Sometimes nothing comes up to the standard established by an original. The first King Kong film made in 1933 starring Fay Wray as the glorious gorilla's object of fascination was a campy masterpiece. The reboot made in 1976 with Jessica Lange was just meh. So was the Naomi Watts version from 2005. Then take "Somewhere Over The Rainbow." When Judy Garland sang it in The Wizard Of Oz in 1939, it was the melancholy wish of a dreamy young girl that went straight to Depression-era audiences' hearts. So many artists have sung it since then, but no one has ever done it with more youthful, vulnerable tenderness than Garland. Her wistful iteration of it cannot be topped.
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So I get it when Willie Nelson says that his favorite version of "Crazy," (which he wrote, by the way), is the one recorded in 1961 by the great Patsy Cline. She was a genius who could coax every sliver of meaning from a lyric with the ease of a virtuoso. No wonder Nelson is partial to her rendition. It is peerless. "Crazy" is a seminal tune in the country music genre and Patsy Cline "owns" it in perpetuity.
Patsy Cline Almost Did Not Record 'Crazy'
This Story Is Part Of Treasured Country Music Lore
According to Whiskey Riff, Cline's husband, Charlie Dick, was so excited about the song that he brought Nelson to their home late at night and woke Cline up just to hear it. Dick had a gut feeling that "Crazy" would be a blockbuster and he thought it was well suited to Cline's vocal talent.
It seems like the song left Cline oddly cold at first. Per NPR, Charlie Dick said, "She didn't think too much of the song. She just didn't even want to hear Willie Nelson's name mentioned." The outlet speculated that she didn't warm to "the vulnerable heartbroken sound" of songs like "Crazy." Maybe the material felt too morose for her. Fortunately, Cline eventually changed her mind.
Cline Tried At First To Emulate The Way Willie Nelson Sang It
That Proved Unsuccessful
Willie Nelson explained in his 2015 memoir via Whiskey Riff why Patsy Cline should not have tried to mirror the way he sang "Crazy." Nelson wrote, "No one should try to follow my phrasing. My phrasing is peculiar to me. I'll lay back on the beat or jump ahead."
Nelson Was Very Pleased With The Final Version
Willie Nelson also noted, "Her version of 'Crazy' became one of the best-selling songs of all time. Of all the versions of my songs covered by other artists, it's my favorite. She understood the lyrics on the deepest possible level...Patsy did the song proud. She did me proud I'm forever grateful for what I consider a perfect rendition."
