The third single. It sounds like a 1960s Motown track that fell through a wormhole. A glockenspiel plays a cheerful melody over a steady beat. The twist? The lyrics are about the end of a relationship: "The verdict came the other day / They said it's best if we go our separate ways." The contrast is brilliant.
The first single. A stark, slow-burning masterpiece. The track is built on a simple, mournful guitar chord and a soft kick drum. CeeLo delivers one of his most vulnerable vocal takes: "I got a bad disease / Up out my mind, down on my knees." The final line, "Who's gonna save my soul now?" is delivered with a defeated exhale. Heartbreaking. gnarls barkley discography
What can be said? Co-written by both members, the song is built on a sample of the string section from Gianfranco Reverberi’s “Last Man Standing” (from a 1968 Spaghetti Western). Lyrically, it is a meditation on solipsism and mental health disguised as a dance track. "Does that make me crazy?" It became the first UK single to top the charts on downloads alone, and Rolling Stone later named it the #1 song of the 2000s decade. The third single
The second single. If “Crazy” is the dark cocktail hour, “Smiley Faces” is the morning after. It’s bouncy, optimistic, and features a glorious chorus: "Rejoice, glorious, victorious / The day the magic happened." The music video, featuring the duo in giant mascot heads riding dirt bikes, is iconic. The twist
Gnarls Barkley has released four studio albums to date. Here's a brief overview of each: