Let's Go Crazy
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| "Let's Go Crazy" | ||
|---|---|---|
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| U.S. 7" single | ||
| Single by Prince | ||
| from the album Purple Rain | ||
| B-side(s) | "Erotic City" "Take Me with U "(UK) |
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| Released | 18 July 1984 | |
| Format | 7" single 12" single |
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| Recorded | The Warehouse, St. Louis Park, Summer 1983 | |
| Genre | Heavy Metal, Pop | |
| Length | 7" edit: 3:46 Album: 4:49 12": 7:35 |
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| Label | Warner Bros. Records | |
| Writer(s) | Prince | |
| Producer(s) | Prince | |
| Certification | Gold - (7 November, 1984) | |
| Chart positions | ||
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| Prince singles chronology | ||
| "When Doves Cry" (1984) |
"Let's Go Crazy" (1984) |
"Purple Rain" (1984) |
| Prince (UK) singles chronology | ||
| "I Would Die 4 U" (1984) |
"Let's Go Crazy"/"Take Me with U" (1985) |
"Paisley Park" (1985) |
"Let's Go Crazy" is a 1984 song by Prince and the Revolution. It was the opening track on both his album and the film Purple Rain and went to number one on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1984. The song was also notable for opening with a funeral-like organ solo with Prince giving the "eulogy" for "this thing called life". The eulogy ends with a distinctive drum machine pattern and then quickly becomes a full hard rock number with heavy guitar, bass and keyboards. The lyrics suggest to enjoy life while you can. Between some of the lyrics, there is a pounding guitar solo. The song ends with another searing guitar solo leading to a traditional blues ending and the exclamation "Take me away!"
The song also works as a metaphor for the religious struggle against evil, with the "de-elevator" representing Satan.
The extended "Special Dance Mix" of the song was performed in a slightly edited version in the movie Purple Rain. It contains a longer instrumental section in the middle, including a solo on an apparently out-of-tune piano and some muddled lyrics, repeating the song's intro.
The B-side was the extremely popular and lyrically controversial "Erotic City". In the UK, the song was released as a double A sided single with "Take Me with U". "Erotic City" also featured on the UK 12" single.
"Let's Go Crazy" is one of Prince's most popular songs and is almost always a staple for concert performances, often seguing into other hits.
[edit] Trivia
- "Traffic Jam", by "Weird Al" Yankovic, is a style parody of "Lets Go Crazy" (see Alapalooza).
- Two segments of Prince's unaccompanied guitar solo in the song's coda were sampled into Public Enemy's single Brothers Gonna Work It Out.
- The song was covered by the punk-hardcore band Refused in 1995.
- For unknown reasons, the song was banned in South Korea.
- The band Incubus covered this song during some shows of their ACLOTM tour.
- The band blink-182 used the ending solo as the last song of the compilation of songs used to put together Travis Barker's drum solo during the 2004 tour.
- The song is considered the themesong of Sports Quiz on WUSR.
- The song was played during the Super Bowl XLI half-time show.
[edit] External link
- "Lets Go Crazy" lyrics
| Preceded by "Missing You" by John Waite |
Billboard Hot 100 number one single September 29, 1984- October 6, 1984 |
Succeeded by "I Just Called to Say I Love You" by Stevie Wonder |
