The song was leaked in late 2005, months before its regular release, and consequently received massive airplay on BBC Radio 1 in the United Kingdom, most notably by radio DJ Zane Lowe, who also used the song in TV ads for his show. When it was finally released in March 2006, it became the first single to top the UK charts on download sales alone. The song remained at number one in the UK Singles Chart for nine weeks (which no other song had achieved in over ten years, and was only surpassed by Rihanna's "Umbrella" in July 2007) before the band and their record company decided to remove the single from UK stores so people would "remember the song fondly and not get sick of it." In spite of this deletion, the song became the UK's best selling single of 2006.
The song won a 2007 Grammy Award for Best Urban/Alternative Performance, and was also nominated as Record of the Year, which it lost to "Not Ready to Make Nice" by the Dixie Chicks. It was also nominated and further won a 2006 MTV Europe Music Award for Best Song. The song was also named the best song of 2006 by Rolling Stone and by the Village Voice's annual Pazz & Jop critics poll.
Musically, "Crazy" was inspired by film scores of spaghetti Westerns, in particular by the works of Ennio Morricone, who is best known as the composer of Sergio Leone's Dollars Trilogy. The song samples a portion of "Last Man Standing" by the brothers Gian Franco and Gian Piero Reverberi from the 1968 spaghetti Western Django, Prepare a Coffin (Preparati la bara!) (The track is listed as "Nel cimitero di Tucson" on the film's soundtrack). In a 2006 interview with The lNew York Times, Danger Mouse said: "I brought in a song that I felt was a complete Ennio Morricone ripoff, but Cee-Lo and I started talking, and I somehow got off on this tangent about how people won't take an artist seriously unless they're insane."
The song's lyrics, written by Cee-Lo, were inspired by a conversation he and Danger Mouse had in the studio with the instrumental playing on repeat: Danger Mouse was "caught up in thinking that people have to believe you're crazy to think you're an artist." After the conversation, Cee-Lo recorded the vocals for the song in just one take.
Crazy
Gnarls Barkley Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I remember, I remember when I lost my mind
There was something so pleasant about that place
Even your emotions have an echo in so much space
Mm-hmm, hmm
And when you're out there, without care
Yeah, I was out of touch
I just knew too much
Hmm
Does that make me crazy?
Does that make me crazy?
Does that make me crazy?
Possibly
And I hope that you are having the time of your life
But think twice
That's my only advice
Mm
Come on now, who do you
Who do you, who do you
Who do you think you are?
Hahaha, bless your soul
You really think you're in control?
Well
I think you're crazy
I think you're crazy
I think you're crazy
Just like me
My heroes had the heart
To lose their lives out on a limb
And all I remember, is thinking
I wanna be like them
Mm-hmm
Ever since I was little
Ever since I was little it looked like fun
And there's no coincidence I've come
And I can die when I'm done
But maybe I'm crazy
Maybe you're crazy
Maybe we're crazy
Probably
The song "Crazy" by Gnarls Barkley is a powerful and thought-provoking exploration of what it means to be mentally unwell. The lyrics speak to the feeling of being out of touch with one's own emotions and the world around them, as well as the idea that perhaps this sense of disconnection and confusion is actually something that should be celebrated, rather than feared.
The opening lines of the song, "I remember when / I remember, I remember when I lost my mind," set the tone for what is to come. The singer is remembering a time when he felt completely overwhelmed and disconnected from reality, and there is a sense of longing in his voice as he recalls this experience. He goes on to describe the strange comfort he found in this place of madness, where even his emotions had an echo in an endless expanse of space.
The chorus of the song is perhaps the most well-known part, with the repeated refrain of "Does that make me crazy? / Possibly," suggesting that the singer is questioning whether his own state of mind is something that should be pathologized or celebrated. The bridge of the song brings in a note of caution, with the singer warning the listener to think twice before jumping headfirst into the world of madness.
Overall, "Crazy" is a powerful and thought-provoking song that explores the complexities of mental illness and the ways in which it can both isolate and connect us to the world around us.
Line by Line Meaning
I remember when
I remember, I remember when I lost my mind
There was something so pleasant about that place
Even your emotions have an echo in so much space
And when you're out there, without care
Yeah, I was out of touch, but it wasn't because I didn't know enough. I just knew too much
Does that make me crazy?
Does that make me crazy? Does that make me crazy? Possibly
And I hope that you are having the time of your life
But think twice, that's my only advice
Come on now, who do you
Who do you, who do you, who do you think you are? Hahaha, bless your soul
You really think you're in control?
Well, I think you're crazy. I think you're crazy. I think you're crazy, just like me
My heroes had the heart
To lose their lives out on a limb
And all I remember, is thinking
I wanna be like them
Ever since I was little
Ever since I was little it looked like fun
And there's no coincidence I've come
And I can die when I'm done
But maybe I'm crazy
Maybe you're crazy. Maybe we're crazy. Probably
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd., Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Brian Burton, Gian Reverberi, Gianfranco Reverberi, Thomas Callaway
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@mastorione
Songfacts®:
This song is about losing your mind and diving into insanity, which the Cee-Lo Green of Gnarls Barkley finds is not all bad. Speaking at a BMI conference, he explained the inspiration for the song: "It was '04, I was going through a divorce, I did not have a deal - things were bleak at the time and I was going through a personal trial. But it was an opportunity to be expressive. Danger Mouse's production compelled me into a deep retrospection, and I really appreciate him for that because with him, I knew that my misery had some company, because his music was so miserably brilliant and beautiful to me. It was the sound of my soul. If you could have taken a picture of it, it would have resembled this internal chaos."
