Review

Song Review: LE SSERAFIM – Crazy

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LE SSERAFIM - CrazyFrom the moment they kicked their legs in the air to open Fearless‘s compelling choreo, LE SSERAFIM have displayed tons of potential and even more style. But too often, the group has been saddled with ultra-trendy material that feels like an echo of Western pop sounds rather than a guiding light forward. With new single Crazy, they turn their attention to a more energetic club track the builds upon last year’s viral hit Eve, Psyche & the Bluebeard’s Wife.

To its credit, Crazy opts for a more specific, unique vision than many K-pop tracks of this genre do, even if much of that vision is appropriated from drag culture. “All the girls are girling, girling” is not a chorus lyric you hear every day and is delivered with a deadpan tone that somehow makes it all the more amusing. The banging production echoes this vibe, stuffed with familiar samples and interjections that draw out the song’s not-so-serious appeal. The instrumental even makes good use of a piercing, high-pitched tone to cap off each pre-chorus with an unexpected flatline. I wouldn’t call Crazy musically adventurous, but by HYBE’s standards it has personality.

But here’s the thing… You really need to bring drag queen level personality to sell a track like Crazy. Apart from the (very enjoyable) burst of melodic harmony that opens each pre-chorus, the vast majority of the song sees the girls strutting their stuff with a half-sung, half-rapped delivery. On its face, this approach is pretty flat unless the performance itself steals the show via its own eccentricities. K-pop’s idol system doesn’t necessarily allow for this, making me wish LE SSERAFIM had the chance to turn their weirdness dial up to eleven.

Hooks 7
 Production 8
 Longevity 8
 Bias 8
 RATING 7.75

Grade: C+

52 thoughts on “Song Review: LE SSERAFIM – Crazy”

  3. Better than Easy, but the “all the girls are girling” hook kinda grinds my gears a bit, maybe cause of the way it’s sung? It still could use more bite to it, it seemed kinda underwhelming tbh.

    7.5 (7, 8, 8, 7) for me.

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  4. I like it more than Easy, but I was hoping there would be more melodic lines in it or at least something other than “all the girls are girling.”

    7.5 (7, 8, 8, 7) but it might grow

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  5. the mini album in a nutshell

    Chasing Lightning = the longest track, lyrically recounts how Crazy is defined (the lyrics are on the Youtube audio), musically similar to this track

    Pierrot = recalls some Red Velvet-isms of the past, imo the second coming of The Great Mermaid & what I anticipate as Buried Treasure

    1-800-hot-n-fun = what everyone wanted a track from the Easy EP to sound like, all-English, rock-based (shocking to me coz the Coachella perf doesn’t feel like it’s that guitar-based) track

    Crazier = the usual Yunjin production with lyrical depth but not much melody, it’s a breather from all the rap and production above

    I liked this song, it doesn’t feel like it’s short. the musical quirks it has make it v enjoyable. I also enjoyed reading this review as usual.

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  6. well… it is a crazy track for sure, I just wish it was crazier. it’s a lot better than EASY for sure. I don’t really mind the talk-sing verses.

    I’m glad HYBE hired ballroom people in the music video and it’s great to see 3 trans women in a k-pop mv.

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  7. How funny the intro – Chasing Lightning is the only song that pass through 3 minutes mark, that served only as an Intro…

    Musically wise, crazy do sound like a club banger, but it’s flat and monotone chorus is just an off for the song that slightly muted the total energy it brings to us. The second verse should be just replaced with pure instrumental if it sound like this… (sorry Eunchae).

    All of the sudden, I realize I do enjoy all of their album’s intro since their debut, and probably due to their speak-singing rhythm, and then I further realize their speaking voice is definitely better than their singing vocal technique, which makes me have a mixed feeling, like.. um…. ya, they try their best, and wish them good luck on their success.

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  9. This song make me feels like wanted to go to a fashion store, buy an exaggerate dance suit, dance to it, washed it then put it back to my closet and never use it again. I would give a ‘fast-fashion’ rating to this song because it is so plain and not unique, and so suitable to be used in Forever 21/H&M, recycling and reusing the beat.

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  10. Girl is not girling, mother is not mothering, song is not songing.

    At least it is more upbeat compare to easy, which make me like this song more than their previous comeback.

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  12. Call me an easily amused gay person but Sakura was duck walking in the video and they’re giving trans girls their coins so bitch you know I live……

    On a more um thoughtful note, I think this is precisely what lsrfm should be doing with their careers now. Gay club music that’s stylish and different from what we normally see within kpop— that’s what will gain them recognition, and it doesn’t require a tremendous live vocal showcase.

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  13. Even though I totally agree with your opinion that they should have gone crazier, I really liked the song and I am sure some kind of eccentric choreography will fill in for the lack of it in the vocals. Also, the sing talk is maybe because of all the, you know, “vocals” controversy, so they can actually pull it off on stage live. But their charisma in the MV really seemed impressive.

