Crush (Dave Matthews Band song)
Encyclopedia
"Crush" is a song by the Dave Matthews Band
, released as the third single from their album Before These Crowded Streets
. As a single, it reached #11 on the Modern Rock Tracks chart, #75 on the Billboard Hot 100, #38 on the Top 40 Mainstream, and #20 on the Adult Top 40. As the album version song is over eight minutes in length, the song time was cut almost in half for radio airplay.
The song was almost omitted from Before These Crowded Streets
as the band struggled with it in the studio until bassist Stefan Lessard
came up with the opening bass line that set the tone of the song for the rest of the band.
The song debuted live on April 18, 1998, ten days before its album release. The song's initial performance lasted around 11 minutes, slightly longer than its album version, and remained in that fashion in performances up to the present day. Currently, "Crush" has been played live by the band over 300 times and remains popular on the band's setlists today.
The song is dedicated to Ashley Harper, Dave Matthews
' wife, and the lyrics express a man's passion for his lover.
, is shot in black and white. It takes place in a nightclub, with Dave Matthews sitting at the bar drinking, singing, and smoking, while the rest of the band plays in the background. In the end, Dave gets up to take a guitar from a waiter in the backstage room and gets up to join the rest of the band. The video ends with them celebrating their success.
Dave Matthews Band
Dave Matthews Band, sometimes shortened to DMB, is a U.S. rock band formed in Charlottesville, Virginia in 1991. The founding members were singer-songwriter and guitarist Dave Matthews, bassist Stefan Lessard, drummer/backing vocalist Carter Beauford and saxophonist LeRoi Moore. Boyd Tinsley was...
, released as the third single from their album Before These Crowded Streets
Before These Crowded Streets
Before These Crowded Streets is the third studio album by Dave Matthews Band, released on April 28, 1998. It is the last official album by the group to be produced by longtime producer Steve Lillywhite and their first album recorded at The Plant Recording Studios in Sausalito, California...
. As a single, it reached #11 on the Modern Rock Tracks chart, #75 on the Billboard Hot 100, #38 on the Top 40 Mainstream, and #20 on the Adult Top 40. As the album version song is over eight minutes in length, the song time was cut almost in half for radio airplay.
The song was almost omitted from Before These Crowded Streets
Before These Crowded Streets
Before These Crowded Streets is the third studio album by Dave Matthews Band, released on April 28, 1998. It is the last official album by the group to be produced by longtime producer Steve Lillywhite and their first album recorded at The Plant Recording Studios in Sausalito, California...
as the band struggled with it in the studio until bassist Stefan Lessard
Stefan Lessard
Stefan Kahil Lessard is an American musician, most famous as the bassist for the Dave Matthews Band.-Early life:Lessard was born in Anaheim, California, to musicians Ron and Janaki Lessard. After moving a number of times during his childhood, Lessard and his family eventually settled in...
came up with the opening bass line that set the tone of the song for the rest of the band.
The song debuted live on April 18, 1998, ten days before its album release. The song's initial performance lasted around 11 minutes, slightly longer than its album version, and remained in that fashion in performances up to the present day. Currently, "Crush" has been played live by the band over 300 times and remains popular on the band's setlists today.
The song is dedicated to Ashley Harper, Dave Matthews
Dave Matthews
David John "Dave" Matthews is a South African–born American musician and occasional actor, best known as the lead vocalist, songwriter, and guitarist for the Dave Matthews Band...
' wife, and the lyrics express a man's passion for his lover.
Concert performances
When played live, the song features a stop tempo portion right after the place where the single edit ends. After coming back in with the full melody, an extended jam session is performed, bringing the average time for the performance of the song to over ten minutes, commonly around twelve. At the very end of the song, the song goes into a drum solo by Carter while the band overlays a simple, four-note melody on top before ending.Music video
The music video, directed by Dean KarrDean Karr
Dean Karr is an American photographer and music video, commercial, and film director.-Official biography:Director/Photographer Dean Karr's signature style, often copied but never...
, is shot in black and white. It takes place in a nightclub, with Dave Matthews sitting at the bar drinking, singing, and smoking, while the rest of the band plays in the background. In the end, Dave gets up to take a guitar from a waiter in the backstage room and gets up to join the rest of the band. The video ends with them celebrating their success.
Charts
| Chart (1998) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| U.S. Billboard Hot 100 Billboard Hot 100 The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday... |
75 |
| U.S. Billboard Modern Rock Tracks Modern Rock Tracks Alternative Songs is a music chart in the United States that has appeared in Billboard magazine since September 10, 1988. It lists the 40 most-played songs on modern rock radio stations, most of which are alternative rock songs... |
11 |
| U.S. Billboard Adult Top 40 | 20 |
| U.S. Billboard Top 40 Mainstream | 38 |
Live releases
A live recording of "Crush" appears on the following Dave Matthews Band releases:- The Warehouse 5
- The Central Park ConcertThe Central Park ConcertThe Central Park Concert is a three disc live album and video by the Dave Matthews Band. The album was recorded on September 24, 2003 on the Great Lawn of Central Park in New York, New York in front of a crowd of 121,382, the band's largest audience to date...
- The Gorge (Special Edition)The Gorge (album)The Gorge is a collection of the songs played during Dave Matthews Band's three-night concert in 2002 at The Gorge Amphitheatre in George, Washington. The album was released in a three-disc set featuring 2 CDs and a DVD with live footage, advanced multi-angle features, behind the scenes clips, and...
- The Complete Weekend on the RocksWeekend on the RocksWeekend on the Rocks is a live album by Dave Matthews Band. It contains highlights of the four shows in four days the band performed at Red Rocks Amphitheatre in Morrison, Colorado on September 9–12, 2005. The set is packaged on two CDs and one DVD. However, a complete recording of the four...
- Live Trax Vol. 6Live Trax Vol. 6Live Trax Vol. 6, unofficially known as Live at Fenway Park, is the sixth installment in the Dave Matthews Band Live Trax series. It features a four disc set of the band's two night performance at Fenway Park in Boston from July 7 and 8, 2006...
- Live at Radio CityLive at Radio CityLive at Radio City is a live album and video by Dave Matthews and Tim Reynolds. This was the first release by Matthews and Reynolds since Live at Luther College, released in 1999.-Release:...
- Live Trax Vol. 9Live Trax Vol. 9Live Trax Vol. 9 is the ninth live album released in the Dave Matthews Band Live Trax series. The four-disc live album was recorded at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada over a two-night span on March 23–24, 2007. The performance was the band's first show in 2007, after not having...
- Live Trax Vol. 13Live Trax Vol. 13Live Trax Vol. 13 is a live album by Dave Matthews Band, and is the 13th volume in the band's Live Trax series. The album was recorded on June 7, 2008 at Busch Stadium in St. Louis, Missouri...
- Live Trax Vol. 15Live Trax Vol. 15Live Trax Vol. 15 is a live album by Dave Matthews Band, and is the 15th volume in the band's Live Trax series. The album was recorded on August 9, 2008 at Alpine Valley Music Theater in East Troy, Wisconsin....
- Live Trax Vol. 16Live Trax Vol. 16Live Trax Vol. 16 is a live album by Dave Matthews Band, and is the 16th volume in the band's Live Trax series. The album was recorded at Riverbend Music Center in Cincinnati, Ohio on June 26, 2000...