"Beat Crazy" is the title track to the Joe Jackson Band's 1981 album, ''

Beat Crazy ''Beat Crazy'' is the third album by Joe Jackson, released in October 1980 and credited to the Joe Jackson Band. It was a relative disappointment commercially, peaking outside the Top 40 in both the UK and the United States, with its singles ...

''. Written by Joe Jackson, and sung by

Graham Maby Graham Maby (born 1 September 1952), is an English bass guitar player. He has recorded and toured with Joe Jackson since his first album, appearing on most of Jackson's albums and tours. He has continued to record and tour with Jackson even w ...

, it was released as a single in 1981.

Background

According to Jackson, when he performed the song live at

Pinkpop Festival The Pinkpop Festival is an annual music festival held at Landgraaf, Netherlands. It is usually held on the Pentecost weekend (''Pinksteren'' in Dutch, hence the name). If Pentecost falls on an early date in May, the festival is held later in June. ...

in 1980, the song is dedicated to "drug-crazed teenagers all over the world." The lyrics of the song complain of how kids of the time are too busy on drugssaying that they are all too "beat crazy"to take responsibility and get jobs. Musically, the song, like many others on ''Beat Crazy'', is more reggae-influenced than songs on Jackson's previous two albums. Unlike many other songs by Jackson, the lead vocals are performed by bassist

with Jackson on supporting vocals. The vocals also feature an echo effect. "Beat Crazy" saw a single release in January 1981 as the second single from ''Beat Crazy'' (the first being " Mad at You," which did not chart). Backed with a rerecording of Jackson's first hit, "

Is She Really Going Out With Him? "Is She Really Going Out with Him?" is a song written and performed by British musician Joe Jackson. It was released in October 1978 as his debut single and was later included on Jackson's debut album, '' Look Sharp!'' The track was one of the ...

," the song failed to chart. A third single, "One to One," also failed commercially.

Reception

"Beat Crazy" was described by ''

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...

'' reviewer Chris True as Jackson's "first real attempt at breaking out of his quasi-snide power pop and bringing in other styles and musical forms to add depth to his work." He continues, saying, "He pulls it off fairly well, he is a pretty good songwriter and has a great ear for sound and production, but, as stated before, reggae was already a minor element in rock at the time, so it doesn't really make or break the song, it’s just a small step into new ground." The song is also a personal favorite of Joe Jackson's. On his official website, Jackson, who felt that the ''Beat Crazy'' album was mixed, said, "There’s some good stuff on it," later saying, "I especially like the title track and 'Biology'."

Personnel

* Joe Jackson - supporting vocals *

- lead vocals, bass *Gary Sanford - guitar *Dave Haughton - drums

Charts

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Beat Crazy (song) Joe Jackson (musician) songs 1981 singles Songs written by Joe Jackson (musician) 1980 songs A&M Records singles