KL

02 April 2021

“Tears Dry on Their Own” by Amy Winehouse is a song that sounds a lot calmer and

more collected with the music but when you add the lyrics it is not as upbeat as you think. For

people that do not know much about Amy Winehouse or that do not really listen to the lyrics in a

lot of her songs, including this one, it might not be on their playlists for when they are not feeling

the happiest. The upbeat feeling of the music is most likely just a form of coping and comforting

herself instead of turning to old vices as many of her other songs depict. The whole song is full

of a sense of confidence and independence that when really looked at feels forced like she is

trying to convince everyone and even herself that she is confident and okay. The song comes off

as empowering, strength after a breakup and change, but with a deeper look you can see all of the

hidden feelings.

Keeping with that idea, the song is also very repetitive, as if she has to tell herself over

and over again. Instead, it follows the idea of rejection and how she decides to handle it this time

around given that it was written in the middle of a breakup. She has felt rejection from her dad

even before the rejection from her significant other came into play meaning that it has been

something she has been dealing with for a while. In the song she says, “I’ll be some next man’s

other woman soon, I cannot play myself again”, which also has a very shut off feel to it as if she

thinks that she is okay with being the other woman and does not need the dedicated love and

commitment that comes from a good, and non-toxic like she has experienced time and time

again, relationship. Also, the song says, “He walks away, the sun goes down”, linking his leaving

her with the darkness behind the confident front.

 Also, with the same concepts and ideas, The Royal Tenenbaums is more similar to “Tears

Dry on Their Own” than some might think despite it being labeled a Comedy-drama. Focusing

on two characters, Richie and his adopted sister Margo, there is so much heartbreak surrounding

these characters both together and apart. Margo had lived her whole childhood as a second

thought and was constantly reminded by her father that she was adopted which could make her

feel as if she was never a real part of the family. She was also rejected by her father, like Amy

Winehouse, even from a young age. Regardless of what occasion it was, even on her birthday

when her first play was performed, he still felt the need to put her down every chance he has. As

she grew up, she hid every part of her from everyone.

When it comes to Richie, he was a successful and talented child who was praised more

than Margo. After his parents separated, he still kept up the same ideals and person. This is due

to the fact that he never fully recovered from it. Instead, he kept living as if nothing had changed.

He even dressed the same. It was not until later on in his life when he found out about his

adopted sister’s hidden life that his emotions finally became too much and he broke. All of his

emotions came flooding in, but he still did not show them. This plays into another issue for them

both: their feelings for each other. They have always been fond of each other since childhood,

but as they grew so did their feelings. Neither of them acted on those feelings given that they

were brother and sister until Richie’s break down and suicide attempt. Though Margo and Richie

had a happy ending by the end of the movie, a lot of the same feelings and coping mechanisms

can be related to Amy Winehouse’s “Tears Dry on Their Own”. The need to hide one’s feelings,

rejection from people who you should be able to rely on and others, and feeling like you cannot

have what your heart wanted.