Let's Go Crazy

Lore & Background

Common to much of Prince's writing, the song is thought to be an exhortation to follow Christian ethics, with the "De-elevator" of the lyrics being a metaphor for the Devil. 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." Following Prince's death, the song re-charted on the Billboard Hot 100 at number 39 and rose to number 25 by the week of May 14, 2016. As of April 30, 2016, it had sold 964,403 digital copies in the United States. In 2013, British rock band The Darkness performed the song at the 44th Annual Rock Music Awards.

In Their Own Story

The arena was already humming before he walked out. Three hours of opening acts had worked the crowd into a restless, sweating mass, and the PA system still carried the echo of their stomping. Then the house lights dropped to a deep violet, and a single spotlight caught a figure at center stage—purple jacket, white shirt unbuttoned just enough, guitar slung low. He didn't play a note. He just crouched, knees bent deep, and began to walk. The crowd roared. He walked the length of the stage, spine swaying, arms pumping in a slow, deliberate rhythm, and the sound system swelled beneath him until the first spoken words cracked the air like a whip. The beat hit, and the crouch walk became a full-body wave, and ten thousand people in the front rows dropped into the same low stance, swaying in unison, and the whole arena became one long, groaning, joyful animal.

Reader's Guide

The song opens with a funeral-like organ solo with Prince giving the "eulogy" for "this thing called life." 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. The song is also known for its two guitar solos both performed by Prince. Personnel: Prince – lead and backing vocals, electric lead guitar, piano (Special Dance Mix), Linn LM-1, tambourine; Wendy Melvoin – electric rhythm guitar, backing vocals; Lisa Coleman – Oberheim OB-SX, backing vocals; Doctor Fink – Oberheim OB-Xa, backing vocals; Brown Mark – bass guitar, backing vocals; Bobby Z. – Linn LM-1, Simmons SDSV, Pearl SY-1 Syncussion, cymbals.

Did You Know?

• 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".
• The song's percussion was programmed with a Linn LM-1 drum machine, an instrument frequently used in many of Prince's songs.
• In 2007, a home video of a toddler dancing to the song led to the landmark fair use case Lenz v. Universal.