"Let's Go Crazy" | ||||
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![]() US 7" single | ||||
Single by Prince and The Revolution | ||||
from the album Purple Rain | ||||
B-side |
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Released | July 18, 1984 [1] | |||
Recorded | August 7, 1983 | |||
Studio | The Warehouse, St. Louis Park | |||
Genre | Hard rock, funk rock [2] | |||
Length | 3:50 (7"/video version) 4:39 (album version) 7:35 (12"/movie version) | |||
Label | Warner Bros. | |||
Songwriter(s) | Prince [3] | |||
Producer(s) | Prince and the Revolution | |||
Prince singles chronology | ||||
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Purple Rain singles chronology | ||||
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Music video | ||||
Let's Go Crazy on YouTube |
"Let's Go Crazy" is a 1984 song by Prince and The Revolution,from the album Purple Rain . It is the opening track on both the album and the film Purple Rain . "Let's Go Crazy" was one of Prince's most popular songs,and was 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 [4] and Hot Dance Club Play charts, [5] 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".
Common to much of Prince's writing,the song is thought to be exhortation to follow Christian ethics,with the "De-elevator" of the lyrics being a metaphor for the Devil. [6] The extended "Special Dance Mix" of the song was performed in a slightly edited version in the film Purple Rain. It contains a longer instrumental section in the middle that includes a chugging guitar riff,an atonal piano solo and some muddled samples of the spoken word intro. This version was originally going to be used on the album but when "Take Me With U" was added to the track list,it was edited down to its current length.
Cash Box called the song "one of the finest fusions of jump rock and synth pump." [7]
Following Prince's death,the song re-charted on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart at number 39 and rose to number 25 by the week of May 14,2016. As of April 30,2016,it has sold 964,403 digital copies in the United States. [8]
In 2013,British rock band The Darkness performed the song at the 44th Annual Rock Music Awards.
The song was also notable for opening with a funeral-like organ solo with Prince giving the "eulogy" for "this thing called life." [9] The introduction's words are overlapped with each other on the single version. The song climaxes with a distinctive drum machine pattern and then features a heavy guitar outro leads,electronic drums,bass and whirring synthesizers and a climatic drum outro. The song's percussion was programmed with a Linn LM-1 drum machine,an instrument frequently used in many of Prince's songs. The song is also known for its two guitar solos both performed by Prince. [9]
7" Warner Bros. / 7-29216 (US)
7" Warner Bros. / W2000 (UK)
12" Warner Bros. / 0-20246 (US)
12" Warner Bros. / W2000T (UK)
Credits are sourced from Duane Tudahl,Benoît Clerc,Guitarcloud and Mix. [10] [11] [12] [13]
Weekly charts
| Year-end charts
|
Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
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United Kingdom (BPI) [29] | Silver | 200,000‡ |
United States (RIAA) [30] 1984 sales | Gold | 1,000,000^ |
United States digital sales | — | 964,403 [8] |
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. |
In 2007, Stephanie Lenz, a writer and editor from Gallitzin, Pennsylvania made a home video of her 13-month-old son dancing to "Let's Go Crazy" and posted a 29-second video on the video-sharing site YouTube. Four months after the video was originally uploaded, Universal Music Group, which owned the copyrights to the song, ordered YouTube to remove the video enforcing the Digital Millennium Copyright Act. Lenz notified YouTube immediately that her video was within the scope of fair use, and demanded that it be restored. YouTube complied after six weeks—not two weeks, as required by the Digital Millennium Copyright Act—to see whether Universal planned to sue Lenz for infringement. Lenz then sued Universal Music in California for her legal costs, claiming the music company had acted in bad faith by ordering removal of a video that represented fair use of the song. [31]
Later in August 2008, U.S. District Judge Jeremy Fogel, of San Jose, California, ruled that copyright holders cannot order a deletion of an online file without determining whether that posting reflected "fair use" of the copyrighted material. In 2015 the court affirmed the holding that Universal was required to consider fair use before sending its initial takedown request.
Purple Rain is the sixth studio album by the American singer, songwriter, producer, and multi-instrumentalist Prince. It was released on June 25, 1984, by Warner Bros. Records as the soundtrack album to the 1984 film of the same name. Purple Rain was musically denser than Prince's previous albums, emphasizing full band performances, and multiple layers of guitars, keyboards, electronic synthesizer effects, drum machines, and other instruments.
"When Doves Cry" is a song by American musician Prince, and the lead single from his sixth studio album Purple Rain. According to the DVD commentary of the film Purple Rain (1984), Prince was asked by director Albert Magnoli to write a song to match the theme of a particular segment of the film that involved intermingled parental difficulties and a love affair. The next morning, Prince had composed two songs, one of which was "When Doves Cry". According to Prince's biographer Per Nilsen, the song was inspired by his relationship with Vanity 6 member Susan Moonsie.
"Kiss" is a song composed, written, and produced by American musician Prince. Released by the Paisley Park label as the lead single from Prince and the Revolution's eighth studio album, Parade (1986), on February 5, 1986, it was a No. 1 hit worldwide, holding the top spot of the US Billboard Hot 100 chart for two weeks. The single was certified gold in 1986 for shipments of 1,000,000 copies by RIAA.
"I Feel for You" is a song written by American musician Prince that originally appeared on his 1979 self-titled album. The most successful and best-known version was recorded by R&B singer Chaka Khan and appeared on her 1984 album of the same name. It became the recipient of two Grammy Awards for Best R&B Song and Best Female R&B Vocal Performance for Khan.
