Story Behind The Song
A torch singer, Guilded Lilly's Nance Veltkamp has experienced the exact heartbreak described in Back to Black. Nance drew from personal experience of loss, betrayal and acceptance of a lover choosing someone else over her and returning to them unceremoniously. Sometimes though, the universe removes what was never meant for us to begin with. This is the feeling that while painful when it happens, it is actually liberating. This interpretation is where the arrangement for the song was born. Moments of just vocals or dynamic changes to evoke an "I'm not OK now, but just you watch - there are better things waiting for me" and you are not one of them. Victor Payne's guitar solo (looper used live) is filled with emotion and Nance's vocal section breeds hope into the future...while he goes back to her, the listener/she can go back to whatever he/she/they want because the opportunities are only limited by the boundaries we place on them.
Song Description
A new spin on a classic. Recorded live in Seattle in 2026 (JoJo Nieves), the Guild 12-string played by Victor Payne accompanies Nance Veltkamp's haunting vocal performance. A torch singer, Nance captures the pain of a lover's betrayal in this bluesy cover. The finger styling solo at the end gives for a hopeful future for the betrayed lover. The unresolved lyric at the end allows the listener to go back to whatever they choose. Moving, powerful. resilient. Strong emotions as this song invites you
| Song Length |
4:44 |
Genre |
Blues - Rock, Rock - Americana |
| Tempo |
Multiple Tempos |
Lead Vocal |
Female Vocal |
| Mood |
Poignant, Composed |
Subject |
Regret, Heartbreak |
| Similar Artists |
Amy Winehouse |
Language |
English |
| Era |
2000 and later |
| |
Lyrics
He...left no time to regret. Kept his di** wet, with his same, old safe bet. And me...with my head high and my tears dry - get on without my guy.
And you, went back to what you knew...so far removed from all that we went through, And I, led a troubled track. My odds are stacked as I go back to black.
We only said goodbye with words. I died a hundred times, You go back to her & I go back to...I go back to -
Us. I love you much. It's not enough. You love blow and I love puff. And life is like a pipe... I'm like a penny rolling up the walls inside.
We only said goodbye with words. I died a hundred times, You go back to her & I go back to...We only said goodbye with words. I died a thousand times, You go back to her & I go back to...black. Black. Black.
We only said goodbye with words. I died a hundred times, You go back to her & I go back to...We only said goodbye with words. I died a thousand times, You go back to her & I go back to... OOOH.
WOOOH.
You go back to her & I go back to...