"Love Is a Losing Game" is a song by English singer and songwriter

Amy Winehouse Amy Jade Winehouse (14 September 1983 – 23 July 2011) was an English singer and songwriter. She was known for her deep, expressive contralto vocals and her eclectic mix of musical genres, including soul, rhythm and blues and jazz. A membe ...

from her second and final

studio album An album is a collection of audio recordings issued on compact disc (CD), vinyl, audio tape, or another medium such as digital distribution. Albums of recorded sound were developed in the early 20th century as individual 78 rpm records c ...

Back to Black ''Back to Black'' is the second and final studio album by English singer and songwriter Amy Winehouse, released on 27 October 2006 by Island Records. Winehouse predominantly based the album on her tumultuous relationship with then-ex-boyfrien ...

'' (2006). It was chosen as the fifth and final single from ''Back to Black'' and was also the final single released in Winehouse's lifetime. The single was released on 10 December 2007 in the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and ...

. The song was added to

BBC Radio 1 BBC Radio 1 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. It specialises in modern popular music and current chart hits throughout the day. The station provides alternative genres at night, including electronica, dance ...

's playlist on 7 November 2007.

Release and response

George Michael George Michael (born Georgios Kyriacos Panayiotou; 25 June 1963 – 25 December 2016) was an English singer and songwriter. He is considered one of the most significant cultural icons of the MTV generation and is one of the best-selling music ...

named the song as one of his eight choices on the

Radio Four BBC Radio 4 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC that replaced the BBC Home Service in 1967. It broadcasts a wide variety of Talk radio, spoken-word programmes, including news, drama, comedy, science and history fro ...

programme ''

Desert Island Discs ''Desert Island Discs'' is a radio programme broadcast on BBC Radio 4. It was first broadcast on the BBC Forces Programme on 29 January 1942. Each week a guest, called a "castaway" during the programme, is asked to choose eight recordings (usua ...

''. When asked which of his eight choices he would pick if he had to choose one, he opted for "Love Is a Losing Game".

Prince A prince is a male ruler (ranked below a king, grand prince, and grand duke) or a male member of a monarch's or former monarch's family. ''Prince'' is also a title of nobility (often highest), often hereditary, in some European states. ...

had taken to covering the song live. On 21 September 2007, he was joined onstage by Winehouse at the final aftershow of his 21-gig marathon at

The O2 The O2 is a large entertainment district on the Greenwich peninsula in South East London, England, including an indoor arena, a music club, a Cineworld cinema, an exhibition space, piazzas, bars, and restaurants. It was built largely withi ...

, and they performed the song together. Eliscu, Jenny (2007-06-14)
"The Diva and Her Demons"
''Rolling Stone''. (1028):58-69 Retrieved 2007-12-14 The song is the lowest-charting of Winehouse's ''Back to Black'' singles, peaking at number 33 on the

UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...

and spending four weeks on the UK Top 100 (46-61--64). Winehouse performed "Love Is a Losing Game" live when she appeared at the 2007

Mercury Prize The Mercury Prize, formerly called the Mercury Music Prize, is an annual music prize awarded for the best album released in the United Kingdom by a British or Irish act. It was created by Jon Webster and Robert Chandler in association with the ...

. She later performed it at the

2008 BRIT Awards Brit Awards 2008 was the 28th edition of the Brit Awards, an annual music awards ceremony in the United Kingdom. It was organised by the British Phonographic Industry and took place on 20 February 2008 at the Earls Court in London. The ceremony ...

. The song won the award for Best Song Musically and Lyrically at the 2008

Ivor Novello Awards The Ivor Novello Awards, named after the entertainer Ivor Novello, are awards for songwriting and composing. They have been presented annually in London by the Ivors Academy (formerly the BASCA) since 1956, and over 1,000 statuettes have been a ...

on 22 May 2008, Winehouse's third award at the event. In 2015,

Sam Smith Samuel Frederick Smith (born 19 May 1992) is an English singer and songwriter. After rising to prominence in October 2012 by featuring on Disclosure's breakthrough single "Latch", which peaked at number eleven on the UK Singles Chart, they ...

recorded a cover of the song for the re-release of their debut album '' In the Lonely Hour (Drowning Shadows Edition)''. A

documentary film A documentary film or documentary is a non-fictional motion-picture intended to "document reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction, education or maintaining a historical record". Bill Nichols has characterized the documentary in te ...

biopic, directed by film maker

Asif Kapadia Asif Kapadia (born 1972) is a British filmmaker. Academy Award, BAFTA and Grammy winning director Asif Kapadia has made his name directing visually striking films exploring ‘outsiders’, characters living in extreme circumstances, fighting ...

was released; that depicts the life and death of Winehouse, entitled ''

Amy Amy is a female given name, sometimes short for Amanda, Amelia, Amélie, or Amita. In French, the name is spelled ''" Aimée"''. People A–E * Amy Acker (born 1976), American actress * Amy Vera Ackman, also known as Mother Giovanni (1886– ...

'' (2015). Winehouse's performance of the single at the Mercury Prize in 2007 was included in the film and was also featured on the

original soundtrack A soundtrack is recorded music accompanying and synchronised to the images of a motion picture, drama, book, television program, radio program, or video game; a commercially released soundtrack album of music as featured in the soundtrack of ...

. A recording of Winehouse's original demo of the song is available on the ''

'' deluxe edition bonus disc. In it, Winehouse sings accompanied only by her guitar, and on completion, asks the engineer whether it is a good take.

Music video

Two alternate music videos were released: the first is a montage video, which includes photographs of Winehouse alongside live performance clips of the song, and the second is an entirely live video, taken from her ''I Told You I Was Trouble'' live performance DVD.

Track listing

;CD # "Love Is a Losing Game" – 2:35 # "Love Is a Losing Game" (Kardinal Beats Remix) – 3:22 # "Love Is a Losing Game" (Moody Boyz Original Ruffian Badboy Remix) – 7:12 # "Love Is a Losing Game" (Truth And Soul Remix) – 3:55 # "Love Is a Losing Game" (Enhanced Video) – 2:35

Awards

Charts

Certifications

Media usage

* The song was used in the "Coup de Grace" episode, part 1 of the BBC

Silent Witness ''Silent Witness'' is a British crime drama television series produced by the BBC, which focuses on a team of forensic pathology experts and their investigations into various crimes. First broadcast in 1996, the series was created by Nigel ...

, series 17.

References

{{authority control 2006 songs 2007 singles Amy Winehouse songs Island Records singles Song recordings produced by Mark Ronson Songs written by Amy Winehouse Soul ballads 2000s ballads Sam Smith (singer) songs