“Crazy From the Heart”
The Bellamy Brothers
Written by David Bellamy and Don Schlitz
Radio & Records
#1 (1 week)
October 16, 1987
The last time that the Bellamy Brothers topped one of the charts, they did so with a record that was surprisingly contemporary.
“Crazy From the Heart” skips ahead of the new traditionalist movement and brings in some nineties country muscle. The arrangement is still organic, but the production is on a grander scale. It has that smooth country sound that became so common in just a few years on hits like Hal Ketchum’s “Past the Point of Rescue” and Mark Collie’s “Even the Man in the Moon is Crying.”
The brothers step up their harmony game too, fully connecting with the material and leaving behind the cool detachment that was present on so many of their earlier hits. What’s funny is that they’re previewing the nineties by borrowing their seventies sound. By 1993, a good chunk of country radio would sound like “Let Your Love Flow.”
The duo remained hitmakers until the early nineties, visiting the top forty for the final time in 1992 with “Cowboy Beat.” A long and prolific period on independent labels followed, which kept the brothers regular fixtures on CMT and relevant enough to receive Vocal Duo nominations as late as 2003. (With fifteen nominations, they lost to Brooks & Dunn ten times, The Judds four times, and Montgomery Gentry once.)
They keep recording and touring, and their vault duet with K.T. Oslin made enough of an impression to crack our Best Singles of the Year list in 2023.
“Crazy From the Heart” gets a B+.
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For whatever reason, I don’t think I ever connected this song with the Bellamy Brothers. I’m not sure why as David Bellamy’s vocals sound familiar upon closer listen. Part of the issue may be that it was a song that always sounded pretty good whenever it came on the radio but also never commanded my attention. I recognized it from the opening guitar riff though and concentrated on it enough to be reasonably impressed with the vocals, lyrics, and arrangement. It’s definitely not in the same league as their previous #1 but is still a worthy entry in their extended catalog.
Grade: B
The Bellamy Brothers just get sweeter with time.
The production style and mix provides such a clean a satisfying sound.
Kevin, I would never have made the connection before this feature, but it does predict the best of what is to come, percussive punch with plenty of twangy elements and room for the harmonies to shine.
What a pleasure it has been watching this duo mature and grow.