Lately, life has been stressful. We are entering the midterm point of the semester, emails about meeting with your advisors are flooding your inbox and that overwhelming burnout feeling is starting to weigh on you. Overall, it’s time to unwind and let loose. What better way to do that than to listen to Prince’s 1984 hit “Let’s Go Crazy”? A song all about living life to the fullest, even amidst whatever challenges that come your way.
“Let’s Go Crazy” resides on the “Purple Rain” album as the first piece in the lineup. Notable following tracks include “When Doves Cry” which follows a theme of finding peace from a negative, crumbling relationship. As well as the infamous title track, “Purple Rain,” where the colorful rain represents the end of the world and the song is a narrative about allowing love and faith to guide you through the chaos. The album overall is a compilation of songs surrounding the same idea; celebrating life and embracing every moment, good and bad.
“Let’s Go Crazy” really captures the essence of the album. The song, begins with a sermon stating, “Dearly beloved / we are gathered here today to get through this thing called ‘life.’” Backed by a funeral-like organ, this sets the scene, sending the message to face your mortality. The address continues by saying “Electric word, life, it means forever and that’s a mighty long time / but I’m here to tell you, there’s something else / the afterworld.” The rest of the opening speech describes a “world of never-ending happiness”, an easier version of life that you find when you push through things on your own volition. Prince wraps his address up by advising the listener to be more concerned with how much mind you have left rather than how much time, because “things are much harder in the afterworld / in this life, you’re on your own.”
The track kicks off with peppy, rock instrumentals. The first verse hits hard with lyrics that say “if you don’t like the world you’re living in / take a look around / at least you got your friends”. The second verse’s message reads “you better live now / ‘fore the grim reaper come knockin’ at your door”. The chorus comes in and out, singing “let’s go crazy / let’s get nuts / look for the purple banana / until they put us back in the truck”.
Throughout the song, there is a consistent energetic rhythm, allowing listeners to feel the song. The groovy vibes make it danceable. All while sending a hard hitting message about mortality, which is the entire point of the tune. You have to sing and dance through the turmoil of daily life to truly live.
