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Crazy in Love

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"Crazy in Love"
Song

"Crazy in Love" is a song by American R&B singer Beyoncé Knowles. It was written by Knowles, Rich Harrison, Jay-Z for Knowles' debut solo album Dangerously in Love. The track was produced by Harrison and Knowles using a sample from The Chi-Lites' 1970 "Are You My Woman (Tell Me So)" that serves as the song's horn hook.

Released as the lead single from the album on July 8, 2003, it reached number one in the charts of United States and the United Kingdom, and the top ten of many charts worldwide. "Crazy in Love" was critically acclaimed and has earned Knowles several awards.

Background and writing

In 2002, Knowles had already recorded considerable amount of songs for Dangerously in Love. Her management scheduled the album for an October 2002 release; however, it was postponed several times to capitalize the success of American rapper Nelly's single "Dillema", which features Destiny's Child group mate Kelly Rowland.[1] The decision allowed Knowles to record more songs.

Rich Harrison produced the beat of "Crazy in Love" before he met Knowles.[2] He did not offer the song to anyone, until he received a call from Knowles. He recalled: "I hadn't really shopped it much, because sometimes you don't want to come out of the bag before its right. People don't really get it and you'll leave them with a foul taste in their mouth. So it was just something that I held on to until I got the call from B."[2]

Knowles was introduced to Harrison three months before the song was collaborated.[3] In the studio during the official session for the song, Harrison played the demo to Knowles. After she listened to the sample, Knowles "loved the idea" and requested Harrison to write the song. Since Knowles was executive producing on the album, she left Harrison to take care of other songs, and told him she would be back on the session after two hours.[2] Although having a hung-over because of prior evening festivity, Harrison wrote the lyrics for 120 minutes. He worked on the verses and hooks, and left the bridge to Knowles; he arranged the instruments as well. When Knowles came back, they continued on writing the song. The idea of the hook came in when Knowles was conscious to her clothes. She kept saying "I'm looking crazy right now" and Harisson thought it was a good hook.[3] Knowles' boyfriend and American rapper Jay-Z became involved in the late stage of the song's production. Around three in the morning, he came to the studio and recorded a rap, which he wrote in his mind in about ten minutes.[2][4]

Music and lyrics

File:Crazy in Love music sheet.png
"Crazy in Love" is built in B♭ and G major chords.

"Crazy in Love" is a love song composed in the key of D minor.[5] The song's tempo is set at a moderate 100 beats per minute, in common time.[5] Knowles' vocal range spans around one and a half octaves in the song, from A3 to F5.[5] "Crazy in Love" builds a song out of two major chords, B♭ and G, a third apart. One of the main vocal riffs uses the traditional cowbell rhythm that is often found in samba music and the like.[6] Aside from its go-go vibe, "Crazy in Love" has also old soul influences that is derived from the horn hook.[2] The hook is sampled by Harrison from the 1970 song "Are You My Woman? (Tell Me So)", originally recorded by the Chicago-based vocal group Chi-Lites.[2]

The lyrics of "Crazy in Love" is composed in the traditional verse-chorus form. Jay-Z opens the song with a brief spoken lyrics. After Knowles sings "uh-oh, uh-oh", he continues the monologue. Knowles begins the first verse, followed with the chorus. She repeats the "uh-oh, uh-oh" phrase, leading to the second verse. The chorus follows, giving way to the second rap. The song continues to the bridge, chorus, then fades out with the horns.

