Let's Go Crazy

Infobox Single
Name = Let's Go Crazy


Caption = U.S. 7" single
Artist = Prince
from Album = Purple Rain
B-side = "Erotic City"
"Take Me with U "(UK)
Released = July 18, 1984
Format = 7" single
12" single
Recorded = The Warehouse, St. Louis Park, Summer 1983
Genre = Rock, Pop
Length = 7" edit: 3:46
Album: 4:49
12": 7:35
Label = Warner Bros. Records
Writer = Prince
Producer = Prince
Certification = Gold - (7 November, 1984)
Chart position = * #1 (USA, USA R&B)
* #7 (UK)
Last single = "When Doves Cry"
(1984)
This single = "Let's Go Crazy"
(1984)
Next single = "Purple Rain"
(1984)
Misc = Extra chronology
Artist = Prince (UK)
Type = singles
[ Background = #ffff00 ]
Last single = "I Would Die 4 U"
(1984)
This single = "Let's Go Crazy"/"Take Me with U"
(1985)
Next single = "Paisley Park"
(1985)Extra tracklisting
Album = Purple Rain
Type = studio
prev_track =
prev_no =
this_track = "Let's Go Crazy"
track_no = 1
next_track = "Take Me With U"
next_no = 2"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". "Let's Go Crazy" is one of Prince's most popular songs, and is almost always a staple for concert performances, often segueing into other hits. When released as a single, the song became Prince's second number-one hit on the Billboard Hot 100, and also topped the two component charts, the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs and Hot Dance Club Play charts, as well as becoming a UK Top 10 hit. The B-side was the lyrically controversial "Erotic City." In the UK, the song was released as a double A-side with "Take Me with U".

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 track's introduction.

Musical style

The song was also notable for opening with a funeral-like organ solo with Prince giving the "eulogy" for "this thing called life." That eulogy ends with a distinctive drum machine pattern and then quickly becomes a full hard rock number with heavy guitar, bass and keyboards. The song's percussion was programmed with the venerable Linn LM-1 drum machine, an instrument frequently used in many of Prince's songs.

"Traffic Jam", by "Weird Al" Yankovic, is a style parody of "Let's Go Crazy", while 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".

Track listing

;7" Paisley Park / 7-29216 (US)
# "Let's Go Crazy" (Edit) - 3:46
# "Erotic City" (Edit) - 3:55

;7" Warner Bros. / W2000 (UK)
# "Let's Go Crazy" (Edit) - 3:46
# "Take Me With U" - 3:51

;12" Paisley Park / 0-20246 (US)
# "Let's Go Crazy" (Special Dance Mix) - 7:35
# "Erotic City" (Make Love Not War Erotic City Come Alive) - 7:24

;12" Warner Bros. / W2000T (UK)
# "Let's Go Crazy" (Special Dance Mix) - 7:35
# "Take Me With U" - 3:51
# "Erotic City" (Make Love Not War Erotic City Come Alive) - 7:24

In Popular Culture

* In the American animated sitcom, American Dad in the episode, "Iced, Iced Babies", when Roger disguises himself as a college literature professor he recites part of the spoken opening verse of Prince's "Let's Go Crazy" as follows: "This class isn't about literature! It's about life! Electric word: life. It means forever and that's a mighty long time. But I'm here to tell you there's something else...my office hours. It's from Tuesday to Thursday from 1 PM to 3 PM."

References

External links

* "Lets Go Crazy" [http://www.dtt-lyrics.com/albums/purple.html#crazy lyrics]