This is the third time Beyoncé has appeared in this project. (Check out 2020's "Savage" and 2001's "Bootylicious") If a random sampling of no.1 songs has her popping up thrice, you know she has to be a serious player. Ans today's subject simply adds fuel to that fire. 2003's "Crazy In Love" is considered one of the greatest pop songs ever written.....at least in this millennium. Hopefully, this analysis can shed a little light as to why.
"Crazy In Love" comes from Beyoncé's debut solo record. It incorporates a few musical styles into one slick pop package. It has won Grammys, topped charts and has earworms that, to this day, permeate dance floors and festive gatherings. [1] If my own highly biased opinion means anything to anyone, I rather enjoy this song. It literally has a little bit of something for everyone. Let's get in the weeds and see why this song is regarded so highly.
June 22nd - September 7th, 2003: "Crazy In Love" by Beyoncé, featuring Jay-Z, cements itself as a SCC with an 8 week run at no.1!
One thing that stands out right away is the form. Going by the numbers, there's a little bit of quirk happening right up front. The intro, comprised of the horn line, sampled from 1970's "Are You My Woman (Tell Me So)" by The Chi-Lites, [2] happens 3x times, is interrupted with a vocal hook, and then returns for one more 2 measure refrain.
The total length of the intro is 12 bars, but the arrangement of 6-4-2 is unusually asymmetrical. After that, things even out and we get an 8 measure verse, an 8 measure chorus and a return to the 4 measure vocal hook. The cycle then starts again, until....
The second statement of the chorus is 10 measures long, which is 2 measures longer than you would expect. It's a cool little twist that brings in Jay-Z and his 3rd verse rap. This verse is another great example of unusual grouping. He raps for 8 measures on the verse feel. Then, there is a 2 measure interruption on the chorus changes. It gets back to the verse feel for 8 more measures. 18 measures is a long time to rap for and thanks to that interruption, Jay-Z has no problem holding your attention.
Out of the rap, we get to the bridge. This might be my favorite part of the song and features some ridiculous vocal arranging. And, once again, the section clocks in at an unexpected number of measures. We get 6 measures of the chorus changes followed by 4 measures of the verse change. I love the way the horn sample (chorus) is chopped up into these uneven groupings, much like the original, where it used sporadically.
The songs ends in somewhat predictable fashion, a double chorus followed by the horn riff fading out. In terms of the form, this is how the songs elevates itself into the upper echelon of pop genius. It has predictable elements (4 measure phrases) presented in an unexpected way. Great stuff!
Chord Progressions
With so much going on in the form, it's not surprising that there are only a few changes happening. The primary change, built on the sample, happens in the intro and choruses, with appearances in the bridge and rap. It is driven by the horn line with a pulsing bass line underneath.
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| Horn Line with Bass |
If you focus on this 2 measure riff alone, it doesn't really indicate a clear key center. You might think Bb, indicating I-VI, which wouldn't be completely out of the question as far pop harmony is concerned. I saw one analysis that called G7 the I chord, which also wouldn't be out of the question. [3] This doesn't become clear until it finally resolves during the vocal hook: Dmin/F.
The D minor chord, with an F in the bass, is the true feeling of home and puts the tune in the key of D minor. With those parameters more clear, the opening chord change plays out to be:
bVI / IV
While each of these chords are common in minor tonalities, they are not usually found back to back and as the primary pillars of the harmony. The end result is a unique sound that, with the horns, helps this song stand out.
While we're at it, the horn melody uses (almost) the same figure on both of the chords, a D minor scale over Bb and a D alt scale on G7, only going as high as the 5th of D.
Once the Dmin/F chord arrives, we hear another element of The Chi-Lites sample, a slamming drum part with a moving conga line:
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| Drums and Percussion |
As the song progresses, this part undergoes some variation, but this represents the foundation. A solid 2/4 snare part with subtle bass drum hits lie perfectly underneath the 16th note conga assault. It also contributes to the multiple flavors of musical style, another aspect that certainly sets the tune apart. It's funky, it's poppy, it's rappy, it's Latin, it's Beyoncé, it's a damn good tune!
Melody
"Crazy In Love" features so many hooks and cool melodies that it's slightly mind boggling. I will admit, I did not tackle every one, but tried to cover the most important ones. The first vocal melody comes in the "hook."
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| Hook |
We see alternating motion from root to 5th. The second time it gets repeated, the A gets bumped up to Bb and back, a hint at the opening harmony. Super cool stuff.
Beyoncé's first verse starts low in her range, confirming the tonal center of D minor. For the first 4 measures, she only touches on D, C and E, root, minor 7 and 2 of the key, all of which mostly resolve to D. This line would also be R-2-3 in C major. C major over D minor? In the second 4 measures, she ventures up to G, quickly working her way down the scale to C. The result is a C/D sound that is still D minor, but flavored to sound just outside of the tonality.
