Music Review: Hunter Hayes "I Want Crazy"

Hunter Hayes

I Want Crazy

Album:  Hunter Hayes (Encore Edition)

Year: 2013

           Loneliness spurs Hunter Hayes to make a life-changing decision in the  openhearted        “I Want Crazy.”

        A jaunty fiddle opens the single, setting a spontaneous tone. Twice daily phone calls aren’t enough anymore. He misses watching her cover her mouth whenever she laughs. He wants to visit her favorite restraurant in California and treat her to a dinner. Mostly, he misses how her eyes shine after he gives her a kiss. He scans the available flights online. He scrolls up and down a few times to ease his nerves and finally clicks purchase. In two days, his new home will be Stanford. (“I'm booking myself a one way flight/I gotta see the color in your eyes/I'm telling myself I'm gonna be alright/Without you baby is a waste of time.”)

            Mid-September, the beginning of their senior year, he took her the park for the first date. Although he burned the chicken, she still ate it (even after he told her she didn’t have to) as it drizzled every now and then. They spent the entire afternoon laughing, sharing memories they had and talking about their plans for the future. She had told him then she applied toStanfordUniversity. He told her not to worry. They’ll figure out the details later. For now, all they should do is enjoy their senior year.  The droplets of rain became a downpour. Both drenched, they ran to get their stuff and raced to his car. As he opened the door for her, he gave her a kiss.  Nineteen months later, they giggle on the phone, talking about their professors and discuss their days. Each Monday, she asks what inappropriate story his psychology prof told during class. Despite the distance, their relationship has remained strong. A lot of their friends had predicted their breakup at the 1-year mark. Both of their families told them to expect their relationship to not last.   (“ Yeah, our first date, girl, the seasons changed/Got washed away in a summer rain/You can't undo a fall like this/Cause love don't know what distance is/Yeah, I know it's crazy.”)

                 In the chorus, he doesn’t want to settle for a passionless relationship. He wants to feel with his entire heart and overwhelmed by the emotion.  At home, he would have to always give her an extra kiss goodbye. He wasn’t ready to let her go yet. His parents would shrug, calling it puppy love. But while he’s pumping gas, he thinks of the road trips they took in his car.  The girls in his classes are nice but they don’t excite him. The announcement to his friends and family that he, an eighteen-year-old, is transferring to a college in another state to be with his girlfriend raised eyebrows. People began immediately telling him he didn’t have to make a decision now. However, it’s something he has to do. (“But I don't want “good” and I don't want “good enough/I want “can't sleep, can't breathe without you” love/Front porch and one more kiss, it doesn't make sense to anybody else/Who cares if you're all I think about/I've searched the world and I know now/It ain't right if you ain't lost your mind/Yea I don't want easy, I want crazy/Are you with me baby? Let's be crazy.”)

             He remembers why she told she had to leave: it was a chance to live somewhere new and experience things she wouldn’t be able to at home. For years, she had wanted to walk along the pink and golden Hollywood Walk and swim in theAtlantic Oceanduring the winter.  His friends have told him not to call her all the time or not let her pay for dinner.

However, those rules didn’t ever fit their relationship. He sees the relationships his friends have: they give their girlfriends a peck on the cheek as she talks about getting her tan tomorrow and he watches the game on television. It’s like they are roommates.  While he packs, his hands shake. This is the most important choice in his life. However, he’s okay, knowing they have put thought and effort in something they want to work past high school.  (“I wanna be scared, don't wanna know why/Wanna feel good, don't have to be right/The world makes all kinds of rules for love/I say you gotta let it do what it does/I don't want just another hug and a kiss goodnight/Catchin' up calls and a date sometimes/I love that we’re rebels and we still believe/We're the kind of crazy people wish that they could be, yeah/Oh, I know we're crazy, yeah.”)

                 The chorus is sung twice.

                In the final section, he has landed inCalifornia. She has her hand in his and the other is holding his carry-on bag. A year ago, their discussion about him moving was a game of what-if’s. Now, it’s a reality, one everyone thought they were naïve to believe it would happen. His cellphone rings. Recongnizing the familiar ringtone, she tells him his parents are already wondering if he’s ready to come home yet. But he’s ready for a fresh start. (“ Yeah, look at us baby, tonight the midnight rules are breaking/There's no such thing as wild enough, maybe we just think too much/Who needs to play it safe in love/Let's be crazy!/Who cares if we're crazy, we gotta be crazy/I know that we're crazy, so let's be crazy, yeah.”)

Hayes’ chivalrous, optimistic vocals are altrutistic, concerned mainly with his girlfriend and her well-being. Her independent spirit has rubbed off on him. He, too, wants a life full of change and not to have any regrets.

            The gallant “I Want Crazy” is worth falling for.