Crazy

This song was inspired by the crazy events of 1989-1990, in particular the fall of the Berlin Wall. The lyrics, "And through a fractal on a breaking wall, I see you my friend, and touch your face again" appear to be a reference to the Berlin Wall coming down. "Fractal" is an interesting word you don't hear very often in lyrics. It's a mathematical term for an image constructed by the rule of a formula, such that it will generate a complex, self-similar design using just a few simple rules. In computer graphics, fractals are most useful for quickly generating natural objects, such as ferns, snowflakes, clouds, lightning, coastlines, and mountain ranges. At the time of this song's release, fractals were a hot topic in the news because of the second wave of the home computer revolution, plus the increasing use of computer graphics in video work. Many screensavers of this era were simply fractal generators. Seal could have meant "fracture" (he was talking about the Berlin Wall, getting knocked down in 1991), but on the other hand, "fractal" has a poetic sense to it too, as a simple act produced spiraling repercussions that are still felt today.

After coming to the public's attention as the featured vocalist on Adamski's UK chart topper "Killer," Seal signed to ZTT Records and released "Crazy" as his first single. It became an international hit and won Seal a number of awards, including the 1992 Ivor Novello award for songwriting. Seal also won the 1992 BRIT Awards for Best Video and Best Album.

Trevor Horn, a founding member of The Buggles ("Video Killed The Radio Star") and part of the Yes lineup in the early '80s, produced this song along with Guy Sigsworth. Horn spent about three months working on it. "It was obsessive," he told the New York Times. "I'd never heard a song quite like 'Crazy' before, so it took a while to figure out how to do it properly. I'm not trying to get a record perfect, I just want it to have an emotional impact. That's what takes time."