With its commercial success and accompanying controversies, Amy Winehouse’s second studio album (and final release before her drug-related death in 2011) cemented her reputation as a beloved musical innovator and tragic pop icon. Influenced sonically by girl groups from the Motown era, the lyrical content of the album was inspired by Winehouse’s torrid and intermingled relationships with both substance abuse and her on-again-off-again partner in excess and marriage, Blake Fielder-Civil. According to Amy’s mother, Janis, Amy planned on using the content throughout Back to Black as a way to heal, not only herself, but Blake, too. Janis elaborated on how she personally saw the album affect Amy during a December 2016 interview with The Sober World: The album is about their breakup. It’s like something bad bites back and that’s what he did unfortunately, hmmm…shame…She created a story about him. It really is a story, like Sid and Nancy all over again. Amy was like this hot, broken lover trying to help her poor addicted husband. Despite its dark thematic content of loss, addiction, and hopelessness, the album garnered both critical and commercial acclaim, gaining multi-platinum status and winning a Grammy for Best Pop Vocal Artist. As of July 2016, the album is listed as the 13th highest selling album of all time in the United Kingdom.