CRAZY (GNARLS BARKLEY SONG)

"'Crazy'" is the first single from Gnarls Barkley, a musical collaboration between Danger Mouse and Cee-Lo, and is taken from their 2006 debut album ''St. Elsewhere''. It became a top ten hit throughout Europe, North America and Oceania, in the first half of 2006, reaching number one of the single charts in the United Kingdom, Ireland, Denmark, Canada, New Zealand and other countries.
The song was leaked in late 2005, months before its regular release, and consequently received massive airplay on BBC Radio 1 in the United Kingdom, most notably by radio DJ Zane Lowe, who also used the song in TV ads for his show.^[1] When it was finally released in March 2006, it became the first single to top the UK charts on download sales alone. The song remained at number one in the UK Singles Chart for nine weeks (which no other song had achieved in over ten years, and was only surpassed by Rihanna's "Umbrella" in July 2007) before the band and their record company decided to remove the single from UK stores so people would "remember the song fondly and not get sick of it."^[2] In spite of this deletion the song became the UK's best selling single of 2006.^[3]
The song won a 2007 Grammy Award for Best Urban/Alternative Performance, and was also nominated as Record of the Year, which it lost to "Not Ready to Make Nice" by the Dixie Chicks.^[4] The song was also named the best song of 2006 by ''Rolling Stone'' ^[5] and by the ''Village Voice's annual Pazz & Jop critics poll.

Contents

Composition and inspiration

Chart performance

Music videos

Formats and track listings

Cover versions and remixes

Charts

Notes and references

External links

Composition and inspiration

Musically, "Crazy" was inspired by film scores of spaghetti Westerns, in particular by the works of Ennio Morricone, who is best known as the composer of Sergio Leone's ''Dollars Trilogy''.^[6] The song samples a portion of "Last Man Standing" by the brothers Gian Franco and Gian Piero Reverberi from the 1968 spaghetti Western ''Django, Prepare a Coffin (Preparati la bara!)'' (The track is listed as "Nel cimitero di Tucson" on the film's soundtrack).^[7]
The song's lyrics, written by Cee-Lo, were inspired by a conversation he and Danger Mouse had in the studio with the instrumental playing on repeat: Danger Mouse was "caught up in thinking that people have to believe you're crazy to think you're an artist."^[8] After the conversation, Cee-Lo recorded the vocals for the song in just one take.^[9]

Chart performance

Following its release as a digital download in the UK on March 13 2006, the song debuted at the number one spot on the UK Official Download Chart on March 22 2006.^[10]
At the time chart rules allowed a song to appear in the UK Singles Chart based on their download sales if a physical equivalent was to be released the following week. "Crazy" became the first number one single based on download sales alone (selling over 31,000 times that week), on April 2 2006,¹ with the CD single being released one day later. It remained on top of the single chart for nine weeks and on top of the download chart for a record eleven weeks, until the single was pulled from UK stores by the band and their record label on 29 May 2006, after nine consecutive weeks at number one, so people will "remember the song fondly and not get sick of it."² The last song to spend such a long time at the UK's number one was "Love Is All Around" by Wet Wet Wet in 1994, which was number one for fifteen weeks.
"Crazy"'s 11 weeks at the top of the UK Official Download Chart were the longest stay on that chart that any song has achieved as of 2006. Despite its official removal, record shops had enough stock remaining to sell 19,827 physical copies; along with download sales, this kept the song at number two in the chart dated June 4.^[11] The following week, chart date June 11, "Crazy" was at number five, before disappearing completely from the Top 75 a week later, as under chart rules a physically deleted single could not remain on the chart longer than two weeks after deletion date. Thus, "Crazy" made history at both ends of its chart run. It marked the most rapid exit from the UK chart ever for a former number one, and makes number five the highest position at which a single has ever spent its final week on the chart.
In the first week of 2007, "Crazy" recharted at number 30, based purely on downloads. The chart rules had been changed yet again, allowing any sold song to chart, irrespective of whether or not it was still on sale in stores.^[12]
During its long stay in the UK charts, the single also entered multiple other single charts throughout Europe, including the German, the Swedish, the Austrian and the Irish Singles Charts, and the Dutch Top 40, resulting in a number one position on the Eurochart Hot 100 Singles.
It also performed strongly outside Europe, with top-five positions on the New Zealand and Australian Single Charts, and was also certified gold in both countries.^[13] On May 29 2006, the single went down in New Zealand music history by becoming the 500th number one single in New Zealand since the official Top 40 chart was started in 1973. The Discount Rhinos Full Control Remix of the track also featured in the Top 20 of the Australian ARIA Club chart.^[14]
When the album ''St. Elsewhere'' was released in the United States on May 9 2006, the song had debuted at #91 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100. In the summer of 2006, "Crazy" spent seven consecutive weeks in the second spot, but because of the massive airplay and sales of Nelly Furtado's "Promiscuous," it never reached #1. It became the year's first single to peak at #2 and never reach #1.

