The funny thing about the yacht rock is how it ended up welcoming in many artists and bands who spent much of their career playing styles that were far afield of the smooth, soft vibes that’s emblematic of the genre. All it took was one specific song to find a home in yacht rock territory.
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Such was the case with Poco, a band that was known for being on the forefront of the country rock hybrid genre throughout the early part of the ‘70s. A lineup change and some songwriting inspiration from a somewhat unlikely source paved the way to their smash soft-rock hit “Crazy Love” in 1979.
An Impressive Roster
You could make a pretty potent band out of just those folks who briefly belonged to the Poco roster. They were originally formed in 1968 when Buffalo Springfield fell apart, leaving members Richie Furay and Jim Messina looking for something new. They fell in with the burgeoning country rock movement of the late ‘60s and early ‘70s.
The big problem for Poco was they struggled to break through with any crossover hits. This issue was magnified by the fact that many of their members who came and went did indeed score that kind of success with others. Randy Meisner and Timothy B. Schmit went Platinum with the Eagles, and Jim Messina paired with Kenny Loggins in a highly successful duo.
By the end of the decade, it appeared Poco had run its course. Founding member Rusty Young was still standing at the end of all the defections with Paul Cotton, who had replaced Messina in 1970. They thought they’d try recording as a duo under their own names, but a song Young wrote and sang quickly changed that plan.
Getting “Crazy”
Young rarely stepped to the songwriting forefront during the early years of Poco. But watching all those outstanding artists within the band helped him to develop his own style. One day, the chorus for “Crazy Love” popped into his head. He quickly wrote the rest of the song, although he initially intended to replace the “oohs” and “aahs” of the chorus with other words. Luckily, he was talked out of doing that when he recorded the song.
Young and Cotton (who had written his own soon-to-be hit “The Heart of the Night”) recorded their new material with Stevie Chapman and Charlie Harrison, who had played in the British band Judas Jump. When ABC Records heard it, they immediately realized its potential and wanted to release the album.
But they insisted on Young and Cotton keeping the music under the Poco brand. Released as the lead single off the 1978 album Legend, “Crazy Love” finally turned Poco into hitmakers, reaching the Top 20 of the pop charts and topping the Adult Contemporary list as well.
What Is “Crazy Love” About?
The “Crazy Love” in question is the one that has the narrator in its hold, even though the object of his affection has departed. Tonight I’m gonna break away, Young promises. He claims, I’ll never be imprisoned by a faded memory. But as the song progresses, we realize he’s kidding himself: I hear her name and I have to cry / The tears come down again.
He continues to stubbornly deny his true emotions: And then pretend that you can’t hear / These teardrops coming down. In the chorus, he finally fesses up to the reality: It happens all the time / This crazy love of mine / Wraps around my heart / Refuses to unwind.
There’s not much about “Crazy Love” that suggests the country rock roots of Poco, but it gave them a new beginning. Not bad at all for a song from an infrequent songwriter and a band about to go under.
Photo by BSR Agency/Gentle Look via Getty Images
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