Somewhere Down the Crazy River

"Somewhere Down the Crazy River"
Standard international artwork
Single by Robbie Robertson
from the album Robbie Robertson
Released1987
GenreRock, Spoken word
Length4:57[1]
LabelGeffen[2]
SongwriterRobbie Robertson[2]
Producers
Music video
Robbie Robertson - Somewhere Down The Crazy River (Official Music Video) on YouTube
Alternative release
Side A of Canadian single

"Somewhere Down the Crazy River" is a 1987 song by Robbie Robertson, initially released on Robertson's debut solo album Robbie Robertson, with Sam Llanas on backing vocals.[2]

Background

When one of the producers, Daniel 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".[3]

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.[3] Robertson said that he did not originally plan on recording the song with a spoken word delivery. Sam Llanas of the BoDeans was responsible for the response vocal.[4]

In the United Kingdom, "Somewhere Down the Crazy River" was released by Geffen Records on June 27, 1988 with "Broken Arrow" as the B-side of all editions and the twelve-inch single featuring the song "Tailgate".[5]

Music video

Martin Scorsese directed a music video for the song, with Bob Jason and Amanda Temple handling the production through Limelight Films. The music video was filmed at Silvercup Studios in Queens.[6] Steve Spears of the Tampa Bay Times said in his review that "things get pretty steamy near the end of the video for Robertson and McKee as the two seem to take method acting seriously".[7]

Reception

The song was subject to mixed reviews by critics. Steve Simels of Stereo Review characterized the song as a "surreal, half-sung, half-spoken sketch of a late-night American landscape that jumbles New Orleans rhythm-and-blues and the Nigerian pop of Fela Anikulapo Kuti into as crazily evocative a piece of music as you're likely to hear this year"[8]

Cash Box called it a "masterful cut" that "generates a powerful vision of steamy life in a more primitive phase, on a river from soul of Louisiana, or the Nile, or the mortal soul" and is "done with spoken word and a chant-like vocal and poetic lyrics that speak with a novelist's tongue and the heart of Huckleberry."[9] Steve Spears of Tampa Bay Times called the song "sexy",[7] 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".[1]

Personnel

Additional personnel

Chart performance

"Somewhere Down the Crazy River" reached No. 15 on the UK Singles Chart,[10] No. 24 on Billboard's Mainstream Rock Tracks[11] and won Robertson and Lanois the Canadian Producer of the Year Award for 1989.[12] In Robertson's home country Canada, it debuted at No. 95 on the week ending 2 April 1988[13] and then peaked at No. 91 for two weeks until the week ending 16 April 1988.[14][15]

References

  1. ^ a b "Robbie Robertson – Robbie Robertson". AllMusic. Retrieved 24 January 2014.
  2. ^ a b c d Robbie Robertson (booklet). Robbie Robertson. Geffen Records. 1987.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  3. ^ a b Tong, Allan (September 2007). "Daniel Lanois Web Exclusive Interview". Exclaim.ca. Archived from the original on 16 May 2010. Retrieved 19 September 2007.
  4. ^ Gilmore, Mikal with Robbie Robertson (1987). Robbie Robertson: A Special Conversation For College Radio (Pre-recorded radio interview on Compact Disc). Geffen Records. PRO-CD-2877.
  5. ^ "New Singles" (PDF). Music Week. 25 June 1988. p. 14. Retrieved 29 November 2025 – via World Radio History.
  6. ^ "Video Track" (PDF). Billboard. 30 April 1988. p. 55. Retrieved 29 November 2025 – via World Radio History.
  7. ^ a b "Wednesday lost and found: Robbie Robertson 'Somewhere Down the Crazy River'". Tampa Bay Times. Archived from the original on 2 February 2014. Retrieved 24 January 2014.
  8. ^ Simels, Steve (February 1988). "Robbie Robertson's Comeback" (PDF). Stereo Review. p. 180. Retrieved 21 February 2026 – via World Radio History.
  9. ^ "Single Releases" (PDF). Cash Box. 12 March 1988. p. 6. Retrieved 21 December 2022.
  10. ^ "HOWIE B FEATURING ROBBIE ROBERTSON". The Official Charts Company. Retrieved 24 January 2014.
  11. ^ a b "Robbie Robertson Chart History (Mainstream Rock)". Billboard.
  12. ^ "Yearly Summary | The JUNO Awards". Junoawards.ca. Retrieved 8 February 2014.
  13. ^ "RPM 100 Singles: Canada's Only National 100 Single Survey". RPM Weekly. 2 April 1988. Retrieved 28 November 2018.
  14. ^ "RPM 100 Singles: Canada's Only National 100 Single Survey". RPM. 9 April 1988. Retrieved 28 November 2018.
  15. ^ "RPM 100 Singles: Canada's Only National 100 Single Survey". RPM. 16 April 1988. Retrieved 28 November 2018.
  16. ^ "Bubbling Down Under Week Commencing November 11, 1991". Bubbling Down Under. Retrieved 11 November 2022.
  17. ^ "Robbie Robertson – Somewhere Down the Crazy River" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50.
  18. ^ "Top RPM Singles: Image 0962". RPM. Library and Archives Canada.
  19. ^ "European Playlist Reports: RAI - Italy" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 4, no. 50. 19 December 1987. p. 13.
  20. ^ "Nederlandse Top 40 – Robbie Robertson" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40.
  21. ^ "Robbie Robertson – Somewhere Down the Crazy River" (in Dutch). Single Top 100.
  22. ^ "Robbie Robertson – Somewhere Down the Crazy River". Top 40 Singles.
  23. ^ "Official Singles Chart on 27/8/1988 – Top 100". Official Charts Company.
  24. ^ "Robbie Robertson Chart History (Adult Contemporary)". Billboard.
  25. ^ "Top 100-Jaaroverzicht van 1988". Dutch Top 40. Retrieved 2 September 2020.
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