Let's Go Crazy: Difference between revisions

"Let's Go Crazy"
"Let's Go Crazy"
	US 7" single
Single by Prince and The Revolution
from the album Purple Rain
B-side	"Erotic City"; "Take Me with U" (UK);
Released	July 18, 1984
Recorded	August 7, 1983
Studio	The Warehouse, St. Louis Park
Genre	Hard rock, funk rock
Length	3:50 (7"/video version); 4:39 (album version); 7:35 (12"/movie version)
Label	Warner Bros.
Songwriter(s)	Prince
Producer(s)	Prince and the Revolution
Prince singles chronology
Purple Rain singles chronology
Music video
	Let's Go Crazy on YouTube

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"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.

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."^[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 lead, 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]

Track listing

7" Warner Bros. / 7-29216 (US)

"Let's Go Crazy" (edit) – 3:46
"Erotic City" (edit) – 3:53

7" Warner Bros. / W2000 (UK)

"Let's Go Crazy" (edit) – 3:46
"Take Me with U" – 3:51

12" Warner Bros. / 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

Personnel

Credits are sourced from Duane Tudahl, Benoît Clerc, Guitarcloud and Mix.^[10]^[11]^[12]^[13]

Prince – lead and backing vocals, electric lead guitar, Linn LM-1
Wendy Melvoin – electric rhythm guitar, backing vocals
Lisa Coleman – Oberheim OB-SX, backing vocals
Matt Fink – Oberheim OB-Xa, backing vocals
Brown Mark – bass guitar, backing vocals
Bobby Z. – Linn LM-1, Simmons SDS-V, Pearl SY-1 Syncussion, cymbals

Charts

Weekly charts

1984–1985 weekly chart performance for "Let's Go Crazy"
Chart (1984–1985)	Peak position
Australia (Kent Music Report)^[14]	10
Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)^[15]	11
Canadian Singles Chart^[16]	2
France (SNEP)^[17]	50
Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)^[18]	18
Netherlands (Single Top 100)^[19]	11
New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)^[20]	13
UK Singles (OCC)^[21]	7
US Billboard Hot 100^[22]	1
US Dance Club Songs (Billboard)^[23]	1
US Hot Black Singles (Billboard)^[24]	1
US Mainstream Rock (Billboard)^[25]	19

2016 weekly chart performance for "Let's Go Crazy"
Chart (2016)	Peak position
US Hot Rock & Alternative Songs (Billboard)^[26]	5

Year-end charts

1984 weekly chart performance for "Let's Go Crazy"
Chart (1984)	Position
US Top Pop Singles (Billboard)^[27]	21

2016 year-end chart performance for "Let's Go Crazy"
Chart (2016)	Position
US Hot Rock Songs (Billboard)^[28]	37

Certifications and sales

Certifications and sales for "Let's Go Crazy"
Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
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. ^‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

Lenz v. Universal

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.

References

Uptown: The Vault – The Definitive Guide to the Musical World of Prince: Nilsen Publishing 2004, ISBN 91-631-5482-X

^ Uptown, 2004, p. 50
^ Elliott, Paul (May 30, 2016). "The Top 20 Greatest Funk Rock Songs". TeamRock. Team Rock Limited. Archived from the original on June 2, 2016. Retrieved January 31, 2017.
^ The original single release credits the authors of the song as Prince and The Revolution, but the song's authorship is registered with ASCAP as solely by Prince.
^ Whitburn, Joel (2004). Top R&B/Hip-Hop Singles: 1942-2004. Record Research. p. 471.
^ Whitburn, Joel (2004). Hot Dance/Disco: 1974-2003. Record Research. p. 208.
^ Woodworth, G.M.; University of California, Los Angeles (2008). "Just Another One of God's Gifts": Prince, African-American Masculinity, and the Sonic Legacy of the Eighties. University of California, Los Angeles. p. 268. ISBN 9781109120745. Retrieved 2015-06-22.
^ "Reviews" (PDF). Cash Box. August 4, 1984. p. 7. Retrieved 2022-07-25.
^ ^a ^b "Hip Hop Single Sales: Prince, Desiigner & Drake". HipHopDX. April 30, 2016. Retrieved April 30, 2016.
^ ^a ^b Ariza, Sergio. "The 10 Best Prince Solos". Guitars Exchange. Retrieved 4 July 2018.
^ Tudahl, Duane (2018). Prince and the Purple Rain Era Studio Sessions: 1983 and 1984 (Expanded Edition). Rowman & Littlefield. ISBN 9781538116432.
^ Clerc, Benoît (October 2022). Prince: All the Songs. Octopus. ISBN 9781784728816.
^ "Purple Rain". guitarcloud.org. Retrieved 2023-04-10.
^ ""Let's Go Crazy"". mixonline.com. Retrieved 2023-04-10.
^ Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992. St Ives, NSW: Australian Chart Book. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
^ "Prince And The Revolution – Let's Go Crazy" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50. Retrieved December 3, 2017.
^ Lwin, Nanda. Top 40 Hits: The Essential Chart Guide 2000
^ "Prince And The Revolution – Let's Go Crazy" (in French). Les classement single. Retrieved December 3, 2017.
^ "Nederlandse Top 40 – week 10, 1985" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40. Retrieved May 26, 2020.
^ "Prince And The Revolution – Let's Go Crazy" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved December 3, 2017.
^ "Prince And The Revolution – Let's Go Crazy". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved December 3, 2017.
^ "Prince & The Revolution: Artist Chart History". Official Charts Company. Retrieved December 3, 2017.
^ "Prince Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved December 3, 2017.
^ "Prince Chart History (Dance Club Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved December 3, 2017.
^ "Prince Chart History (Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved December 3, 2017.
^ "Prince Chart History (Mainstream Rock)". Billboard. Retrieved December 3, 2017.
^ "Prince Chart History (Hot Rock & Alternative Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved May 26, 2020.
^ "Talent Almanac 1985: Top Pop Singles". Billboard. Vol. 96, no. 51. December 22, 1984. p. TA-19.
^ "Hot Rock Songs – Year-End 2016". Billboard. Retrieved May 26, 2020.
^ "British single certifications – Prince & The Revolution – Lets Go Crazy". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved December 15, 2023.
^ "American single certifications – Prince – Let's Go Crazy". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved May 31, 2016.
^ Egelko, Bob (August 21, 2008). "Woman can sue over YouTube clip de-posting". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved 2008-08-25.

