(also known as "Crazy Nights") is the fourth single by Japanese heavy metal band

Loudness In acoustics, loudness is the subjective perception of sound pressure. More formally, it is defined as, "That attribute of auditory sensation in terms of which sounds can be ordered on a scale extending from quiet to loud". The relation of ph ...

, from their 1985 album '' Thunder in the East''. Written by lead vocalist

Minoru Niihara is a Japanese singer. He is the original and current lead vocalist of the heavy metal band Loudness. His first band was Earthshaker, in which he played bass and sang. His vocal style was influenced by blues singers, but he adapted quickly ...

and guitarist

Akira Takasaki is a Japanese musician. He is best known as the lead guitarist and sole constant member of the heavy metal band Loudness. He is also the guitarist of the band Lazy, with which he first rose to prominence in the 1970s. Career He started his ...

and produced by

Max Norman Max Norman is a British record producer and recording engineer active since 1973. He produced many acclaimed heavy metal releases. While Norman was resident engineer at Ridge Farm Studios in London, Ozzy Osbourne was recording his debut solo ...

, the single was released by Nippon Columbia on December 1, 1984, in Japan and by

Atco Records ATCO Records is an American record label founded in 1955. It is owned by Warner Music Group and operates as an imprint of Atlantic Records. After several decades of dormancy and infrequent activity under alternating Warner Music labels, the comp ...

on November 1, 1985. The song was the band's big break in the American metal scene and has since become their signature song. The chant of "M-Z-A!" featured in the song came about when Norman asked Niihara to come up with something to sing over the main riff between the chorus and next verse. "M-Z-A!" means nothing, and it was intended to be replaced with another line in post-production. When Niihara couldn't come up with anything to replace it, the "M-Z-A!" chant survived. Loudness has re-recorded the song in their self-cover albums '' RockShocks'' (2004) and ''Samsara Flight'' (2016).

Track listing

Personnel

– vocals *

– guitars * Masayoshi Yamashita – bass *

Munetaka Higuchi (December 24, 1958 – November 30, 2008) was a Japanese musician and record producer. He is best known as the original drummer of the heavy metal band Loudness, but first rose to prominence as a member of Lazy in the 1970s. Career From a ...

– drums

Cover versions

* Therion covered the song on their 1999 album ''

Crowning of Atlantis ''Crowning of Atlantis'' is the eighth album released by the symphonic metal band Therion. In the beginning it was an EP fleshed out with several covers and live tracks from Vovin Tour '98 that the record label and management insisted be plac ...

''. *

HammerFall HammerFall is a Swedish power metal band from Gothenburg. The band was formed in 1993 by ex- Ceremonial Oath guitarist Oscar Dronjak. History Early days (1993–1996) HammerFall was formed when rhythm guitarist Oscar Dronjak quit Ceremo ...

covered the song as a bonus track on the Japan release of their 2002 album ''

Crimson Thunder ''Crimson Thunder'' is the fourth studio album released by the Swedish metal band HammerFall. It was the first album the band worked on with producer Charlie Bauerfeind. The cover art was created by Samwise Didier, who is also known for his ...

''. *

Children of Bodom Children of Bodom was a Finnish melodic death metal band from Espoo. Formed in 1993 as Inearthed, the final line-up of the group upon their split in 2019 consisted of Alexi Laiho (lead guitar, lead vocals), Jaska Raatikainen (drums), Henkka Sepp ...

covered the song as a Japanese edition bonus track on their 2013 album '' Halo of Blood''.

References

External links

* * {{authority control 1984 songs 1984 singles Japanese heavy metal songs English-language Japanese songs Atco Records singles Nippon Columbia singles Songs about rock music