"Crazy in Love" is a song recorded by American singer
Beyoncé
Beyoncé Giselle Knowles-Carter ( ; born September 4, 1981) is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. Beyoncé's boundary-pushing artistry and vocals have made her the most influential female musician of the 21st century, according to ...
, featuring a rap verse and ad-libs from her future husband
Jay-Z
Shawn Corey Carter (born December 4, 1969), known professionally as Jay-Z, is an American rapper, record producer, entrepreneur, and founder of Manhattan-based conglomerate talent and entertainment agency Roc Nation. He is regarded as one of ...
from her debut solo studio album ''
Dangerously in Love
''Dangerously in Love'' is the debut solo studio album by American singer Beyoncé. It was released on June 20, 2003, by Columbia Records and Music World Entertainment. During the recording of Destiny's Child's third studio album '' Survivor'' ( ...
'' (2003). The song was released as her official debut single and as the album's lead single on May 14, 2003, through
Columbia Records
Columbia Records is an American record label owned by Sony Music, Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America, the North American division of Japanese Conglomerate (company), conglomerate Sony. It was founded on Janua ...
and
Music World Entertainment. Both artists wrote and composed the song in collaboration with
Rich Harrison and
Eugene Record
Eugene Booker Record (December 23, 1940 – July 22, 2005) was an American singer, songwriter, arranger and record producer. He was best known as the lead vocalist of the Chicago-based vocal group The Chi-Lites from their formation in 1959 un ...
; the former also produced it with Beyoncé. Using
samples from
the Chi-Lites's 1970 song "Are You My Woman (Tell Me So)", "Crazy in Love" is a
pop
Pop or POP may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media Music
* Pop music, a musical genre Artists
* POP, a Japanese idol group now known as Gang Parade
* Pop!, a UK pop group
* Pop! featuring Angie Hart, an Australian band
Albums
* ''Pop'' (G ...
,
hip hop and
R&B love song that incorporates elements of
soul, and 1970s-style
funk
Funk is a music genre that originated in African American communities in the mid-1960s when musicians created a rhythmic, danceable new form of music through a mixture of various music genres that were popular among African Americans in the m ...
music. Its lyrics describe a romantic obsession that causes the protagonist to act out of character.
"Crazy in Love" was a number-one hit in the United States and United Kingdom, and reached the top ten in various other countries worldwide. The song was universally acclaimed;
music critics praised the
hook, Jay-Z's contribution, and Beyoncé's assertive delivery of the lyrics.
VH1
VH1 (originally an initialism of Video Hits One) is an American basic cable television network based in New York City and owned by Paramount Global. It was created by Warner-Amex Satellite Entertainment, at the time a division of Warner Commun ...
declared it the greatest song of the 2000s decade, while ''
Rolling Stone'' ranked it at number 16 on their list of
the 500 greatest songs of all time in 2021, and in 2018, declared the song the greatest of the 21st century so far. At the
46th Annual Grammy Awards
The 46th Annual Grammy Awards were held on February 8, 2004 at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, California honoring the best in music for the recording of the year beginning from October 1, 2002 through September 30, 2003. They recognized acc ...
(2004), "Crazy in Love" won
Grammy Awards
The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pres ...
for
Best R&B Song and
Best Rap/Sung Collaboration.
The song's accompanying music video features Beyoncé in various dance sequences. It won three awards at the
2003 MTV Video Music Awards
The 2003 MTV Video Music Awards aired live on August 28, 2003, honoring the best music videos from June 1, 2002, to June 9, 2003. The show was hosted by Chris Rock at the Radio City Music Hall in New York City. The ceremony is best remembered for ...
, and its director,
Jake Nava, won the Music Video Production Association award for Best R&B Video in 2004. Since 2003, "Crazy in Love" has been a staple in Beyoncé's live performances and concert tours. The
American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers
The American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers (ASCAP) () is an American not-for-profit performance-rights organization (PRO) that collectively licenses the public performance rights of its members' musical works to venues, broadca ...
(ASCAP) recognized "Crazy in Love" as one of the most performed songs of 2004. Artists including
David Byrne
David Byrne (; born 14 May 1952) is a Scottish-American singer, songwriter, record producer, actor, writer, music theorist, visual artist and filmmaker. He was a founding member and the principal songwriter, lead singer, and guitarist of ...
have
covered
Cover or covers may refer to:
Packaging
* Another name for a lid
* Cover (philately), generic term for envelope or package
* Album cover, the front of the packaging
* Book cover or magazine cover
** Book design
** Back cover copy, part of co ...
the song, and it has been used in various television shows and other media.
Development and production
By July 2002, Beyoncé had already recorded several songs which would appear on ''
Dangerously in Love
''Dangerously in Love'' is the debut solo studio album by American singer Beyoncé. It was released on June 20, 2003, by Columbia Records and Music World Entertainment. During the recording of Destiny's Child's third studio album '' Survivor'' ( ...
.''
Columbia Records
Columbia Records is an American record label owned by Sony Music, Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America, the North American division of Japanese Conglomerate (company), conglomerate Sony. It was founded on Janua ...
planned to release the album in October 2002; however, the release was postponed several times to capitalize on the success of American rapper
Nelly
Cornell Iral Haynes Jr. (born November 2, 1974), better known by his stage name Nelly, is an American rapper, singer, actor and entrepreneur. He embarked on his music career with the hip hop group St. Lunatics in 1993 and signed to Universal ...
's 2002 single "
Dilemma," which features Beyoncé's former
Destiny's Child
Destiny's Child was an American girl group whose final line-up comprised Beyoncé Knowles, Kelly Rowland, and Michelle Williams. The group began their musical career as Girl's Tyme, formed in 1990 in Houston, Texas. After years of limited ...
colleague
Kelly Rowland. These delays allowed Beyoncé to record more songs for the album.
Before meeting Beyoncé,
Rich Harrison had conceptualized the
beat of the song.
He had
sampled the
hook's
instrumentation from the 1970 song "Are You My Woman? (Tell Me So),"
which had originally been written and composed by
Eugene Record
Eugene Booker Record (December 23, 1940 – July 22, 2005) was an American singer, songwriter, arranger and record producer. He was best known as the lead vocalist of the Chicago-based vocal group The Chi-Lites from their formation in 1959 un ...
, frontman of the Chicago-based vocal group
the Chi-Lites.
When Harrison first played the beat to his friends, they could not "dig it," and this made him realize that he had conceived something special, which people would appreciate better after hearing the whole record.
Thus Harrison decided not to market the selection, and instead, he waited for the right artist to record it: "I had it in the chamber, I had not really shopped it much, because sometimes you do not want to come out of the bag before it's right. People do not really get it and you will leave them with a foul taste in their mouth."
Harrison was pleasantly surprised when he got a call from Beyoncé, who was working on one of the most anticipated albums of the year.
However, things did not turn up according to his plans the following day, as he was late and was still suffering the effects of a hangover.
When Harrison played the sample to Beyoncé in the studio, the singer initially had doubts about the "sound so full of blaring fanfare;"
it seemed too retro and according to her, no one used horn riffs in the 21st century.
Nevertheless, Beyoncé accepted the sample, much to Harrison's delight, and gave him two hours to write and compose the song while she went out.
Harrison confessed that it was not easy for him to come up with the lyrics to "Crazy in Love" in that length of time.
But two hours later, he had written the verses and the hook, in spite of being hung over.
Harrison had also made provision for a
backing track;
he played all the instruments on the track.
The
bridge was written by Beyoncé,
who was inspired by looking at herself in the mirror;
as she was not wearing matching clothes and her hair was untidy, she kept saying, "I'm looking so crazy right now."
