Crazy (Seal song)

"Crazy" is a song originated by English soul artist Seal, who wrote its lyrics and jointly composed its music in collaboration with producer Guy Sigsworth. The song was produced by Trevor Horn for Seal's debut album Seal (1991). Released as his debut single, "Crazy" became one of Seal's biggest hits, reaching the top five in the United Kingdom while becoming his first top ten single in the United States. It has since been interpreted by several artists, including Alanis Morissette, whose version was released as a single from her album The Collection (2005).

Background and composition

Seal wrote "Crazy" in 1990 inspired by the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1990 and the Tiananmen Square Massacre 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 Trevor Horn, "Crazy" was made over the course of two months: "Crazy wasn't an easy record to make, because we were aiming high".

Crazy (Ricki-Lee Coulter song)

"Crazy" is a song by Australian recording artist Ricki-Lee Coulter, taken from her third studio album Fear & Freedom (2012). It was written by Coulter, Brian London and Johnny Jam, while the production was also handled by the latter two. The song was released digitally on 13 July 2012, as the third single from the album.

Lyrically, Coulter stated that "Crazy" is about "encouraging you [to] let go of your inhibitions, go crazy and let the music take over". Following its release, "Crazy" peaked at number four on the ARIA Dance Chart and number 46 on the ARIA Singles Chart. The accompanying music video was directed by Melvin J. Montalban and filmed in the Callan Park Hospital for the Insane in Sydney. The video features Coulter playing three characters – a nurse, patient and psychologist.

Background and release

"Crazy" was written by Ricki-Lee Coulter, Brian London and Johnny Jam, while the production was also handled by the latter two. During an interview with The Daily Telegraph, Coulter said she wrote the song "as if I was actually singing it directly to the people on the dance floor". She went on to describe it as "sensual and erotic, encouraging you let go of your inhibitions, go crazy and let the music take over". "Crazy" was released digitally on 13 July 2012. On 23 July 2012, it debuted at number 52 on the ARIA Singles Chart and number four on the ARIA Dance Chart. The following week, "Crazy" fell out of the top 100 of the ARIA Singles Chart. On 6 August 2012, the song re-entered the chart at number 46, where it peaked.

Because of You (Ne-Yo album)

Because of You is the second studio album by American recording artist Ne-Yo, released on April 25, 2007 by Def Jam Recordings in the United States. It features guest contributions from rapper Jay-Z on "Crazy" and singer Jennifer Hudson on "Leaving Tonight". Because of You debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 and Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums charts, selling over 250,000 copies in its first week. Upon its release, the album received generally positive reviews from most music critics, based on an aggregate score of 74/100 from Metacritic. It won a Grammy Award for Best Contemporary R&B Album at the 2008 Grammy Awards.

Critical reception

The album has drawn mainly positive reviews, with Entertainment Weekly magazine noting, "Indeed, the album is an unmistakable attempt to channel [Michael Jackson's early work such as "Off the Wall"]...and the effort often pays off beautifully...Ne-Yo's lithe falsetto puts the many others who've been labeled Jackson-esque to shame." PopMatters.com called the album "a masterpiece of a record" and praised the title track's blend of "upbeat modern-day funk tempo, beautifully melodic backdrop and love-sick (in a good way) vocals...[it's] the perfect lead single off an album that is filled with number-one hits".Slant Magazine also compared the album's sensual ballads to Janet Jackson.