"I Would Die 4 U" is a song by Prince and the Revolution, the fourth single in the US from their 1984 album, Purple Rain. The up-tempo dance song was a top 10 hit—the final one from the album—in the US, reaching number 8 on the Billboard Hot 100.
"Purple Rain" is a song by the American musician Prince and his backing band the Revolution. It is the title track from the 1984 album of the same name, which in turn is the soundtrack album for the 1984 film of the same name starring Prince, and was released as the third single from the album. The song is a power ballad that combines rock, R&B, gospel, and orchestral music.
The Revolution is an American band formed in Minneapolis, Minnesota, in 1979 by Prince, serving as his live band and later as his studio band. The band's sound incorporated rock, pop, R&B, funk, new wave and psychedelic elements. Along with Prince's other projects, the Revolution helped create the Minneapolis sound. By the time of their 1986 breakup, the Revolution had backed Prince on two studio albums, two soundtracks and two videos.
"Little Red Corvette" is a song by American recording artist Prince. The song combines a Linn LM-1 beat and slow synth buildup with a rock chorus, over which Prince, using several automobile metaphors, recalls a one-night stand with a beautiful promiscuous woman. Backing vocals were performed by Lisa Coleman and Dez Dickerson; Dickerson also performs a guitar solo on the song.
"Raspberry Beret" is a song written by American musician Prince and the lead single from Prince & the Revolution's 1985 album Around the World in a Day.
"Take Me with U" is a song by Prince and the Revolution, and the final US single released from their album, Purple Rain (1984).
"Thieves in the Temple" is a song by American musician Prince from the 1990 soundtrack album Graffiti Bridge. Added at the last minute, it was the final song recorded for the album. "Thieves in the Temple" topped the US R&B chart and became a number six hit in the US, and a number seven hit in the UK. The single also peaked at number nine on the dance chart.
"Controversy" is a song by American musician Prince, the lead single and title track to his 1981 album. The song addresses speculation about Prince at the time such as his sexuality, gender, religion, and racial background, and how he could not understand the curiosity surrounding him.
"America" is a song by Prince and The Revolution. It was the final US single from the group's 1985 album, Around the World in a Day.
"Let's Pretend We're Married" is a song by American musician Prince from his 1982 album 1999. It was the final US single from the album and peaked at number 52 in the US.
"Purple Medley" is a medley of songs by American musician Prince from 1995. There is no album accompanying the single. The track is a mix of many hits and well-known songs from Prince's career. Some of the pieces of music are samples, while others are re-recorded for the mix. Some of the additional instrumentation is credited to The New Power Generation. The "Purple Medley" consists of snippets from the songs: "Batdance", "When Doves Cry", "Kiss", "Erotic City", "Darling Nikki", "1999", "Baby I'm a Star", "Diamonds and Pearls", "Purple Rain" and "Let's Go Crazy" and fades for the edit. The full version continues with "Sexy Dancer", "Let's Work", "Irresistible Bitch", "I Wanna Be Your Lover", "Alphabet St.", "Thieves in the Temple", the bassline to The Time's "777-9311", Sheila E.'s "A Love Bizarre", "If I Was Your Girlfriend", "Raspberry Beret", "Little Red Corvette", "Cream" and "Peach".
"Erotic City " is a song by the musician Prince. It was released as the B-side to the 1984 single "Let's Go Crazy" and the 12" version of the 1986 single "Girls & Boys". The dance mix of "Erotic City" was released as a 3" and 5" CD single in Germany in 1989 and on June 29, 1990, respectively. The artwork for the single features the same image of Prince that was used for the cover of "I Would Die 4 U". The extended version of the latter was included as the B-side of "Erotic City". The song was released in two versions—the extended remix was released as the B-side to "Let's Go Crazy", while the edit was included on The Hits/The B-Sides.
"Body Language" is a 1982 song by British rock band Queen. It was written by the band's lead singer Freddie Mercury and was a hit in North America, where it received extensive radio play. However, the single only received a lukewarm response in the United Kingdom. The track was the second single released from their 1982 album Hot Space. The music video for the song was the first one to be banned from MTV for its nudity, despite the members of Queen being fully clothed.
"Get It Up" is the debut single by American funk rock band the Time, from their 1981 self-titled debut album. Like most of the album, the song was recorded in Prince's home studio in April 1981, and was produced, arranged, composed and performed by Prince with Morris Day later adding his lead vocals. Revolution keyboardist Doctor Fink provided synth solos on the track, uncredited.
Prince released several hundred songs both under his own name and under pseudonyms and/or pen names, as well as writing songs which have been recorded by other artists. Estimates of the actual number of songs written by Prince range anywhere from 500 to well over 1,000. He has released 117 singles, 41 promotional singles, 24 internet singles, and eight internet downloads.
Prince and the Revolution: Live is a live concert video by Prince and the Revolution. Released after the Purple Rain Tour was complete, the video is a recording of the March 30, 1985 concert at the Carrier Dome in Syracuse, New York. The concert was also broadcast live throughout Europe as the final act of the 15th "Rock Night", an all-night show of four concerts staged by West German public broadcaster Westdeutscher Rundfunk as part of its Rockpalast series that was simulcast by the Eurovision network of European TV stations.