“Crazy” made famous by Patsy Cline
This Countrypolitan song has been given a variety of interpretations, from “bemused” to “bittersweet” to “cathartic.” What is it to you, and how can you bring that emotion into your playing?
My double-strung arrangement sets accidentals in the LH prior to playing, allowing the song to proceed without lever flips. The optional lever flip at the very end can be easily eliminated, making this song a great opportunity to practice flipping on the right with an easy recovery if you can’t get it in time.
Buy the sheet music for “Crazy” arranged for double-strung harp (low C)➚ or double-strung lap harp (low G)➚ at SheetMusicPlus.com.
Harp: Double-strung harp and double-strung lap harp.
Key and range:
Bb major (two flats). 21x2 strings. C below middle C through B. Preset B natural, C#, E natural, and F#. Buy the larger harp version (low C)➚.
F major (one flat). 21x2 strings. G below middle C through F. Preset F#, G#, B natural, and C#. Buy the lap harp version (low G)➚.
Lever changes: One optional lever change on the right. Set four accidentals on the left before playing.
Level: Intermediate.
Good for: Parties, performance.
Double-strung effects: Preset accidentals on the left allow for jazzy chords without lever flips. If you’ve been hesitant about moving your LH into the melody area, this is your chance to learn. You can gently move out of your comfort zone by only switching hands for these accidentals, or you can take it a step further with optional echoed notes and an optional RH lever flip.
Characteristics: The LH and RH usually play together, but with several held notes and a melody that doesn’t always strike on the downbeat, the hands play separately at least 25% of the time. There are a few instances that call for wider than an octave spread. Most chords are LH 1-5-8, 1-5-7, or 1-3-5-8. The RH has almost no chords. There are very few sixteenth notes. The most complicated placements are in the introduction with one slide and one cross-over.
Finger placement: Finger numbers are minimally provided with bolded L/R for levered accidentals and regular L/R to work around ringing strings on repeated notes. To see what I mean, view the PDF of finger placement examples in “Crazy.”
Notation: Chord symbols and lyrics are provided. Grand staff. The treble clef is occasionally used in the lower staff.
Length: 2 pages. 40 measures. 2:30 minutes.
Page turns: None if you print.
All the text below, plus examples of notation from this song, are available in the PDF of notes for “Crazy.”
Analysis
m1-4: Introduction. We immediately hear accidentals, big rolled chords, and a varying rhythm. We know this will be a classy piece. Many listeners will recognize the first few notes, where I emulate Floyd Cramer’s slip note piano style, as he in turn emulated steel guitar players, sliding in from a half-step below.
m5-12: First verse. Here we go. The singer sets the stage by describing their feelings.
m13-20: Second verse. The chord progression is the same as verse 1 until the last three chords. There are slight variations to the rhythm. The singer explains that this is a sad song of love lost, and we can all probably relate.
m21-28: Bridge. The two halves of the bridge have similar rhythms, but the chords are different. Continuing the sentiment from verse 2, the singer asks what we all ask sometimes, “Why did I get myself into this mess when I should have known better?”
m29-32: Third verse. It’s only half as long, but verse 3 has the same chord progression and similar rhythm to the start of the first two verses. The emotional peak of self-pity occurs here.
m33-36: First outro. The same chords and similar rhythm from m3-4 are used in m33-34. After all, we can’t introduce a new theme when we’re trying to say, “Woe is me; I will never learn.”
m37-40: Second outro. We start with the same chords and similar rhythm from m35-36 and finish with the same chords as the introduction. “Again, I’ll just never learn.”
Background
In 1961, Willie Nelson was just exiting the Fifties with the rest of a prosperous America: slicked-back hair neatly trimmed, wearing a suit. He looked like every black & white TV dad.
He’d already written some successful tunes, but Nelson wasn’t famous yet, whereas Patsy Cline had recently been hired on staff at the Grand Ole Opry.
Nelson wanted a man to perform “Crazy,” but the singer he approached said it was too girlie. Cline thought so, too. She was not a fan of Nelson, not a fan of this genre, and not a fan of this particular song.
But the sound of “country” music was changing from twangy to classy. Cline’s producer, Owen Bradley, had already restricted Cline from adding her beautiful yodel embellishments on his recordings. Bradley wanted her to continue to move towards the more lush, lounge-y sounds he had already established with “I Fall to Pieces,” where he used the tinkly piano of Floyd Cramer and the smooth backing tones of The Jordanaires, both of whom recorded with Elvis.
Cline reluctantly agreed to participate in the similarly sophisticated production of “Crazy.” There was no score; just Nelson’s demo➚. Cline didn’t like Nelson’s hesitant, choppy (crazy?) vocal phrasing, so she smoothed it out. Read NPR’s interview with some of the studio musicians➚.
Since then, this Countrypolitan song has been given a variety of interpretations, from “bemused” to “bittersweet” to “cathartic.” What is it to you, and how can you bring that emotion into your playing?
Performance notes
Wow, this looks hard; how do I count this? I scored the phrases similar to Patsy Cline’s recording so that what goes into your eyes more closely matches what comes out of your fingers. This means your brain isn’t fighting the cognitive dissonance of a score that looks nothing like what you want to play, so you can use your processing power elsewhere. Learning the rhythm by listening will be a hundred times easier than trying to learn it by reading.
Why should I even use your score then? Having my correctly notated score allows your eyes to cue your fingers with reminders about where to put the notes rather than using the dots and lines as your primary source. I’m not suggesting you learn the whole song by ear, just the sense of the phrasing.
I’ve included the lyrics so you can sing along in your head and emote through your fingers.
Roll most of the chords—this is a classy pop/jazz number—but know that they’ll have more effect if you don’t roll every single one of them.
When the LH comes up into the melody, make sure that you use the same force that the RH has been playing with. Similarly, the RH needs to diminish in emphasis when it is used for accompaniment.
The fermata is your chance to take a breath before the big finish. Don’t rush that breath. Then, don’t rush the finish. Take your time and pause as needed through to the end.
Don’t worry about counting the last measure: it’s just a drawn-out rolled chord with a pause on the bottom note. In addition to being extra heartfelt, it gives you a little bit more time to get that F natural down.
What I changed
The best arrangement I’ve found is Hal Leonard’s Patsy Cline – Original Keys for Singers➚, which was made from her recording of “Crazy” on the album of the same name. Here are the biggest differences.
Phrasing. While I’ve matched some of Cline’s recorded phrasing better here than in the Hal Leonard notation, it’s still not exactly as she sings it. And it shouldn’t be. That recording was one performance. I doubt she sang it the same way twice, and I hope you fiddle and adjust when you play mine. The biggest difference I can point to is m30. I made the whole measure quarter notes within triplets, and she sings it with more variation.
Ornaments. Cline sings with slurs and subtle turns that sound too fancy when translated to this instrument. I only used one of these in the melody (m27-28) and a couple grace notes (slip notes) in the accompaniment.
No low F# in the melody. The G in m5 should be an F# wherever that phrase happens.
A few different chords:
m2: I used Eb7 instead of Eb9.
m5, m13, m29: I eliminated the Ab from the last beat.
m11: I used Gm7/F instead of Bdim7.
m23: I added the transitional Gm7/D.
No key change. Many songs of this genre end by repeating the last verse or so a half step higher. Bb major to B major on a lever harp? No, thank you. Instead of repeating the entire third verse and outro, I repeat only the outro, staying in the same key.
She goes down, I go up. Cline always sings the second syllable of “crazy” lower than the first syllable. In the very last vocal phrase, I go higher instead. Madness!
Suggestions for your own changes
Make it longer. After m28, go back to m5 and then play all the way through to the end. This is closer to Nelson’s original demo.
Add low B flats. If your harp has strings below C3, consider adding the low Bb at least, if not other lower notes.
Use a B natural in m34’s accompaniment. Using all the notes in the outro’s G7 chord sounds delicious, but it involves a lever change on the left or other modifications to grab this chord on the right. I recommend flipping the left B natural at the end of m33 (you might have to muffle it while you flip), then flipping it back to Bb just before or after the E in m35.
Class it up! Please alter the swing, the pauses, the emphasis. Try not to play it the same way twice. (If I never play it the same way twice, doesn’t that go against your mandate to always have the score match what I play? Yes. So, now what? The only way to remove the mismatch in what your eyes see and what your fingers play is to stop looking… Consider memorizing?)
Customize your finger placements. The reason I don’t include brackets is to allow you to more easily change any placements you disagree with. L or R in bold means that you must use that side due to accidentals set in the levers. Anything not bold is just a suggestion. Use the fingers that work best for you. Once you’ve settled, draw swoops to “capture” the areas that are played by the “other” hand to make these easier to see. You can also draw your own brackets.
Listen to other versions. Compare Nelson’s demo➚ to Cline’s recording➚, and then listen to Linda Ronstadt➚, Chaka Khan➚, Shirley Bassey➚, The Kills➚. What can you incorporate from their vocal phrasing or other choices?
Or just make it a little easier
Stop listening to me saying that you need to make your own phrasing and play it different every time: instead, pick the one way of doing a phrase that feels and sounds best to you, and play all of those phrases the same way. :-)
Remove the grace notes from the first two measures.
In m33-m34m, change the 1-5-10 chords to 1-5-8.
Using the chord symbols like a lead sheet, just play 1-5 quarter notes as accompaniment.
Eliminate the lever flips at the end by removing the grace notes and playing Gs for the pickups in m38-39 instead of F#s.
The section above that breaks down the arrangement is provided to help you memorize. A little bit of time spent up front on analysis can make things easier in the long run.
If you like this piece…
Is there another tune with jazzy chords you’ve wanted to arrange that you can accomplish now by putting the accidentals in the LH?
Does your approach to this song inspire you to alter the phrasing in any of your other repertoire?
Record yourself, and post on YouTube and Facebook, especially the groups for Double Strung Harp➚, Celtic Harp➚, and the Virtual Harp Venue➚.
Leave a review➚ on SheetMusicPlus, like and comment➚ on YouTube, and tell others about my arrangement. Enjoy!
View a PDF of the performance notes for “Crazy.”