Music Monday: Crazy by Gnarls Barkley

Music Monday: Crazy by Gnarls Barkley

For Music Monday this week, I wanted to do something different. After covering Metallica followed by Muse, I wanted to branch out to another genre. That started a quest to find a non-rock song about madness, which ended up leading me down a couple of dozen branches. I did have one idea that was a bit “abstract” from the genre of Plunderphonics, but it felt like cheating, really. What started as a quick turnaround blog post turned into something a bit longer and more researched.

That is when I decided to go with “Crazy” by Gnarls Barkley.

Released in 2006, this pop song still stands the test of time. It has relatable lyrics paired with a surreal music video. The duo behind it consists of CeeLo Green and Danger Mouse. The song was born out of a conversation about artists not being taken seriously unless they are considered “crazy.”

To make the song even more special, the singing was done in just one take by CeeLo, who had never even sung those lyrics before that moment. That spontaneous bit of musical genius sounds both raw and polished. It is rather short; it picks up the pace quickly and then just floats away. Writing this, I have listened to it a couple of times already.

The Meaning Behind the Music

Bit like madness, really—it can be rather spontaneous, but we often miss the buildup. The duo made two albums and were meant to be working on a third, though the last one was released in 2008. Both have produced a decent amount of solo music since. Danger Mouse is a legendary producer, and CeeLo is an artist who leans into hip-hop and soul.

Perhaps “crazy” and “madness” are two different things, yet they feel so connected here:

• Muse was about situational madness.

• Metallica was about the madness one faces when truth and honesty are bent out of shape.

• “Crazy” is about when you lose yourself into madness; it becomes peaceful. It’s chaotic and random, yet stable—it’s almost boring in its own way.

After listening to a podcast about Prometheus, this song made me wonder about that thought. With that, enjoy the music video featuring Rorschach inkblots, showing that madness can take many forms. It’s not always ugly; it can be quite beautiful, really.

Now, to begin searching for another song.