| "Crazy Crazy" / "Sakura no Mori" | ||||
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| Single by Gen Hoshino | ||||
| from the album Yellow Dancer | ||||
| Language | Japanese | |||
| B-side |
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| Released | June 11, 2014 | |||
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| Length |
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| Label | Speedstar | |||
| Songwriter(s) | Gen Hoshino | |||
| Producer(s) | Gen Hoshino | |||
| Gen Hoshino singles chronology | ||||
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| Music video and audio | ||||
| "Crazy Crazy" (Official Video) on YouTube | ||||
| "Sakura no Mori" (Audio) on YouTube | ||||
"Crazy Crazy" (Japanese pronunciation: [kɯɾeꜜidʑiː kɯɾeꜜidʑiː]) and "Sakura no Mori" (Japanese: 桜の森, lit. "Cherry Blossom Forest") (Japanese pronunciation: [sakɯɾa no moɾi]) are songs by Japanese singer-songwriter and musician Gen Hoshino, released as double A-sides for his fourth studio album, Yellow Dancer (2015). Both tracks were written and produced by Hoshino; he wrote the lyrics without deep thought, utilizing lines he personally liked without regard for literal meaning. The songs were released as the album's second single by Speedstar Records on June 11, 2014, marking Hoshino's seventh single overall.
Categorized as J-pop and rock, the single features varied sound throughout its track listing. "Crazy Crazy" was developed from a melancholic melody Hoshino had written in 2013 whilst awaiting surgery for a subarachnoid hemorrhage. The song is a homage to the jazz band Crazy Cats featuring upbeat instrumentation, consisting mostly of piano, bass, and drums, through serious lyrics. In a theme of cherry blossoms, "Sakura no Mori" was written for a spring campaign of the radio station J-Wave. It has a pop and disco sound inspired by Western soul artists, with lyrics that feature double meaning about excitement for spring and an intimate encounter between a man and woman. The single includes two B-sides: the mid-paced night-themed "Night Troop" and the home recorded and acoustic guitar-led "Umi o Sukū".
Both songs were shown on radio before the single's release: the second A-side featured on J-Wave, whereas the first was previewed in full on the TBS Radio program of the comedy duo Bananaman. The double A-side was received positively by critics, who commented on the different musical styles featured on its track listing. Upon release, "Crazy Crazy" / "Sakura no Mori" reached number four on the Oricon Singles Chart and the Billboard Japan Top Singles chart. As individual tracks, "Crazy Crazy" and "Sakura no Mori" both charted within the top ten of the Billboard Adult Contemporary Airplay chart, and respectively reached numbers seven and 55 on the Hot 100. A black-and-white music video for the former, starring Hoshino and the other performing musicians, was released on June 4, 2014. It was a nominee for Video of the Year at the 2015 Space Shower Music Awards. Hoshino gave debut performances of the songs during his Two Beat in Yokohama Arena concert in December 2014 and featured both on his national Yellow Voyage tour throughout 2015. Since his 2017 tour Continues, Hoshino has tended to perform the second part in absence of the first.