10 Best Rock Songs About Being Crazy In Love

Steven Tyler and Joe Perry of Aerosmith performing live

Feature Photo: Photography Stock Ruiz / Shutterstock.com

Do you remember the first time you fell crazy in love? No one forgets that. Everything about that momen, the song that was playing, the place you were, and, of course, the person you fell madly in love with, remains as vivid in your memory as if it happened this morning. Some things you never forget, and being crazy in love for the first time, or maybe the second, or even the most recent time, is something you never truly get over.

Of course, it doesn’t always end well; usually, things fall apart in unexpected ways. But there was that one moment in time when you lost all sense of reason. Nothing mattered, nothing made sense, and all you wanted was to be with that person every second of the day. That’s what these songs are about. We’ve picked 10 pretty great ones, but there are hundreds—thousands—more.

# 10 – “Crazy Little Thing Called Love” – Queen

Queen’s “Crazy Little Thing Called Love” was released as a single in 1979 and later appeared on the band’s 1980 album The Game. Written by Freddie Mercury, recorded at Musicland Studios in Munich, and produced by Queen with Mack, the song channels early rock and roll through a loose rockabilly groove, with Mercury playing acoustic rhythm guitar and Brian May supplying the electric guitar work. Its playful uncertainty about love fits this list perfectly, and the song became a major international hit, reaching No. 1 in the United States and No. 2 in the UK.

# 9 – “I Want You to Want Me” – Cheap Trick

Cheap Trick At Budokan: The Complete Concert

Cheap Trick first released “I Want You to Want Me” on the 1977 album In Color, but the song became a phenomenon through the live version recorded at Nippon Budokan in Tokyo in April 1978 and released on Cheap Trick at Budokan in 1979. Written by Rick Nielsen, the live performance puts Robin Zander’s vocal, Nielsen’s guitar, Tom Petersson’s bass, and Bun E. Carlos’ drums in front of an ecstatic audience, transforming the song’s simple plea for returned affection into something much bigger. The live single reached No. 7 on the Billboard Hot 100 and became one of Cheap Trick’s defining recordings.

Read More: Top 10 Cheap Trick Songs

# 8 – “Crazy” – Aerosmith

Aerosmith’s “Crazy,” from the 1993 album Get a Grip, was released as a single in 1994 and turned the chaos of an unstable relationship into one of the band’s biggest power ballads. Written by Steven Tyler, Joe Perry, and Desmond Child and produced by Bruce Fairbairn, the song balances frustration, desire, and emotional dependence against a bluesy hard-rock arrangement led by Tyler’s vocal and Perry’s guitar. It reached No. 17 on the Billboard Hot 100, and its hugely popular Marty Callner-directed video featuring Alicia Silverstone and Liv Tyler helped make the song one of Aerosmith’s defining 1990s hits.

# 7 – “Crazy Love” – The Allman Brothers Band

The Allman Brothers Band’s “Crazy Love,” the opening track and lead single from 1979’s Enlightened Rogues, marked the band’s return after its mid-1970s breakup. Written and sung by Dickey Betts and produced by Tom Dowd, the track features Betts and Dan Toler on guitars, Gregg Allman on keyboards, David Goldflies on bass, Jaimoe and Butch Trucks on drums, and Bonnie Bramlett on backing vocals. Its upbeat Southern-rock drive turns reckless attraction into something joyous and unruly, and the single reached No. 29 on the Billboard Hot 100.

# 6 – “I Was Made for Lovin’ You” – KISS

KISS shocked part of its hard-rock audience with “I Was Made for Lovin’ You,” the disco-influenced 1979 single from Dynasty. Written by Paul Stanley, Vini Poncia, and Desmond Child and produced by Poncia, the recording features Stanley on lead vocals, Gene Simmons on bass, Ace Frehley on guitar, and session drummer Anton Fig rather than Peter Criss. The song’s dance pulse and huge chorus turned romantic obsession into arena-sized pop-rock, and despite the controversy surrounding KISS’s flirtation with disco, it became one of the band’s most durable international hits.

# 5 – “I’ve Just Seen a Face” – The Beatles

“I’ve Just Seen a Face” captures the breathless instant when attraction becomes complete infatuation. Written primarily by Paul McCartney, recorded at EMI Studios on June 14, 1965, and produced by George Martin, the song first appeared on the UK version of Help! and later opened the U.S. edition of Rubber Soul. Its rapid acoustic rhythm, folk and skiffle flavor, and McCartney’s excited vocal make the entire performance feel as if it is rushing forward faster than the narrator can process what has just happened.

# 4 – “Mad Love” – Linda Ronstadt

Mad Love (180 Gram Audiophile Pink Vinyl/Limited Anniversary Edition)

Linda Ronstadt’s “Mad Love,” the title track from her 1980 album, brought a sharper new-wave edge into a catalog that had already made her one of the biggest singers of the 1970s. Written by Mark Goldenberg of The Cretones and produced by Peter Asher, the song was one of three Goldenberg compositions Ronstadt recorded for the album. Its nervous rhythm and urgent vocal treat love as something exciting but destabilizing, giving the record a harder, more contemporary feel while still relying on the vocal intensity that had always been at the center of Ronstadt’s music.

# 3 – “Crazy Love” – Van Morrison

Van Morrison’s “Crazy Love,” from his 1970 album Moondance, presents being crazy in love as something warm, calm, and completely consuming rather than chaotic. Written and produced by Morrison, the recording surrounds his intimate vocal with a restrained arrangement featuring John Klingberg on bass, Jef Labes on piano, Gary Mallaber on drums, John Platania on guitar, and backing vocals from Emily Houston, Judy Clay, and Jackie Verdell. Unlike many of the more frantic songs on this list, “Crazy Love” sounds like the quiet certainty of someone who has already surrendered completely to the feeling.

Read More: Our 10 Favorite Van Morrison Songs

# 2 – “You Really Got Me” – The Kinks

The Kinks’ “You Really Got Me,” released in August 1964, reduces overwhelming desire to one of the most elemental riffs in rock history. Written by Ray Davies, produced by Shel Talmy, and driven by Dave Davies’ distorted guitar sound, the song captures the feeling of being so consumed by another person that rational thought disappears. The Kinks’ own history recounts how Ray’s original musical idea evolved after Dave pushed it toward a much more aggressive guitar-centered arrangement; the single reached No. 1 in the UK and became the band’s international breakthrough.

# 1 – “Your Love Is Driving Me Crazy” – Sammy Hagar

Sammy Hagar’s “Your Love Is Driving Me Crazy,” from 1982’s Three Lock Box, takes the number-one spot because the title says exactly what this entire list is about. Written by Hagar and produced by Keith Olsen, the song turns romantic attraction into a rush of adrenaline through Hagar’s forceful vocals, guitar-driven arrangement, and enormous chorus. It reached No. 13 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1983, becoming Hagar’s only Top 20 solo hit on that chart and one of the signature recordings from his pre-Van Halen career.

Read More: Top 10 Sammy Hagar 70s Songs