Song · Blur
“Crazy Beat” by Blur
From the album Think Tank (2003)
“Crazy Beat” by Blur appears on 8 radio countdowns from 5 stations between 2003 and 2005. It was first released in 2003 on the album Think Tank. Its best result is #51 on the CD101 Top 101 Songs of 2003. In the combined RockLists rankings it is the #138 alternative song of 2003 and #7,253 alternative song of all time.
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"Crazy Beat" is the loudest, dumbest-in-the-best-way moment on Think Tank, Blur's seventh album, from 2003. Damon Albarn, Alex James and Dave Rowntree wrote it in Morocco and produced it with Ben Hillier and Norman Cook, and the result is a three-chord stomp that borrows from big beat and even nu metal while keeping one foot on the electropop dancefloor. Albarn plays guitar and keys and sings lead, James and Rowntree handle bass and drums and pile in on backing vocals, and the whole thing is a toast to what music does to a packed club.
Critics couldn't stop holding it up against "Song 2", and some found it cartoonish next to the rest of the album. American alternative radio took it anyway, making it the first Blur single since "Song 2" to make the Modern Rock chart. Shynola's video, a pub gig where a green waveform comes to life, is the one to see.
Written with AI assistance from RockLists chart data, MusicBrainz and Wikipedia.
RockLists rankings
Alternative & Modern Rock
All Rock Formats
Year-end countdowns
| Year | # | Station | Countdown | of |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 | 62 | 91X San Diego, CA / Tijuana | 91X Top 91 Songs of 2003 | 91 |
| 2003 | 51 | CD101 Columbus, OH | CD101 Top 101 Songs of 2003 | 101 |
| 2003 | 99 | CFNY 102.1 The Edge Toronto, ON | CFNY Top 102 Songs of 2003 | 102 |
| 2003 | 74 | The Buzz Burlington, VT / Plattsburgh, NY / Montreal, QC | The Buzz Top 99 Songs of 2003 | 99 |
| 2003 | 79 (tie) | WBER Rochester, NY | WBER Listener Countdown 2003 | 196 |
All-time and decade countdowns
| Year | # | Station | Countdown | of |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 | 1958 | CD101 | CD101 Top 2004 Songs of All-Time (December 2003) | 2004 |
| 2004 | 1958 | CD101 | CD101 Top 2005 Songs of All-Time (December 2004) | 2005 |
| 2005 | 1948 | CD101 | CD101 Top 2006 Songs of All-Time (December 2005) | 1994 |
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