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  14. Mmhhh. Not for me. Yes there’s a couple catchy lines in there but it feels to me (again) as an attempt to copycat a song that is on the US charts right now – “Guess” by Charlie XCX. That song has killer lyrics, two killer iconic vocal deliveries and a better production.

    If I have to listen to something in that tongue in cheek style I’l listen to that one and I’m quite a big Charlie XCX fan so it’s unlikely I can warm up to this one 😦

    5/10

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  15. I really like this song (already added it to my playlist) but I think it would’ve been nice for Le Sserafim to be given a more vocally focused song. Last year IVE got into hot waters for their vocals as well when they were caught lipsyncing to Strawberry Moon. Yet after that, they came back with “I Am” which is their most vocally challenging song ever and yet they managed to pull it off. Doing something like this would’ve been a great way to win back the public’s opinion but I guess we’ll have to see how things go for them this comeback.

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  17. I’m a straight dude but this sounded fun as hell. 11/10 for abrupt change in direction and surprise. Solid production. This with Supernova sits on my Top 3 for SOTY. Quirky and fun to vibe to.

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  18. Fan service for the segment of the market who isn’t usually served by regular kpop.

    I think it works, mostly. Its not the most banging banger, but it will do. There will or should be the hype section of their performances where a mix of this with Eve… and others lasts for a long while. That will be fun!

    So on balance, good job.

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  20. I think I appreciate the idea of Le Sserafim making gay club music with voguing choreo more than what we got – so I’m happy this exists, but I am a bit whelmed with the song and even the choreo (Eunchae did a dip in the MV during her first prechorus line but its not in the choreo :< now that would have been crazy). Agree with sentiments that the song should have been much crazier haha

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  21. I can’t stand the memeiffication of music, especially when it’s done and feels so produced and flat (I absolutely abhor that WHAT ad-lib 😐). Ultra- trendy is certainly and apt description. That chorus is a big letdown, it’s so lazy, barebones melody. There are few vocal production choices that are interesting (the Galileo part) but the rest just feels uninspired and repetitive in a bad way. Also, there was barely any ‘singing’ in the song, kind of unfortunate (it certainly has its catchy parts). All of this is just going to make the song age faster. In my opinion, it’s a waste of a fantastic instrumental (which I WILL be listening to by itself repeatedly). I do like it more than Easy though. I found their delivery was best in the 1-800- hot n fun song, which was gimmicky in a more genuine way.

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  22. Much like how ‘Smart’ was a La Croix version of Tyla, this seems to be a La Croix version of Chungha’s ‘Stay Tonight’. Not a bad thing exactly but not quite as special and dynamic as they both want it to be and could be. Really, it plays like an extended intro to what the sound should be? A cute time at least but….only JUST that.

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  23. Crazy is definitely a step up from their last 2 rounds of album singles (Unforgiven and Easy), but it still has one major flaw that Easy, which to me is their lowest, had, and it’s an underdone structure. There are so many avenues that could have been taken after that second post chorus, but it’s just cut short so it would be easier to stream.

    I still think that of what exists, the sound production finally has some character and the verses are fun. The chorus, even without much to it, is still serviceable to the song in my opinion. I also appreciate the creative team actually putting some effort into their presentation (hiring an actual illustrator*, having interesting photo concepts, showcasing dancers in the ballroom scene and acknowledging them). This is a group HYBE prioritizes and it shows, but the fact that they’ll still value replay time over a full fledged track is disappointing. This gets a 7.75 from me (7,9,8,7).

    *I mention this because it does say something when they’ll use AI generated images for ILLIT and Katseye’s highlight medleys (the former being months ago) while getting an illustrator for a bigger name group with a longer tenure (and that is something purely on the corporation). They couldn’t even bother to credit the animator who had to draw on top of those images. I am an artist who notices this stuff and it’s insane that almost nobody calls this out. It does reflect on how they view their artists.

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  24. Very repetitive. The vibes were there. Idk how to feel about all the talk rapping/singing… It suits the style of the song but I think the song could’ve benefited from another minute and some actual vocal parts + bridge. Overall it’s ok.

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  25. Well, it’ s definitely catchy! It’ s been stuck in my head. Apart from that, yeah, it misses substance. I wanted more musical meat and more crazy.

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  26. My favorite le sserafim track in a while. I agree the track would benefit from more personality. Definitely appropriates drag culture which (like a lot of gay culture) co opts things from the black community. The inclusion of a lot of black dancers balances this out for me, I’m not too bothered

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  28. well, i don’t like it more than their last two bangers: “Easy” and “Better,” but i do like it very much….honestly, Le Sserafim is one of my favorite female k-pop groups, so i pretty much like most everything they make, but there are 2 points i’d like to make with this comeback, in reference to some of Nick’s thoughts….

