“Crazy in Love” comes on and I turn into an ass-shaking fool.

It’s just about perfect…that genius horn loop courtesy of The Chi-Lites and producer Rich Harrison (who ran this concept into the ground very quickly*), a concise, light, and focused sixteen bars from Jay-Z and a boisterous vocal from B that feels like young love/infatuation rushing up on you. Everything was perfectly calibrated for Song of the Summer status, and as coldly calculated as “Crazy in Love” probably was (hot producer + hot rapper), B’s clearly smitten vocal melted right through the calculation like hot wax on a piece of plastic wrap. The song that ruled the airwaves during the hot weather months deserved to do so. What a concept!

*-Harrison recycled the formula with Usher’s “Take Your Hand”, Amerie’s “1 Thing”, J Lo’s “Get Right”, and a bunch of lesser sound-alikes.