"Crazy" is a song written by English singer-songwriter

Seal Seal may refer to any of the following: Common uses * Pinniped, a diverse group of semi-aquatic marine mammals, many of which are commonly called seals, particularly: ** Earless seal, also called "true seal" ** Fur seal ** Eared seal * Seal ( ...

and English songwriter

Guy Sigsworth Allan Arthur Guy Sigsworth (born May 1960) is an English record producer and songwriter. He has worked with many artists, including Seal, Björk, Goldie, Madonna, Britney Spears, Kate Havnevik, Imogen Heap, Bebel Gilberto, Mozez, David Sylvian ...

. Produced by

Trevor Horn Trevor Charles Horn (born 15 July 1949) is an English record producer and musician. His influence on pop and electronic music in the 1980s was such that he has been called "the man who invented the eighties". Horn took up the bass guitar at an ...

, it was released by

ZTT Records ZTT Records is a British record label founded in 1983 by the record producer Trevor Horn, the businesswoman Jill Sinclair and the ''NME'' journalist Paul Morley. They released music by acts including Frankie Goes to Hollywood, Grace Jones, the ...

on 26 November 1990 as the lead single from Seal's debut studio album, ''

'' (1991). The song became his first commercial hit, reaching No. 2 in the United Kingdom, while becoming his first top ten single in the United States. It has since been covered by several artists, including

Alanis Morissette Alanis Nadine Morissette ( ; born June 1, 1974) is a Canadian and American singer, songwriter, musician, and actress. Known for her emotive mezzo-soprano voice and confessional songwriting, she became a cultural phenomenon during the mid 199 ...

, whose version was released as a single from her 2005 compilation album, '' The Collection''.

Background and composition

Seal wrote "Crazy" in 1990 inspired by the

fall of the Berlin Wall The fall of the Berlin Wall (, ) on 9 November in German history, 9 November 1989, during the Peaceful Revolution, marked the beginning of the destruction of the Berlin Wall and the figurative Iron Curtain, as East Berlin transit restrictions we ...

and the

Tiananmen Square massacre The Tiananmen Square protests, known within China as the June Fourth Incident, were student-led demonstrations held in Tiananmen Square in Beijing, China, lasting from 15 April to 4 June 1989. After weeks of unsuccessful attempts between t ...

in 1989. In 2015, Seal said of the song's conception in 1990: "I felt the cycle had reached its apex. I felt the world changing and I felt profound things happening." According to the song's producer

, "Crazy" was made over the course of two months: Crazy' wasn't an easy record to make, because we were aiming high." The song's signature is a keyboard mantra that continually swells and swirls, driven by

bass Bass or Basses may refer to: Fish * Bass (fish), various saltwater and freshwater species Wood * Bass or basswood, the wood of the tilia americana tree Music * Bass (sound), describing low-frequency sound or one of several instruments in th ...

-heavy beats and

wah-wah pedal A wah-wah pedal, or simply wah pedal, is a type of effects pedal designed for electric guitar that alters the timbre of the input signal to create a distinctive sound, mimicking the human voice saying the onomatopoeic name "wah-wah". The peda ...

guitars played by Simply Red guitarist Kenji Suzuki. Its floating, ambient stylings established a sound years before '' The Politics of Dancing'' by

Paul van Dyk Matthias Paul (; born 16 December 1971), known professionally as Paul van Dyk () is a German DJ, record producer and musician. Van Dyk was the first artist to receive a Grammy Award nomination in the newly added category of Best Dance/Electron ...

William Orbit William Mark Wainwright (born 15 December 1956),"William Orbit." ''Contemporary Musicians''. Vol. 30. Farmington Hills, MI: Gale, 2000. Retrieved via ''Biography in Context'' database, 7 May 2017. Available onlinvia ''Encyclopedia.com'' known ...

