On Episode 4 of the Press Rewind – Prince Lyrics Podcast, I tackle For You’s fourth track, “Crazy You.” Is there some hidden darkness in this short, beautiful, acoustic ballad? Let’s discuss!
“I’m so strung out, thinking about the crazy things you do.”
After disco dancing for a couple of sexy, upbeat tracks, Prince slows things down on the album’s first ballad. He channels some of his singer-songwriter heroes by grabbing an acoustic guitar and singing a short song about a “crazy” love he’s feeling. Does using the word “crazy” really fit, considering how light and airy the vocals, melody, and sound effects (shimmering and echoing effects)? Or is this an oxymoronic way of describing his love?
Due to the song’s short length (one verse, one chorus), Prince leaves us with many unanswered questions about this relationship and the girl he is singing about. Is she simply kooky (i.e., quirky), or is she genuinely crazy (i.e., dangerous)? He’s certainly down for whatever sort of crazy she is regardless. She makes him do…everything. The vagueness here leaves the level of insanity up to the listener, not to mention all the things she makes him do.
Prince sings from the first person in the chorus, calling himself a crazy fool for falling in love with someone so unstable and wild. He even calls himself “strung out,” which hints at a little bit of darkness that hovers over the lyrics. Does Prince feel unsafe around her? Or does he simply feel like he’s lost a bit of control when he spends time with her? He can’t help himself and is a bit afraid of what his love does to his self-control.
The song asks so many questions while giving us so few answers. Its vagueness and unexpectedly quick outro never give us any real clues. Just our imagination and the beautiful but haunting guitar melody. “I’m just a crazy fool….”
The goal of each episode of Press Rewind is to:
- Take a track by track look at the lyrical content of Prince’s discography
- Discuss my own interpretation of each song’s lyrics
- If submitted, discuss listener’s interpretations of each song’s lyrics
Thank you for joining me on this journey through Prince’s catalog!