Critical response

"Crazy in Love" attracted generally positive comments from reviewers. Tim Sendra of Allmusic, an online music database, described the song a "stunning pop masterpiece",[7] while Stephen Thomas Erlewine of the same website called it "deliriously catchy".[8] Darryl Sterdan, writing for the Canadian website Jam!, noted the song's "instantly addictive horn lines".[9] Anthony DeCurtis for Rolling Stone magazine also remarked to the horn sample, and noted the contribution of Jay-Z, writing: "'Crazy in Love' ... roars out of the speakers on the strength of a propulsive horn sample and the charged presence of her pal, Jay-Z."[10] Marc Anthony Neal of the international webzine Popmatters complimented the "uh-oh, uh-oh" phrase as "catchy".[11]

In 2004, Knowles received three Grammy Awards nominations for "Crazy in Love", in the categories of Record of the Year, Best R&B Song, and Best Rap/Sung Collaboration, winning the last two.[12] The award for Record of the Year was won by Coldplay's "Clocks". A remix of "Crazy in Love" known as "Krazy in Luv" (Maurice's Soul Nu Mix) won the award Best Remixed Recording, Non-Classical for its remixer, Maurice Joshua. It was also recognized at the 2004 ASCAP Awards as Most Performed Songs and its publisher, EMI, received the Publisher of the Year accolade.[13] Vibe magazine's VIBE Awards also recognized the song for Coolest Collabo in 2003.[14] In Europe, "Crazy in Love" won the award for Best Song at the 2003 MTV Europe Music Awards.[15] The song has also been recognized by Konwle's peers in the urban markets, and won the award for Best Collaboration at the BET Awards in 2004.[16]

Chart performance

"Crazy in Love" was a commercial success in the United States. Although not yet served to retail stores, the single was already gaining massive attention. The single peaked at number one on the Billboard Hot 100, the official US singles chart, based on heavy rotation alone.[17] The same week it reached number one, Dangerously in Love debuted on the Billboard 200 at number one as well. The substantial airplay, and later in retail, gains of "Crazy in Love" facilitated it to dominate the chart,[18] subsequently spending eight straight weeks atop the Hot 100,[19] making it Knowles' first and longest-charting single in her solo career. The feat was not broken until the release of the album's second single, "Baby Boy", which topped the chart week longer than "Crazy in Love" achieved.[20] The single charted for twenty-seven weeks on the Hot 100, spending fifteen of those weeks in the top ten, and twenty-six of those weeks in the top fifty. Certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America for sales in excess of 500,000 copies,[21] "Crazy in Love" eventually became the fourth biggest hit of 2003 in the United States.[22]

In international markets, "Crazy in Love" fared as well. Knowles made history by being second female artist to have a number-one single and a number-one album simultaneously in the UK.[23] The first was Australian pop singer Kylie Minogue with her album Fever and its single "Can't Get You out of My Head" in 2001. Counting her career with former group Destiny's Child, this becomes her third number-one single in the UK. The single spent three weeks at number one in the UK,[24] and reached the top ten in many European countries.[25] It reached number two in Australia; "Crazy in Love" was certified platinum by the Australian Recording Industry Association with sales in excess of 70,000 units,[26] and emerged as the twenty-eighth best-selling single in Australia.[27]

Music video

The music video of "Crazy in Love", released in May 2003, was filmed by English director Jake Nava. The video showcases Knowles in various dance sequences. The opening scene begins with Knowles wearing a tank top, shorts, and red high-heels. She performs an elaborate solo dance on a riser. The scene shifts to a gold set detailing a mock photo shoot, before moving into a scene with dancers detailing Knowles and dancing against a wall while wearing caps and full length pants. She is dancing to Jay-Z's solo rap in an exotic silk print over a fur coat, and kicks a fire hydrant. She continues to dance while the water is flying all over the place. The video ends with Knowles and her dancers in front of a giant fan in vibrant dresses in contrast to the more neutral colors of the background.

The music video received acclaim from video-awarding organizations. "Crazy in Love" won three at the 2003 MTV Video Music Awards in the categories of Best Female Video, Best R&B Video, and Best Choreography.[28]

Versions

A version of the song included on Asian releases of Dangerously in Love features a rap in Mandarin Chinese performed by American-Taiwanese singer Vanness Wu, in lieu of Jay-Z's performance.[29] The song has remixed versions as well, including the Rockwilder remix, Maurice's Nu Soul remix, and Juniors World remix. These remixes appeared on the single releases of "Crazy in Love".[30]

