sunrise1

OK, need your opinions, SR...

I'm a musician... full time. Looking for more and different music to do. Is it just that I have an utterly warped sense of humor, or would it really be tacky to do "Rehab"? The joke being, in my case, that I basically intervened on myself (and would have gone to rehab if it was thought to be a good idea). Tongue- in - cheek kind of thing.

Most people would have no idea why I was or wasn't doing this particular song. I'm wondering what the thoughts would be for those who are "in the know" so to speak.

Thoughts?

laurie6781

Oh I am sure you will get 'opinions.'

I will not give you mine. Instead I will ask?

Why not WRITE YOUR OWN, about your OWN experiences with whatever methods you have tried or are trying?

Love and hugs,

BackToSquareOne

I always thought the song had a bit of irony to it. Does it try to glorify substance abuse or does it speak to the reluctance of the addict to seek treatment? I see more of the later in it. Always liked the song, it never made me want to drink.

Dee74

I like the song - if I was gigging right now, I'd never do it here tho, because AW was pretty 'big' here and frankly, it's too soon. It would be seen like I was making fun of her.

It may be different where you are tho in the States, Sunrise

I like Lauries suggestion tho

D

ForeverDecember

I liked the song, had a nice hook - easy to get stuck in your head.

Turned out to be a bit prophetic for poor Amy. Maybe the kids who think it's cool to shun rehab and keep drinking/drugging got something out of her death. I hope so, such a tragedy to see anyone die at such a young age, even worse if it were meaningless.

My thoughts on playing the song - if it makes you think about drinking then I wouldn't. If it doesn't then, meh - just a song. One of my favourite songs to listen to at the moment is "Alcoholic" by Starsailor. Doesn't make me want to drink, I just like the song.

Mark75

I never like Amy's music much until I heard her duet with Tony Bennett ... I almost got choked up... What an utter tragedy, in so many ways.

My question is... Why? What's your motive? What are you trying to say?

I have been studying the history and music of The Stanley Brothers... Ralph and Carter. Carter died of alcoholic cirrhosis at 41 year old. His voice and songwriting ability was without peer among bluegrass musicians, then (1966) and even now. He was a compelling individual and I want to learn more. Looking for clues in his music.

There is an ocean of music with these kinds of themes and I find it fascinating.

soberlicious

I love the song. I think that with music, as with any other art form, interpretations are varied and based on our personal perceptions/experiences. Whether you do the song or don't do it, make the choice for YOU. If some people don't "get it" or take offense, that's perfectly ok.

Sugah

I don't see anything wrong with performing the song. Seriously. I'm no longer a musician, but I fancy myself a pretty good vehicular vocalist, and I find myself belting out a lot of Janis Joplin tunes because I like to sing them. I don't necessarily agree with the message in them (Janis sang about some pretty serious co-dependency issues), but they're fun to sing. And, hey, irony is in.

Do you think you'll do damage to one of your listeners or yourself by singing it? Maybe you could come up with a way of introducing it, pointing out the prophecy (and the damned shame--I'm not a huge fan, but the woman had pipes).

Peace & Love,
Sugah

Peter G

Most cover bands I know of that had 'Rehab' in their song list have stopped performing the tune - since AW untimely and tragic death. Like Dee eluded to, it's kinda tacky to play it at this point. She was also big here in Singapore and I know it would twitch out her fans. Some folks who - like you said - are "in the know" might even find you are poking unnecessary fun, even though you're not.

We used to play it though, when it first hit the charts. It's a nice track I guess, but she has so many better tunes than that. I'd often get a bittersweet kick out of the fact that I was thoroughly tanked almost every time the song came up in the set list.

Oddly enough I never bothered with her music much because, struggling myself, Rehab seemed to touch a nerve with me. After her death I took the time to listen to her body of work critically... wow. That woman had some serious lungs. Damned shame she went out like that.

Just MHO, but at this point I wouldn't do the song even if it was requested. UNLESS, as Sugah mentioned, you could preface the track with some words of deference and let it be known you're performing it out of respect.

wheresthefun

I was once a professional prostitute, er, um, I mean Top 40 musician. If whoever was paying me wanted to hear something, I played it. If said money supplier said they didn't want to hear something, I didn't play it.

Summer of 87, we're playing a gig from Hell, five nights, seven sets, in a club in NY, on Lake George - TOURIST TRAP. End of first night, I see a couple of my band-mates arguing with the club owner, at the bar. I drunkenly stroll over (I'm the band "leader" - ha) to find out what's going on. Boys in the band yelling, "we played the song because it's on Billboard's Top 40, you hired a Top 40 dance band!!!!!!!!!!" Club owner (drunk as well) is screaming back at them, "the song is disgusting, and IT'S NOT A TOP 40 HIT!!!!!!".

I find all this is about George Michael's "I Want Your Sex", which was, at the time a HUGE Top 40 hit. I tell the owner this, and he goes crazy, yelling it's not... I say, "well, it is, and I can show the latest copy of Billboard, but that doesn't matter, if you don't want us to play it, no problem, we won't play it." The only reason I cared, is because there's no guitar in it, so I lost an extra little break.

I don't think I have to explain the moral of the story.

I will add, even though we took it out of the set list for the rest of the week, that wasn't good enough for him, he wouldn't stop until we actually said, "it's not a Top 40 hit." Guess what we did to the apartment they put us up in, before we left? Yes, Mr. I've-Got-My-Pulse-on-the-Music-Industry also owned the apartment we trashed.

Oh, back to the OP. If you want to play it, play it. If management, agents, patrons... have a negative reaction, don't play it.

LaFemme

I have Back to Black on my iPod and when Rehab comes on I skip it. It's too sad to listen to. I think, considering it's legacy, it is a song that should be left alone. I actually find listening to the whole album disquieting today in light of her death. Almost all the songs are prophetic and part of her appeal was the rawness of her music.

If it matters, I'm American.

pangur

A lot depends on the audience, I wouldn't play it at a spring-break/frat-house party, they just wouldn't "get it" and see it as a glorification of excess. A more mature audience would see the song in it's proper context.

Ollie909

IMHO A lot of nice sax work going here. If your cover band is adequate with a singer that can do this, I'd love to hear it myself.

BackToSquareOne

Here she is live and the video version, in the live version you can see she had one hell of a band, the brass is incredible. :

Amy Winehouse - Rehab - Live HD - YouTube

Amy Winehouse - Rehab - YouTube