Rhino Factoids: A “Crazy” 2006 for Gnarls Barkley

As long as we’re starting off the year by reflecting on the best-selling album of 2007 in the US, let’s jump back another year and remember the best-selling single of 2006 in the UK: Gnarls Barkley’s “Crazy.”

Some songs cause a buzz, but “Crazy” practically redefined the concept of buzzworthiness. When word got out that Danger Mouse and CeeLo Green were going to be collaborating on some music, fans of both artists started champing at the bit to hear what the resulting material was going to sound like, which might explain how the song managed to get leaked months before its intended release. However it happened, though, the reaction was decidedly apropos for a track with that particular title.

Once “Crazy” got out, there was no way it was ever going to be put back, so BBC Radio 1 took advantage of the opportunity to play the hell out of it, and while Warner Music stuck to their guns and kept the song unavailable for purchase until March 13, 2006, the demand was so insane by that point that it topped the UK Singles Chart based solely on its download sales. After nine weeks in the top spot, the members of Gnarls Barkley – with the support of their label – released a statement that the single was going to be deleted, so that listeners would “remember the song fondly and not get sick of it.” By then, though, it hardly mattered: “Crazy” was already destined to be the best-selling single of 2006.