Harrison sang back to her and said, "That's the hook."
It also inspired the title of the song.
After that Beyoncé had filled up the
middle eight, she came up with the catchphrase – "Uh-oh, uh-oh, you know" – alongside Harrison.
Featured artist
Jay-Z
Shawn Corey Carter (born December 4, 1969), known professionally as Jay-Z, is an American rapper, record producer, entrepreneur, and founder of Manhattan-based conglomerate talent and entertainment agency Roc Nation. He is regarded as one of ...
became involved late in the song's production.
Around 3 am, he came to the studio and recorded a
rap verse, which he improvised in about ten minutes.
The recording of "Crazy in Love" took place nearly three months following the meeting of Beyoncé with Harrison.
Music and lyrics
According to the sheet music published at Musicnotes.com by
Alfred Music Publishing, "Crazy in Love" was composed in the
key
Key or The Key may refer to:
Common meanings
* Key (cryptography), a piece of information that controls the operation of a cryptography algorithm
* Key (lock), device used to control access to places or facilities restricted by a lock
* Key (map ...
of
D-minor
D minor is a minor scale based on D, consisting of the pitches D, E, F, G, A, B, and C. Its key signature has one flat. Its relative major is F major and its parallel major is D major.
The D natural minor scale is:
Changes needed for t ...
and
F-major. It incorporates influences of
1970s
File:1970s decade montage.jpg, Clockwise from top left: U.S. President Richard Nixon doing the V for Victory sign after his resignation from office following the Watergate scandal in 1974; The United States was still involved in the Vietnam War i ...
-style
funk
Funk is a music genre that originated in African American communities in the mid-1960s when musicians created a rhythmic, danceable new form of music through a mixture of various music genres that were popular among African Americans in the m ...
,
hip hop, and
soul.
As commented by Robert Webb of ''
The Independent,'' the old soul influences in the song seem to have been derived from the horn
hook,
which samples the 1970 song "Are You My Woman? (Tell Me So)."
Having a
go-go vibe,
"Crazy in Love" is built on a hip hop
beat.
Beyoncé told ''
The Sunday Herald
The ''Sunday Herald'' was a Scottish Sunday newspaper, published between 7 February 1999 and 2 September 2018. Originally a broadsheet, it was published in compact format from 20 November 2005. The paper was known for having combined a centre- ...
'' that the beat is "so hard that it makes your heart hurt." The song's
tempo is a moderate 100
beats per minute, in
common time.
Beyoncé's
vocal range spans around one and a half
octave
In music, an octave ( la, octavus: eighth) or perfect octave (sometimes called the diapason) is the interval between one musical pitch and another with double its frequency. The octave relationship is a natural phenomenon that has been refer ...
s in the song, from the low note of
A3 to the high note of
F5.
"Crazy in Love" uses two major chords,
B♭ and
G, a minor third apart.
One of the main vocal riffs uses the traditional
cowbell rhythm often found in
samba
Samba (), also known as samba urbano carioca (''urban Carioca samba'') or simply samba carioca (''Carioca samba''), is a Brazilian music genre that originated in the Afro-Brazilian communities of Rio de Janeiro in the early 20th century. Havin ...
music.
Lisa Verrico of ''
The Times'' magazine, wrote that "Crazy in Love" makes use of big drums and bits of
brass.
According to Natalie Nichols of the ''
Los Angeles Times,'' the lyrics of "Crazy in Love" reference a state of romantic obsession.
Beyoncé said that the song talks "about how, when you are falling in love, you do things that are out of character and you do not really care because you are just open." Anthony DeCurtis of ''
Rolling Stone'' wrote that "Crazy in Love" has "such a cauldron of energy," that Beyoncé sounds "loose and sexy," gripped by emotions she "can neither understand nor control."
The lyrics are composed in the traditional
verse-chorus form. Jay Z opens the song with a brief spoken verse-rap, containing the lyrics: "Yes! So crazy right now. Most incredibly, it's your girl, B. It's your boy, Young. You ready?"
After Beyoncé delivers the "uh-oh, uh-oh" catchphrase, Jay Z continues the monologue.
Beyoncé begins the first verse, followed with the
whistle-backed
chorus
Chorus may refer to:
Music
* Chorus (song) or refrain, line or lines that are repeated in music or in verse
* Chorus effect, the perception of similar sounds from multiple sources as a single, richer sound
* Chorus form, song in which all verse ...
.
She repeats the "uh-oh, uh-oh" phrase, leading to the second verse. The chorus follows, giving way to the second verse-rap which contains the lyrics: "Jay Z in the range, crazy and deranged
..I been iller than chain smokers, how you think I got the name 'Hova', I been real and the game's over".
The song continues to the bridge, singing: "I'm not myself, lately I'm foolish, I don't do this, / I've been playing myself, baby, I don't care / 'Cuz your love's got the best of me, / And baby, you're making a fool of me, / You got me sprung and I don't care who sees."
She then sings the chorus again and the song fades out with the horns.
Release
"Crazy in Love" was first released for digital download via
iTunes Store in the United States on May 14, 2003.
It was then sent to
rhythmic contemporary
Rhythmic contemporary, also known as Rhythmic Top 40, Rhythmic CHR or rhythmic crossover, is a primarily American music-radio format that includes a mix of EDM, upbeat rhythmic pop, hip hop and upbeat R&B hits. Rhythmic contemporary never uses ...
,
[Rhythmic – Week Of: May 18, 2003](_blank)
''Radio & Records
''Radio & Records'' (''R&R'') was a trade publication providing news and airplay information for the radio and music industries. It started as an independent trade from 1973 to 2006 until VNU Media took over in 2006 and became a relaunched sister ...
.'' VNU Media May 18, 2003. Retrieved February 7, 2011. contemporary hit radio
Contemporary hit radio (also known as CHR, contemporary hits, hit list, current hits, hit music, top 40, or pop radio) is a radio format that is common in many countries that focuses on playing current and recurrent popular music as determined by ...
,
and
urban contemporary radio stations in the United States on the week of May 18, 2003. In the United Kingdom, it was released for digital download via iTunes Store on May 20, 2003.
Notably, the song was also fairly successful as a ringtone among cell phone users across the United States. The song was released as a
CD single in Ireland
and Switzerland,
and as a
digital EP in Germany on June 20, 2003.
"Crazy in Love" was released as a
maxi single in Germany on June 30, 2003,
and in Australia on July 7, 2003.
The song was issued as a CD single in the United Kingdom on June 30, 2003.
"Crazy in Love" was released as a digital EP in several European countries, including Austria,
Belgium,
Denmark,
Finland,
Italy,
the Netherlands,
Norway,
and Sweden on July 8, 2003.
This digital EP was also available in Canada
and Ireland on July 8, 2003.
On July 22, 2003, two remixes–one from
Rockwilder and the other from
Adam 12–were released in the United States.
Critical reception
"Crazy in Love" was acclaimed by contemporary music critics, who complimented the horn lines and the guest appearance of Jay-Z. Many of them called it the Summer Anthem of 2003. Tim Sendra of
AllMusic described the song as a "stunning pop masterpiece",
while
Stephen Thomas Erlewine
Stephen Thomas Erlewine (; born June 18, 1973) is an American music critic and senior editor for the online music database AllMusic. He is the author of many artist biographies and record reviews for AllMusic, as well as a freelance writer, occ ...
of the same website called it "deliriously catchy". Darryl Sterdan of
Jam!
