Fresh off his No. 1 hit 'Let Me Down Easy,' Billy Currington has now racked up a total of six chart toppers. But of all the songs in his catalog, Currington admits that 2009's 'People Are Crazy' seems to be the one tune (and music video) that has had the most impact, both personally and on his fans. "The man that played the old man part [in the 'People are Crazy' video], Larry Day, passed away March 16, 2011," Currington, who found a close friend in Day, tells Taste of Country. "It was very unexpected, but he pretty much died like the song said -- smoking them cigarettes," Currington reveals. "I am glad he was around to shoot that video with me. Him and I grew up together; he was kind of like my dad in a lot of ways. The whole song and video and everything about it was most special to me." As for the actual song, in which the narrator is left a fortune by a man whom he meets in a bar, Currington adds, "It still hits hard. It seemed to really strike a chord with a lot of people. They were really interested in the story and believed if something like that could happen, how great it would be. It was just like a fairy tale." Currington's latest album, 'Enjoy Yourself,' is now in stores and available on iTunes. He is currently opening for Kenny Chesney on his Goin' Coastal Tour -- and his faithful companion is along, too: his 3-year-old chocolate lab, Paco. Watch the Billy Currington 'People Are Crazy' Video
People Are Crazy by Billy Currington is a song from the album Little Bit of Everything and reached the Billboard Top Country Songs.
The official music video for People Are Crazy premiered on YouTube on Saturday the 25th of April 2009. Listen to Billy Currington's song below.
People Are Crazy Lyrics
Billy Currington's People Are Crazy lyrics were written by Bobby Braddock and Troy Jones.
Billy Currington MaleCountry singer Billy Currington found himself back at the top of the charts in 2009 with the release of “People Are Crazy” as the second single off his album Little Bit of Everything. It became Currington’s third No. 1 hit on the US Billboard Hot Country Songs chart. Not only that, but the song also helped the singer earn two Grammy Awards nominations for Best Male Country Vocal Performance and Best Country Song. “People Are Crazy” was also nominated for “Song of the Year” during the 2010 Academy of Country Music Awards. Written by Bobby Braddock and Troy Jones, “People Are Crazy” tells the tale of a man who met an old man in a bar. The two immediately hit it off that they started talking about everything – from politics to religion. “We talked about God’s grace and all the hell we raised. Then I heard the ol’ man say: ‘God is great, beer is good and people are crazy,'” the song goes. The two ended up talking until two in the morning, and they finally bid each other goodbye. Time has passed, and they have never met again. But one sunny day, the man in the song saw the old man’s face on the front page of the obituary. He found out the old man was a millionaire, and he left his fortune to “some guy he barely knew, his kids were mad as hell” – apparently, it was the song’s narrator. At the end of the song, he honored the old man by visiting his grave and leaving a six-pack there for him. The first time Currington heard the song, he wanted to record it. “Just the title alone, when I was pitched this song, I was sure at that point that I was going to record it, I didn’t care how it sounded. I just loved the title,” he said. “I couldn’t wait to put it in my truck and listen to it. I remember when I popped it in, and from the first verse to the first chorus, it just put a big smile on my face. I was like, ‘You know, I’ve been waiting on a song like this for a long time.'” However, when he asked about “People Are Crazy,” Currington was told to get into line as there were ten people who wanted to record it, including A-list artists such as Alan Jackson, George Strait, and Kenny Chesney.This Song Will Surely Put You Into A Happy Zone
But Currington did not give up on the song and asked about it one last time. His persistence paid off this time as he was given the green light to record it. “I was just thankful that they sent it my way. I just got addicted to the song. I found myself wanting to listen to this song over and over,” the singer said. “It’s just a words-of-wisdom kind of song. It’s got a laid-back melody that just puts you in that happy zone.”
Indeed, the song is one of those that lift your spirits and make you laugh. Although it has a sad end, with the old man dying, it is by no means a tearjerker. Instead, it’s a more lighthearted piece about a friendship between two strangers. The music video keeps up that same carefree feeling, making it such a joy to watch. You can watch it below.
Billy Currington's "People Are Crazy" was written by Troy Jones and Bobby Braddock. Currington released the tune in March of 2009, as the second single from his Little Bit of Everything album. It became his third No. 1 single, earned a Top 30 spot on the Billboard Hot 100 chart (No. 27) and earned two Grammy Awards nominations, for Best Male Country Vocal Performance and Best Country Song, as well as an ACM Awards nomination, for Song of the Year. Below, Jones tells The Boot about how the song came to be.
I was in Alabama and decided to take a little ride in the country. I was trying to think of three things you can't argue with, and I came up with "God is great; beer is good; people are crazy." I went back to the house, got my guitar and ended up writing several lines that wound up being the first verse of the song.
I knew I had my first writing session with Bobby that next week, so I held onto the lyrics and melody to play it for him. I was a little nervous to write with him, because he's such a legendary songwriter. I played him what I had, and he said, "Man, I love it."
It was Bobby's idea to make the guy rich and leave all his money to the kid he's talking to in the song instead of his own kids. I wasn't too sure about that idea, but I figured if you can't trust Bobby with your song, who can you trust?
