opening up: Mark Ronson says he wouldn’t have made Rehab with Amy Winehouse if he thought she was “in a bad way” on drugs at the time

Speaking about the record’s lead single to Zane Lowe on Apple Music Hits, Mark recalled: ‘When we came out with Rehab too, it was because she was just telling me the story about how her family came over and tried to make her go to rehab.

‘And she was like, “No, no, no.” And I just saw the way she said it and delivered it, it had a cadence, it sounded like a song.’

He added: ‘So we went back to the studio, but she was really together. She wasn’t doing any drugs… if this was a person who looked like they were in a bad way or whatever, I would definitely not be saying like, “Hey, let’s make a funny song about not going to rehab.”‘

Amy Winehouse sings alongside her dad in poignant video

Looking back: He has insisted he wouldn't have suggested putting out "a funny song about not going to rehab" if the hitmaker herself was going through a bad phase with substance addiction (pictured onstage together in 2008)
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Looking back: He has insisted he wouldn’t have suggested putting out “a funny song about not going to rehab” if the hitmaker herself was going through a bad phase with substance addiction (pictured onstage together in 2008)

Amy died of accidental alcohol poisoning, aged 27, in 2011, and the 46-year-old producer believes that Rehab is not the singer’s biggest-selling song because since her passing it’s too “painful” for people to listen to.

He explained: ‘It felt like such a closed chapter in the past that obviously now that’s why that song… I don’t know what the numbers are, but I’m curious, that’s not one of her biggest songs, even though it’s essentially her biggest hit, because now it’s a little more painful to listen to that message very specifically. It’s too on the nose or direct.’

The song peaked at number 7 in the UK Singles Chart and number 9 in the United States on the Billboard Hot 100, while it scooped three Grammy Awards and Ivor Novello.

Stunning: A 20-foot installation appeared in Amy's former hometown Camden, north London on Thursday morning emblazoned with her signature
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Stunning: A 20-foot installation appeared in Amy’s former hometown Camden, north London on Thursday morning emblazoned with her signature

Iconic: The enormous commission paid tribute to Amy's critically acclaimed album, Back to Black, released in 2006 (pictured: Amy performing at Camden nightspot Koko, which reopens in spring 2022)
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Iconic: The enormous commission paid tribute to Amy’s critically acclaimed album, Back to Black, released in 2006 (pictured: Amy performing at Camden nightspot Koko, which reopens in spring 2022)

A 20-foot installation appeared in Amy’s former hometown Camden, north London on Thursday morning emblazoned with her signature, stopping passers-by in their tracks.

The enormous commission paid tribute to Amy’s critically acclaimed album, Back to Black, released in 2006 and widely considered one of the greatest albums of the 21st Century.

The album left its mark on modern culture and turned Amy into a globally successful star, winning five Grammy Awards, including Record of the Year.