"Crazy Beat" is a song by English band Blur. It was released as the second single from their seventh album ''

Think Tank A think tank, or policy institute, is a research institute that performs research and advocacy concerning topics such as social policy, political strategy, economics, military, technology, and culture. Most think tanks are non-governmenta ...

'' in 2003. "Crazy Beat" has been compared by critics and the band to Blur's 1997 hit "

Song 2 "Song 2" is a song by English rock band Blur. The song is the second song on their eponymous fifth studio album. Released on 7 April 1997, "Song 2" peaked at number two on the UK Singles Chart, number four on the Australian ARIA Singles Char ...

" in its guitar-driven simplicity. Released in the United States as the first single from the album, it became Blur's first single since "Song 2" to chart on the

Modern Rock Tracks Alternative Airplay (formerly known as Modern Rock Tracks (1988–2009) and Alternative Songs (2009–2020)) is a music chart in the United States that has appeared in ''Billboard'' magazine since September 10, 1988. It ranks the 40 most-played ...

chart, reaching No. 22.

Graham Coxon Graham Leslie Coxon (born 12 March 1969) is an English musician, singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and painter who came to prominence as a founding member of the rock band Blur. As the group's lead guitarist and secondary vocalist, Cox ...

, who had left the group prior to the album's release, plays on the single's B-side "The Outsider".

Video

"Crazy Beat" was supported by two music videos. The official video sees the band performing the song and creating a beast composed of green lightning which attacks people in a pub (Graham Coxon does not appear in this video). The alternate video shows four women performing a peculiar dance to the song, wearing matching brown dresses and blonde wigs while the band is playing in the background.

Cover art

Banksy in Stoke Newington, detail - geograph

The single's cover art features a satirical portrait of the British Royal Family by the English graffiti artist

Banksy Banksy is a pseudonymous England-based street artist, political activist and film director whose real name and identity remain unconfirmed and the subject of speculation. Active since the 1990s, his satirical street art and subversive epigrams ...

. The mural was painted on a building in

Stoke Newington Stoke Newington is an area occupying the north-west part of the London Borough of Hackney in north-east London, England. It is northeast of Charing Cross. The Manor of Stoke Newington gave its name to Stoke Newington the ancient parish. The ...

. In September 2009, workers sent by

Hackney London Borough Council Hackney London Borough Council is the local government authority for the London Borough of Hackney, London, England, one of 32 London borough councils. The council is unusual in the United Kingdom local government system in that its executive fun ...

painted over most of the mural with black paint, against the building owner's wishes.

Track listings

;7" #"Crazy Beat" #"The Outsider" ;CD #"Crazy Beat" #"Don't Be" #"Crazy Beat" (alternative video) ;DVD #"Crazy Beat" (video) #"Don't Be" #"The Outsider" #"Crazy Beat" (animatic) ;CD (Canadian version) #"Crazy Beat" #"Tune Two"

Production credits

*"Crazy Beat" produced by Norman Cook, Blur and Ben Hillier *"Don't Be" and "The Outsider" produced by Blur and Ben Hillier *

Damon Albarn Damon Albarn (; born 23 March 1968) is an English-Icelandic musician, singer-songwriter and composer, best known as the frontman and primary lyricist of the rock band Blur and as the co-creator and primary musical contributor of the virtual ...

- vocals, guitars, programming * Alex James: bass, backing vocals * Dave Rowntree - drums, programming *

Fatboy Slim Norman Quentin Cook (born Quentin Leo Cook, 31 July 1963), also known by his stage name Fatboy Slim, is an English musician, DJ, and record producer who helped to popularise the big beat genre in the 1990s. In the 1980s, Cook was the bassist f ...

- keyboards, synths, programming, effects

Charts

Weekly positions

References

{{authority control Songs written by Damon Albarn Blur (band) songs 2003 singles Songs written by Alex James (musician) Songs written by Dave Rowntree Parlophone singles Food Records singles 2003 songs