Going along with the theme of the song, the music video is done in the style of the Rorschach test, a method of psychological testing whereby patients identify shapes and images they see in inkblots. It was directed by Robert Hales, who used an ink theme in the video for Jet's "Are You Gonna Be My Girl." In the clip, Cee-Lo and Danger Mouse appear throughout morphing inkblots, designed by art director Bryan Louie. >>
Gnarls Barkley is producer Danger Mouse (Brian Burton) and vocalist Cee-Lo Green (Thomas Callaway). Danger Mouse produced The Gorillaz album Demon Days; Cee-Lo was in Goodie Mob. The name "Gnarls Barkley" is a play on "Charles Barkley," who is a Hall Of Fame basketball player and an outspoken commentator. The moniker came up in a conversation between Danger Mouse and some of his friends when they were throwing out weird ideas for band names.
In a 2006 interview with The New York Times, Danger Mouse said: "I brought in a song that I felt was a complete Ennio Morricone ripoff, (Morricone is a composer of spaghetti-western scores) but Cee-Lo and I started talking, and I somehow got off on this tangent about how people won't take an artist seriously unless they're insane. And we were saying that if we really wanted this album to work, the best move would be to just kill ourselves. That's how audiences think; it's retarded. So we started jokingly discussing ways in which we could make people think we were crazy. We talked about this for hours, and then I went home. But while I was away, Cee-Lo took that conversation and made it into 'Crazy,' which we recorded in one take. That's the whole story. The lyrics are his interpretation of that conversation."
This song was leaked on the Internet and became a very popular download when it was released in England, sending it to #1 on the UK charts.
In 2006, Danger Mouse told The Observer Music Monthly, "I did the initial backing track when I was in Iceland on holiday a couple of years ago. We put it on in the morning and by the time we left the studio that evening we had the whole song done." Cee-Lo Green added, "I thought 'Crazy' might be the song that Danger Mouse would write if he wrote songs. He played the instrumental track for me and I was just, 'Wow!' We put the track on repeat while we talked for two hours about sanity and its place in pop culture and the creative process., how it's associated with true artistry."
This was the best-selling single of 2006 in the UK, where it spent nine weeks at #1. At the end of 2007, it was the most downloaded song ever in the UK.
This was chosen by a panel of experts including Yoko Ono, Lil Wayne, Lars Ulrich plus critics and industry insiders as Rolling Stone's #1 song of the 2000s.
Cee-Lo Green explained to Mojo December 2010 why he believes this song proved to be so popular: "It rang true to a lot of my peers and fellow artists. Because the song was about insisting upon doing things my way, and the thin line between being crazy and being convinced that you're right."
Looking back on this song in 2016 (its 10th anniversary), Cee-Lo told Entertainment Weekly that they came up with the lyrics by listening to the music loop over and over in the studio and riffing on ideas. "We talked about rock stars and authenticity - about the Ozzy Osbournes, the Iggy Pops of the work, the Jim Morrisons," he said. "It just kind of affected the subconscious. I scribbled down the lyrics, and I did it in one take. I didn't think much of it at the time."
Gnarls Barkley actually removed "Crazy" from UK music stores after its ninth week at the top of the British charts so people would "remember the song fondly and not get sick of it."
@SallumPinho
I remember when
I remember, I remember when I lost my mind
There was something so pleasant about that place
Even your emotions have an echo in so much space
And when you're out there, without care
Yeah I was out of touch
But it wasn't because I didn't know enough
I just knew too much
Does that make me crazy?
Does that make me crazy?
Does that make me crazy?
Possibly
And I hope that you are having the time of your life
But think twice
That's my only advice
Come on now, who do you
Who do you, who do you
Who do you think you are?
Ha ha ha, bless your soul
You really think you're in control?
Well
I think you're crazy
I think you're crazy
I think you're crazy
Just like me
My heroes had the heart
To lose their lives out on a limb
And all I remember, is thinking
I wanna be like them
Mmhmm ever since I was little
Ever since I was little it looked like fun
And it's no coincidence I've come
And I can die when I'm done
But maybe I'm crazy
Maybe you're crazy
Maybe we're crazy
Probably ooh hmm
@heyhey2055
I remember when
I remember, I remember when I lost my mind
There was something so pleasant about that place
Even your emotions have an echo in so much space
And when you're out there without care
Yeah, I was out of touch
But it wasn't because I didn't know enough
I just knew too much
Does that make me crazy
Does that make me crazy
Does that make me crazy
Possibly
And I hope that you are having the time of your life
But think twice, that's my only advice
Come on now, who do you, who do you, who do you
Who do you think you are
Ha ha ha, bless your soul
You really think you're in control
I think you're crazy
I think you're crazy
I think you're crazy
Just like me
My heroes had the heart to lose their lives out on the limb
And all I remember is thinking I want to be like them
Ever since I was little
Ever since I was little it looked like fun
And it's no coincidence I've come
And I can die when I'm done
But maybe I'm crazy
Maybe you're crazy
Maybe we're crazy
Probably
@tamarindo2518
I remember when, I remember, I remember when I couldn't find this
@getmeoutoftheyoutubeservers
i often tried to search it up on youtube, but i always missed
@jordynslays9933
Me either
@stevenwells7585
You must be a stupid man JUST THINK how many people in higher government die from corona not one.. Really open your mind and eyes please this corona. Is man made killing people off for a reason
@fosna8650
369 like
@getmeoutoftheyoutubeservers
@Steven Wells tf? i think you responded to the wrong comment buddy
@heartsthekitteh6239
I woke up early this morning with "Who do you, who do you think you are" stuck in my head, so I googled it. Now here I am experiencing my childhood again. Dang.
@belexsis4103
BRUH SAME
@moisesrojas5252
Eso me acaba de pasar en medio de una clase
@nibbapersonaltrainer1993
Same but with i remember when, i remember i remember when i LOST MY MIIIND then i searched it up and found the exact song i wanted to find