The version everyone knows is Amy Winehouse's, but she didn't write "Valerie." Liverpool band the Zutons released it first in 2006, and their singer Dave McCabe says he wrote the whole thing in a taxi on the way to his mum's house, in about 20 minutes.
A year later, Mark Ronson and Amy Winehouse turned the indie-rock single into a soul record, and their cover reached number two on the UK Singles Chart. The story of how a quick taxi-ride song became one of the most covered tracks of its era is a lesson in what makes a song travel. If you want to draft your own lines with the same speed, our free AI lyrics generator gives you a verse, pre-chorus and chorus from a topic and a mood.
Who Actually Wrote "Valerie"
"Valerie" was written by Dave McCabe, lead singer of the Zutons, an indie rock band formed in Liverpool in 2001. It appeared on their second studio album, Tired of Hanging Around, in 2006, and the single reached number 9 on the UK Singles Chart.
McCabe described the writing process in a 2008 interview with The Scotsman. He said he could pretend he was inspired by gazing across the River Mersey, but the truth was that the idea came to him in a cab, and the song was finished before he arrived. Twenty minutes, at most.
Amy Winehouse recorded it with producer Mark Ronson for Ronson's second album, Version, in 2007. Their recording is a cover. The songwriting belongs to the Zutons' frontman.
Who Is Valerie?
The song is addressed to a real person. At the time, McCabe left her unnamed, and the band described the song as a musical postcard to an American friend who had gotten into trouble for driving under the influence. Drummer Sean Payne summed it up as McCabe telling her he was having a hard time and asking if she could come over and see him.
In 2019, an interview with Vice revealed her identity: celebrity makeup artist Valerie Star. She explained that she had met McCabe and had been arrested for driving on a suspended licence, which lines up with the trouble the song hints at.
That detail matters for songwriters. The song feels personal because it was. It is written to one person, about one situation, and that specificity is part of why strangers connect with it.
How the Amy Winehouse Version Came Together
After the Zutons' single became a success in the summer of 2006, it found an unlikely fan in Winehouse. Ronson was building Version, an album of soul-style covers of guitar records, and Winehouse was looking for something to contribute. Ronson later said she barely listened to music made after 1967, so finding a modern song that suited her was a challenge.
When Ronson explained the concept, Winehouse suggested "Valerie." Ronson admitted he couldn't hear her voice on it in his head and wasn't sure it would work. Then she went into the studio and tried it, and he loved it.
Ronson built the production around the beat from the Jam's 1982 single "Town Called Malice," which gave the song its driving Motown-style bounce. Winehouse also recorded a slower, jazzier version for BBC Radio 1's Live Lounge, and a slower take appeared as a bonus track on the deluxe edition of Back to Black.
How It Performed
The Ronson and Winehouse single, released in October 2007, peaked at number two in the UK. It spent 19 consecutive weeks inside the top 20 and became the UK's ninth best-selling single of 2007. In the Netherlands, it went to number one for four weeks and became Winehouse's most successful song there.
By January 2015, the Official Charts Company counted 658,353 UK sales of the cover. The song has since turned up in films, including the 2015 documentary Amy, in TV shows and in advertising. It has been covered on stage and screen many times, from a Bruno Mars tribute to Winehouse at the 2011 MTV Video Music Awards to an episode of Glee.
The success was a mixed blessing for McCabe. In 2008 he said that singers had started asking him to write hits for them, and he pointed out that even though the song now felt like everybody's, it started out as a Zutons song.
Why "Valerie" Still Works
Here is our Hit Craft take, and it is opinion. The hook is the name itself, repeated and stretched across the beat. A single, singable name is one of the strongest hook shapes there is, because the listener only has to remember one word to join in.
The lyric is a letter. It is written to one person, in the second person, with small concrete details about her life and the singer's loneliness. That direct address creates intimacy, and it makes the bright, upbeat music feel bittersweet rather than simply happy. Upbeat music with a longing lyric is a contrast that never gets old.
The structure is short and tight, with no wasted section. That is also what let Ronson flip it so easily: a strong melody and a simple form can survive a completely new arrangement. Our guide on song structure that holds attention explains why lean forms age well.
What Songwriters Can Steal From "Valerie"
- Write to one real person. McCabe wrote a postcard to a friend in trouble. Direct address with real details beats a vague love song every time.
- Make the hook a name. A name is easy to remember, easy to sing and easy to put on a title. If your chorus can be built on one word, test it.
- Write songs that survive a new arrangement. The Zutons' indie track became a soul hit without changing the song. If your melody and form are strong, producers can take it anywhere. That is worth thinking about when you write a chorus.
Frequently Asked Questions
Did Amy Winehouse write "Valerie"?
No. "Valerie" was written by Dave McCabe of the Zutons and released by the band in 2006. Amy Winehouse recorded a cover with Mark Ronson for his 2007 album Version, and that cover became the best-known version.
Who is the real Valerie?
She is Valerie Star, a celebrity makeup artist and an American friend of McCabe's. Her identity was revealed in a 2019 interview with Vice, where she explained she had been arrested for driving on a suspended licence.
How did the Zutons' version do on the charts?
The Zutons' original reached number 9 on the UK Singles Chart in 2006. The Ronson and Winehouse cover went higher, reaching number two in 2007.
Got a person you need to write a song to? Turn the idea into a full song concept with SONIQ.
Related reading
- Who Wrote 'I Will Always Love You'? The Story Behind It
- How to Write a Hook: Formulas That Work Across Genres
- Music Publishing 101: How to Protect and Monetize Your Songs
Sources
Background, chart and sales facts: "Valerie (Zutons song)" on Wikipedia and "The Zutons" on Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Analysis and Hit Craft notes are SONIQ's own.