The song was covered many times by several artists. English rock band The Magic Numbers made a cover version of "Crazy in Love" that appeared on Australian radio station Triple J's segment to the volume three of Like a Version CD/DVD. American alternative rock band Switchfoot produced a rock version released in part of Yahoo!'s CoverArt series.[31] While maintaining the fundamental elements of the track, Switchfoot added their "rock flavor" in it.[31] The band shot a video for the cover version and is available on the Yahoo! Pepsi Smash website. Scottish pop group had a cover on the song as well, performed by the group for the 2005 British reality show Hit Me, Baby, One More Time.[32] In 2003, Irish singer-songwriter Mickey Joe Harte made an acoustic version of "Crazy In Love" for the charity album Even Better Than the Real Thing Vol. 1. Other cover versions were made by Australian singer Jessica Mauboy, English musical trio The Puppini Sisters, Polish singer Nina Cieślińska, and Scottish rock band Snow Patrol.

Cultural references

In 2002, Knowles signed with beverage company Pepsi. Subsequently, she appeared on various advertising campaigns of the company's product, and, in one of those promotional footages, the song "Crazy in Love" is being used as background music.[33]

"Crazy in Love" was featured as one of the official soundtracks to the 2004 romantic comedy film Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason. A compilation of the soundtrack by various artists was released the following.[34] In the same year, it was featured to the soundtracks of the American comedy film White Chicks and the remake of Taxi. The 2007 comedy film Good Luck Chuck also used "Crazy in Love" to its soundtrack.[35]

Formats and track listings

Charts

Preceded by UK Singles Chart number-one single
July 6 2003 – July 20 2003 		Succeeded by
Preceded by U.S. Billboard Hot 100 number-one single
July 12 2003 – August 30 2003 		Succeeded by
Preceded by
"May We Never Have to Say Goodbye" by Ronan Tynan and Rita Connolly
 Irish Singles Chart number-one single
July 12 2003 – August 2 2003 		Succeeded by
Preceded by U.S. Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs number-one single
July 26 2003 – August 9 2003 		Succeeded by
"Frontin'" by Pharrell featuring Jay-Z
Preceded by
"Bring Me to Life" by Evanescence featuring Paul McCoy
 Eurochart Hot 100 Singles number-one single
July 26 2003 – August 16 2003 		Succeeded by
"Bring Me to Life" by Evanescence featuring Paul McCoy
Preceded by U.S. Billboard Hot Dance Club Play number-one single
September 13 2003 		Succeeded by
"My Time" by Dutch featuring Crystal Waters

