Even as I listen to it now, I just think of this song as something truly epic and monumental. The sound and production is so dense and huge, it just destroyed damn near everything else that was on the radio in 1984. And it was so radically different than your average pop song too. Would you rate this with "I Want A New Drug" by Huey Lewis & the News? I think not.


The extended version ROCKS!!!!!

NWF said:

I agree with all that, but especially about the extended version. I love the almost grunged up guitar, the voices in the background (anyone worked out what he's saying?), the robotic sounds, and the "aaaaah...." leading back into the single version

Definetely more than yer average pop tune. And the "dearly beloved" intro is inspired...who doesn't get the hairs on the back of the neck standing up when it all kicks in after "punch a higher floor"...

LittleSmedley said:

I do! The guitar is amazing at that part Yes, it is an amazing pop song. Even though it's become his sort of "breakout mainstream" song, it's still got that special something. It's not formulaic like most breakout hits tend to be. And the last guitar solo still rules

1 off piece of genius.

I agree 100%! This song is perfect, actually. It has everything; amazing intro, great hook, good solo's, especially at the end. The Long version is even better. The production, i.e., the playing, the vocals, the mix, is all perfect. This song would have been a #1 hit even without the movie. This song is the perfect crossover hit. To this day, classic rock stations SHOULD play this. It runs over damn near everything that rock stations play from the early 80's. Shit from Def Leopard, Foriegner,etc., shit they play non stop on classic radio, can't hold a candle to the rock majesty of this. Can't even compare. And it's still fit the format of pop radio. Nice thread, NWF.

Yeah, I'd say there is a lot more to "Let's Go Crazy" than your avg pop song.

Oh man, this takes me back... 5 or so weeks, actually, to the SuperBowl when I heard it for the first time. I know, I'm a late bloomer as a fan, I'm sure everyone here knows that by now.

But I love the way he played it there and the songs breaks the tail lights of any other song that TRIES to go against it. It's very upbeat and I definitely love the fact it starts out his greatness's movie (we all know which one). And they totally kill with the song too.

It's always so much fun. "Are we gonna let the elevator bring us down?"

No, let's go!

Lol, "let's go crazy" vs. "I want a new drug".... no contest, man. "Let's go crazy" knocks out that song's tail lights... not that it really shined all that much to begin with.

Hello Again All.....


I must first say I agree with you all and since this was the song that I first heard from Prince this one has always had a special place in my heart.....but the one part of the mans genuiusness that you all have failed to mention was his ability to put his religous battles into a song and many still to this day have no idea that that is what this song is truly about.....I mean he even got it passed Warner Brothers and that says alot.....the man is great at what he does and this is just another example of the countless ones we could suggest to set this man aprt from anyone else.....Great song and great Topic.




Draven

Best song to start out a prince party on it.

Draven0914 said:

That's right. Prince did say in an interview that this song is about the battle between God and Satan. Satan is portrayed as an elevator and God is seen as the desire to break free from the elevator.
[Edited 3/15/07 12:31pm]

I thought it was a ROCK song!

blackguitaristz said:

Why thank you. But you gotta remember too that back then radio was a bit more open to different sounds. Unlike today, radio was open to Soul men crossing over into Rock territories, and vice versa.

Also, Prince said in anothr interview that this song was a smash on both Rock and R&B radio, and there hasn't been anything fast or like that since. Ain't that the damn truth.

Tremolina said:

It is. I never said it wasn't.

DreamyPopRoyalty said:

Have you seen him perform on the Purple Rain Movie???? You have to see that one....

NWF said:

Or TRUST ME, I remember clear as a bell on how it was. Out here in L.A., it got decent airing on KLOS. Not as much as it should have. Really, they played MJ's "Beat It" much more. Largely cuz of Eddie Van Halen played the solo. Now, that's a song that got played to DEATH on black radio, rock radio AND pop radio. THAT'S the kind of airplay "Let's Go Crazy" should have gotten. The rock stations were there, but not as much as they should have been. And like I posted earlier, it should be a bonafide staple on classic rock stations today.

For those that don't know; there's a serious backward mask during the intro to this song. On the line "there's something...the afterworld." If u have the abilty to reverse this line, do so. Without totally giving it away, it says "When I was a *^%$#%, there was a girl named Stella."

babooshleeky said:

Yes!! I have seen it... I wrote a thread on my seeing it for the first time. It was an awesome way to start the movie because of its upbeat sound. It was funny cuz it was the first song he did at the SuperBowl and when I found the video for it, I recognized it right away... it has that Prince 80's sound that I go crazy for. (no pun intended)

I love this song! When I hear the line..."When the elevator tries to bring you down..Go Crazy...Punch a higher floor!!" It cheers me instantly, especially if I'm feeling down.

oh well
[Edited 3/15/07 17:56pm]

Let's Go Crazy is amazing.