After we finished it, I thought it was good and maybe would be an album cut for someone. Then Billy's people called and said they liked the song and it might be a single, but I figured something would happen to keep that from happening. I wouldn't let myself get too excited. You know, a songwriter worries all the time: First, you worry that the song will be cut, then if it's gonna be a single. If that happens, you worry about radio playing it, and I was worried about radio playing this one!
I was very surprised at the 18- to 20-year-olds who like this song ... There was a lot of buzz even before it was released as a single, but you never know about a song until it's out there for the public to hear.
This story was originally written by Vernell Hackett, and revised by Angela Stefano.
See Billy Currington + More Country Artists as Children
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"People Are Crazy" is a song written by Bobby Braddock and Troy Jones and recorded by American country music singer Billy Currington. It was released in March 2009 as the second single from Currington’s 2008 album Little Bit of Everything. The song became Currington's third number one hit on the US Billboard Hot Country Songs chart. On December 2, 2009, the song was nominated for two Grammy Awards for Best Male Country Vocal Performance and Best Country Song.[1] The song was also nominated for "Song of the Year" at the 2010 Academy of Country Music Awards.
- Carson Chamberlain
- Billy Currington
| "Don't" (2008) |
"People Are Crazy" (2009) |
"That's How Country Boys Roll" (2009) |
"People Are Crazy" centralizes on the male narrator and an old, divorced war veteran whom he meets in a bar in Ohio. In the first verse, the two of them converse, which leads to the old man saying, "God is great, beer is good / And people are crazy." They continue to converse throughout the second verse as well, with the old man hinting that he is terminally ill with a smoking-related illness, before parting ways in the bridge. In the third verse, the old man dies. The narrator discovers that the old man was a millionaire famous enough to warrant a "front page obituary" and "left his fortune to / Some guy he barely knew" (i.e., the narrator) over the objections of the old man's children.[2] After this discovery, the narrator visits the old man's grave and declares that the old man was right. The song has a 4/4 time signature and a moderate tempo, and is set in the key of F major, using a main chord pattern of F–C–Dm–B♭. Currington's vocals range from B♭3 to D5.[3]
According to the blog maintained by the television network CMT, Currington said of the song, "It’s one of those that lifts your spirits and make you laugh. I knew the first time I heard it, I wanted to lay it down and record it for the album."[4]
Bobby Braddock and Troy Jones wrote the song after Jones gave Braddock the idea for the line "God is great, beer is good / And people are crazy." Jones was in Alabama and decided to take a drive through the country. He was trying to think of three things you can't argue with and came up with the three things. When the two were writing the song, Braddock then suggested the twist ending.[5]
The music video was shot by the Brads, a directing duo consisting of Potsy Ponciroli and Blake McClure.
In his review of the album, Billboard critic Mikael Wood said that the song was a "briskly strummed country-rock number" that "handily reduces [Currington]'s worldview to a memorable one-liner", and added that the rest of the album "doesn't do much to complicate that philosophy".[6] Matt Bjorke of Roughstock gave the song a positive review, saying that "It goes a long way into proving just what is great about country music: the stories and simple, effective melodies."[7] Juli Thanki of Engine 145 gave the song a thumbs-down rating, saying that it was "feel-good like a Reader's Digest story" and did not have a country music sound other than "an occasionally audible steel guitar lick."[2]
| US Hot Country Songs (Billboard)[8] | 1 |
| US Billboard Hot 100[9] | 27 |
| Canada Country (Billboard)[10] | 2 |
| Canada (Canadian Hot 100)[11] | 48 |
| US Billboard Hot 100 | 93[12] |
| US Country Songs (Billboard)[13] | 7 |
| 4× Platinum | 4,000,000 |
|
Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone. |
- ^ "The 52nd Annual Grammy Awards Nominees List", Grammy.com, December 2, 2009
- ^ a b Thanki, Juli (2009-03-06). "Billy Currington - "People Are Crazy"". Engine 145. Retrieved 2009-04-29.
- ^ "People Are Crazy". Musicnotes. 10 August 2009.
- ^ Shelburne, Craig (2008-10-14). "Billy Currington will convince you that "People Are Crazy"". CMT. Retrieved 2009-04-29.
- ^ Horner, Marianne (2009-08-31). "Story Behind the Song: Two Guys Having Fun Equals a Hit". Country Weekly. 16 (29): 23.
- ^ Wood, Mikael (2008-10-18). "Little Bit of Everything review". Billboard. Archived from the original on October 15, 2008. Retrieved 2009-04-29.
- ^ "Billy Currington - "People Are Crazy" | Roughstock.com". www.roughstock.com. Archived from the original on 2009-04-06.
- ^ "Billy Currington Chart History (Hot Country Songs)". Billboard.
- ^ "Billy Currington Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard.
- ^ "Billy Currington Chart History (Canada Country)". Billboard.
- ^ "Billy Currington Chart History (Canadian Hot 100)". Billboard.
- ^ "Year End Charts - Year-end songs - The Billboard Hot 100". Billboard. Retrieved November 12, 2010.
- ^ "Best of 2009: Country Songs". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. 2009. Retrieved December 13, 2009.
- ^ "American single certifications – Billy Currington – People Are Crazy". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved August 10, 2022.
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