References

  1. ^ Moss, Corey ((2002-07-22)). "Nelly Hit Forces Change In Plans For Destiny's Child LPs". MTV News. Retrieved 2008-05-08. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  2. ^ a b c d e f D'Angelo, Joe ((February 04, 2004)). "Road To The Grammys: The Making of Beyonce's 'Crazy In Love'". MTV News. Retrieved 2007-02-24. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help); Unknown parameter |producer= ignored (help)
  3. ^ a b "Uh-oh! Uh-oh! Uh-oh!". The Guardian. 2003-12-14. Retrieved 2008-05-19. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  4. ^ Horn, Geoffrey (2006). Beyonce. Gareth Stevens. p. 27. ISBN 0836842308. Retrieved 2008-02-25.
  5. ^ a b c Sheet music for "Crazy in Love", Alfred Publishing, (2003) {{citation}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  6. ^ "Beyonce - Crazy in Love - Free Sheet Music Riff". 8notes.com. Retrieved 2008-02-25.
  7. ^ Sandra, Tim. "Review: Crazy in Love (Australia CD)". Allmusic. Macrovision Company. Retrieved 2005-10-28.
  8. ^ Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Review: Dangerously in Love". Allmusic. Macrovision Company. Retrieved 2008-02-25.
  9. ^ Sterdan, Darryl. "Review Album: Beyonce - DANGEROUSLY IN LOVE". Canoe Jam!. Retrieved 2005-10-28.
  10. ^ DeCurtis, Anthony. "Album Reviews: DANGEROUSLY IN LOVE". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 2005-10-28.
  11. ^ Neal, Marc Anthony (July 11, 2003). "BEYONCÉ: Dangerously in Love". Popmatters. Retrieved 2005-10-28. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  12. ^ Silverman, Stephen ((2004-02-08)). "Much Grammy 'Love' for Beyoncé, OutKast". People. Retrieved 2008-07-06. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  13. ^ "2004 ASCAP Pop Music Awards". American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers. Retrieved 2008-07-06.
  14. ^ "2003 Vibe Awards". Vibe. Retrieved 2008-07-06.
  15. ^ Editor, Associated Press ((2003-11-07)). "Timberlake tops MTV Europe awards". Cable News Network. Retrieved 2008-07-06. {{cite news}}: |last= has generic name (help); Check date values in: |date= (help)
  16. ^ "Beyonce, Jay-Z Reign At BET Awards". CBS News. (2004-06-30). Retrieved 2008-07-06. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  17. ^ Martens, Todds ((2003-07-03)). "Beyonce Dominates Billboard Charts". Billboard. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. Retrieved 2008-06-04. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  18. ^ Martens, Todds ((2003-07-17)). "Beyoncé, Jay-Z Go Chart 'Crazy'". Billboard. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. Retrieved 2008-06-04. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  19. ^ Martens, Todds ((2003-08-21)). "Beyoncé, Jay-Z: 'Crazy' As Ever". Billboard. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. Retrieved 2008-06-04. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  20. ^ Bonson, Fred (2006-02-17). "Chart Beat Chat". Billboard. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. Retrieved 2008-04-02. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  21. ^ "Gold and Platinum". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved 2008-06-04.
  22. ^ "The Billboard Hot 100: 2003". Billboard. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. Retrieved 2008-04-02.
  23. ^ Sexton, Paul ((2003-07-21)). "Beyonce Continues U.K. Chart Dominance". Billboard. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. Retrieved 2008-04-02. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  24. ^ Sexton, Paul ((2003-07-28)). "Bedingfield Bounces Beyonce On U.K. Charts". Billboard. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. Retrieved 2008-04-02. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  25. ^ a b c "Beyoncé and Jay-Z - Crazy In Love". αCharts. Retrieved 2008-06-04.
  26. ^ "ARIA Charts - Accreditations - 2003 Singles". Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved 2008-06-04.
  27. ^ "AARIA Charts - End Of Year Charts - Top 100 Singles 2003". Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved 2008-06-04.
  28. ^ Moss, Corey ((2003-08-28)). "Madonna Smooches With Britney And Christina; Justin, Coldplay Win Big At VMAs". MTV News. Retrieved 2008-06-04. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  29. ^ Beyoncé: Live at Wembley (Media notes). Asia: Sony BMG Entertainement. 2003. {{cite AV media notes}}: |format= requires |url= (help); Unknown parameter |bandname= ignored (help)
  30. ^ Crazy in Love (Media notes). United States: Sony BMG Entertainement. 2003. {{cite AV media notes}}: |format= requires |url= (help); Unknown parameter |bandname= ignored (help)
  31. ^ a b Jackson, Kevin ((2007-02-07)). "Switchfoot Covers Beyonce's Smash Single". The Christian Post. Retrieved 2008-06-05. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  32. ^ "HUE & CRY PIPPED BY SHAKY IN GRAND FINAL OF 'HIT ME BABY ONE MORE TIME'!". Theplayethic.com. Retrieved 2008-06-05.
  33. ^ Brand Republic staff ((2003-07-16)). "Beyonce smash 'Crazy In Love' features in new Pepsi ad". Brand Republic. Retrieved 2008-06-05. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  34. ^ "Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason [UK Bonus Tracks]". MTV Shop. Retrieved 2008-06-05.
  35. ^ Rocchi, James (2007-09-20). "Review: Good Luck Chuck". Cinematical. Retrieved 2008-06-05. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  36. ^ a b "Beyoncé: Billboard Singles". Allmusic. Macrovision Company. Retrieved 2008-06-04.
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