's work with

Madonna Madonna Louise Ciccone ( ; born August 16, 1958) is an American singer, songwriter, record producer, and actress. Referred to as the "Queen of Pop", she has been recognized for her continual reinvention and versatility in music production, ...

and All Saints. Orbit produced a remix of the track for the single release. Seal's vocals are deeply melodic and soulful, at times with a characteristic rasp, while at others soaring high above the backing track. In an interview with '' Q'', Seal told:

Release and commercial performance

In the United Kingdom, the song was released as the first single from the album ''Seal'' in November 1990. The song peaked at number two on the UK Singles Chart in January 1991; it is Seal's biggest solo hit in the country.everyHit - UK Top 40 Hit Database
. Retrieved 17 December 2006. The single sold over 200,000 copies, thus earning a BPI silver certification. It won Seal a number of awards including the 1992

Ivor Novello award The Ivor Novello Awards, named after the Welsh entertainer Ivor Novello, are awards for songwriting and Musical composition, composing. They have been presented annually in London by the The Ivors Academy, Ivors Academy, formerly called the Britis ...

for songwriting. The single was released in the United States in 1991, debuting at number 83 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 in mid-June; it peaked at number seven in late August and remained on the chart for 19 weeks. It reached the top five on the

Modern Rock Tracks Alternative Airplay (formerly known as Modern Rock Tracks between 1988 and 2009, and Alternative Songs between 2009 and 2020) is a music chart published in the American magazine ''Billboard'' since September 10, 1988. It ranks the 40 most-playe ...

chart and the top twenty on the 12-inch Singles Sales chart. It was the most commercially successful single from ''Seal'' and was Seal's biggest hit in the US until "

Kiss from a Rose "Kiss from a Rose" is a song from British singer-songwriter Seal's second eponymous album (1994). The song was first released as a single in July 1994 by ZTT, Sire and Warner Bros., and included in the film '' The NeverEnding Story III'' t ...

", which reached number one in 1995. In August 2003, an acoustic version of "Crazy" charted at number four on ''Billboards Hot Digital Tracks chart.''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertis ...

''. 16 August 2003.

Critical reception

Larry Flick Larry Flick is an American journalist, former dance music columnist, single reviewer, and Senior Talent Editor for ''Billboard'' magazine, where he worked for 14 years. Now he produces and hosts Sirius XM radio shows. Flick started in the musi ...

from ''

'' felt that UK newcomer Seal "comes on like a cross between

Terence Trent D'Arby Sananda Francesco Maitreya (born Terence Trent Howard; March 15, 1962), who started his career with the stage name Terence Trent D'Arby, is an American singer and songwriter who came to fame with his debut studio album, '' Introducing the Hard ...

and

Lenny Kravitz Leonard Albert Kravitz (born May 26, 1964) is an American singer, musician, songwriter, record producer, and actor. His debut album ''Let Love Rule (Lenny Kravitz album), Let Love Rule'' (1989) was characterized by a blend of Rock music, rock ...

on this keyboard-driven funk'n'soul jam." A reviewer from ''

Melody Maker ''Melody Maker'' was a British weekly music magazine, one of the world's earliest music weeklies; according to its publisher, IPC Media, the earliest. In January 2001, it was merged into "long-standing rival" (and IPC Media sister publicatio ...

'' named it Single of the Week, complimenting it as "a lush, sumptuous all-pervading piece that's as much of a song as it is a dancetrack." Pan-European magazine ''

Music & Media ''Music & Media'' was a pan-European magazine for radio, music and entertainment. It was published for the first time in 1984 as ''Eurotipsheet'', but in 1986 it changed name to ''Music & Media''. It was originally based in Amsterdam, but later m ...

'' declared it as "adventurous techno-pop by this promising UK singer who sang on

Adamski Adam Paul Tinley (born 4 December 1967), known professionally as Adamski, as well as Sonny Eriksson, is an English DJ, musician, singer and record producer, prominent at the time of acid house for his tracks "N-R-G (Adamski song), N-R-G" and " ...

's recent hit single " Killer". Produced by

, this classy, galloping mix of funk, soul and pop is currently riding high on the UK charts. Europe should be next." Jack Barron from ''

NME ''New Musical Express'' (''NME'') is a British music, film, gaming and culture website, bimonthly magazine, and brand. Founded as a newspaper in 1952, with the publication being referred to as a "Rock music, rock inkie", the ''NME'' would be ...

