Founding Icehouse member Iva Davies (vocals, guitars, keyboards, Fairlight CMI, Cor Anglais) was joined by Robert Kretschmer (guitars), Andy Qunta (keyboards, piano), Simon Lloyd (reeds, brass, keyboards, programming), Stephen Morgan (bass guitar) and Paul Wheeler (drums, percussion) in recording the album from February 1987.
It was the first Australian album to supply five top 30 hit singles "Crazy" (3# in July), "Electric Blue" (co-written by Davies and John Oates of US band Hall & Oates) (#1, October), "My Obsession" (#5, December), "Man of Colours" (#28, February 1988) and "Nothing Too Serious" (#29, May 1988). With US chart success for "Crazy", which reached #14 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #10 on its Mainstream Rock chart, and "Electric Blue" (#7 Hot 100, #10 Mainstream), the album Man of Colours reached #43 on the Billboard 200.
Man of Colours was lauded in Australia during 1988. The album won two ARIA Awards, 'Album of the Year' and 'Highest Selling Album'; the associated song "Electric Blue" won 'Most Performed Australasian Popular Work' at the Australasian Performing Right Association (APRA) Music Awards for its writers Davies and Oates.
The cover artwork, designed by Davies and Kretschmer, depicts a human figure holding three different coloured flowers. Different versions of the album have been released, the initial Australian release by Regular Records (see infobox above right) was as a ten track vinyl LP or as a music cassette or as a twelve track CD with two additional mixes of "Crazy". An alternate Limited Black Sleeve release depicted the cover art on a reversed background (see infobox bottom right) from Regular Records in Australia but had the same track listing. The US / UK release by Chrysalis Records had a different track order from the Australian LP, and the track lengths for the two big singles ("Crazy" and "Electric Blue") are longer on this version of the album. The 1997 Japanese CD version released by For Life Records had two different tracks added. In 2002, Warner Music Australia re-released Man of Colours, with Davies and Ryan Scott digitally remastering, including five bonus tracks. In Australia, the album was also offered on three limited edition coloured vinyl pressings, which were the colours of the flowers that the human figure on the cover was holding.
Crazy
Icehouse Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Full of holes
Head in the clouds
The king of fools
You've got a ribbon of rainbows
The sun in your eyes
Burning through
Could be I'm happy and sad
Could be I'm losing my head
Over you
Well, you've gotta be crazy, baby
To want a guy like me
Yeah, you've gotta be out of your mind
Crazy
So if I'm dreaming
Don't wake me tonight
If this is all wrong
I don't want it right
'Cause you're the one sure thing
When I get lost in the game
Once again
Hey, I'm a lucky guy
Without a reason and I
Don't understand
Well, you've gotta be crazy, baby
To want a guy like me
Yeah, you've gotta be out of your mind
Crazy (crazy, crazy, crazy)
Well, there must be some kind of mistake
To give your heart away
Yeah, you've gotta be out of your mind
Crazy
Well, you've gotta be crazy, baby
To want a guy like me
Yeah, you've gotta be out of your mind
Crazy
Well, there must be some kind of mistake
To want a guy like me
Yeah, you've gotta be out of your mind
You're cazy, crazy
Well, you've gotta be crazy, baby
To want a guy like me
Yeah, you've gotta be crazy, baby
The song "Crazy" by Icehouse is a reflective piece about the singer's emotional turmoil brought by a love interest. In the first verse, the singer describes himself as someone who is completely lost in his thoughts, with no direction or purpose. He is portrayed as a "king of fools" who bears a pocket full of holes, signifying his lack of any real wealth or certainty. On the other hand, the love interest is portrayed as someone radiant and perfect with a "ribbon of rainbows and the sun in her eyes." The singer admits to being confused with his feelings towards her; he may be losing his head over his love for her, but it also leads him to feel both happy and sad.
The chorus of the song repeats the line "Well, you've gotta be crazy, baby, to want a guy like me" as a form of self-deprecation. The singer believes that his love interest is out of her mind to be attracted to him. The second verse talks about how the love interest is the singer's one sure thing amidst all the confusion, and how he feels lucky to have her. He doesn't understand why someone like her would want to be with someone like him, but he's still grateful for it.
Overall, "Crazy" is a vulnerable and introspective song about the self-doubt that often comes with falling in love. It's a bittersweet reminder of how love can be both wonderful and painful at the same time.
Line by Line Meaning
I've got a pocket
I have very little to offer
Full of holes
I lack stability and structure
Head in the clouds
I'm not grounded in reality
The king of fools
I make foolish decisions
You've got a ribbon of rainbows
You have a bright and colorful presence
The sun in your eyes
You radiate positivity
Burning through
You have a strong and undeniable effect on me
Could be I'm happy and sad
I have mixed emotions about my feelings for you
Could be I'm losing my head
My feelings for you are overwhelming and confusing me
Over you
My emotions are focused on you
Well, you've gotta be crazy, baby
It doesn't make sense for you to want me
To want a guy like me
I don't feel like I have much to offer
Yeah, you've gotta be out of your mind
Your interest in me seems irrational
So if I'm dreaming
If this wonderful thing is all just a dream
Don't wake me tonight
Let me enjoy it for as long as it lasts
If this is all wrong
If this is a mistake or a fleeting feeling
I don't want it right
I don't want to lose this feeling
'Cause you're the one sure thing
You bring certainty and stability to my life
When I get lost in the game
When things get confusing or overwhelming
Once again
As it always seems to happen
Hey, I'm a lucky guy
I feel grateful and fortunate to have you in my life
Without a reason and I
I can't quite explain why
Don't understand
Why you want to be with me
Well, there must be some kind of mistake
It seems implausible or unlikely
To give your heart away
To love someone like me
You're cazy, crazy
You must be crazy to love someone like me
Yeah, you've gotta be crazy, baby
It doesn't make sense for you to want me
Lyrics ยฉ Universal Music Publishing Group, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: Ivor Arthur Davies, Robert Grant Kretschmer, Andy Qunta
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind