A HITCHIN lyricist has paid tribute to Amy Winehouse by collaborating with his singer friend to write a song in her memory, following her death on Saturday.

John Francis Bishop, of Oakfield Avenue, Hitchin, wrote the song in less than a day after singer and composer Daniel Ryan asked him to help out.

The pair, who have worked together for the last two years, hatched the idea Sunday morning and by 11pm in the evening had the lyrics penned.

Daniel, who lives in London, then wrote the music to go with it, and the piece was completed and put up on YouTube by the two.

To date the song, entitled Smokey Eyes, has received nearly 1,500 hits.

John, who has been a lyricist for 15-years, told The Comet: “Daniel and I have worked together for a while and we are both fans of Amy Winehouse, so it seemed fitting.

“Daniel rang me to tell me she had died on Sunday morning while I was out on my bike, and said it would be nice to do a tribute song. The only thing was, he said it had to be finished that night.

“We were working constantly between the two of us, going back-and-forth and communicating by email. It was finished by 11pm that night.”

The pair hope to send the song to Amy’s parents Mitch and Janis, following the suggestion by several people.

The retired sales marketing manager, who now works part-time as a lyricist with local groups, added: “I think we will probably send the song to Mitch and Janis.

“I did see that people had suggested it, so I think it’s an option to consider when the time feels right.”

* To view John and Daniel’s song, click on the link above.