Washington was born Ruth Jones in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. As she was growing up in Chicago, she played piano and directed her church choir. Later, she studied in Walter Dyett's renowned music program at DuSable High School. For a while, she split her time between performing in clubs as Dinah Washington while singing and playing piano in Salle Martin's gospel choir as Ruth Jones.
Washington began performing in 1942 and soon joined Lionel Hampton's band. In 1943, she began recording for Keynote Records and released "Evil Gal Blues", her first hit. By 1955, she had released numerous hit songs on the R&B charts, including "Baby, Get Lost", "Trouble in Mind", "You Don't Know What Love Is" (arranged by Quincy Jones), and a cover of "Cold, Cold Heart" by Hank Williams. In 1958 she made a well-received appearance at the Newport Jazz Festival.
With "What a Diff'rence a Day Makes" 1959, Washington won a Grammy Award for Best Rhythm and Blues Performance; the song was her biggest hit, reaching #8 on the Billboard Hot 100. The commercially driven album of the same name, with its heavily reliance on strings and wordless choruses, was slammed by jazz and blues critics as being far too commercial, not keeping with her blues roots. Despite this, the album was a huge success and Washington continued to favor more commercial, pop-oriented songs rather than traditional blues and jazz songs. She also dealt in torch songs; her rendition of The Platters' "Smoke Gets In Your Eyes" was well-regarded.
She was married seven times, and divorced six times while having several lovers, including Quincy Jones, her young arranger. She was known to be imperious and demanding in real life, but audiences loved her. In London she once declared, "...there is only one heaven, one earth and one queen...Queen Elizabeth is an impostor", but the crowd loved it.
Dinah Washington died from an accidental overdose of diet pills and alcohol at the age of 39 in 1963.
CRAZY LOVE
Dinah Washington Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
That I am a secret spy
I follow you home
Careful to walk behind you
I climb up your tree
And hide in the leaves
To keep you from seeing who I am
Call me obsessed
But I need to know your name
Your age, your address
And where in the world you came from
It's silly to think
That I'm on the brink
Of falling right off my rocker
Oh, I wanna know
All about your mom
And your favorite song
And why you hypnotize me
Well, I'll tell you why
I'm the definition of
Obsessive compulsive crazy love
Late after dark
Your light is on upstairs
And I watch you dance
As if you were Fred Astaire
A little finesse
A sparkly dress
And I could be Ginger Rogers
Oh, I wanna know
All the books you read
And your favorite sweets
And why you hypnotize me
Well, I'll tell you why
I'm the definition of
Obsessive compulsive crazy...
La la la I'm like a firefly
La la la in the evening sky
I'm all aglow whenever I see you walking by
Oh, I wanna know
If you ever plan
To hold my hand
And why you hypnotize me
Well, I'll tell you why
I'm the definition...
Oh, I wanna know
If you ever plan
To hold my hand
And why you hypnotize me
Well I'll tell you why
I'm the definition of
Obsessive compulsive crazy love
The lyrics of Dinah Washington's "Crazy Love" speak of a narrator who is obsessed with a certain someone. The singer watches this someone's every move and wants to know everything about them, from their age, to address, to favorite song, and even down to what they read and eat. The lyrics are filled with images of watching someone dance through a window, hiding in leaves, and just generally stalking them. The lyrics reveal an intensity of emotion that is beyond infatuation or love; it is an unhealthy obsession.
The song has a playful tone, with its upbeat melody and the use of the term "crazy love". The singer even refers to themselves as "obsessive-compulsive". However, the lyrics also depict a sad reality of those who are held captive by their own emotional turmoil. The act of stalking is not romantic, and the singer's desire to know everything about this someone is not out of love, but a deep-rooted desperation to own them.
"Crazy Love" is a beautiful example of how music can communicate deep and complex emotions in a way that no other medium can. The lyrics paint a picture of a person consumed by their own emotions and simultaneously convey the danger of such an all-consuming love. The song explores the darker side of love, that is often not touched upon in popular music.
Line by Line Meaning
Nobody knows
I keep my true feelings and intentions hidden from others.
That I am a secret spy
I am constantly observing and investigating the person I am infatuated with.
I follow you home
I discreetly trail you to learn more about you.
Careful to walk behind you
I take great pains to avoid being detected by you.
I climb up your tree
I use any methods possible to get closer to you and your life.
And hide in the leaves
I keep my identity and intentions concealed from you.
To keep you from seeing who I am
I do not want you to be aware of my existence or interest in you.
Call me obsessed
I am fully consumed and fixated on learning everything I can about you.
But I need to know your name
I am determined to uncover even the simplest details about you.
Your age, your address
I want to know everything there is to know about you, including your location and personal information.
And where in the world you came from
I have an insatiable curiosity about your past experiences and background.
It's silly to think
I recognize that my behavior is irrational and extreme.
That I'm on the brink
I feel like I am losing control of my emotions and actions.
Of falling right off my rocker
I am worried about becoming consumed by my feelings to the point of losing touch with reality.
Oh, I wanna know
I am driven by an intense curiosity to discover even the most trivial things about you.
All about your mom
I want to understand the important people and influences in your life.
And your favorite song
I want to know everything about your likes and interests.
And why you hypnotize me
I cannot explain the powerful attraction I feel for you.
Well, I'll tell you why
I want to explain and understand my own obsessive feelings.
I'm the definition of
My behavior is characterized by extreme fixation and obsession.
Obsessive compulsive crazy love
My feelings towards you are irrational and fanatical, to the point of being concerning.
Late after dark
I spend many sleepless nights consumed by thoughts of you.
Your light is on upstairs
I take comfort in the knowledge that you are nearby.
And I watch you dance
I am entranced by even the most mundane details of your life.
As if you were Fred Astaire
I see you as an ideal and glamorous figure, regardless of your actual abilities or attributes.
A little finesse
I feel that I could make myself more attractive and worthy of your attention if I possessed a certain skill or attribute.
A sparkly dress
I believe that changing my appearance will make you more likely to notice and appreciate me.
And I could be Ginger Rogers
I idealize the possibility of being your partner and equal.
All the books you read
I want to know even the most mundane details of your life, including your reading habits.
And your favorite sweets
I am deeply curious about even the most trivial aspects of your life.
La la la I'm like a firefly
I am filled with a glowing sense of excitement and infatuation in your presence.
La la la in the evening sky
My obsessive feelings persist even in the dark and lonely hours of the night.
I'm all aglow whenever I see you walking by
My feelings of love and attraction are all-consuming and intense.
If you ever plan
I am constantly hopeful and optimistic about the possibility of a relationship between us.
To hold my hand
I fantasize about even the most simple and intimate displays of affection between us.
And why you hypnotize me
I am unable to comprehend the overwhelming attraction I feel towards you.
Well I'll tell you why
I want to understand and explain the source of my obsessive feelings.
I'm the definition of
My actions and emotions are characterized by extreme obsession and infatuation.
Obsessive compulsive crazy love
My feelings towards you are all-consuming and irrational, to the point of being concerning.
Writer(s): CAHN SAMMY, TUMINELLO PHIL J
Contributed by Harper S. Suggest a correction in the comments below.