| "Must Have Been Crazy" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single by Chicago | ||||
| from the album Chicago 13 | ||||
| B-side | "Closer to You" | |||
| Released | August 1979[1] | |||
| Recorded | 1979 | |||
| Length | 3:26 | |||
| Label | Columbia | |||
| Songwriter | Donnie Dacus | |||
| Producers |
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| Chicago singles chronology | ||||
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"Must Have Been Crazy" is a song by the American rock band Chicago. It was released in August 1979 as the lead single from their eleventh studio album, Chicago 13, and was written by Donnie Dacus, who performs lead vocals in the song. It peaked at No. 83 on the Billboard Hot 100.[2]
Reception
[edit]Billboard characterized the song as having "a funky, guitar-dominated Southern California rock approach" that forwent the band's "trademark brassy pop punch". They also said that the song's "familiar vocal harmonies at the tag give it a distinctive hook".[3] Cashbox felt that the song signified the band's pivot toward rock music with "smokin' slide guitar work, pounding drums and cowbell".[4]
SomethingElse Reviews! gave a mixed evaluation of the song, saying that it was "not a bad song" musically with a "kind of catchy" groove and guitar textures courtesy of Donnie Dacus that lend a "Texas roadhouse" flair. They called the lyrics "uninspired, bland, repetitive, and unoriginal" and also labeled the lead vocals as "forgettable". The review concluded by portraying "Must Have Been Crazy" as a hollow attempt to recapture their earlier success amid the commercial and artistic struggles surrounding Chicago 13.[5]
Personnel
[edit]- Donnie Dacus – guitars, lead and backing vocals
- Peter Cetera – bass, backing vocals
- Danny Seraphine – drums
- Laudir de Oliveira – percussion
Charts
[edit]| Chart (1979) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| US Billboard Hot 100[6] | 83 |
| US Cashbox Top 100 Singles[7] | 84 |
References
[edit]- ^ "Chicago – Must Have Been Crazy". Dutch Charts. Hung Medien. Retrieved October 31, 2025.
- ^ "Chicago – Must Have Been Crazy". elpee.jp. Bee-Media. Retrieved October 31, 2025.
- ^ "Billboard's Top Single Picks" (PDF). Billboard. August 18, 1979. p. 67. Retrieved October 31, 2025.
- ^ "Singles to Watch" (PDF). Cashbox. August 18, 1979. p. 20. Retrieved October 31, 2025.
- ^ "Chicago, "Must Have Been Crazy" from 'Chicago 13' (1979): Saturdays in the Park". Something Else!. February 2, 2019. Retrieved October 31, 2025.
- ^ "Chicago Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard.
- ^ Whitburn, Joel (2014). Cash Box Pop Hits 1952-1996. Sheridan Books, Inc. ISBN 978-0-89820-209-0.