Song · Robbie Robertson
“Somewhere Down The Crazy River” by Robbie Robertson
From the album Robbie Robertson (1987)
“Somewhere Down The Crazy River” by Robbie Robertson appears on 10 radio countdowns from 3 stations between 1991 and 2023. It was first released in 1987 on the album Robbie Robertson. Its best result is #216 on The Colorado Sound Top 850 Songs of the 1980s. In the combined RockLists rankings it is #2,953 alternative song of all time.
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Video from YouTube (RobbieRobertsonVEVO). Pressing play loads YouTube's player. Watch on YouTube
"Somewhere Down the Crazy River" is the hypnotic centerpiece of Robbie Robertson's 1987 self-titled solo debut, and he never planned to talk his way through it. Robertson was working out a chord pattern on a Suzuki Omnichord, an instrument Daniel Lanois had picked up through Brian Eno, and started telling a story over it; Lanois quietly kept the tape rolling and laid the talk on top of the music.
The tale drifts back to steamy Arkansas nights with Levon Helm, his old partner from The Band. Lanois and Robertson produced it, Manu Katché and Tony Levin keep the groove low and humid, Bill Dillon adds guitar, and Sam Llanas of the BoDeans answers Robertson's murmur. Bob Clearmountain mixed it.
Written with AI assistance from RockLists chart data, MusicBrainz and Wikipedia.
RockLists rankings
Alternative & Modern Rock
Indie & Adult Alternative
All Rock Formats
All-time and decade countdowns
| Year | # | Station | Countdown | of |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 755 | CFNY 102.1 The Edge | CFNY Top 1002 Songs of All-Time (1991 Edition) | 1002 |
| 1999 | 1415 | CD101 | CD101 Top 2000 Songs of All-Time (December 1999) | 2000 |
| 2000 | 1415 | CD101 | CD101 Top 2001 Songs of All-Time (December 2000) | 2001 |
| 2001 | 1417 | CD101 | CD101 Top 2002 Songs of All-Time (December 2001) | 2002 |
| 2002 | 1415 | CD101 | CD101 Top 2003 Songs of All-Time (December 2002) | 2003 |
| 2003 | 1401 | CD101 | CD101 Top 2004 Songs of All-Time (December 2003) | 2004 |
| 2004 | 1401 | CD101 | CD101 Top 2005 Songs of All-Time (December 2004) | 2005 |
| 2005 | 1400 | CD101 | CD101 Top 2006 Songs of All-Time (December 2005) | 1994 |
| 2023 | 216 | The Colorado Sound | The Colorado Sound Top 850 Songs of the 1980s | 850 |
| 2023 | 473 | The Colorado Sound | The Colorado Sound Top 800 Songs About Places | 800 |
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