Song 177 - Valerie by the Zutons

What - a music blog? I know it has been five months without music. What happened? Life threw some curve balls and although the music was rocking away, I needed to be quiet and use my music to work out a few things. I didn't want to discuss personal problems through the blog as the song choice would have turned sad and repetitive. There's always a place for a sad song, but when it is the same song being played over and over again, that's not the way to attract followers.

But now the time has come to get back to the count down and start adding in more songs. Believe me I have a whole list of music I want to add into the blog and as this is a big year for birthdays, one of the themes this year for the blog is albums and songs celebrating birthdays this year along with my normal banter about particular songs. Today, I've been listening to the end of the alphabet on i-tunes and Valerie, sung by Amy Winehouse started playing. I decided that this was a good as any song to start with.

Although it is unimaginable to hear this song without thinking about Amy Winehouse, it is The Zutons that we need to thank for giving us such a fantastic song. Bursting onto the musical scene in 2001, the Zutons was one of the many bands making up the Liverpool Music Scene at the start of the millennium. When they first formed they were managed by Ian Broudie, who was managing the Coral, who were often pipped as their rivals at that time although both lead singers were friends.

Valerie was their second single off their second album Tired of Hanging Around and peaked at number 9 in the UK chart in 2006.  Whilst the band themselves would lose their record label a mere two and a bit years later, their top ten hit would be immortised by Mark Ronson and Amy Winehouse, when they released their version in October 200.  The song would peak at number 2 in the UK and spent 19 consecutive weeks inside the top 20. It was the ninth best selling single of 2007. Amy also recorded a slower version for her album Back to Black.

For me, my emotion when listening to song is overwhelmingly happy. It reminds me of being in a pub in Aviemore listening to a friend sing it. I had just been to South Africa and my whole life was changing; I was falling in love and I had started my 30s. Now I am a month away from a new decade, still very much in love  feeling just as excited about what being 40 might meant for me. 

Age is just a number as long as there's music in my soul, there will be love in my heart and adventure in mind.

Hope you are glad I'm back.

Here's the track:

The Zutons

Amy Winehouse and Mark Ronson