Today’s classic song of the day is “I Go Crazy” by Paul Davis. This soft rock ballad was released in June of 1977 and peaked at #7 on both the Billboard Hot 100 and Cash Box Top 100.
“I Go Crazy,” written by Davis himself, is a song about a guy who runs into an old lover and realizes he still has feelings for her. As the lyrics put it:
Hello girl it’s been awhile
Guess you’ll be glad to know
That I’ve learned how to laugh and smile
Getting over you was slow
They say old lovers can be good friends
But I never thought I’d really see you
I’d really see you again
I go crazy
When I look in your eyes I still go crazy
No my heart just can’t hide that old feelin’ inside
Way deep down inside
Oh baby, you know when I look in your eyes I go crazy
Davis originally intended this song to be sung by Lou Rawls, but his record label decided to release a (slightly edited) version of Davis’ demo instead. That was a good decision. (And Rawls did release his own version of the song two years later.)
Paul Davis was a singer-songwriter who had a few modest hits in the late ’70s and early ’80s. His best-selling singles included “Sweet Life” (#17 in 1978), “Do Right” (#23 in 1980), “Cool Night” (#11 in 1980), and “’65 Love Affair” (#6 in 1982). He retired from recording shortly after, except for a couple of duets that were hits on the country charts (“You’re Still New to Me” with Marie Osmond and “I Won’t Take Less of Your Love” with Tanya Tucker). He also wrote a handful of songs that were hits for other country artists, including “Meet Me in Montana” for Marie Osmond in 1985 and “Bop” for Dan Seals in 1986. Paul Davis passed away in 2008, a day after his 60th birthday, of a heart attack.