Music videos

Going along with the psychiatric theme of the song, Gnarls Barkley's music video for "Crazy" is done in the style of the Rorschach inkblot test. Animated, mirrored inkblots morph into another, while taking on ambiguous shapes. Both Cee-Lo and Danger Mouse appear in the shapes, as do the band's gunshot/heart logo, "Satan", a cranium and various animals, including centipedes, birds, bats, spiders, and insects.
The music video was directed by graphic designer Robert Hales, who previously directed the music videos for "Are You Gonna Be My Girl" and "Look What You've Done" by Jet, "Starfuckers, Inc." by Nine Inch Nails, and Richard Ashcroft's "Money to Burn".
The video was nominated for three 2006 MTV Video Music Awards: Best Group Video, Best Direction, and Best Editing, and won the latter two. It was also nominated for a 2006 MTV Europe Music Awards for best video.
The music video has also been parodied on ''MADtv''. In the parody Korean dictator Kim Jong Il (played by Bobby Lee) sings an adaptation of the song.^[15]
Before the final music video was finished, the band's UK label released a different video to media outlets such as the BBC. This early promo, directed by Mina Song, is also completely animated and features several symbols from many cultures and religions that appear in a disjointed harmony to the lyrics. Lyrics of the song, and again the band's gunshot/heart logo also appear prominently. The video also includes elements of the single's cover art.^[16]

Formats and track listings

In the UK, the song was released as a digital download on March 13 2006, followed by a CD single on April 3 2006, and both a 7" picture disc and a one-sided etched 12" vinyl on April 10 2006. In the U.S., the song has been released as a promotional 12" vinyl single in March, with "Go-Go Gadget Gospel" as a B-side, as well as instrumental versions of each track.^[17]

'European CD single/download/UK 7" picture vinyl' # "Crazy" – 2:58 # "Just A Thought" (Edit) – 2:41 'U.S. 12" vinyl single/promo CD' # "Crazy" – 2:59 # "Crazy" (Instrumental) – 2:59 # "Go-Go Gadget Gospel" – 2:15 # "Go-Go Gadget Gospel" (Instrumental) – 2:13

'UK 12" vinyl/download/promo CD' # "Crazy" – 2:58 # "Crazy" (Instrumental) – 3:03 'Australian CD single' # "Crazy" – 2:58 # "Just A Thought" (Edit) – 2:41 # "The Boogie Monster" – 2:50

Cover versions and remixes

Possibly due to the song's enormous success and international popularity it is frequently covered by other artists. The Kooks,^[18]
Nelly Furtado,^[19]
and The Zutons have covered "Crazy" on BBC Radio 1's Live Lounge. The Kooks' version was released on ''Radio1's Live Lounge'', while Furtado's version was released as a B-side on her UK single "Promiscuous" and she performed the song live with Welsh singer Charlotte Church on ''The Charlotte Church Show''.^[20]
Folk singer Ray LaMontagne has also covered the song, a version very well received by critics^[21] and
Paris Hilton had delayed the release of her debut album ''Paris'' to include a cover of "Crazy" as well,^[22] although it was not included in the final track list.
Other artists, including The Raconteurs,^[23]
Billy Idol,^[24]
The Academy Is...
(with Travis McCoy of Gym Class Heroes),^[25]
Texas,²⁵ The Twilight Singers,²⁵ Mates of State,^[26] and of Montreal^[27] have performed cover versions of the song live in concert. Trey Lorenz (Mariah Carey's backup singer) has also performed the song on Carey's The Adventures of Mimi Tour throughout the summer and autumn of 2006.^[28] Shawn Colvin performed the song on ''A Prairie Home Companion'' on November 4, 2006.^[29] On her recent tour, Cat Power performed the song during her set.^[30] Singer-songwriter Jude's cover of the song is available free on his website.^[31] Beyoncé has also performed the song intertwined with her own hit, "Crazy in Love", at her performance at the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo.. She has also decided to use this 'Crazy In Love/Crazy' collaboration for her The Beyoncé Experience world tour, which has already travelled across Japan, Australia, Europe and now North America.
Prince covered the song in his one-off performance at London's KOKO Club on 10 May 2007. Paolo Nutini frequently covers the song at his concerts.
Similarly, many unofficial remixes and mashups of the song were released as white labels and are circulating on file sharing networks and MP3 blogs. The Discount Rhinos Full Control Remix of the track even reached number 15 of the Australian ARIA Club chart.¹⁴
Lil Wayne made a freestyle over Crazy on his mixtape Da Drought 3. Mny other rappers have created their own renditions/remixes of Crazy, including A.C., Joe Budden, Remy Ma & Kardinal Offishall.
A video performance of the song with the vocal track played on a theremin is available on YouTube.^[32]