It is indeed perfect -- like he spit it out after conversing with God.

Superb opening. Damn -- best opening ever. Not just cool- sounding ...It was mysterious, profound, kinetic, wild, seductive.

It is sublime.

Great writing. Great use of metaphor and concealed meaning. That's more affective than Rainbow Children. God and evil are are mad more powerful by their metaphors.

These were the days of perfection.

Like Little REd Corvette ... When Doves Cry.

Prince does not create like this anyore. And damn, I wish he did.

Let's Go Crazy is a perfect example of why I am not for P getting mainstream over exposure. After the song has been played to death, u tend to forget its uniqueness and genius quality because it becomes cliche. With that said Let's Go Crazy is a benchmark in music. Prince shines in this classic. He goes from ripping the guitar to bangin the piano (long version) and he still keeps it rockin the whole time. Then at the end he brings it home blues style. Average? Not then not ever.
[Edited 3/15/07 18:10pm]

Yes it is a CLASSIC and I was the first to play it on the bus in high school. Even the jocks finally liked Prince.

Over the years though it's lost its luster for me because--

1. The cathedral organ I found to be stolen from BOSTON, so not as original as I thought. (And then of course, George Michael stole it from P for "Faith)

2. The riff is pure Keith Richards. and the production and feel of the intro was the next generation of "1999" as an album opener.

3. The beat is pure white boy "Footloose". Now I see how Morris and the Time made fun of it in the movie. It's a real sellout beat for Prince.

But the solo break at the end may be the best guitar solo ever on Top 40 radio. Sure it's a standard blues closer, but with Prince's style it became a huge top 40 hit that Hendrix, Van Halen or Stevie Ray never had.

I'll always remember that bus ride when I played the tape for the first time for everyone. They made me play it at least 3 times in a row and then everyone bought it!

DMSR said:

Gotta understand that at that point, especially after tasting the crossover success that Little Red Corvette gave him, he was hell bent on reaching the white folks. Honestly, when I first heard the song, besides the intro, i wasn't that crazy about the song. I bought the album the day it was released and when I first put that needle down on the groove and when he got into the opening chorus, all I saw was white kids doing "the Carlton" on American Bandstand. Not that there was anything wrong with that, mind you. But that's not a vision I related to P at that time. I was a 1999 album junkie, especially for cuts like Lady Cab and Automatic. So, needless to say, I wasn't running into the street over this song. Really, it wasn't untill he released the 12' version that I really started to dig the shit out of the song.

This song is AWSOME.

He dind't steal the organ... it's not a Cathedral organ...it's like his own organ on an Oberheim.


The synth horns are unbelivable. especially in the extended version. I don't htink it ever sounds as good now, since Oberheims are obsolete.

it is his greatest song from start to finish, Ive heard this song as much or more times than any other songs it does not get old like some of them do

To this day when I hear this song, I still get chills and I cannot keep sitting. I absolutely HAVE to dance. I have no choice.

when he first played it at First Avenue people didnt get it, I have the DVD

cutn said:

I totally agree. Never tired of it. Ever.

noimageatall said:

cutn said:

That is unbelievable.

are you suggesting Prince didn't have any white fans prior to the break thru success of LRC from 1999, or are you speaking of sheer numbers of them?

Oh man, you have to hear this.

I was heading back to my college after spring break and on the radio, w/o thinking of Prince, I just wanted to find stations that play 80's/90's/today music because I have a fetish for 80's music. I even conversed with my mom about why the 80's was such a great decade in my eyes, considering that I was born in '86.

Then, unexpectedly, "Let's go crazy" comes on the air and I go nuts... thinking what are the chances? I was thinking earlier that another song sounded like it started the same, but that wasn't it. Anyway, I was listening to the song and getting all into it, singing along and such.

This is one of the greatest things about Prince: spontaneoity. That's the type of fan I used to be prior to the HalfTime show. I'd just take Prince as the opportunity came to me, I didn't rush into anything, and just let it happen. Somehow, that makes it feel all the more special to me.

I find Prince's music special enough that I should take it as it comes, not force myself onto it because I feel I have to. Having this song come on the air reminded me of that and reasons flooded into my head why I think Prince is so great.