Crazy in Love

"Crazy in Love" is a song by American singer and songwriter Beyoncé featuring American rapper Jay-Z. Beyoncé wrote the song with Jay-Z and Rich Harrison, and co-produced it with Harrison. It contains a sample of the Chi-Lites's 1970 song "Are You My Woman ", resulting in the group's Eugene Record receiving a writing credit. "Crazy in Love" is a love song that incorporates pop, hip-hop, and R&B, with elements of 1970s soul and funk. Its lyrics portray a romantic fixation that leads the narrator to behave unusually. Columbia Records sent "Crazy in Love" to US radio on May 18, 2003, as the lead single from Beyoncé's debut studio album, Dangerously in Love.
In the United States, "Crazy in Love" spent eight consecutive weeks atop the Billboard Hot 100 and received an eight-times platinum certification from the Recording Industry Association of America. Internationally, it topped the charts in the United Kingdom and Ireland and peaked within the top five in Australasia and several European countries. Music critics praised its catchy production, Jay-Z's rap verse, and Beyoncé's vocals, particularly the "uh-oh, uh-oh" hook. At the 46th Annual Grammy Awards, "Crazy in Love" was nominated for three awards and won two: Best R&B Song and Best Rap/Sung Collaboration. Rolling Stone placed it at number sixteen on their 2024 revision of the "500 Greatest Songs of All Time".
Jake Nava directed the accompanying music video for "Crazy in Love", which depicts Beyoncé in various dance sequences. It won three awards at the 2003 MTV Video Music Awards, including Best Female Video and Best R&B Video. The song became a Beyoncé's concert setlists and has been performed on all of her headlining concert tours. The American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers recognized "Crazy in Love" as one of the most performed songs of 2004. It has since been covered and remixed multiple times; Beyoncé re-recorded it for the soundtrack of the erotic romantic drama film Fifty Shades of Grey.

Development and production

By July 2002, Beyoncé had already recorded several songs which would appear on Dangerously in Love. Columbia Records planned to release the album in October 2002; however, the release was postponed several times to capitalize on the success of American rapper Nelly's 2002 single "Dilemma," which features Beyoncé's former Destiny's Child 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?," which had originally been written and composed by Eugene Record, 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 to shop for a birthday present for Destiny's Child bandmate Kelly Rowland.
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 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

"Crazy in Love" is performed in the key of D minor. It incorporates influences of 1970s-style funk, 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?." Having a "go-go vibe", "Crazy in Love" is built on a hip hop beat. Beyoncé told The Sunday Herald 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 octaves in the song, from the low note of B₃ 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 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. 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 the iTunes Store in the United States on May 14, 2003. It was then sent to rhythmic contemporary, contemporary hit radio, 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 the iTunes Store on May 20, 2003. 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 of the same website called it "deliriously catchy". Darryl Sterdan of Jam! 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 eager-to-please" one. Marc Anthony Neal of PopMatters called the "uh-oh, uh-oh" phrase catchy. MTV News 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 and harmonies, and the rap verse of Jay-Z. 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 " vocals – as deft and accurate as ever – convey none of the giddy rush that the lyrics describe." Likewise, Sal Cinquemani of Slant Magazine wrote that the lyrical arrangement, the music structure and the guest vocals by Jay-Z all contributed in making "Crazy in Love" a wonderful vehicle for Beyoncé.
Rob Fitzpatrick of NME called "Crazy in Love" a "head-nodding body-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". 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. 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 can 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.