Jam! was a Canadian website which covers entertainment news. It was part of the Canoe.com online portal, formerly owned and operated by Quebecor through its Sun Media division, and now owned by Postmedia Network.
Jam! was the only media outlet ...
noted the "Crazy in Love" is "instantly addictive horn lines".
Anthony DeCurtis of ''Rolling Stone'' wrote: "'Crazy in Love' ... roars out of the speakers on the strength of a propulsive horn sample and the charged presence of her pal, Jay-Z."
Ben Ratliff of ''
Blender'' magazine called the song an "itchy
ndeager-to-please" one.
[Ratliff, Ben]
Review: ''Dangerously in Love''
'' Blender''. Alpha Media Group. Retrieved on February 10, 2011. Marc Anthony Neal of
PopMatters called the "uh-oh, uh-oh" phrase catchy.
MTV News
MTV News is the news production division of MTV. The service is available in the US with localized versions on MTV's global network. In February 2016, MTV Networks confirmed it would refresh the MTV News brand in 2016, to compete with the likes ...
considered "Crazy in Love" to be the "proudest moment" of ''Dangerously in Love''. Similarly, Allison Stewart of ''
The Washington Post'' called it the best song on the album, praising its instrumentation, harmonies, and the rap verse of Jay Z.
[Stewart, Allison]
"Review: ''Dangerously in Love''"
'' The Washington Post''. : C.05. June 25, 2003. Retrieved on February 10, 2011. (Transcription of original review at talk page) This was echoed by
Kelefa Sanneh of ''
The New York Times'' who wrote that "Crazy in Love" is the best one on the album thanks to its "simplicity, irresistible combination of triumphant horns and a wicked hip-hop beat".
She added that "
eyoncé'svocals – as deft and accurate as ever – convey none of the giddy rush that the lyrics describe."
Likewise, Sal Cinquemani of
Slant Magazine
''Slant Magazine'' is an American online publication that features reviews of movies, music, TV, DVDs, theater, and video games, as well as interviews with actors, directors, and musicians. The site covers various film festivals like the New York ...
wrote the lyrical arrangement, the music structure and the guest vocals by Jay Z all contributed in making "Crazy in Love" a wonderful resume for Beyoncé.
Rob Fitzpatrick of ''
NME'' called "Crazy in Love" a "head-nodding
ndbody-rocking funk-soul genius" and wrote that it is "a 100 per cent, stone-cold, dead-cert classic". He complimented Beyoncé's vocals, describing them as "genuinely, hip-grindingly fruity".
[Fitzpatrick, Rob. (July 2, 2003]
Review: ''Dangerously in Love''
''NME''. IPC Media. Retrieved on February 10, 2011. ''
Los Angeles Times'' writer Natalie Nichols noted that "sexy dance tunes as the vintage funk-flavored 'Crazy in Love'" made ''Dangerously in Love'' a great album.
[Nichols, Natalie (June 24, 2003]
Review: ''Dangerously in Love''
'' Los Angeles Times''. Tribune Company. Retrieved on February 10, 2011. Neil Drumming of ''
Entertainment Weekly'' wrote that the song has a "fresh sound".
Spence D. of
IGN Music wrote that Beyoncé rides the "infectious rhythm" with grace and mid-range seductively. He added, "As
tcan be expected, the track bumps when Jay drops his distinctive uptown flavor. While other rap-meet-R&B tracks often fall flat, this one works well as Beyoncé and Jay's verbals play nicely against one another."
Lisa Verrico of ''The Times'' wrote that Jay Z performed a "decent rap", however, "Beyoncé and the beats save the day" and that "Crazy in Love" was a departure for Beyoncé from Destiny's Child.
Commercial performance
"Crazy in Love" was a commercial success in the United States, debuting at number fifty-eight on the
''Billboard'' Hot 100. Although it hadn't yet been released to retail stores, the single gained much attention and reached number one on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 based on
heavy rotation alone. The same week it reached number one, ''Dangerously in Love'' debuted on the
''Billboard'' 200 at number one on July 12, 2003.
Substantial airplay, and later in retail, gains of "Crazy in Love" allowed it to dominate the chart, spending eight consecutive weeks at number one on the Hot 100, making it Beyoncé's first number one single in her solo career. According to
Nielsen SoundScan
Luminate (formerly Nielsen SoundScan, Nielsen Music Products, and MRC Data) is a provider of music sales data. Established by Mike Fine and Mike Shalett in 1991, data is collected weekly and made available every Sunday (for albums sales) and eve ...
, "Crazy in Love" was the most downloaded song in the United States for four consecutive weeks in July 2003. "Crazy in Love" spent fifteen weeks in the top ten, twenty-six weeks in the top fifty, and twenty-seven weeks on the chart in total. The song was
certified gold by the
Recording Industry Association of America
The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) is a trade organization that represents the music recording industry in the United States. Its members consist of record labels and distributors that the RIAA says "create, manufacture, and/o ...
(RIAA) in 2004
while its mastertone was also certified gold two years later.
"Crazy in Love" was the fourth biggest hit of 2003 in the United States. By October 6, 2010, "Crazy in Love" had sold 47,000 physical units in the United States. "Crazy In Love" also has the distinction of being the first number-one single on ''Billboard's'' inaugural
Hot Dance Airplay Chart, which debuted on August 16, 2003, where it spent seven weeks at the top spot.
In the United Kingdom, Beyoncé became the third female artist to top the
UK Singles Chart and
UK Albums Chart simultaneously,
following
Mariah Carey
Mariah Carey (; born March 27, 1969) is an American singer, songwriter, actress, and record producer. Referred to as the " Songbird Supreme", she is noted for her five-octave vocal range, melismatic singing style and signature use of the whi ...
in 1994 and
Kylie Minogue
Kylie Ann Minogue (; born 28 May 1968) is an Australian singer, songwriter and actress. She is the highest-selling female Australian artist of all time, having sold over 80 million records worldwide. She has been recognised for reinve ...
in 2001. Including her career with Destiny's Child, "Crazy in Love" became Beyoncé's third number one single in the United Kingdom and was the only song to top the charts the United Kingdom and the United States simultaneously in 2003. The single spent three weeks at number one in the United Kingdom and fifteen weeks in the top hundred.
As of March 2018, it has sold over 1 million units in the country, making it her second best selling song there.
"Crazy in Love" reached number one on the
Irish Singles Chart
The Irish Singles Chart is the Republic of Ireland's music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by the Irish Recorded Music Association (IRMA) and compiled on their behalf by the Official Charts Company. Chart rankings are bas ...
, where it spent eighteen weeks.
In Australia, "Crazy in Love" peaked at number two on the
ARIA Singles Chart
The ARIA Charts are the main Australian music sales charts, issued weekly by the Australian Recording Industry Association. The charts are a record of the highest selling songs and albums in various genres in Australia. ARIA became the offici ...
and was certified nine-times platinum by the
Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) with sales of over 630,000 units.
It also peaked at number two on the
New Zealand Singles Chart,
and was certified platinum by the
Recording Industry Association of New Zealand
Recorded Music NZ (formerly the Recording Industry Association of New Zealand (RIANZ)) is a non-profit trade association of record producers, distributors and recording artists who sell recorded music in New Zealand. Membership of Recorded Mus ...
(RIANZ).
"Crazy in Love" reached top ten throughout Europe,
including Austria, the Belgian territories of Flanders and Wallonia, Denmark, Germany, Hungary, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden and Switzerland.