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| Verse 1 |
Rhythmically, the phrases are similar and use 8th and 16th note syncopation. Verse 2 follows suit with a few variations, but basically lives in the same space.
The chorus picks up with similar rhythm and syncopation, shifting the pitch up to F. Here, the pitch moves between F, D and G, shared chord tones of Bb and G7 (save G on the Bb). In measures 2 and 3, we get a background melody that uses C and A, min7 and 5th of Dminor. This could also indicate C pentatonic. Mixed in the arrangement, they don't sound "off," but provide a great color to the whole package.
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| Chorus - meas. 1-4 |
The second half of the chorus kicks things up another notch with some added harmony to Beyoncé's lines:
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| Chorus - meas.5-8 |
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| Chorus 2 extras |
The triplet figure outlining a G7alt is totally hip. Her next run, a D minor pentatonic thing, resolves on G, once again bringing in that color over the Bb chord. She then goes completely high in her range, hitting F-D, firmly reestablishing the D minor tonality. In the extra two measures she harmonizes up a 4th from the melody note, again touching on a new color, hinting at Dmin7, or even C7/G when you account for the other harmonies that are there.
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| Verse 3 - meas.1-8 |
Measures 1-4 use the same rhythm and then depart to more adventuresome syncopation in measures 5-8. Jay-Z's flow is definitely unique. He is way behind the beat, often entering just a 16th note after the downbeat. His delivery is tonal, but maintains a spoken character. He is also good at creating temporary rhythmic displacement, like in measure 6 when he sprinkles in the triplet feel. He knows just when to vary the pitch to keep the momentum going forward and make his cadences seem logical.
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| Verse 3 - meas.9-18 |
He briefly returns to his initial feel in measures 13-14 which ties things together. The last four measures are the most different, and actually take me out of the rap a little bit. He reverts to mostly speaking and again returns to shades of the triplet feel. After that, it's several 16th note assaults as he places his finishing blows. This rap sort of cleans the harmonic slate we have been given and just punches you in the face with rhythm. It is the perfect contrast for what comes next, the bridge.
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| Bridge - meas.1-6 |
After 6 measures of the bridge melody over the horn riff, the harmony slams on the D minor feel from the verse. Here, we get the climax of the tune and some KILLER vocal arranging.
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| Bridge - meas.7-10 +1 |
The melody clearly moves to D minor with full harmony supporting the chord. Similar syncopation and repeated phrases make the part flow naturally and the drama of the stop rhythm just makes this section so powerful.
The bridge is not only the musical climax of the song, but is the lyrical turning point as well. Here, Beyoncé gives up on questioning the infatuation and just lets it all hang out:
When we get back to the final chorus, we know it's too late for her and she is totally "Crazy In Love."
Common Threads
What are the common musical threads no.1 hit songs share? In each round of analyses, I try to answer this question by observing like musical elements and investigating their presence in other songs. In this round, "on the 3's," I have started somewhat fresh, using my last analyses, "Blurred Lines," as the starting point. Using those common threads, let's see what "Crazy In Love" adds or subtracts to the mix.
Chord Count - 3 - Bb, G7 and Dmin/F - not an unusual number for chords, but unique in that these three chords are displaced over two different sequences.
Final Takeaways
"Crazy In Love" stands the test of time. It is a damn good pop tune. It has non-diatonic harmony that is approachable and funky as hell. It has melody that stretches the limits of our ear and adds colors you don't normally see in pop music. It also has all the elements you expect to hear in pop music from repeated lines, powerful vocals and lyrics that you can relate with.
I have played this song for years in various bands. I never minded it, even when I was in the throws of rejecting popular music. There is something about it that I always liked, even though the bass line I was playing was just about as simple as it gets. Maybe it's because the song is clearly minor, but it doesn't feel minor? It's poppy but funky? It's predictable but edgy? In any case, this is a keeper for me and I'm sure I will encounter Beyoncé in this project again!
Up next time, continuing "on the 3's," we head to 1993. July 24th - September 4th, 1993. "Can't Help Falling In Love" by UB40 goes on a 7 week rampage at no.1. I remember hating this song back in the day and I am confident I will find some musical value in it almost 30 years later. Let the reggaetone take effect!
[1]https://www.nme.com/blogs/nme-blogs/beyonce-crazy-in-love-best-song-why-2316762
[2]https://www.whosampled.com/Chi-Lites/Are-You-My-Woman%3F-(Tell-Me-So)/
[3]https://www.hooktheory.com/theorytab/view/beyonce/crazy-in-love-ft-jay-z
