Crazy Beautiful Life

Album: Cannibal (2010)
Charted: 93
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • This song finds Kesha looking back from her days as a "sh--ty waitress" to her position now as an internationally famous pop star. The song was co-written by the singer's mother, Tennessee songwriter Pebe Sebert, who observed first hand her daughter's rise to the top.
  • In her book My Crazy Beautiful Life, Kesha wrote of the song: "I rewrote the words a thousand times until I found something simple that felt right... When I sing, 'Like we're gonna die young,' I'm promising that no matter how old I get I'm never going to lose my youthful spirit."
  • The song came under fire when the December 2012 Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting in Newtown, Connecticut, turned listeners off to songs celebrating premature death. While Kesha previously claimed ownership to the lyrics, she changed her tune when haters flooded her Twitter account in the shooting's aftermath. She tweeted: "I did NOT want to sing those lyrics and I was FORCED to."

    Kesha's fans blamed the singer's producer, Lukasz "Dr. Luke" Gottwald, and even started a petition to "Free Kesha" from the producer and his team, who were controlling her "like a puppet." Kesha would break ties with Dr. Luke in 2014, after charging him with sexual assault.

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Andrew Farriss of INXS

Andrew Farriss of INXSSongwriter Interviews

Andrew Farriss on writing with Michael Hutchence, the stories behind "Mystify" and other INXS hits, and his country-flavored debut solo album.

Danny Kortchmar

Danny KortchmarSongwriter Interviews

Danny played guitar on Sweet Baby James, Tapestry, and Running On Empty. He also co-wrote many hit songs, including "Dirty Laundry," "Sunset Grill" and "Tender Is The Night."

Chris Frantz - "Genius of Love"

Chris Frantz - "Genius of Love"They're Playing My Song

Chris and his wife Tina were the rhythm section for Talking Heads when they formed The Tom Tom Club. "Genius of Love" was their blockbuster, but David Byrne only mentioned it once.

Dean Pitchford

Dean PitchfordSongwriter Interviews

Dean wrote the screenplay and lyrics to all the songs in Footloose. His other hits include "Fame" and "All The Man That I Need."

Who's Johnny, And Why Does He Show Up In So Many Songs

Who's Johnny, And Why Does He Show Up In So Many SongsSong Writing

For songwriters, Johnny represents the American man. He has been angry, cool, magic, a rebel and, of course, marching home.

Scott Gorham of Thin Lizzy and Black Star Riders

Scott Gorham of Thin Lizzy and Black Star RidersSongwriter Interviews

Writing with Phil Lynott, Scott saw their ill-fated frontman move to a darker place in his life and lyrics.