[1] Uptown, 2004, p. 50

[2] Elliott, Paul (May 30, 2016). "The Top 20 Greatest Funk Rock Songs". TeamRock. Team Rock Limited. Archived from the original on June 2, 2016. Retrieved January 31, 2017.

[3] The original single release credits the authors of the song as Prince and The Revolution, but the song's authorship is registered with ASCAP as solely by Prince.

[4] Whitburn, Joel (2004). Top R&B/Hip-Hop Singles: 1942-2004. Record Research. p. 471.

[5] Whitburn, Joel (2004). Hot Dance/Disco: 1974-2003. Record Research. p. 208.

[google-6] Woodworth, G.M.; University of California, Los Angeles (2008). "Just Another One of God's Gifts": Prince, African-American Masculinity, and the Sonic Legacy of the Eighties. University of California, Los Angeles. p. 268. ISBN 9781109120745. Retrieved 2015-06-22.

[cb-7] "Reviews" (PDF). Cash Box. August 4, 1984. p. 7. Retrieved 2022-07-25.

[ussales-8] "Hip Hop Single Sales: Prince, Desiigner & Drake". HipHopDX. April 30, 2016. Retrieved April 30, 2016.

[Guitars-9] Ariza, Sergio. "The 10 Best Prince Solos". Guitars Exchange. Retrieved 4 July 2018.

[10] Tudahl, Duane (2018). Prince and the Purple Rain Era Studio Sessions: 1983 and 1984 (Expanded Edition). Rowman & Littlefield. ISBN 9781538116432.

[11] Clerc, Benoît (October 2022). Prince: All the Songs. Octopus. ISBN 9781784728816.

[12] "Purple Rain". guitarcloud.org. Retrieved 2023-04-10.

[13] ""Let's Go Crazy"". mixonline.com. Retrieved 2023-04-10.

[auchart-14] Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992. St Ives, NSW: Australian Chart Book. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.

[sc_Flanders_Prince_And_The_Revolution-15] "Prince And The Revolution – Let's Go Crazy" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50. Retrieved December 3, 2017.

[16] Lwin, Nanda. Top 40 Hits: The Essential Chart Guide 2000

[sc_France_Prince_And_The_Revolution-17] "Prince And The Revolution – Let's Go Crazy" (in French). Les classement single. Retrieved December 3, 2017.

[sc_Dutch40_-18] "Nederlandse Top 40 – week 10, 1985" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40. Retrieved May 26, 2020.

[sc_Dutch100_Prince_And_The_Revolution-19] "Prince And The Revolution – Let's Go Crazy" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved December 3, 2017.

[sc_New_Zealand_Prince_And_The_Revolution-20] "Prince And The Revolution – Let's Go Crazy". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved December 3, 2017.

[sc_UKsinglesbyname_Prince_&_The_Revolution-21] "Prince & The Revolution: Artist Chart History". Official Charts Company. Retrieved December 3, 2017.

[sc_Billboardhot100_Prince-22] "Prince Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved December 3, 2017.

[sc_Billboarddanceclubplay_Prince-23] "Prince Chart History (Dance Club Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved December 3, 2017.

[24] "Prince Chart History (Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved December 3, 2017.