Music video
Production and synopsis
The music video of "Crazy in Love", released in May 2003, was directed by
Jake Nava and filmed in downtown Los Angeles. In ''MTV Making of the Video'' 2003 documentary, Beyoncé described the video's conception: "
tcelebrates the evolution of a woman. It is about a girl who is at the point of a relationship. She realizes that she is in love, she is doing stuff she would not normally do but she does not care. It does not matter she is just crazy in love."
The opening sequence of the video features Jay-Z as a passenger in a car speeding along Mission Road in Los Angeles, where he encounters Beyoncé, standing in the middle of the road, at the Fourth Street bridge. Beyoncé performs in various dance sequences, beginning with her wearing a white tank top, denim blue shorts, and red high-heels. She performs an elaborate solo dance on a riser. The scene shifts to a gold set with a mock photo shoot, before moving into a scene with dancers detailing Beyoncé and dancing against a wall while wearing caps and full length pants. Jay Z appears and ignites a line of petrol leading to a car parked under the bridge, which explodes in flames. Jay Z performs his rap in front of the burning car, and Beyoncé dances beside him, wearing an exotic silk print over a fur coat, before kicking the valve off a fire hydrant. She continues to dance while the water is flying everywhere. The video ends with Beyoncé and her dancers wearing vibrant
Versace dresses in front of a large fan. Their outfits contrast with the neutral colors of the background, the video.
Carmit Bachar
Carmit Maile Bachar ( he, כרמית בכר; born September 4, 1974), known professionally as Carmit, is an American singer, dancer, model, actress and showgirl. She is a member of the Pussycat Dolls. She is married to longtime partner Kevin Whita ...
, then a member of
The Pussycat Dolls, is one of the dancers.
Reception and accolades
The music video received acclaim by music critics. Cynthia Fuchs, writing for PopMatters commented that the photo shoot scene uses the routine used by
Jennifer Lopez
Jennifer Lynn Affleck (' Lopez; born July 24, 1969), also known as J.Lo, is an American singer, actress and dancer. In 1991, she began appearing as a Fly Girl dancer on the sketch comedy television series ''In Living Color'', where she rema ...
in the video for "
Jenny from the Block" (2002) with hot lights, scary makeup, and inclusion of many shots of legs.
She wrote that: "Beyoncé's body becomes its undeniable emblem."
Tom Moon of ''
The Philadelphia Inquirer'' wrote that Beyoncé "shakes every inch of her famously photogenic goddess frame."
The music video won three awards at the
2003 MTV Video Music Awards
The 2003 MTV Video Music Awards aired live on August 28, 2003, honoring the best music videos from June 1, 2002, to June 9, 2003. The show was hosted by Chris Rock at the Radio City Music Hall in New York City. The ceremony is best remembered for ...
in the categories of
Best Female Video
The MTV Video Music Award for Best Female Video is one of the original general awards that has been handed out every year since the first annual MTV Video Music Awards in 1984. In 2007, however, the award was briefly renamed Female Artist of the Y ...
,
Best R&B Video, and
Best Choreography
The MTV Video Music Award for Best Choreography is a craft award given to the artist, the artist's manager, and choreographer of the music video. From 1984 to 2007, the full name of the award was Best Choreography in a Video. The biggest winner ...
. It however lost to
Good Charlottes "
Lifestyles of the Rich & Famous" in the
Viewer's Choice category. Director Nava also won a Music Video Production Association award for the Best R&B Video in 2004. During the same year, the video won the Best Collaboration award at the
2004 MTV Video Music Awards Japan
The MTV Video Music Awards Japan 2004 were hosted by entertainer and singer Tomomitsu Yamaguchi at Tokyo Bay NK Hall in Urayasu, Chiba.
Awards
Winners are in bold text.
Video of the Year
Missy Elliott — "Pass That Dutch"
* Mr. Children — ...
, where it was also nominated for the Best Female Video award. "Crazy in Love" was nominated at the
36th NAACP Image Awards
__NOTOC__
The 36th NAACP Image Awards ceremony, presented by the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), honored the best in film, television, music of 2004 and took place on March 19, 2005 at the Dorothy Chandler Pavil ...
for the
Outstanding Music Video award.
It won the Best International Video award at the
2004 MuchMusic Video Awards
The 2004 MuchMusic Video Awards were held on June 19, 2004 and featured performances by the Beastie Boys, Evanescence, Billy Talent, Hilary Duff, Kanye West and others. The most nominated artist was Sam Roberts with 8 nominations.
Best Video
* F ...
. The song is also recognized as the Best Selling Mobile Ringtone in the United Kingdom for 2003 In 2014, ''The Guardian'' writer Michael Cragg included the clip for "Crazy in Love" in his list of the ten best music videos by Beyoncé. He offered high praise for it, saying "Aware of how much of a statement the song was, the video is a checklist of icon-making visuals, from the locations... the dance moves... to the part where she makes bubble blowing look like the sexiest thing a human could do."
Live performances
Beyoncé first performed "Crazy in Love" with Jay Z at the
2003 BET Awards. They also performed the song during the
2003 MTV Video Music Awards
The 2003 MTV Video Music Awards aired live on August 28, 2003, honoring the best music videos from June 1, 2002, to June 9, 2003. The show was hosted by Chris Rock at the Radio City Music Hall in New York City. The ceremony is best remembered for ...
. She sang the song in a
medley
Medley or Medleys may refer to:
Sports
*Medley swimming, races requiring multiple swimming styles
* Medley relay races at track meets
Music
*Medley (music), multiple pieces strung together
People
*Medley (surname), list of people with this nam ...
, with the pre-recorded vocals of
Sean Paul
Sean Paul Ryan Francis Henriques OD (born 9 January 1973) is a Jamaican rapper and singer who is regarded as one of dancehall's most prolific artists.
Paul's singles "Get Busy" and "Temperature" topped the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 chart in the ...
on "
Baby Boy" (2003). "Crazy in Love" was included on the set list for most of Beyoncé's concert tours. The song was the closing track of her
Dangerously in Love World Tour that began in late 2003.
On February 8, 2004, Prince appeared at the
46th Annual Grammy Awards
The 46th Annual Grammy Awards were held on February 8, 2004 at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, California honoring the best in music for the recording of the year beginning from October 1, 2002 through September 30, 2003. They recognized acc ...
with
Beyoncé
Beyoncé Giselle Knowles-Carter ( ; born September 4, 1981) is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. Beyoncé's boundary-pushing artistry and vocals have made her the most influential female musician of the 21st century, according to ...
.
In a performance that opened the show, they performed a medley of "
Purple Rain", "
Let's Go Crazy", "
Baby I'm a Star", and Beyoncé's "Crazy in Love".
Beyoncé performed "Crazy in Love" live at the
2004 BRIT Awards
Brit Awards 2004 was the 24th edition of the annual Brit Awards, a pop music award ceremony in the United Kingdom run by the British Phonographic Industry. The event took place on 17 February 2004 at Earls Court in London. The awards were marked ...
February 17, 2004. Monique Jessen And Todd Peterson wrote that she, "...lit up the stage with her performance of "Crazy in Love", wearing a white Roberto Cavalli dress and nearly half a million dollars worth of diamonds. The pop diva, appearing onstage in a puff of smoke, stopped midway through the song to pull up her top before walking away with the best international female solo artist award." Beyoncé and Jay Z also performed "Crazy in Love" at
The Prince's Trust Urban Music Festival at
Earls Court in London on May 31, 2004.
"Crazy in Love" was the first song on Beyoncé's set list on
The Beyoncé Experience in Los Angeles and the
I Am... Tour at several venues, including the
Odyssey Arena in Belfast,
the O2 Arena in London, and in
Athens and
Sydney
Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about towards the Blue Mountain ...
