Still reeling from yesterday’s news of Amy Winehouse’s death, my first inclination for today’s Cover Story was to select a solid cover of one of her tunes. But her brief discography is a case study in songs inextricably linked to the original singer. Her personal struggles and heartbreak are laid bare with stunning detail, and most just don’t sound right — real — if she’s not the one delivering the lyrics.

With my original cover quest proving fruitless, instead here’s Amy Winehouse putting her soulful pipes to someone else’s song. She covered others’ tunes on a number of occasions, as many singers do, but Winehouse so effortlessly inhabited these songs that had been around as if she were telling her own story, the mark of a truly gifted artist.

It’s fitting that Winehouse, who drew inspiration from the sounds and styles of 1960s girl groups to fashion Back To Black, would have tackled a smash by The Shirelles, the most successful girl group of the rock and roll era. Her slowed-down cover of “Will You Love Me Tomorrow” (a #1 hit in 1961, written by Gerry Goffin and Carole King) appeared on the UK version of the soundtrack to Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason, released two years before Back To Black.

Winehouse’s emotional take on The Shirelles’ titular plea, combined with the prominent kick drum and the bordering-on-mournful brass (oh, the brass!) make her cover one that I’ll love for endless tomorrows. RIP, Amy. Hear here:

Purchase Amy Winehouse – “Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow” (The Shirelles cover) via Amazon. No iTunes download is available, though you might want to look here.