[sc_Billboardmainstreamrock_Prince-25] "Prince Chart History (Mainstream Rock)". Billboard. Retrieved December 3, 2017.

[sc_Billboardrocksongs_Prince-26] "Prince Chart History (Hot Rock & Alternative Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved May 26, 2020.

[27] "Talent Almanac 1985: Top Pop Singles". Billboard. Vol. 96, no. 51. December 22, 1984. p. TA-19.

[28] "Hot Rock Songs – Year-End 2016". Billboard. Retrieved May 26, 2020.

[United_KingdomPrince_&_The_RevolutionLets_Go_CrazysingleCertRef-29] "British single certifications – Prince & The Revolution – Lets Go Crazy". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved December 15, 2023.

[United_StatesPrinceLet's_Go_CrazysingleCertRef-30] "American single certifications – Prince – Let's Go Crazy". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved May 31, 2016.

[31] Egelko, Bob (August 21, 2008). "Woman can sue over YouTube clip de-posting". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved 2008-08-25.

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v t e Prince and the Revolution · Music from the Motion Picture Purple Rain
Side one	"Let's Go Crazy" "Take Me with U" "The Beautiful Ones" "Computer Blue" "Darling Nikki"
Side two	"When Doves Cry" "I Would Die 4 U" "Baby I'm a Star" "Purple Rain"
B-sides	"17 Days" "Erotic City"
Related articles	Purple Rain (film) Purple Rain Tour Prince and the Revolution: Live Purplish Rain Prince albums discography
Related artists	The Time Ice Cream Castle "Jungle Love" "The Bird" Apollonia 6 Apollonia 6 (album) "Sex Shooter" Dez Dickerson

v t e Prince singles
1970s	"Soft and Wet" "Just as Long as We're Together" "I Wanna Be Your Lover"
1980s	"Why You Wanna Treat Me So Bad?" "Still Waiting" "Sexy Dancer" "Uptown" "Dirty Mind" "Do It All Night" "Gotta Stop (Messin' About)" "Controversy" "Let's Work" "Do Me, Baby" "1999" "Little Red Corvette" "Delirious" "Let's Pretend We're Married" "When Doves Cry" "Let's Go Crazy" "Purple Rain" "I Would Die 4 U" "Take Me with U" "Paisley Park" "Raspberry Beret" "Pop Life" "America" "Kiss" "Mountains" "Anotherloverholenyohead" "Girls & Boys" "Sign "O" the Times" "If I Was Your Girlfriend" "U Got the Look" "I Could Never Take the Place of Your Man" "Alphabet St." "Glam Slam" "I Wish U Heaven" "Batdance" "Partyman" "The Arms of Orion" "Scandalous!"
1990s	"The Future" "Thieves in the Temple" "New Power Generation" "Gett Off" "Cream" "Diamonds and Pearls" "Money Don't Matter 2 Night" "Insatiable" "Thunder" "Sexy MF" "My Name Is Prince" "7" "Damn U" "The Morning Papers" "Pink Cashmere" "Nothing Compares 2 U" "Peach" "The Most Beautiful Girl in the World" "Letitgo" "Space" "Purple Medley" "I Hate U" "Gold" "Dinner with Delores" "Betcha by Golly Wow!" "The Holy River" "The Truth" "The Greatest Romance Ever Sold"
2000s	"U Make My Sun Shine" (with Angie Stone) "When Will We B Paid?" (with Audio Stepchild) "Supercute" "The Work, pt. 1" "Days of Wild" "Controversy (Live in Hawaii)" "Musicology" "Cinnamon Girl" "S.S.T." "Te Amo Corazón" "Black Sweat" "Fury" "Guitar" "F.U.N.K." "Dance 4 Me"
2010s	"Rocknroll Loveaffair" "Breakfast Can Wait" "Fallinlove2nite" "Breakdown" "This Could B Us" "Free Urself"
Promotional singles	"When You Were Mine" "Erotic City" "Nothing Compares 2 U" "Love Sign" (with Nona Gaye) "Somebody's Somebody" "It's About That Walk" "Call My Name" "The Song of the Heart"
Internet downloads	"Guitar (original "demo" version)"
New Power Generation	"Get Wild" "The War" "Come On"
EPs	The Beautiful Experience NYC 1999: The New Master
Other songs	"I Feel for You" "Partyup" "Private Joy" "International Lover" "How Come U Don't Call Me Anymore?" "The Beautiful Ones" "Computer Blue" "Darling Nikki" "Baby I'm a Star" "17 Days" "Around the World in a Day" "Sometimes It Snows in April" "The Ballad of Dorothy Parker" "Starfish and Coffee" "Adore" "Don't Talk 2 Strangers" "I Can't Make U Love Me" "La, La, La Means I Love U" "One of Us" "Everyday Is a Winding Road" "A Case of U" "Crimson and Clover" "Moonbeam Levels"