Oh Crap! – Musings of an Unperfect Mommy

Music Monday – I Go Crazy

January 16, 2017

And I feel like I’m just about ready to go crazy between a husband who broke a collarbone and a winter storm that luckily did not dump the ice they were forecasting. So, I had plenty of time to be bored (wow – what a concept!) and I decided to take up the idea of my 1970’s song list again. What song did I thing of for whatever reason? I Go Crazy by Paul Davis from 1977 – oh shit – 40 years ago! The sad part is that Paul Davis is no longer with us – he died in 2008 one day before his 60th birthday from a heart attack. :-( I remember crying the day I first heard that – such a sweet voice and words that resonate down through the years to all of us who’ve been in love. And this is one of those songs.

This is a bittersweet song about a man who sees his old lover and his realization that he still loves her and should not have let her go. Paul Davis had originally wanted the song to be recorded by Lou Rawls who I agree would have done justice to it. But, the studio decided that Paul himself would be the best one to record it and so he did. Good call studio! Let’s talk about the music – so sad and mesmerizing. There are parts that almost sound like a music box – like he singer is lifting the lid on one and it’s taking him back to that time. It draws you in right away and then the words – oh – you feel so much for the singer. And yourself, because we’ve all had someone we let go and we’ll never get them back. And on You Tube – millions of views of this song is a testament to it’s power over the last 40 years. So, let’s get listening.

I Go Crazy by Paul Davis

Hello girl it’s been awhile
Guess you’ll be glad to know
That I’ve learned how to laugh and smile
Getting over you was slow
They say old lovers can be good friends
But I never thought I’d really see you again
I’d really see you again

The singer ran into his old girlfriend, and I imagine these are his thoughts upon seeing her yet, not saying them. She seems to be the one who broke up with him and it hit him hard – harder than he figured on. He never thought he’d run into her again and this is that moment he wasn’t prepared for.

I go crazy
When I look in your eyes I still go crazy
That old flame comes alive
No my heart just can’t hide
That old feeling inside, way deep down inside
Oh, baby, when I look in your eyes I go crazy

Seeing those old girlfriends/boyfriends/lovers can sometimes dredge us right back into that time and it’s hard to realize that it’s gone. Those old feelings really derail us.

You say he satisfies your mind – tells you all of his dreams
I know how much that means to you
I realize that I was blind
Just when I thought I was over you
I see your face and it just ain’t true
No, it just ain’t true

This stanza is key – most women want romance and emotional intimacy. They want to talk and share plans and dreams and really get personal. Not all women do, but most do. And it’s difficult when you don’t get that intimacy in a relationship – it stunts the growth of the people in it. Our singer realizes too late that he didn’t see that before, but understands now. While she has had closure, he has not.

I go crazy
When I look in your eyes I still go crazy
That old flame comes alive
It starts burning inside – way deep down inside
Oh, baby, when I look in your eyes I go crazy

(musical bridge)

I go crazy
When I look in your eyes I go crazy
No my heart just can’t hide that old feeling inside
Way deep down inside
I go crazy

And that’s the sad ending to this beautiful song. In my daydreaming I see him walking away from her in the ending music and shaking his head – he’s lost so much. Oh, and don’t bother with any other version of this song – the original of this is the best and always will be. So, take a listen and see what you think. I was 14 when this song came out and I’ve listened to it many, many times over the course of my life. RIP Paul Davis and thank you for your tender voice and the 3 great songs you left us: I Go Crazy, Sweet Life, and Come on Over. You live on in your music.

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» Music Monday – I Go Crazy » Oh Crap! – Musings of an Unperfect Mommy

Music Monday – I Go Crazy

January 16, 2017

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