The 45rpm, seven inch single Love Is A Losing Game by Amy Winehouse, released 2006 on Island Records, limited edition, value £40-£45

THIS was the fifth and last release from Amy's second and final studio album Back To Black, writes MICHAEL BROOKS. It did not make the charts, probably due to the success of the album which had already four previous hit songs that had charted, but with the coloured picture sleeve of Amy it has become one of the most collectable of all her recordings.

The song was written during a difficult time in her life; her boyfriend had left her to return to a former girlfriend leaving Amy broken hearted. After the song had been written, he eventually returned and they married in 2007. Often described as a beautiful song but one with a sad and depressing message, it became a personal favourite of Amy's and soon became one for the fans too. Amy Winehouse (1983-2011) was often described as a jazz singer, her musical influences had been artists, Sarah Vaughan, Dinah Washington and Billie Holliday, and she had a deep contralto voice that gave her the ability to sing a number of musical genres, soul, rhythm and blues including jazz. She was often referred to as a singer of blue eyed soul music.

Love Is A Losing Game was written by Amy with help from her producer Mick Ronson, himself a former musician with David Bowie. When singer George Michael was interviewed on Desert Island Discs, he chose this as one of the pieces he would most like to have if he was stranded on a desert island.

Amy was influenced by girl groups of the sixties, notably The Shangri La's but mostly by The Ronettes. She developed what she called her Cleopatra look complete with a beehive hairstyle often copied by young women in that decade. After the success of Back to Black, record companies sought out female artists with a similar sound to Amy; singers Adele and Duffy were the among the second wave of female artists who began to dominate the music industry.

Sadly, the success began to take its toll on her. She retained her sense of humour when she was ranked number two in the Worst Dressed Women list behind Victoria Beckham, saying "what do they know? I don't give a hoot!" But struggling to keep up with the demands of the pop world, the pressure became too much and she eventually succumbed to alcoholic poisoning. A lady of remarkable talent, she died in Camden Town, London.