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"Crazy For You" vs "Live to Tell"


Guest gang bang

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LTT without a shadow of a doubt, although CFY was a much bigger hit. It should have been a shoo-in for an Oscar nomination, but unfortunately, it was ineligible.

Interestingly, pop music analysts weren't at all sure that the single would work, mainly because it stopped in the middle and was like nothing else on US radio at the time. When it hit #1 over there, it became one of only a very small number of singles to reach the top spot that weren't available on an album at the time (a very unusual occurrence at the time, but extremely commonplace these days).

It's a stunning track and is probably the earliest example of Madonna's true brilliance as a lyricist when dealing with a serious topic (as opposed to dancing, having fun, someone being hot etc. etc.).

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I adore both, and they're so different. "Crazy For You" is a great love song (without ever mentioning the word "love," mind you), and "Live to Tell" is a powerful, somber track.

As LTT is my No. 2 Madonna track ever, it wins here (though CFY is essential and classic, as well).

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Guest Rocco Papa

I have to go with "Live to Tell." You have no idea what the line, "The light that you could never see/It shines inside you can't take that from me" has meant to me.

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Crazy For You is her first hit ballad and one of the most famous. But I don't believe there is anything unique about it. It's a classic pop song, pretty standard with generic boy meets girl type lyrics.

I agree 1000%, but i appreciate every live performance of it.

It's funny, cuz it wasn't that big in continental Europe (compared 2 the US & the UK), it didn't even go top 10 in Italy, Holland,

France, Germany, Spain & Belgium. Whereas LTT went Top5 almost everywhere...

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I have to say Crazy For You. Live To Tell is deeper lyrically and written by her, but Crazy For You is just a classic. It is also one of my first music memories, when I was 3 it would play on the radio as my Mom shuffled my brother and I from babysitters to home and such. Of course I was too young to know who any singer was, but when I hear Crazy For You, it reminds me of the first things I can remember of my childhood. Years later around the Express Yourself and Vogue era I became aware of who Madonna was and when I found out Crazy For You was a Madonna song.

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I have to say Crazy For You. Live To Tell is deeper lyrically and written by her, but Crazy For You is just a classic. It is also one of my first music memories, when I was 3 it would play on the radio as my Mom shuffled my brother and I from babysitters to home and such. Of course I was too young to know who any singer was, but when I hear Crazy For You, it reminds me of the first things I can remember of my childhood. Years later around the Express Yourself and Vogue era I became aware of who Madonna was and when I found out Crazy For You was a Madonna song.

That is exactly what happened to me! CFY is actually the earliest memory of a Madonna song I have. Cruising down the road with my father at 4 yrs old, I can remember hearing CFY a lot! Of course, I had no idea who Madonna was. It was years later when I was 10 yrs old and got IC that the pieces of the puzzle came together for me.....lol. Up until then I thought CFY and Cherish were by two completely different artists. I can remember asking for the Debbie Gibson tape for Christmas because I thought she sang Cherish.....lol. It was so amazing to me that this one woman could sound and look so drastically different.

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Honestly, I love them both but LTT has such vulnerability and artistry to it. Paradoxically, it's also a fearless song at least from a marketing standpoint. In 1986 who but M would possibly be brave enough to release a haunting, mysterious ballad as the follow up to the mega selling LAV and the first single from True Blue? Would her fans like it? Would they appreciate her evolution or say she was better with the old stuff? Nobody but M would have the balls. The fact that it went to #1 shows what a timeless, classic and well written song it was. Can you imagine a contemporary pop starlet from today releasing that song or something like it? No, me neither.

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Live To Tell. She taught us so much with this song. And the world to surrender to her powerful and magnetic voice

Edited by Plasticlimbo
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Well strangely CFY was #1 in Australia whereas Live To Tell only peaked at #7.

In terms of chart performance Australia is pretty pathetic. Both Open Your Heart and Deeper And Deeper missed the top 10 yet American Pie went to #1. wtf?!?

Live To Tell is definitely my favourite Madonna ballad. Such a beautiful powerful song

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Both are beautiful and definitive, but "Live To Tell" is more MADONNA. "Crazy For You" is her singing someone else's song... "Live To Tell" is co-written by her and fits her better.

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