'' felt that the song "finds all of Seal's talents intact." Another editor, Barbara Ellen, also named it Single of the Week", adding, "The best thing about "Crazy" is the intelligent manipulation of vocals. They're eerie and penetrating anyway, but the production guy has wisely given them some space to breathe and grow, at least he does at the beginning of the record." Bob Mack from ''

Spin Spin or spinning most often refers to: * Spin (physics) or particle spin, a fundamental property of elementary particles * Spin quantum number, a number which defines the value of a particle's spin * Spinning (textiles), the creation of yarn or thr ...

'' noted Seal's "stirring vocal that's being compared to

Marvin Gaye Marvin Pentz Gaye Jr. (; April 2, 1939 – April 1, 1984) was an American Rhythm and blues, R&B and soul singer, songwriter, musician, and record producer. He helped shape the sound of Motown in the 1960s, first as an in-house session player an ...

", explaining that "based on a '70s cop-show-type bass synth line, "Crazy" flows natch enough that you hum along on first listening." Eve Zibart from ''

The Washington Post ''The Washington Post'', locally known as ''The'' ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'' or ''WP'', is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C., the national capital. It is the most widely circulated newspaper in the Washington m ...

'' named it "easily the best pop single of 1991", remarking that the "moody" song offers "his simple philosophy: "''We're never gonna survive unless we get a little crazy''"."

Retrospective response

"Crazy" was awarded one of BMI's Pop Awards in 1993, honoring the songwriters, composers and music publishers of the song. In 1999, the Daily Vault's Jason Warburg stated that it's "an obvious club track with its propulsive synthesizer melody and driving rhythm section. The '' Shaft'' guitar part closing out the bridge is a nice touch, too, demonstrating just how effectively Seal has grafted synthesized

dance music Dance music is music composed specifically to facilitate or accompany dancing. It can be either a whole piece or part of a larger musical arrangement. In terms of performance, the major categories are live dance music and recorded dance musi ...

onto its funk roots." Siobhan O'Neill commented on the song in the 2010 book ''10,001 Songs You Must Hear…'', "Full of drug and dance scene references, "Crazy" blends soulful lyrics and husky vocals with Horn's trademark sweeping orchestration and a voguish electronic backing—a combination that, in the wake of this and

Massive Attack Massive Attack are an English trip hop collective formed in 1988 in Bristol, England, by Robert Del Naja, Robert "3D" Del Naja, Daddy G, Grant "Daddy G" Marshall, Tricky (musician), Adrian "Tricky" Thaws and Andrew Vowles, Andrew "Mushroom" ...

, became the template for a whole strand of dance music."

Music video and use in other media

The single's music video, directed by Big TV!, features multiple re-creations of Seal himself performing the song against a primarily white background. A female dancer appears just before the

bridge A bridge is a structure built to Span (engineering), span a physical obstacle (such as a body of water, valley, road, or railway) without blocking the path underneath. It is constructed for the purpose of providing passage over the obstacle, whi ...

of the song, and at the end Seal holds a dove while snow falls on him. The video received heavy rotation on

MTV Europe MTV Global (formerly MTV Europe) is the international version of the American TV channel MTV as 24-hour music video and entertainment pay television network officially launched on 1 August 1987 as part of the worldwide MTV network. Initia ...

. The song is played during a party scene in the film '' Naked in New York'' (1993), is heard in a ''

Baywatch ''Baywatch'' is an American Drama (film and television), drama television series about lifeguards who patrol the beaches of Los Angeles County, California, and Hawaii, starring David Hasselhoff. It was created by Michael Berk, Douglas Schwartz ...

'' episode, in the trailer for the film '' The Basketball Diaries'' (1995) and featured in a scene in '' Clockers'', released in 1995. It is also heard in the middle of "True Calling", the second episode of Season 6 of TV's ''

Cold Case ''Cold Case'' is an American police procedural crime drama television series. It ran on CBS from September 28, 2003, to May 2, 2010. The series revolved around a fictionalized Philadelphia Police Department division that specializes in invest ...