. On August 5, 2007, Beyoncé performed the song at
Madison Square Garden
Madison Square Garden, colloquially known as The Garden or by its initials MSG, is a multi-purpose indoor arena in New York City. It is located in Midtown Manhattan between Seventh and Eighth avenues from 31st to 33rd Street, above Pennsylva ...
in New York City.
Beyoncé emerged in a sparkling silver dress with a long train. She walked to the front of the stage, did a couple of snaps of her neck and then started singing "Crazy in Love". She climbed a staircase where her all-female band and three backup singers were positioned.
The staircase moved forward in two places; top part moved while the bottom poked out more.
At the top of her staircase, she removed her train and returned to the main stage. Her backup singers followed and danced with Beyoncé.
After "Crazy in Love", Beyoncé performed a short rendition of
Gnarls Barkleys "
Crazy
Insanity, madness, lunacy, and craziness are behaviors performed by certain abnormal mental or behavioral patterns. Insanity can be manifest as violations of societal norms, including a person or persons becoming a danger to themselves or t ...
" (2006), singing: "Who do you, who do you think you are? / Ha, ha, ha, bless your soul."
Shaheem Reid of MTV News wrote: "There are few (very few) ladies out there who can really sing, a lot who can dance, a lot more who look good — but really no other who can combine all three and add iconic star power like Miss Beyoncé, arguably the best all-around stage performer in the game right now."
Jon Pareles of ''The New York Times'' wrote: "Beyoncé needs no distractions from her singing, which can be airy or brassy, tearful or vicious, rapid-fire with staccato syllables or sustained in curlicued melismas. But she was in constant motion, strutting in costumes (most of them silvery), from miniskirts to formal dresses, flesh-toned bodysuit to bikini to negligee."
Frank Scheck of ''
The Hollywood Reporter'' wrote: "Her performance of 'Crazy in Love' featured some surprising arrangements that gave the material freshness". Performances of "Crazy in Love" were included on her live albums ''
The Beyoncé Experience Live
''The Beyoncé Experience Live'' is the third live album, live and fourth video album by American singer Beyoncé. It was released through Columbia Records and Music World Entertainment on November 20, 2007 in the United States. It was filmed at ...
'' (2007), and the deluxe edition of ''
I Am... World Tour'' (2010). Beyoncé performed "Crazy in Love" wearing a pink fringe dress at a concert at Palais Nikaïa in Nice, France, on June 20, 2011, in support of her album ''4'', and at the
2011 Glastonbury Festival
The 2011 Glastonbury Festival of Contemporary Performing Arts was held from 22–26 June 2011. Tickets for the festival went on sale from 9 am on Sunday 3 October 2010, over 37 weeks before the festival was set to begin, with a deposit of £50 b ...
on June 26, 2011.
In August 2011, Beyoncé performed "Crazy in Love" during her revue show
4 Intimate Nights with Beyoncé. She performed a slowed-down, jazzier version of the song and danced with a similar routine to the one in the music video. During the
ITV
ITV or iTV may refer to:
ITV
*Independent Television (ITV), a British television network, consisting of:
** ITV (TV network), a free-to-air national commercial television network covering the United Kingdom, the Isle of Man, and the Channel Islan ...
special ''A Night With Beyoncé'' which aired on December 4 in the United Kingdom, Beyoncé performed "Crazy in Love" to a selected crowd of fans. In May 2012, she performed the song during her
Revel Presents: Beyoncé Live revue in
Atlantic City, New Jersey
Atlantic City, often known by its initials A.C., is a coastal resort city in Atlantic County, New Jersey, United States. The city is known for its casinos, boardwalk, and beaches. In 2020, the city had a population of 38,497. , United States' entertainment
resort
A resort (North American English) is a self-contained commercial establishment that tries to provide most of a vacationer's wants, such as food, drink, swimming, lodging, sports, entertainment, and shopping, on the premises. The term ''resort ...
, hotel,
casino and
spa
A spa is a location where mineral-rich spring water (and sometimes seawater) is used to give medicinal baths. Spa towns or spa resorts (including hot springs resorts) typically offer various health treatments, which are also known as balneoth ...
,
Revel
Revel may refer to:
Brands and enterprises
* Revel (brand), a French brand from the 1920s
* Parapluie Revel, a French umbrella from the 1920s
* Revel Atlantic City, a former resort and casino in New Jersey
* Revel Audio, a loudspeaker company o ...
. During the performance, Jay-Z did not appear on stage but his pre-recorded voice was heard. Dan DeLuca of noted that the song was one of the "beat-savvy booty-shaking workouts" performed during the revue.
Jim Farber of ''New York Daily News'' wrote that "The first, and last parts of the show stressed the steeliest Beyoncé, told in bold songs" like "Crazy in Love". A writer of
Black Entertainment Television
Black Entertainment Television (acronym BET) is an American basic cable channel targeting African-American audiences. It is owned by the CBS Entertainment Group unit of Paramount Global via BET Networks and has offices in New York City, Los ...
noted that, "She dazzled fans with an assortment of high-energy performances of her upbeat hits like... 'Crazy in Love.'" Beyoncé also performed the song at the
Super Bowl XLVII halftime show held on February 3, 2013. In July 2013, while placing Beyoncé at number 33 on their list of 50 Best Live Musicians, the writers of ''Rolling Stone'' magazine noted that the performance of "Crazy in Love" was a highlight during her live shows with the singer "expertly poppin' her booty".
Cover versions
Several artists have recorded cover versions of "Crazy in Love". In 2003, Irish singer-songwriter
Mickey Joe Harte recorded an
acoustic rendition of "Crazy In Love" for the charity album ''
Even Better Than the Real Thing Vol. 1
''Even Better Than the Real Thing Vol. 1'' is an Irish charity album featuring a variety of artists performing acoustic cover versions of popular songs. It was released in 2003 by RMG Chart Entertainment Ltd. The songs on the album were record ...
''. Alternative rock band
Snow Patrol
Snow Patrol are a Northern Irish–Scottish Rock music, rock band formed in 1994 in Dundee, Scotland. They consist of Gary Lightbody (vocals, guitar), Nathan Connolly (guitar, backing vocals), Paul Wilson (musician), Paul Wilson (bass guitar, ...
recorded the song during a
BBC session with
Zane Lowe. Snow Patrol's version was released as a B-side to the single "
Spitting Games", on the compilation ''Cosmosonica – Tom Middleton Presents Crazy Covers Vol. 1'' and on Snow Patrol's compilation album ''
Up to Now
''Up to Now'' is the first compilation album by alternative rock band Snow Patrol. The album features tracks spanning Snow Patrol's fifteen-year music career, including tracks from The Reindeer Section, a side-project/ supergroup involving musi ...
''.
Ross Langager of PopMatters noted that their cover "sparks an initial chuckle of recognition but soon after becomes more than a bit unfortunate".
David Byrne
David Byrne (; born 14 May 1952) is a Scottish-American singer, songwriter, record producer, actor, writer, music theorist, visual artist and filmmaker. He was a founding member and the principal songwriter, lead singer, and guitarist of ...
closed his concert at the
Hollywood Bowl
The Hollywood Bowl is an amphitheatre in the Hollywood Hills neighborhood of Los Angeles, California. It was named one of the 10 best live music venues in America by ''Rolling Stone'' magazine in 2018.
The Hollywood Bowl is known for its distin ...
on June 27, 2005, with a
samba
Samba (), also known as samba urbano carioca (''urban Carioca samba'') or simply samba carioca (''Carioca samba''), is a Brazilian music genre that originated in the Afro-Brazilian communities of Rio de Janeiro in the early 20th century. Havin ...
