Madonna made a career out of proving people wrong. In the early stages of her career, she sometimes even had to silence the doubts that were coming from people who were ostensibly working with her.
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Folks wondered whether she had the chops to pull off a proper ballad when she first hit the scene. But her 1985 single “Crazy For You” delivered the goods in that department. In doing so, it set the stage for a long line of successful slow ones from this legendary artist.
Taking on a Ballad
Vision Quest, like any movie about a would-be high school wrestling champ dating an older woman who just happens to be staying at his house, needed just the right love ballad. The producers of the 1985 film entrusted the soundtrack to Phil Ramone, who then turned the songwriting duties over to John Bettis and Jon Lind.
Bettis came into the assignment already boasting an arm’s length list of hits, including several extremely successful collaborations with The Carpenters. The pair knew the song would accompany a scene where the two main characters would be dancing at a bar and falling for each other in the process. The title “Crazy For You” seemed apropos.
They had little control of the outcome after that. Which is why they admitted they were stunned to hear that Ramone had contacted Madonna to sing the song. At the time that the song was being planned, her first album, full of upbeat, danceable tracks, was the only thing she had on the market. Could she handle something that required more vocal nuance?
Let’s Get “Crazy”
The songwriters’ confidence waned when they witnessed an early session for the song that didn’t go very well. Luckily, Jellybean Benitez, who was then Madonna’s producer of choice, pulled it together. Enlisting the help of composer Rob Mounsey made a major difference in that respect.
By the time the song was ready for release, Madonna’s level of stardom had taken a major leap. She had released the album Like A Virgin, whose title track vaulted to the top of the pop charts. In fact, there was debate over whether “Crazy For You” would even be released as a single. Some worried it might dilute the success of other songs from the album.
Luckily, all involved realized what a smart move it was to show this other side of Madonna as a singer. She even appeared in Vision Quest singing the song. “Crazy For You” simply kept the ball of momentum rolling, as it also hit the top of the charts in 1985.
Behind the Lyrics of “Crazy For You”
“Crazy For You” manages the difficult task of conveying genuine heat while still coming off as innocent. The narrator watches others coupling on the dance floor and then focuses on the object of her affection. “Can you feel the weight of my stare?’ she asks. But obstacles still come between them: “We’re still close but still a world away.”
By the second verse, she has summoned the courage to go up to him. “Eye to eye, we need no words at all,” she admits. “Soon we two are standing still in time.” In the chorus, she tells him how she feels for the first time. “It’s all brand new,” she explains.
With her voice, Madonna managed to portray both the desire roiling inside this character and the vulnerability she felt in not knowing how the guy might respond. In other words, any concerns about her ability to sing this ballad fell by the wayside once “Crazy For You” hit the speakers.
Photo by Michael Putland/Getty Images
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