Amy Winehouse – I Heard It Through The Grapevine

I Heard It Through the Grapevine (Live on Jools Holland Hootenanny, 2006) — Amy Winehouse ft. Paul Weller

On New Year’s Eve 2006, Amy Winehouse appeared on Jools Holland’s annual Hootenanny and delivered a searing live rendition of I Heard It Through the Grapevine with Paul Weller. The performance, filmed by director Janet Fraser Crook and produced by Alison Howe, has since become one of the most replayed moments from the show, circulating widely in video form as a glimpse of Winehouse at her interpretive peak.

The song itself, written by Norman Whitfield and Barrett Strong for Motown, became iconic through Marvin Gaye’s 1968 version. Where Gaye’s recording polished heartbreak into soaring soul, Winehouse stripped it down to something more wounded and raw. Her phrasing drags and twists, lingering in half-shadows, while Weller provides a steady counterweight. Backed by Jools Holland’s house band, the groove remains taut but understated, leaving space for every sigh and every glance to land with force.

The video highlights Winehouse’s command of presence. The staging is intimate, with dim lighting and tight camera angles that often catch her in profile or leaning into the microphone stand. It feels more like an after-hours jam than a New Year’s television special. The performance draws the audience in by restraint — less spectacle, more atmosphere, with each look and pause pulling weight equal to her notes.

At the time, Winehouse had just released her breakthrough album Back to Black, and singles like “Rehab” were pushing her into international fame. Yet this Grapevine cover showed another side of her artistry: she was not only redefining contemporary pop but also fearlessly entering the canon of soul classics. By taking on Marvin Gaye, she placed herself in dialogue with the greats and still made the song feel unmistakably her own.

The performance was later included in the posthumous Amy Winehouse at the BBC box set, further cementing its place in her legacy. Fans often highlight it as one of her most controlled yet emotionally charged live moments, where nothing is overstated and everything feels lived-in. Nearly two decades later, it still resonates — a Motown classic refracted through Winehouse’s singular lens of jazz, soul, and quiet thunder.