Gnarls Barkley - Crazy

While both Danger Mouse and Cee Lo Green have gone on to become megastars in their own right, their collaboration in 2006 was one of the most surprising things that the UK, and the world at large, had seen in a long time. Quite rightly so, too: ‘Crazy’ was a smash-hit and provided one of the most unforgettable songs of the decade upon its release.

‘Crazy’, which stood at number one in the UK for a whopping nine weeks, would only be surpassed by ‘Umbrella’ from Rihanna in 2007 for most weeks at the top of the charts for the ten-year spell of 2000-2009 (‘Umbrella’ was there for ten). A rare occurrence in the world of modern-day record sales, the song was so popular that Gnarls Barkley made the unprecedented step of stopping further purchases of the song in order to preserve its legacy as a hit, and not let it become “that f***ing song on the radio again”.

Not that it stopped its popularity; sales has already floated over the million mark – without illegal downloaders – and still continued to grow. The essential tune was Zane Lowe’s favourite song of the decade, it seemed, so there was no escaping it when surfing the airwaves. The visual accompaniment via a fantastic Rorschach inkblot test video made it similarly ubiquitous on most music TV channels, such was the crossover’s appeal. Combining elements of rap, hip-hop, neo-soul and R&B, you’d be just as likely to find it on MTV Base as you would on VH1. It was a smash – a catchy, dancefloor-filling song that was, ultimately, very simple in its composition.

Universally acclaimed across all kinds of sites and awards ceremonies, it grabbed the 2007 Grammy Award for Best Urban/Alternative Performance. It was also named the best song of 2006 by powerhouses at Rolling Stone, as well as the Village Voice’s famed Pazz & Jop critics poll (led by none other than Robert Christgau, who would finish his 33-year tenure of the survey that year).

Its legacy was remembered at the turn of the decade too, as ten-year lists emerged around the web and in print. ‘Crazy’ was number 11 in Pitchfork Media’s top 500 songs of the 2000s, as well as number 45 in Acclaimed Music’s Best Songs Ever poll. In 2010, Rolling Stone placed it at number 100 in its 500 Greatest Songs of All-Time, storming to number one in its top 50 songs of the decade (2000–2009)

Why? Because it’s excellent. Remind yourself or, if you’ve been living in a nuclear bunker for the last few years Blast from the Past-style, discover it for the first time. In either circumstance, you won’t be let down.

By Matt Gardner