Crazy on You

"Crazy on You" is a song by American rock band Heart from their debut studio album, Dreamboat Annie (1975). It was released as the album's third single in March 1976,[1] while marking the band's debut single in the United States.

"Crazy on You"
Dutch 7-inch single cover
Single by Heart
from the album Dreamboat Annie
B-side"Dreamboat Annie"
ReleasedMarch 1976
RecordedAugust 1975
Genre
Length4:53
LabelMushroom
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)Mike Flicker
Heart singles chronology
"Magic Man"
(1975)		 "Crazy on You"
(1976)		 "Dreamboat Annie"
(1976)

Description

Starting with an acoustic guitar intro called "Silver Wheels",[2] the song turns into a fast-paced rock song that was the band's signature sound in their early years. "Crazy on You" attracted attention both for the relatively unusual combination of an acoustic guitar paired with an electric guitar, and the fact that the acoustic guitarist was a woman – a rarity in rock music during that time. According to co-writer and guitarist Nancy Wilson, who discussed it on an episode of the radio program In the Studio with Redbeard that devoted an entire episode to the Dreamboat Annie album, the rapid acoustic rhythm part was inspired by The Moody Blues's 1970 song "Question". The guitar riff was created by Roger Fisher[3] during recording sessions.

The song's lyrics tell of a person's desire to forget all the problems of the world during one night of passion. During an interview on the television series Private Sessions in 2007, Ann Wilson revealed the song was written in response to the stress caused by the Vietnam War and social unrest in the United States in the early 1970s.[4]

The song was written while the band members were living in a small A-frame cottage in Point Roberts, Washington, situated on the Canada–United States border.[5]

Release

"Crazy on You" peaked at number 25 on RPM's Top Singles chart in Canada in May 1976 and at number 35 on the US Billboard Hot 100 the following month.[6][7] It remains one of Heart's signature songs and is still a staple on US classic rock radio stations. Despite moderate success on the pop charts, the track received heavy airplay on FM Album Oriented Rock stations, which drove sales of the parent album.

Chicago-based radio station WLS-AM, where the song received heavy airplay, ranked "Crazy on You" as the 30th biggest song of 1976.[8] It reached number three on the station's survey of August 7, 1976.[9]

Mushroom Records re-released the single in late 1977 with the same catalog number and B-side. In February 1978, the re-release reached number 62 on the Billboard Hot 100 and number 68 on RPM's Top Singles chart.[10][11] The single's B-side, "Dreamboat Annie", was later released on its own as an A-side.

In 2013, the original lineup of the band performed the song for their induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, their first performance together in over 30 years.

The song is prominently featured during pivotal scenes in Jean-Marc Vallée's 2015 film Demolition starring Jake Gyllenhaal and Naomi Watts. It was also featured in the films American Pop (1981), The Virgin Suicides (1999), Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle (2004) and Captain Marvel (2019).

The song was also featured in the Close Enough episode "Room Parents".

Personnel

Adapted from the liner notes of Dreamboat Annie.[12]

  • Ann Wilson – lead vocals, flute, backing vocals
  • Nancy Wilson – acoustic guitar, backing vocals
  • Roger Fisher – electric guitar
  • Howard Leese – electric guitar
  • Steve Fossen – bass
  • Kat Hendrikse – drums
  • Rob Deans – synthesizer
  • Geoff Foubert – backing vocals
  • Tessie Bensussen – backing vocals
  • Jim Hill – backing vocals
  • Mike Flicker – production, engineering
  • Howard Leese – production assistance
  • Rolf Hennemann – engineering
  • Patrick Collins – mastering

Charts

References
  1. "Heart – Crazy On You / Dreamboat Annie". 45cat. Retrieved September 22, 2019.
  2. Bergman, Julie (September 1999). "Guitar Queen of Heart". Acoustic Guitar. No. 81. ISSN 1049-9261. Archived from the original on November 5, 2012. Retrieved December 31, 2012. On the first album, I did an acoustic instrumental piece, 'Silver Wheels,' which introduced 'Crazy on You,'" Nancy recalled. "I really wanted people to know right up front what I could do. It was the same thing as sitting in the Bandwagon music store and playing 'Angie.' It was like, 'Check me out, I know some stuff.'
  3. Bill DeMain, The story behind the song: Crazy On You by Heart, Louder
  4. "Heart". Private Sessions. Season 1. Episode 8. October 7, 2007. A&E.
  5. Ray Shasho interview with Roger Fisher February 14, 2012. http://www.clasicrockhereandnow.com%5B%5D.
  6. "Top RPM Singles: Issue 4117a." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved September 22, 2019.
  7. "Heart Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved September 22, 2019.
  8. "WLS Musicradio Big 89 of '76". Oldiesloon. Retrieved October 11, 2016.
  9. "WLS Forty fives – August 7, 1976 Vol. 16, No. 44". Oldiesloon. Retrieved September 22, 2019.
  10. "The Hot 100 – The week of February 4, 1978". Billboard. Retrieved September 22, 2019.
  11. "RPM Top 100 Singles (51–100)". RPM. Vol. 28 no. 21. February 18, 1978. p. 20. ISSN 0315-5994. Retrieved September 22, 2019 – via Library and Archives Canada.
  12. Dreamboat Annie (liner notes). Heart. Mushroom Records. 1975. MRS-5005.CS1 maint: others (link)
  13. Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). St Ives, NSW: Australian Chart Book. p. 136. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
  14. "Ultratop.be – Heart – Crazy on You" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50.
  15. "Nederlandse Top 40 – Heart USA" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40. Retrieved September 22, 2019.
  16. "Dutchcharts.nl – Heart – Crazy on You" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved September 22, 2019.
  17. "Cash Box Top 100 Singles – Week ending June 19, 1976". Cash Box. Retrieved October 2, 2019.
  18. "Top 200 singles of '76". RPM. Vol. 26 no. 14/15. January 8, 1977. p. 13. ISSN 0315-5994. Retrieved September 22, 2019 – via Library and Archives Canada.
  19. "Top 100-Jaaroverzicht van 1977" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40. Retrieved September 22, 2019.
  20. "Jaaroverzichten – Single 1977". dutchcharts.nl (in Dutch). Retrieved September 22, 2019.
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