| "Crazy Beat" | ||||
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| Single by Blur | ||||
| from the album Think Tank | ||||
| B-side |
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| Released | 7 July 2003 | |||
| Recorded | 2002 | |||
| Studio | Studio in Marrakesh, Morocco | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 3:15 | |||
| Label | Parlophone | |||
| Songwriter(s) | ||||
| Producer(s) |
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| Blur singles chronology | ||||
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| Music video | ||||
| "Crazy Beat" on YouTube | ||||
"Crazy Beat" is a song by English band Blur from their seventh album, Think Tank (2003). The song was written and produced by band members Damon Albarn, Alex James and Dave Rowntree in Morocco, with Norman Cook also serving as a producer. It was first serviced to alternative radio stations in the United States on 17 March 2003, by Virgin Records, while being commercially released in the United Kingdom on 7 July 2003, by Parlophone, including the songs "The Outsider" and "Don't Be" as B-sides. A three-chord song, "Crazy Beat" is a dance-pop and electropop track which draws influences of big beat and nu metal into its composition. Lyrically, it praises the effects of music and clubs on crowds.
"Crazy Beat" received mixed reviews from music critics, who generally compared it to the band's previous single "Song 2" (1997); while some felt the song was an interesting track, others saw it as "cartoonish" and out of place on Think Tank. In the United Kingdom, "Crazy Beat" peaked at number 18, while attaining lower positions worldwide. In the United States, it became Blur's first single since "Song 2" to enter the Modern Rock Tracks chart, where it reached number 22. Two music videos were released for the song. The first was directed by animation collective Shynola and features the band performing in a pub as a green audio waveform comes to life, while an alternative version was directed by John Hardwick and shows four women performing a dance routine. Blur performed "Crazy Beat" on some televised shows and live concerts.