''. It was also used as a theme song for the ABC-TV series '' Murder One,'' which was transmitted during the 1995–1996 television season. It is also heard in the film ''Mystery Date''. The song featured in the 1999 Robbie the Reindeer film '' Hooves of Fire'', where it is performed by a seal. More recently, it was used for a montage in the third episode of the Max Original Series ''Fired on Mars'' (2023).

Track listing

* 7" # "Crazy" – 4:30 # "Sparkle" – 3:36 * CD # "Crazy" – 4:30 # "Crazy" – 5:09 # "Krazy" – 6:26 ' * CD maxi single # "Crazy" – 4:30 # "Crazy" – 5:25 # "Crazy" – 6:57 # "Crazy" – 3:27 # "Sparkle" – 6:23 # "Krazy" – 6:27 # "Crazy" – 3:50 # "Crazy" – 6:47

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

Cover versions

The hard rock band

Talisman A talisman is any object ascribed with religious or magical powers intended to protect, heal, or harm individuals for whom they are made. Talismans are often portable objects carried on someone in a variety of ways, but can also be installed perm ...

covered the song on their 1995 album ''

Life Life, also known as biota, refers to matter that has biological processes, such as Cell signaling, signaling and self-sustaining processes. It is defined descriptively by the capacity for homeostasis, Structure#Biological, organisation, met ...

'', and a version by power metal band Iron Savior is included as a bonus track on their 2002 album, '' Condition Red''. Two cover versions were released in 2003: one by punk covers band

Me First and the Gimme Gimmes Me First and the Gimme Gimmes (often shortened to MFGG or the Gimmes) are a punk rock supergroup and cover band that formed in San Francisco in 1995. The band's lineup consists of Spike Slawson, C. J. Ramone, Joey Cape, Pinch and John Reis. ...

on their 2003 album '' Take a Break'', and another by alternative metal band

Mushroomhead Mushroomhead is an American heavy metal band from Cleveland, Ohio. Formed in 1993 in the Cleveland Warehouse District, the band is known for their avant-garde sound and horror film-inspired imagery which features masks and costumes as well as ...

as a hidden track on their 2003 album, '' XIII''. In 2004, the song was covered by Brooklyn Bounce. Indie artist Brian Eaton covered the song on his 2011 pop/rock album, ''Graphic Nature''. French pop singer Tal covered this song for her debut album, '' Le droit de rêver'', in the deluxe edition released in 2012. In 2022, Denver Colorado-based alt-rock band Ancient Echoes released a cover version.

Alanis Morissette version

covered the song for a Gap advertisement in 2005, and a James Michael-produced

remix A remix, also sometimes called reorchestration or rework, is a piece of media which has been altered or contorted from its original state by adding, removing, or changing pieces of the item. A song, piece of artwork, book, poem, or photograph ca ...

of her version, which was originally produced by Morissette's longtime collaborator

Glen Ballard Basil Glen Ballard Jr. (born May 1, 1953) is an American songwriter, lyricist, and record producer. He is best known for co-writing and producing on Wilson Phillips' debut and sophomore albums, '' Wilson Phillips'' and '' Shadows and Light'', ...

, was released as a single from her

greatest hits A greatest hits album or best-of album is a type of compilation album that collects popular and commercially successful songs by a particular artist or band. While greatest hits albums are typically supported by the artist, they can also be creat ...

album, '' The Collection'' (2005). Her version is briefly heard over an

establishing shot An establishing shot in filmmaking and television production sets up, or establishes, the context for a scene by showing the relationship between its important figures and objects. It is generally a long or extreme-long shot at the beginning of ...

Central Park Central Park is an urban park between the Upper West Side and Upper East Side neighborhoods of Manhattan in New York City, and the first landscaped park in the United States. It is the List of parks in New York City, sixth-largest park in the ...

in the 2006 film '' The Devil Wears Prada''. Morissette said of the cover, "it's poking fun not only at how I've been perceived but also at what I've accurately been perceived as." She called the main line in the song, "You're never going to survive/Unless you get a little crazy", "one of the simplest, yet most profound statements."