-tinged version of "Crazy in Love". In 2007, American alternative rock band
Switchfoot
Switchfoot is an American rock band from San Diego, California. The band's members are Jon Foreman (lead vocals, guitar), Tim Foreman (bass guitar, backing vocals), Chad Butler (drums, percussion), and Jerome Fontamillas (guitar, keyboards, back ...
produced a rock version that was released as part of Yahoo!'s CoverArt series. Switchfoot produced a video for their cover version.
Nashville
Nashville is the capital city of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the seat of Davidson County. With a population of 689,447 at the 2020 U.S. census, Nashville is the most populous city in the state, 21st most-populous city in the U.S., and the ...
-based indie quintet
Wild Cub
Wild Cub is a Nashville-based indie rock band led by songwriter-composer Keegan DeWitt and multi-instrumentalist Jeremy Bullock. Its supporting members are drummer Dabney Morris, bassist Harry West, and keyboardist and synthesist Eric Wilson. Th ...
performed a version of the song in June 2014 for ''
The A.V. Club'' A.V. Undercover series.
British band
The Magic Numbers performed "Crazy in Love" on the Australian radio station
Triple J, and recorded it for the
Starbucks
Starbucks Corporation is an American multinational chain of coffeehouses and roastery reserves headquartered in Seattle, Washington. It is the world's largest coffeehouse chain.
As of November 2021, the company had 33,833 stores in 80 c ...
(
Hear Music) compilation album, ''
Sounds Eclectic: The Covers Project'' (2007).
Tracy Bonham covered the song with guitar and violin accompaniment, for her 2007 album ''In The City + In The Woods''. British
close harmony trio
The Puppini Sisters covered "Crazy in Love" for their 2007 album ''
The Rise and Fall of Ruby Woo
''The Rise and Fall of Ruby Woo'' is the second studio album by the close harmony trio The Puppini Sisters through Universal Classics and Jazz on 1 October 2007 in the United Kingdom.
Background and development
''The Rise and Fall of Ruby Woo'' ...
''; this was remixed by the electronica jazz outfit The Real Tuesday Weld. Indie artist Dsico recorded an
electronic cover of the song. In 2009,
Pattern Is Movement recorded a cover of "Crazy in Love", which they claimed was inspired by
Anohni's version; this cover was included on their September 4, 2009
Daytrotter session.
Antony and the Johnsons
Antony and the Johnsons is an American music group presenting the work of Anohni and her collaborators.
Career
British experimental musician David Tibet of Current 93 heard a demo and offered to release Anohni's music through his Durtro label ...
released an orchestral version of the song as the b-side to their 2009 single "Aeon". Indie singer-songwriter
Eden
Eden may refer to:
* Garden of Eden, the "garden of God" described in the Book of Genesis
Places and jurisdictions
Canada
* Eden, Ontario
* Eden High School
Middle East
* Eden, Lebanon, a city and former bishopric
* Camp Eden, Iraq
O ...
recorded a cover version of "Crazy in Love" for his final
extended play (EP) under the EDEN Project alias.
German group
The Baseballs covered the song in
rockabilly style for their debut album ''Strike! Back'' in August 2010. "Crazy in Love" was performed live on ''
Australian Idol
''Australian Idol'' is an Australian singing competition, which began its first season in July 2003 and ended its initial run in November 2009. As part of the ''Idol'' franchise, Australian Idol originated from the reality program ''Pop Idol' ...
'' during the first season by winner
Guy Sebastian on the Final 2 showdown in 2003.
[Bermingham, L. B. (2004). Guy Sebastian ''Angels Brought Me Here: The Official Biography'', Funtastic, Victoria. ] A jazz version was performed during the fourth season by runner-up
Jessica Mauboy on the Final 6 Big Band show in 2006. In June 2008, Mauboy performed "Crazy in Love" on ''
Indonesian Idol'' with some eliminated contestants.
''
Singapore Idol'' contestant
Maia Lee
Maia Lee (; born January 31, 1983) is a Singaporean singer and television artiste.
Early life
Lee left secondary school at the age of 15.
Career
Lee is part of the local techno trio, The Usual Suspects, who have had three Number 1 hits on th ...
performed "Crazy in Love" on the show. In March 2012, Swing Republic released their
electro swing
Electro swing, or swing house, is an electronic dance music genre that combines the influence of vintage or modern swing and jazz mixed with house and hip hop. Successful examples of the genre create a modern and dance-floor focused sound tha ...
cover version which also ended up featuring on their album released the same year entitled Midnight Calling. In June 2012,
Robin Thicke and Olivia Chisholm covered the song during the show ''
Duets
A duet is a musical composition or piece for two performers.
Duets or The Duets may also refer to:
Films and television
* ''Duets'' (film), a 2000 film, starring Gwyneth Paltrow, Paul Giamatti and Huey Lewis
* "Duets" (''Glee''), a 2010 episod ...
''. Kate Kroll of ''Rolling Stone'' gave a negative review for Chisholm's performance, saying that "Her voice sounded thin, and she just can't seem to shake that Stepford Wife stare."
Emeli Sandé and
The Bryan Ferry Orchestra recorded a cover of the song which was included on ''
The Great Gatsby''
soundtrack (2013). Upon hearing a preview of the song, Randall Roberts of the ''Los Angeles Times'' commented that the cover was the best song on the album sang with a "surprising, simmering urgency". Kyle Anderson of ''Entertainment Weekly'' also wrote that the
swing
Swing or swinging may refer to:
Apparatus
* Swing (seat), a hanging seat that swings back and forth
* Pendulum, an object that swings
* Russian swing, a swing-like circus apparatus
* Sex swing, a type of harness for sexual intercourse
* Swing rid ...
cover of "Crazy in Love" was one of the highlights on the album. On October 21, 2013,
Third Degree
''Third Degree'' is a 1986 album by Johnny Winter and the final one of the trilogy he made for Alligator Records. For the occasion Winter temporarily reunited with Tommy Shannon and Uncle Red Turner, who were the rhythm section on his first thr ...
covered "Crazy in Love" on the
fifth season of ''
The X Factor Australia'', and on May 4, 2014, C Major covered the song on the
third series
Third or 3rd may refer to:
Numbers
* 3rd, the ordinal form of the cardinal number 3
* , a fraction of one third
* 1⁄60 of a ''second'', or 1⁄3600 of a ''minute''
Places
* 3rd Street (disambiguation)
* Third Avenue (disambiguation)
* Hig ...
of ''
The Voice Australia
''The Voice'' is an Australian singing competition television series. It premiered on the Nine Network on 14 April 2012, before moving to the Seven Network in 2021. Based on the original ''The Voice of Holland'', and part of ''The Voice '' ...
''. In 2015, Monica Michael covered the song on ''
The X Factor UK
''The X Factor'' is a British reality television music competition, created by Simon Cowell. Premiering on 4 September 2004, it was produced by Fremantle's Thames and Cowell's production company Syco Entertainment for ITV, as well as simulcas ...
''. Filipina actress
Denise Laurel covered the song while impersonating Beyoncé, based on her performance at the
Super Bowl XLVII halftime show on ''
Your Face Sounds Familiar'', in which Laurel won the season.
Usage in media
In 2002, Beyoncé signed a contract with
Pepsi, and appeared on several of its advertising campaigns, one of which featured "Crazy in Love" as background music. After winning the Best Collaboration Awards for "Crazy in Love" at the 2004
BET Awards, Beyoncé dedicated the award to the show's host, comedian
Mo'Nique, who parodied the choreography from the "Crazy in Love" video with six equally voluptuous female dancers.
