"I'm Gonna Show You Crazy" is a song by American singer and songwriter

Bebe Rexha Bleta Rexha (; born August 30, 1989), known professionally as Bebe Rexha ( ), is an American pop singer and songwriter. After signing with Warner Records in 2013, Rexha received songwriting credits on Eminem's single " The Monster" (which later ...

from her debut extended play, ''

I Don't Wanna Grow Up ''I Don't Wanna Grow Up'' is the debut extended play (EP) by American singer Bebe Rexha. It was released on May 12, 2015, by Warner Bros. Records. Background Rexha was a part of music duo Black Cards with Pete Wentz, before she began recordin ...

'' (2015). The song was written by Rexha,

Lauren Christy Lauren Christy is a British singer, songwriter and record producer. Originally a solo artist, she found success as part of the writing production trio The Matrix. The Matrix received numerous Grammy nominations including best producer. Biogr ...

, and

Jon Levine The Philosopher Kings are a Canadian band. The band was most commercially successful in the late 1990s and have been nominated for five Juno Awards, winning one in 1996 for "Best New Group". Most of the band members, current and former, have also ...

, who also completed the production. It was released as the second

single Single may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * Single (music), a song release Songs * "Single" (Natasha Bedingfield song), 2004 * "Single" (New Kids on the Block and Ne-Yo song), 2008 * "Single" (William Wei song), 2016 * "Single", by ...

for digital download and

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Warner Warner can refer to: People * Warner (writer) * Warner (given name) * Warner (surname) Fictional characters * Yakko, Wakko, and Dot Warner, stars of the animated television series ''Animaniacs'' * Aaron Warner, a character in ''Shatter Me s ...

in various countries on December 19, 2014. A dark and stormy-themed pop song, it is about the theme of

self-acceptance Self-acceptance is acceptance of self. Definition Self-acceptance can be defined as: * the awareness of one's strengths and weaknesses, * the realistic (yet subjective) appraisal of one's talents, capabilities, and general worth, and, * feelings ...

, as well as

self-love Self-love, defined as "love of self" or "regard for one's own happiness or advantage", has been conceptualized both as a basic human necessity and as a moral flaw, akin to vanity and selfishness, synonymous with amour-propre, conceitedness, eg ...

and not changing for anyone else. Commercially, the song reached the top 20 in the Czech Republic, Finland, Norway, and Slovakia, as well as number 30 in Sweden. It was further awarded a gold certification from

Music Canada Music Canada (formerly Canadian Recording Industry Association (CRIA)) is a non-profit trade organization that was founded 9 April 1963 to represent the interests of companies that record, manufacture, produce, and distribute music in Canada. It a ...

(MC) in Canada, platinum from the

Swedish Recording Industry Association Grammofonleverantörernas förening (GLF), or the Swedish Recording Industry Association in English, is an organization representing the music recording industry of Sweden. It has compiled and published the official record charts for the Swedish mu ...

(GLF) in Sweden, and fourfold platinum from IFPI Norway in Norway. The accompanying

music video A music video is a video of variable duration, that integrates a music song or a music album with imagery that is produced for promotion (marketing), promotional or musical artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a m ...

was released to Rexha's

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channel on April 21, 2015, showcasing the story of the singer as a rebellious misfit in a school.

Background and composition

In early December 2014, Rexha published a demo of a song titled "Cry Wolf" on her

Instagram Instagram is a photo and video sharing social networking service owned by American company Meta Platforms. The app allows users to upload media that can be edited with filters and organized by hashtags and geographical tagging. Posts can ...

, which was rumoured to be the follow-up single to "

I Can't Stop Drinking About You "I Can't Stop Drinking About You" is a song by American singer and songwriter Bebe Rexha from her debut extended play, ''I Don't Wanna Grow Up'' (2015). The song was written by Rexha, Jordan Johnson, Marcus Lomax and Stefan Johnson, and produce ...

" (2014). However, few days later, the singer released a snippet of "I'm Gonna Show You Crazy" and announced that it would be the next single. The song was written by Rexha,

, and

, who also completed the production. ''Note: Click on the three dots on the right of the track to display the credits.'' It was released for digital download and

on December 19, 2014, as the second

Single Single may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * Single (music), a song release Songs * "Single" (Natasha Bedingfield song), 2004 * "Single" (New Kids on the Block and Ne-Yo song), 2008 * "Single" (William Wei song), 2016 * "Single", by ...

from Rexha's debut extended play ''

'' (2015). Musically, "I'm Gonna Show You Crazy" is a dark and stormy pop song, which delves into the theme of

, and is about

and not changing for anyone else, as Rexha declared, "It's about people making you feel like you're crazy ..overweight, skinny ..this race, ..this religion. We're fighting to be ourselves in a world that's trying to make us like everyone else." Lyrics include: "I'm tired of trying to be normal, I'm always overthinking, I'm driving myself crazy."

Reception and music video

Labeling it a "major tune", Bradley Stern from ''MuuMuse'' highlighted the song's music and lyrics, writing: "The Albanian diva's done trying to fix herself on this ��anthem, and the therapist's giving up on her too." While a writer for ''

Columbus Monthly ''Columbus Monthly'' is a magazine that has been an important and influential voice in Central Ohio. The magazine which was created in June 1975 has a well-earned reputation for tweaking the local establishment, challenging the monopoly daily on ...

'' found it as "theatrical" and "anthemic", Jason Lipshutz of ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...

'' deemed the song as "one of the most angst-y songs on the EP". Commercially, "I'm Gonna Show You Crazy" reached number 17 in Finland and Norway, respectively, as well as number 30 in Sweden. The song also peaked at number 14 in the Czech Republic and number 17 in Slovakia. It was further certified gold by

(MC) in Canada, platinum by the

(GLF) in Sweden, and fourfold platinum from IFPI Norway in Norway. Preceded by the release of an acoustic video in February 2015 and a

lyric video A music video is a video of variable duration, that integrates a music song or a music album with imagery that is produced for promotional or musical artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a music marketing device ...

in March, the official

for "I'm Gonna Show You Crazy" was uploaded to Rexha's

channel on April 21. ''Note: Open description for credits.'' Directed by

Hannah Lux Davis Hannah Lux Davis (born May 17, 1986) is an American music video, commercial and film director. She's known for her work especially with female artists, such as Ariana Grande, Katy Perry, Demi Lovato, Nicki Minaj, Miley Cyrus, Avril Lavigne, Christ ...

, the video showcases the story of Rexha as a rebellious misfit in a school while she refuses to conform to the school's rules after having been sent to a reform school by her judgmental family. The video begins with a group of people having a dinner, during which Rexha arrives too late. The singer then appears in an empty school entrance followed by another scene in a hallway, before she enters her classroom filled with several classmates who sport colourful clothing. As the video progresses, the classmates are lined up in a row while being humiliated by the teacher based on their appearance and clothing. Before it ends, Rexha appears in front of the class with a pointing stick in her hand and directs the group. ''Idolator's'' Daw described the video as "highly entertaining" and "rebellious", while MTV's Paoletta wrote that " tis an incredibly visually detailed, insightful look at the pressures of being perfect".

Track listing

*Digital download and streaming #"I'm Gonna Show You Crazy"3:27

Charts

Certifications

Release history

References

{{Authority control 2014 singles 2014 songs Bebe Rexha songs Music videos directed by Hannah Lux Davis Songs written by Bebe Rexha Songs written by Jon Levine Songs written by Lauren Christy Warner Records singles