The Closest Thing to Crazy
2003 single by Katie Melua
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"The Closest Thing to Crazy" is the debut single of Georgian-born singer Katie Melua. The song is featured on her first studio album, Call Off the Search (2003). The song was written as part of the musical Men Who March Away, and appeared first in 1995 on Mike Batt's album Arabesque.
| "The Closest Thing to Crazy" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Single by Katie Melua | ||||
| from the album Call Off the Search | ||||
| Released | 1 December 2003 | |||
| Length | 4:11 | |||
| Label | Dramatico | |||
| Songwriter | Mike Batt | |||
| Producer | Mike Batt | |||
| Katie Melua singles chronology | ||||
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| Music video | ||||
| "The Closest Thing to Crazy" on YouTube | ||||
The single was originally due out in January 2004 but was released a month early in an attempt by Terry Wogan to make it that year's Christmas number one in the United Kingdom;[citation needed] it stalled at number 10 on the UK Singles Chart. However, owing to the success of the album reaching number one, the song climbed back into the top 20 during January and February and resulted in Melua's first nomination for the annual Record of the Year prize on ITV1. At the end of 2004, due to its longevity on the UK chart, the song came in at number 77 on the year-end ranking, making it the lowest-charting song to finish within the top 100 for that year.
Composition and lyrics
The song is played in the key of E major at a tempo of 64 beats per minute. The vocal range is G♯3 to C♯5. It has an irregular meter with a mix of 4
4, 3
4, and 2
4.[1][2]
The lyrics of the song take the form of a series of rhetorical questions, describing the contradictory emotions of being in love. It appears[weasel words] that the object of the singer's love treats the singer unkindly, and may not return the emotion.
Track listings
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UK CD single 1[3]
UK CD single 2[4]
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European CD single[5]
Australian CD single[6]
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Personnel
- Katie Melua – guitar, vocals
- Mike Batt – organ, piano, conductor
- Jim Cregan – guitar
- Tim Harries – bass
- Irish Film Orchestra – orchestra
- Michael Kruk – drums
- Alan Smale – leader
- Chris Spedding – guitar
- Henry Spinetti – drums
- Mike Batt – producer
- Steve Sale – engineer
- Mike Batt – arranger
Charts
Weekly charts
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Year-end charts
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Certifications
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| Denmark (IFPI Danmark)[17] | Gold | 4,000^ |
| United Kingdom (BPI)[18] | Silver | 200,000‡ |
|
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. | ||