"Crazy in Love" was included on the official soundtrack albums of the following films: ''
Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason'' (2004), ''
White Chicks'' (2004), ''
Taxi'' (2004), ''
Good Luck Chuck
''Good Luck Chuck'' is a 2007 comedy film starring Dane Cook and Jessica Alba, with screenplay by Josh Stolberg and directorial debut by long-time film editor Mark Helfrich. In the film, women find their "one true love" after having sex with a d ...
'' (2007), ''
Gayby
''Gayby'' is a 2012 American romantic comedy-drama film directed by Jonathan Lisecki and starring Jenn Harris, Matthew Wilkas, Mike Doyle, Anna Margaret Hollyman, Jack Ferver and Jonathan Lisecki. It is based on the 2010 short film of the same ...
'' (2012), and ''
Love, Rosie'' (2014), as well in the tenth season of Brazilian soap opera ''
Malhação''. In 2009, the cast of ''
Glee
Glee means delight, a form of happiness.
Glee may also refer to:
* Glee (music), a type of English choral music
* ''Glee'' (TV series), an American musical comedy-drama TV series, and related media created by Ryan Murphy
* ''Glee'' (Bran Van 30 ...
'' performed a
mash up of the songs "
Hair
Hair is a protein filament that grows from follicles found in the dermis. Hair is one of the defining characteristics of mammals.
The human body, apart from areas of glabrous skin, is covered in follicles which produce thick terminal and f ...
" from the musical ''
Hair
Hair is a protein filament that grows from follicles found in the dermis. Hair is one of the defining characteristics of mammals.
The human body, apart from areas of glabrous skin, is covered in follicles which produce thick terminal and f ...
'' and "Crazy in Love" in
season one Season One may refer to:
Albums
* ''Season One'' (Suburban Legends album), 2004
* ''Season One'' (All Sons & Daughters album), 2012
* ''Season One'' (Saukrates album), 2012
See also
*
*
* Season 2 (disambiguation)
* Season 4 (disambiguat ...
, episode eleven "
Hairography
"Hairography" is the eleventh episode of the United States, American television series ''Glee (TV series), Glee''. The episode premiered on the Fox Broadcasting Company, Fox network on November 25, 2009. It was written by series creator Ian Brennan ...
". A parody of the song is also used in the
Disney Channel
Disney Channel, sometimes known as simply Disney, is an American pay television channel that serves as the flagship property of Disney Branded Television, a unit of the Disney General Entertainment Content division of The Walt Disney Compan ...
's show ''
That's So Raven'', in the episode "Hizzouse Party". It was featured on the video games ''Karaoke Revolution Party'' and ''
Just Dance 2
''Just Dance 2'' is a 2010 dance rhythm game developed by Ubisoft Paris and Ubisoft Milan and published by Ubisoft. The game was released exclusively for the Wii on October 12, 2010, in North America and in Australia and Europe on October 14, 2010, ...
''. On the
eleventh series of ''
Dancing on Ice
''Dancing on Ice'' is a British television series presented by Phillip Schofield alongside Holly Willoughby from 2006 to 2011, who then returned in 2018, and Christine Bleakley from 2012 to 2014. The series features celebrities and their profe ...
'',
Gemma Collins and
Matt Evers performed to the song on the first week of the competition.
Accolades and legacy
''Entertainment Weekly'' magazine ranked "Crazy in Love" forty-seven in its list of The 100 Greatest Summer Songs. The song was also ranked as the Best Song of 2003 from
NME,
Mojo
Mojo may refer to:
*Mojo (African-American culture), a magical charm bag used in voodoo
Arts, entertainment and media Film and television
* MOJO HD, an American television network
* ''Mojo'' (play), by Jez Butterworth, made into a 1997 film
* '' ...
,
Nöjesguiden,
Rockdelux
''Rockdelux'' is a Spanish music magazine.
History and profile
''Rockdelux'' was first published in November 1984, and celebrated its 200th anniversary in October 2002, when it released a list of the 200 greatest international albums of all tim ...
,
Dotmusic,
Playlouder and
Magic
Magic or Magick most commonly refers to:
* Magic (supernatural), beliefs and actions employed to influence supernatural beings and forces
* Ceremonial magic, encompasses a wide variety of rituals of magic
* Magical thinking, the belief that unrela ...
The song was listed at number three on ''Rolling Stone''s list of the 50 Best Songs of the 2000s Decade in 2009, and as the one-hundred-and-eighteenth greatest song of all time on the magazine's list of
the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time (2010), as well as ranking it at number two on the list Singles of the Year, and at number three on their 100 Best Songs of the 2000s list, writing: "The horns weren't a hook. They were a herald: Pop's new queen had arrived."
In 2018, the song topped ''Rolling Stone'' list on "100 Greatest Songs of the Century – So Far". In 2021, ''Rolling Stone'' placed "Crazy in Love" at number 16 on its list of the
500 Greatest Songs of All Time
"The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time" is a recurring survey compiled by the American magazine ''Rolling Stone''. It is based on weighted votes from selected musicians, critics, and industry figures. The first list was published in December 2004 in ...
. The song also placed at number one on the Singles of the Decade by
The Times Literary Supplement and 75 Best Singles of the Decade by ''
The Observer''. "
NME" staff voted "Crazy in Love" the best song of the 2000s, calling it "a dancefloor-destroying howitzer of a pop song.",
also ranking it at number nineteen on their list of five hundred best songs of all time. The song was ranked at number four on
Pitchfork Media's list of The Top 500 Tracks of the 2000s, number seven on ''
The Daily Telegraphs list of the best songs of the decade and number six on ''
Slant''s list of the 100 Best Singles of the Decade. In September 2011,
VH1
VH1 (originally an initialism of Video Hits One) is an American basic cable television network based in New York City and owned by Paramount Global. It was created by Warner-Amex Satellite Entertainment, at the time a division of Warner Commun ...
ranked "Crazy in Love" number one on its list of The 100 Greatest Songs of the 2000s. In October 2011, to mark ''NME''s fifteenth birthday, its staff members selected the one-hundred-and-fifty tracks "that have meant the most to
hemover the site's lifetime", placing "Crazy in Love" at number sixteen.
In 2012, the song was ranked at number twenty-two on ''Billboard''s list of "Top 50 'Love' Songs of All Time". In 2013, John Boone and Jennifer Cady of
E! placed the song at number one on their list of ten best Beyoncé's songs, writing: "It's the song that started it all. The definitive best Beyoncé jam is her first, complete with a guest spot by now-husband Jay Z, a killer hook and a chorus of horns that you have to dance to. Literally have to,
Pavlovian conditioning-style." In a 2013 list of Jay Z's 20 Biggest ''Billboard'' Hits, "Crazy in Love" was ranked at number one.
On July 5, 2013, ''NME'' magazine named "Crazy in Love" "the Best Pop Song of the Century". ''
Q'' ranked the song at number fifty-nine on their list of 1001 Best Songs Ever. It was also ranked at number two on ''
The Village Voice''s list Pazz + Jop 2003.
In 2004, "Crazy in Love" was nominated for three Grammy Awards in the categories of
Best R&B Song and
Best Rap/Sung Collaboration, which it won, and
Record of the Year, which it did not win.
A remix of "Crazy in Love", known as "Krazy in Luv" (Maurice's Nu Soul Mix), won the award
Best Remixed Recording, Non-Classical
The Grammy Award for Best Remixed Recording, Non-Classical is an honor presented to producers for quality remixed recordings at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony that was established in 1958 and originally called the Gramophone Awards. Honors in sever ...
for its remixer,
Maurice Joshua.
