Top 10 Songs of 2013: #9 Au Revoir Simone - Crazy 

Au Revoir Simone - “Crazy”

This is a grower. The first time I heard it, I think it was on a podcast (maybe KEXP?). It starts off so simple, with that little riff and drum beat. And then the song is just all hook. Seriously, it’s just all gorgeous hook. It’s a hook that you hear for the first time, and you’re singing along before the songs over. You hear it the first time, it hangs out in your brain. You go listen to it again, you think “hmm, this is pretty fun.” The tenth time? You realize you’ve lost and Au Revoir Simone have won.

I think that’s the power of pop music. “Crazy” is literally all hook. I didn’t count, but if there’s more than 10 lines of the song that aren’t the chorus, I’d be shocked. There’s something magical about being able to create a song like that. Everyone gets it, everyone’s welcome. You don’t need to decode the lyrics. It’s all sitting right there for you, making you feel like part of the cool kids.

(Especially when this ends up backing a commercial for Girls on HBO and you’re rocking out the lyrics and impressing all your friends.)