Towards the tail end of the sparsely-documented Bruce Springsteen Band era, Bruce introduced a song known as “Love Is a Crazy Thing.”
Only known to have been performed once (but likely performed more than that), it was at least captured that one time at The Back Door in Richmond, in February 1972.
By that time, The Bruce Springsteen Band had virtually taken up residency at The Back Door, playing nine shows there that month, even though Bruce had some New York and New Jersey appearances during that time as well.
Most of Bruce’s set lists from those shows are undocumented, so we can’t be certain whether “Love Is a Crazy Thing” was a one-off or a set list habitue, but if we listen closely to the track below, we might sense something familiar about the mid-song tempo changes.
To my ears, “Love Is a Crazy Thing” sounds like a predecessor to “Kitty’s Back,” which Bruce would record a little more than a year later. Both the tempo change and mid-song instrumental break were devices that Bruce would use upon occasion in those early years, but here he seems to be clearly reaching toward something specific.
As for the lyrics, well, Bruce’s early love songs were rarely as layered and nuanced as his later ones, but this one seems like the kind of dream-girl fantasy only a 22-year-old could come up with. Which, of course, was exactly what Bruce was at the time.
So maybe we can cut him a little slack for writing an entire song about a girl who makes absolutely no demand of her boyfriend other than daily sex, and who apparently has no qualities worth singing about besides that.
Well love is a crazy thing
For some woman, it might be a fancy car
Caviar, or maybe a wedding ring
But at night time my baby
It ain’t none of these things
She gives me love
And she’s not the kind of woman who would put you down
She’s not the kind of woman who moves around
She do anything that you want her to do
Most of all she let you be like who you got to be
Let you see whoever you got to see
Let you do whatever you got to do
???
Because you know she gives you…
Love, its a beautiful thing
Yeah now woman, watch out cause she is a deadly game
But no not my baby
Oh she ain’t that kind
She’s sweet, she’s wonderful, and she’s my girl
I just love her all the time
She not the kind of woman that can ???
She’s not the kind of woman who always wants to be your boss
She do most anything that you want her to do
Most of all she let you be like who you got to be
Let you see whoever you got to see
Let you do whatever you got to do
???
Whoa its a crazy thing
Some woman, might be a fancy car
Cadillac or maybe caviar, maybe she wants a wedding ring
But oh not my baby, she don’t want none of these things
She only wants my love
Oh take it easy, you gotta give her love
I’m saying love, you gotta give her love
Most she wants is love
She wants love
Don’t you know she wants love
“Love Is a Crazy Thing” isn’t one of Bruce’s stronger songs from that period, but it was a signpost pointing to greater things to come.
Love Is a Crazy Thing
Never recorded
Never released
First performed: February 4, 1972 (Richmond, VA)
Last performed: February 4, 1972 (Richmond, VA)
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