    1. if i had to choose a song i liked the least from this group, right now, it would probably be this one….now, i do like it and it will be on my playlist, but i can somewhat agree with some of Nick’s thoughts on it….you said – “Apart from the (very enjoyable) burst of melodic harmony that opens each pre-chorus, the vast majority of the song sees the girls strutting their stuff with a half-sung, half-rapped delivery”….i can agree with this….it seems for sing-along than them using fleshed-out vocals….you also noted – “On its face, this approach is pretty flat unless the performance itself steals the show via its own eccentricities. K-pop’s idol system doesn’t necessarily allow for this, making me wish LE SSERAFIM had the chance to turn their weirdness dial up to eleven”….i agree somewhat with this, in that i just don’t think the song is one of their best, but it is likable for me….and, even if they did ‘turn up their weirdness dial’ on this one, to me it would not matter….as i stated, to me, it’s just not one of their best and ‘improvement on their weirdness in the video’ would not make me like or dislike the song any more….

    2. Nick, you noted that “From the moment they kicked their legs in the air to open Fearless‘s compelling choreo, LE SSERAFIM have displayed tons of potential and even more style”….i understand what you are saying here, but let me kickback just a little on this point….i wholeheartedly agree with you that songs like “Fearless” and “Antifragile” are more k-pop oriented than this song and ones like “Easy” and “Smart”….and, i do not believe any k-pop group or individual artist should abandon their k-pop roots to go completely western pop (even with the crossover hits from BTS: “Dynamite” and “Butter,” i started to feel like they were more focused on a westernized sound and got away from the k-pop sound that drew me to them in the first place: “DNA,” “Black Swan,” “Fake Love,” “On,” and others)….but, if Le Sserafim is aiming to do both, like BTS and others (k-pop and western pop / R&B), then they need to have songs like “Crazy,” “Easy,” and “Smart” that appeal to those audiences and fans outside of k-pop….it is not always an easy rope to walk, but it has been done successfully by many artists, even those from the westernized world trying to crossover to other styles, cultures, and genres….and then, there are times when it can end in disaster and ruin a group….i do not believe Le Sserafim is one of those groups who will fail at crossing over to other fans….i just think they need to not forget their k-pop roots….

    3. lastly, while i love that some k-pop artists are starting to include more people of color and minorities in their music videos, what is baffling to me about this one is if this concept is about drag, then why are all the drag representatives black?….are black people the only ones that indulge in drag?

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    • No, but drag culture and vouging started from the black community so they are paying homage to them by having a the house of juicy couture be background dancers. Hope this helps! ❤️

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    • While I agree with you on treading the fine line for reaching that wider audience. You (and Nick) seem to be confusing the influence of this music.

      Yes you will find this music style in the drag scene but the clear influence is actually rooted in ballroom culture which very much originated in the Black and Latino LGBTQ+ communities. Modern drag as we know it has been hugely shaped by ballroom. That would be why they have a ballroom house, Juicy Couture, in the MV. The dance features old way vouge which was created in ballroom so I don’t think it’s valid to be concerned about only black dancers featured.

      I’m incredibly impressed that black, queer, and trans people are featured and credited in a kpop music video of such a well known group. I’m sure people like Solar and Chungha have helped paved the way for this feature by collaborating with and featuring Korean ballroom house and vogue dancers in their performances and MVs.

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      • Very well said. The person who made the original comment clearly isn’t as informed as they should be or just has bad intentions. Complaining about black dancers for what? Like there aren’t several other videos with only white people featured (and as love interests sometimes too) as non Asian extras/ roles. It’s giving “centrist”

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  30. i’m glad they brought back the bombastic explosive high energy music. easy wasn’t doing them any favors, vocally or musically. the lyrics are a little goofy, but at least they went full out with the goofiness. i wish the song was longer though with a good outro to really bring it to its full craziness and had more singing than the rapping. not a fan of eunchae’s 2nd verse, idk if she has a voice for that kind of delivery. funnily, before crazy came out, someone made an this imagined version of crazy with easy lyrics, which feels more flirtatious and like yg’s style.

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  32. Jesus christ I can smell all the non black people in here.

    another bad take as expected. from someone who doesn’t know the difference between BALLROOM/VOGUE CULTURE from DRAG you certainly had an Opinion, much like your fellow unmelanated followers.

    DRAG CAN BE BALLROOM but NOT ALL BALLROOM IS DRAG. They don’t NEED DRAG QUEEN PERSONALITIES when they have a whole HOUSE performing with them

    the fact that you gave Young Posse a standing ovation for their BLATANT appropriation and then brushed LSF’s actual showcase of queer black and brown bodies to side says volumes

    I’m not even a LSF fan, let alone a GG fan, but this right here? Showed that respectful cultural APPRECIATION is capable within K-Pop, and they’ve got a new follower.

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  33. This song falls into my fastfood category: easily digestible, will make me dance, but doesn’t have enough meat on its bones for me to think its top tier.

    ‘all the girls are girling’ is insanely catchy, a lyric that shouldn’t work at first glance but absolutely does because it suits the sort the vibe of the song. I’m not sure I feel the same way about ‘Otaku bestie’ though.

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