Charts

Chart (2006)	Peak position[33]
Australian Singles Chart	2
Austrian Single Chart	1
Belgium Singles Chart	3
Brazilian Single Chart	3
Canadian BDS Airplay Chart	1
Canadian Digital Singles Charts	1
Danish Single Chart	1
Dutch Top 40	3
Estonian Single Chart	1
Eurochart Hot 100 Singles	1
French Single Chart	3
Finnish Single Chart	3
German Singles Chart	3
Greek Single Chart	8
Irish Singles Chart	1
Italian Single Chart	2
New Zealand Singles Chart	1
Norwegian Single Chart	2
Swedish Single Chart	4
Swiss Single Chart	1
UK Official Download Chart	1
UK Singles Chart	1
U.S. ''Billboard'' Hot 100	2
U.S. ''Billboard'' Modern Rock	7
U.S. ''Billboard'' Pop 100	2
U.S. ''Billboard'' Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs	53
U.S. ''Billboard'' Hot Dance Airplay	2
U.S. ''Billboard'' Hot Dance Club Play	23
U.S. ''Billboard'' Hot Adult Top 40 Tracks	1
U.S. ''Billboard'' Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks	7
United World Chart	2

Notes and references

1. "Crazy song makes musical history"
2. Gnarls Go Out On Top
3. Top 40 Singles of 2006, from BBC Radio 1 website
4. 49th Annual Grammy Awards Nominee List
5. "Rolling Stone : The 100 Best Songs of 2006"
6. "What Influences Danger Mouse and Cee-Lo Green of Gnarls Barkley" Williams, Ben
7. "Does that make me crazy Django ?"
8. The Album in Their Own Words, , , , NME,
9. "Interview: Gnarls Barkley"
10. Downloadchart Bennett, Cath
11. The Market: World Cup songs strike singles chart
12. Top 40 change helps Snow Patrol
13. Gold threshold in New Zealand is 5,000 units, in Australia it is 35,000 units.
14. Top 50 Club Chart
15. ''MADtv'': Episode #1201 Summary
16. Mina Song's website features the video
17. Gnarls Barkley - Crazy / Go Go Gadget Gospel (Promo) (12")
18.
The Kooks in the Live Lounge

19.
Nelly Furtado in the Live Lounge

20. " Nelly Furtado and Charlotte Church cover Crazy"
21.
MP3 Masala: Ray LaMontagne Covers Gnarls Barkley

22.
Hilton's album release put back again?

23.
"Raconteurs Get 'Crazy'"

24.
"Billy Idol sings Crazy"

25. "Crazy for 'Crazy' - Everybody is covering Gnarls Barkley's big hit."
26. "Random Shit-Starring The Hold Steady And "Crazy" Covers
27. "Of Montreal @ Madison Theater 8.03.06"
28. "Mariah Carey performance brief"
29. A Prairie Home Companion for November 4, 2006 from American Public Media
30. "Cat Power in Concert"
31. "'Crazy' covered by singer-songwriter Jude"
32. "'Crazy' covered on the theremin"
33. References for chart positions:
★ Australian Top 50 Singles Chart
★ Austrian Single Chart
★ Belgium UltraTop 50
★ Hot100Brasil (Brazilian Hot 100 Singles)
★ Canadian Hits Charts (Airplay)
★ Danish Single Top 20
★ Dutch Top 40 Singles Chart
★ European Hot 100 Singles
★ Finnish Single Charts
★ German Single Chart Top 10
★ Greek Top 50 Singles
★ Irish Charts - Top 50 Singles
★ Italian Single Charts
★ New Zealand Top 40 Singles
★ Norwegian Top 20 Single Charts listing for "Crazy"
★ Swedish Single Chart
★ Swiss Single Top 100 listing for "Crazy"
★ Official UK Download Chart
★ Official UK Singles Chart
★ Gnarls Barkley: Artist Chart History
★ Billboard Hot Adult Top 40 Tracks
★ United World Chart
★ "Crazy" Charts
★ Planet Charts - Official Top 3 Singles

External links

★ "Crazy" video stream

★ "Crazy" charts data at Music Square