Crazytown

Album: Charmer (2012)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • Mann explained this song is about, "one of my favorite topics, the crazy girlfriend." She continued: "I have a friend, who goes out with these girls who always wear short, tight dresses and high heels. They all refer to themselves as 'spontaneous,' which to me is code for 'I'm crazy, and if we're driving down the street, I might just hang out the window and yell at passers-by.' Or if someone describes themselves as 'passionate.' I honestly think that's a code word for 'I will make scenes and throw s--t at you in public places.' The girl who seems to fun at the beginning of the night, whose hair you're holding while she throws up at the end.

    There's a certain type of guy who goes for that girl—the caretaker, who's very present and sober. And these people go together. The crazy girl can't flourish without the fixer."
  • Rather than penning straight up love songs, Mann is more interested in examining certain human interactions that rarely get written about. "To me, the dynamics of a situation can be applied to anything," she said. "In a love relationship, it just gets amplified, and then people get crazier about the results. But it's usually all the same kind of stuff, regardless of who you're dealing with. You think, where have I been in this situation before? 'Crazy Town' is more sort of about a relationship, but it could also be about a friendship, or about a guy taking care of his alcoholic mother. You know, it is very sad to have friends who are crazy and can't take care of themselves. And you can't get too far into it, because then you'll be dwelling in the world of crazy, and there's no getting out. I can apply that to a lot of different circumstances, and the feelings behind that dynamic never change."
  • Mann described the song's alcoholic young woman protagonist to the Daily Telegraph as, "a manic pixie dream girl: she seems up for anything, running down the street barefoot, but next thing you know she's throwing up in your car."

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Edwin McCain

Edwin McCainSongwriter Interviews

"I'll Be" was what Edwin called his "Hail Mary" song. He says it proves "intention of the songwriter is 180 degrees from potential interpretation by an audience."

Queen

QueenFact or Fiction

Scaramouch, a hoople and a superhero soundtrack - see if you can spot the real Queen stories.

Robert DeLeo of Stone Temple Pilots

Robert DeLeo of Stone Temple PilotsSongwriter Interviews

Stone Temple Pilots bass player Robert DeLeo names the songs that have most connected with fans and tells the stories behind tracks from their Tiny Music album.

Emilio Castillo from Tower of Power

Emilio Castillo from Tower of PowerSongwriter Interviews

Emilio talks about what it's like to write and perform with the Tower of Power horns, and why every struggling band should have a friend like Huey Lewis.

Five Rockers Who Rolled With The Devil

Five Rockers Who Rolled With The DevilSong Writing

Just how much did these monsters of rock dabble in the occult?

Artis the Spoonman

Artis the SpoonmanSong Writing

Even before Soundgarden wrote a song about him, Artis was the most famous spoon player of all time. So why has he always been broke?