Chart performances

Released in the US in mid-October 2005 (see

2005 in music This is a list of notable events in music that took place in the year 2005. Specific locations *2005 in British music *2005 in Irish music *2005 in Norwegian music *2005 in South Korean music *2005 in Swiss music Specific genres *2005 in cla ...

), Morissette's cover was less successful than Seal's original; it failed to chart on the Hot 100, instead debuting and peaking at number four on the

Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles (also known as Bubbling Under the Hot 100) is a chart published weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine in the United States. The chart lists the top songs that have not yet charted on the main ''Billboard'' Hot 100. Chart ...

chart (which comprises the most popular songs yet to enter the Hot 100) in late November.''

''. 3 December 2005. It was another top ten hit for Morissette on the

Adult Top 40 The Adult Pop Airplay (formerly known as Adult Pop Songs and Adult Top 40) chart is published weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine and ranks "the most popular adult top 40 as based on radio airplay detections measured by Nielsen Broadcast Data Syste ...

chart and was popular in

nightclub A nightclub or dance club is a club that is open at night, usually for drinking, dancing and other entertainment. Nightclubs often have a Bar (establishment), bar and discotheque (usually simply known as disco) with a dance floor, laser lighti ...

s, becoming Morissette's second top ten

Hot Dance Club Play The Dance Club Songs (also known as National Disco Action, Hot Dance/Disco Club Play, and Hot Dance Club Play) was a chart published weekly between 1976 and 2020 by ''Billboard'' magazine. It used club disc jockeys set lists to determine the mos ...

hit after " Eight Easy Steps" (2004). It reached number twenty-nine in

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...

and the top forty across much of

Continental Europe Continental Europe or mainland Europe is the contiguous mainland of Europe, excluding its surrounding islands. It can also be referred to ambiguously as the European continent, – which can conversely mean the whole of Europe – and, by som ...

, but in the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

it became Morissette's lowest peaking single, reaching sixty-five.

Music video

The single's video was directed by

Meiert Avis Meiert Avis is an Irish music video and commercial director. Career Meiert Avis has directed videos for artists such as Bob Dylan, Bruce Springsteen, U2, Avril Lavigne, Paramore, Alanis Morissette, Flyleaf, Jennifer Lopez, New Found Glory ...

, who directed the video for Morissette's "Everything" (2004), and shot in

Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

in the week ending 24 September.Staff
"For The Record: Quick News On Young Buck, Dr. Dre, Bright Eyes, Switchfoot, Elliott Smith, Jin & More"
.

MTV News MTV News was the news production division of MTV. The service was available in the US with localized versions on MTV's global network and an online news team. In 2016, MTV refreshed the MTV News brand to compete with the likes of BuzzFeed and ...

. 30 September 2005. Retrieved 17 December 2006. In it Morissette is seen walking the streets at night, performing the song in a club and obsessively following a man (played by

Chris William Martin Christopher William Martin Jr (born January 17, 1975), also known as Corky Martin or Chris Martin, is a Canadian actor.Glen Schaefer, "Felicity's hair-raiser: Vancouver actor Chris Martin's job was to stir the pot and divert attention from star ...

) and his girlfriend. Eventually, Morissette confronts the man at a party. During a 22 October appearance on the UK television show '' Popworld'', Morissette said the video's final shot, which is of a photo showing her and the woman close together, is supposed to reveal to the audience (who, before this point, are meant to believe the man is her ex-boyfriend) that she was actually following the woman.

Track listing

# "Crazy" # "Crazy" # "Crazy" # "Crazy" # "Crazy"

Charts

Release history

References

{{authority control 1990 songs 1990 debut singles 1991 singles 2005 singles Seal (musician) songs Alanis Morissette songs British dance-pop songs Dutch Top 40 number-one singles European Hot 100 Singles number-one singles Number-one singles in Sweden Number-one singles in Switzerland Song recordings produced by Trevor Horn Songs written by Guy Sigsworth Songs written by Seal (musician) Music videos directed by Big T.V. Music videos directed by Meiert Avis ZTT Records singles Sire Records singles Maverick Records singles