"Crazy in Love" was also recognized at the 2004
ASCAP Pop Music Awards Awards as one of the Most Performed Songs and its publisher,
EMI, received the Publisher of the Year award. ''
Vibe'' magazine's VIBE Awards recognized the song for Coolest Collaboration in 2003. In Europe, "Crazy in Love" won the
Best Song award at the 2003
MTV Europe Music Awards. "Crazy in Love" won the awards for Best R&B/Urban Track and Best Pop Dance Track at the
22nd Annual International Dance Music Awards in 2003.
It was recognized by Beyoncé's peers in the urban markets, and won the award for Best Collaboration at the
BET Awards, where it also received a nomination in the Viewers Choice Awards category in 2004. "Crazy in Love" was nominated at the
36th NAACP Image Awards
__NOTOC__
The 36th NAACP Image Awards ceremony, presented by the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), honored the best in film, television, music of 2004 and took place on March 19, 2005 at the Dorothy Chandler Pavil ...
for the
Outstanding Song award
and for Favorite Song at the
2004 Kids' Choice Awards
The 17th Annual Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards was held on April 3, 2004. The event was hosted by Mike Myers and Cameron Diaz to promote ''Shrek 2''. This would be the first time the award show was held at the Pauley Pavilion since 1999. The cere ...
.
Remixes
"Crazy in Love" has various remixes, including the
Rockwilder remix,
Maurice Joshua's Nu Soul remix, and Juniors World remix. These versions appeared on the single releases of "Crazy in Love" under an alternative spelling, "Krazy in Luv". The Rockwilder remix slows down the beat and makes the song deeper and funkier with chopped up horn samples and sparkling synth textures from sampling
Don't Stop the Music by Yarbrough and Peoples.
Maurice's Nu Soul Remix speeds up the beat, taking it from hip-hop to house territory.
A version of the song included on Asian special edition of ''Dangerously in Love'' features a rap in
Mandarin Chinese performed by American-Taiwanese singer
Vanness Wu, instead of Jay Z's performance.
"Crazy in Love" was re-recorded by Beyoncé for the film ''
Fifty Shades of Grey'' (2015) and used for its trailer, which was released on July 24, 2014. The slowed-down version was produced by
Boots with violin arrangements by Margot, both of whom worked on Beyoncé's
self-titled fifth studio album (2013), and, unlike the original, doesn't feature
Jay-Z
Shawn Corey Carter (born December 4, 1969), known professionally as Jay-Z, is an American rapper, record producer, entrepreneur, and founder of Manhattan-based conglomerate talent and entertainment agency Roc Nation. He is regarded as one of ...
. Margot said: "It inspires me to work on other artists' songs
ecauseit pushes my boundaries in a direction that I wouldn't necessarily come up with. Obviously I know how 'Crazy in Love' goes, but I knew there was the possibility her vocals would be different. It's almost more vulnerable and beautiful this way, because you ''do'' do crazy things when you fall in love. To hear the mood reversed and flipped makes it even more powerful."
The track was then officially released through
iTunes Store on February 10, 2015.
The single cover artwork uses the same image used in the original cover, but in black and white. The rendition was performed for the first time during the 2015
Budweiser Made in America Festival on September 5, 2015 and was included on the setlist of
The Formation World Tour (2016), alongside the original version.
Track listings and formats
Credits and personnel
Recording and management
* Recorded at
Sony Music Studios (New York City)
* Mixed at
The Hit Factory (New York City)
* Additional vocals recorded at The Hit Factory (New York City)
* Contains samples of the composition "
Are You My Woman (Tell Me So)", written by
Eugene Record
Eugene Booker Record (December 23, 1940 – July 22, 2005) was an American singer, songwriter, arranger and record producer. He was best known as the lead vocalist of the Chicago-based vocal group The Chi-Lites from their formation in 1959 un ...
, published by Unichappell Music Inc. (BMI) and performed by
The Chi-Lites (courtesy of
Brunswick Records)
*
Jay-Z
Shawn Corey Carter (born December 4, 1969), known professionally as Jay-Z, is an American rapper, record producer, entrepreneur, and founder of Manhattan-based conglomerate talent and entertainment agency Roc Nation. He is regarded as one of ...
appears courtesy of
Roc-A-Fella Records and
Def Jam Recordings
* Published by Beyoncé Publishing (
ASCAP
The American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers (ASCAP) () is an American not-for-profit performance-rights organization (PRO) that collectively licenses the public performance rights of its members' musical works to venues, broadca ...
), Hitco South South (ASCAP) — all rights administered by Music of Windswept (ASCAP) — EMI Blackwood Music Inc. OBO Itself (
BMI), Dam Rich Music (BMI), EMI April Music Inc. OBO Itself (BMI), Carter Boyd Publishing (ASCAP) and Unichappell Music Inc. (BMI)
Personnel
*
Beyoncé
Beyoncé Giselle Knowles-Carter ( ; born September 4, 1981) is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. Beyoncé's boundary-pushing artistry and vocals have made her the most influential female musician of the 21st century, according to ...
– lead vocals,
background vocals, production
*
Rich Harrison – production,
instrumentation
* Pat Thrall – recording
* Tony Maserati – mixing
* Jim Caruana – engineer
* Pat Woodward – assistant mix engineer
* Luz Vasquez – assistant mix engineer
*
Jay-Z
Shawn Corey Carter (born December 4, 1969), known professionally as Jay-Z, is an American rapper, record producer, entrepreneur, and founder of Manhattan-based conglomerate talent and entertainment agency Roc Nation. He is regarded as one of ...
– songwriting
* Maurice Joshua – remixing
Charts
Weekly charts
Year-end charts
Decade-end charts
All-time charts
Certifications
Release history
See also
*
List of best-selling singles
*
List of European number-one hits of 2003
This is a list of the European Hot 100 Singles and European Top 100 Albums number ones of 2003. After '' Music & Media'' ceased in August 2003, '' Billboard'' took over publication of both pan-European charts.
Chart history
Notes
Reference ...
*
List of number-one singles of 2003 (Ireland)
The following is a list of the '' IRMAs number-one singles of 2003.
See also
*2003 in music
*List of artists who reached number one in Ireland
{{Irish Music Charts
2003 in Irish music
Ireland singles
2003
File:2003 Events Collage.png, Fro ...
*
List of Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks number ones of 2003
*
List of ''Billboard'' Hot 100 number-one singles of 2003
*
List of number-one dance singles of 2003 (U.S.)
These are the ''Billboard'' Hot Dance/Disco Club Play and Maxi-Singles Sales number-one hits of 2003.
See also
* List of number-one dance airplay hits of 2003 (U.S.)
*2003 in music
*List of number-one dance hits (United States)
*List of artis ...
*
List of Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks number ones of 2003
*
*
List of best-selling singles in Australia
References
External links
*
{{good article
Beyoncé songs
2003 singles
2003 songs
Billboard Hot 100 number-one singles
Columbia Records singles
European Hot 100 Singles number-one singles
Funk songs
Grammy Award for Best Rap/Sung Collaboration
Grammy Award for Best Remixed Recording, Non-Classical
Irish Singles Chart number-one singles
Jay-Z songs
MTV Video Music Award for Best Female Video
Music videos directed by Jake Nava
Number-one singles in Scotland
Song recordings produced by Beyoncé
Song recordings produced by Rich Harrison
Songs written by Beyoncé
Songs written by Eugene Record
Songs written by Jay-Z
Songs written by Rich Harrison
UK Singles Chart number-one singles