| "Crush" | |||||||||||||||||||
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| Single by Dave Matthews Band | |||||||||||||||||||
| from the album Before These Crowded Streets | |||||||||||||||||||
| Released | September 1998 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Format | CD single | ||||||||||||||||||
| Recorded | Electric Lady Studios, New York, NY | ||||||||||||||||||
| Genre | Rock | ||||||||||||||||||
| Length | 8:09 (Album version) 4:12 (Radio edit) |
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| Label | RCA | ||||||||||||||||||
| Producer | Steve Lillywhite | ||||||||||||||||||
| Dave Matthews Band singles chronology | |||||||||||||||||||
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"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.[1]
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.
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When "Crush" is performed live, the band plays a jam following the final verse. This extends the song's length to approximately thirteen minutes. Solos are featured, commonly beginning with the violin or muted trumpet, followed by the winds. The final section of the jam highlights a drum solo, while the band overlays a four-note ostinato.
The music video, directed by Dean Karr, 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.
| Chart (1998) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| U.S. Billboard Hot 100 | 75 |
| U.S. Billboard Modern Rock Tracks | 11 |
| U.S. Billboard Adult Top 40 | 20 |
| U.S. Billboard Top 40 Mainstream | 38 |
A live recording of "Crush" appears on the following Dave Matthews Band releases: