Released 1989 Length 4:57 Writer(s) Robbie Robertson | Genre Rock Label Geffen Records | |
Producer(s) Dan Lanois/Peter Gabriel | ||
"Somewhere Down the Crazy River" is a 1987 song by Robbie Robertson, initially released on Robertson debut solo album Robbie Robertson, with Sam Llanas on backing vocals. It reached No. 15 on the UK Singles Chart, No. 24 on Billboard's Mainstream Rock Tracks and won Robertson and Dan Lanois the Canadian Producer of the Year Award for 1989.
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Background
When one of the producers, Dan Lanois, was asked about the inspiration for "Somewhere Down the Crazy River", he said that the song was "kind of like a guy with a deep voice telling you about steaming nights in Arkansas". He went on to say that Robertson was describing his experiences of hanging out in his old neighbourhood of Arkansas with Levon Helm (fellow The Band member) during hot nights in which they were "fishing with dynamite" and had asked a local for directions to "somewhere down the crazy river".
In terms of composition, the song features a "sweet and wonderful" chord sequence on the Suzuki Omnichord, which had been introduced to Lanois by Brian Eno. As Robertson developed the chord sequence, Lanois surreptitiously recorded him and superimposed his storytelling on top.
Music video
Martin Scorsese directed a music video for the song, featuring Maria McKee and Sam Llanas (credited as Sammy BoDean). Steve Spears of Tampa Bay Times notes in his review for it that "things get pretty steamy near the end of the video for Robertson and McKee as the two seem to take method acting seriously".
Critical reception
The song was subject to mixed reviews by critics. Steve Spears of Tampa Bay Times called the song "sexy", whereas Mark Deming of AllMusic wrote that Robertson was "exploring the same iconography of the Band's best work, but without the same grace or subtle wit".